Nintendo Has "No Intention" Of Releasing New Hardware In 2020

For over a year, rumors have swirled that Nintendo is planning to release an upgraded “Pro” model of the Nintendo Switch, but in a presentation live-tweeted by Tokyo-based David Gibson, Nintendo Japan president Shuntaro Furukawa shot down reports suggesting that Nintendo will release a new hardware revision in 2020.

According to Gibson, Furukawa said clearly that the company has “no intention” of releasing new hardware in 2020, meaning that a Pro model of Switch is not being planned for release this year.

The Switch Lite released in 2019, and Furukawa suggested that the benefits of the system were not communicated as clearly as they could be. For now, it sounds like Nintendo is planning on sticking with the two available models.

Furukawa also suggested that the system is entering the middle of its life cycle, and while the impending launches of new consoles will change the landscape somewhat, Nintendo has different “lifestyle and customer” targets. They will be looking to extend the Switch’s life cycle beyond what they have previously achieved. Nintendo previously indicated it intends the Switch’s lifecycle to extend beyond the traditional five to six-year window.

With the Switch aiming for a long life cycle, it’s possible that we will see further revisions down the track. There is a precedent for this as the Nintendo DSi iterated on the success of the Nintendo DS and made the system slightly more powerful, back in 2009.

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