In terms of past consoles and how long they lasted on the market before being replaced with a newer model, the Nintendo Switch is coming to the end of its life cycle. But Nintendo seems to have other plans for this device.
Six or seven years seems to be the average life of a Nintendo console. There were six years between the Wii and the Wii U, and five years between the Wii U and the Nintendo Switch, meaning that players are already wondering when a new console will come to the market.
That doesn’t seem to be the case, though, according to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa.
“Nintendo Switch is coming up on its seventh year of sales in March, and we see this as uncharted territory in the history of our dedicated video game platforms,” Furukawa said. He went on to discuss that there are several new titles being developed for the Switch and that he doesn’t believe there is enough demand for new hardware.
This isn’t surprising for those who have been paying attention to the company’s plans for the future. Around this time last year, Furukawa said Nintendo was researching new technology to improve its current hardware, not create completely new hardware.
It’s very clear from the games being developed for the device and from Furukawa’s statements on the prospect of a new console that the Switch is going to be around for a while longer. In an earnings report from last year, Furukawa said the Switch is in the “middle of its life cycle” and thinks the company can extend the life of the Switch without the need for a new device.
The Switch has undergone many technological upgrades including a better chipset, extended battery life, and an OLED model that was released in 2021. It’s possible there will be additional models of the Switch released in the future, but those waiting for a new Nintendo console will likely have a few more years before such a thing exists.
