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Nintendo’s Doug Bowser: We’re Just at the Midpoint of The Switch’s Life Cycle

In an interview with Polygon, President of Nintendo America Doug Bowser spoke about the possibility of a Nintendo Switch successor in the future. While he didn’t confirm anything, he was very adamant when he stated that the console is still far from being retired. When specifically asked about the launch of the Switch Pro, he said that the company would announce new hardware “when the time is right”.

However, we also see right now — and we just talked about it — that the momentum on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite in the fourth year is strong. And we believe we’re changing the trajectory of another typical console life cycle. And we will continue, for the foreseeable future, to really lean into both of those platforms and the content that comes with it, because it’s the symbiotic relationship that makes the real difference. And it’s why Nintendo Switch is so differentiated.

First, the hardware form factor, obviously, is something — that you have a gaming system that you can play at home as a console, and you can take on the go and play in handheld mode virtually anywhere — is unique and remains unique within the industry. But then the way we build games onto the platform, and the way partners build games onto the platform, is really what matters and the experience that you have when you play. So that’s what we’ll continue to lean into as we go into really what will be the fifth year of Nintendo Switch. And as Mr. [Shuntaro] Furukawa [president of Nintendo] mentioned in his corporate management policy briefing, we believe we’re just at the midpoint of this life cycle on this platform.

That simply means that “we’re yet to finalize the launch dates of our next console, or I am not allowed to share the expected dates with the public anytime soon”. He went on to say that the Switch and Switch Lite will continue to be Nintendo’s flagship consoles for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, he echoed the words of the Nintendo President saying that they’re still at just the midpoint of the Switch console, and the 5th year should mark the beginning of the second half of its life-cycle.

It’s important to note that next-gen consoles are generally announced a few years before the previous ones reach the EOL (End of Life) status. For example, both the PS4 and Xbox One are expected to receive all content till late 2022/early 2023. Similarly, even if the Switch is just at the mid-point of its life-cycle, we might see an announcement regarding the Switch Pro sometime later this year or the next.

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Areej Syed

Processors, PC gaming, and the past. I have been writing about computer hardware for over seven years with more than 5000 published articles. Started off during engineering college and haven't stopped since. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Divinity, Torment, Baldur's Gate and so much more... Contact: areejs12@hardwaretimes.com.
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