Two new Nintendo Switch variants planned for this year

Nintendo is working on two new variants of its Switch hybrid console. According to sources, the devices are planned to be released this year.

One version is expected to be an entry-level variant with a cheaper price point and less features than the original while the other is said to be an updated version of the current Switch with improved specs and features, possible a bigger display with higher resolution, better battery life and a few other upgrades.

Interestingly, according to Eurogamer, the entry-level version of the Nintendo Switch may only be limited for use as a handheld gamer instead of the portable and home console hybrid version of the current Switch.

This could also mean that the budget Switch may forgo the use of the detachable Joy-Con controller as seen in the current Switch in favour of a one-piece design with integrated controllers.

Offering two additional models mirrors the approach Nintendo implemented with the handheld 3DS console.

Having launched the clamshell portable 3DS in 2011, Nintendo introduced a wedge-shaped Nintendo 2DS without 3D capabilities in 2013, and a New 3DS XL, which added several extra control buttons as well as slightly more powerful internals, in 2014.

Released in March 2017, the Switch is one of the best selling game consoles Nintendo has ever produced, selling well over 30 million units in 2018.

In terms of game console sales, the 2-year old Nintendo Switch sits on the sixteenth spot on Wikipedia’s list of best-selling game consoles.