Nintendo Switch: No new models will be released this year, company says

Company will instead focus on promoting existing consoles

Game enthusiasts and industry personnel walk past the Nintendo Switch exhibit during the Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Nintendo says it will not release a new version of the Switch this year.

The company had been rumoured to be working on a Nintendo Switch Pro, which could bring new upgrades to the console while staying within the same generation.

But if it does have plans for a new console then it will not be arriving this year, according to comments from chief executive and president Shuntaro Furukawa.

He said in a briefing to staff that the company will be focusing on promoting the existing systems – the normal Switch as well as the Switch Lite – rather than introducing new updates.

"Regarding Nintendo Switch, we believe that it is important to continue to communicate the appeal of both Nintendo Switch systems and expand the installed base," he said. "Please note that we have no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020."

The original Switch was released in 2017. Last year, the company unveiled the Switch Lite as well as quietly bumping up the battery life of the larger version of the console. Those were made possible as a consequence of updated Nvidia chips on the inside.

Furukawa suggested that the console is in its "midway phase" and that it would be looking for further growth opportunities for the new console.

“According to the conventional wisdom for dedicated video game platforms, Nintendo Switch should be entering the midway phase of the hardware lifecycle,” he said. “But we believe we have built a foundation on which we can pursue further growth opportunities for Nintendo Switch.”

He pointed to the recent announcement of a special Animal Crossing version of the Switch, which will arrive in Japan alongside the game's release date in March. That suggests that yet more special designs might come to the Switch, even if there is no update to the hardware inside for 2020.