With the Nintendo Switch recently beginning its second year on the market, fans have a new year of high-profile games to experience. With Super Smash Bros. for Switch set for 2018 and other popular titles in the works, there seems to be no stopping the hybrid console. However, a recent comment from Nintendo’s Shinya Takahashi suggests Nintendo might already be looking past the Switch.
During the recent BAFTA Awards, Takahashi, general manager of Nintendo’s Entertainment Planning and Development division, spoke with BBC about his company’s hardware plans. According to Takahashi (via IGN), Nintendo has ideas for a new system:
Nintendo constantly works on hardware, so we have been doing research and development, so you may see the new system sometime in the future.
The Nintendo manager didn’t specify whether the “new system” refers to a console or something else entirely. However, with the success of the Switch, thanks to last year’s releases of Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it’s unlikely a new console will be released in the next few years.
If Nintendo is working on new hardware, Takahashi’s comment likely refers to peripherals for the Switch. Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported Nintendo has plans for Switch add-ons that will connect to the USB Type-C port on the console. Also, Takahashi recently said Nintendo has a goal of selling every person in the world a Switch. In turn, teasing that a new console is on the horizon wouldn’t help the company sell its current models.
For now, Nintendo has a few exciting planned for the Switch. This year, players will finally get to enjoy Super Smash Bros. on the console, which could include some exciting new characters never seen before in the franchise. Also, Nintendo previously revealed a mainline Pokémon game is in the works for Switch, as well as Metroid Prime 4, but Nintendo hasn’t confirmed release windows for either title.
Source: IGN