According to a Japanese analyst, the Switch 2 may be more expensive and be released later than many expected.
Toyo Securities analyst, Hideki Yasuda, has stated that the upcomingNintendo Switch 2could be “less than $499” in a brand new report.
Speaking to Kabutan News, a Japan-based news site, Yasuda stated that while “various reports” suggest its $499 price tag, many people in Japan “have doubts” it’ll be “that cheap.”
In the seven years since the original version launched, multiple leaks have suggested its successor will be a big step up, including anotable RAM upgradeandnew magnetically attached controllers.
At $499, this would mean theSwitch2 would cost almost $200 over its predecessor. However, as Yasuda explains, no finer details about the upcoming handheld have been shared, so we can only speculate for now.
Switch 2 coming “in the first half of next year”
Inthe report, translated by Google and discovered by Bloomberg reporter Takashi Mochizuki, Yasuda also states that the same reports state the Switch 2 will be “released in the first half of next year.”
While Yasuda’s findings could be in line with the President’s previous statement, GameIndustry.biz head Chris Dring recently stated that “no developer I’ve spoken to expects [the Switch 2] to be launching this financial year.”
In an episode of the GameIndustry.biz Microcastpodcast, released on August 13, Dring explained that developers working on titles for the Switch 2 have been “told next to expect it in the [current] financial year.”
Those that Dring spoke to, however, “hope it’s out in April or May time.”
As Nintendo hasn’t officially shared any details, besides President Shuintaro Furukawa’s previous statement, everything stated by the analyst should be taken with a big Bowser-sized grain of salt.
Rosalie Newcombe was a Senior Tech Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. Rosalie is an expert on all things handhelds, and has been picking them up since the original Game Boy, all the way up to the Steam Deck. They have covered hardware for PCGamesN and Custom PC.
