Nintendo will launch its long-awaited next-generation Switch handheld gaming console later this year, according to tech analysts at Omdia. Bloomberg reports that Omdia’s small and medium display specialist, Hiroshi Hayase, expects the new console to feature an 8-inch LCD screen. Supply chain sources seem to be behind Hayase’s predictions, and it is thought the new Switch console will result in a doubling of shipments for this class of displays.
As the source notes, a Sharp-made LCD panel was already in the frame as a critical component of the next-generation Switch. However, Nintendo’s intention to launch the next version of the incredibly popular hybrid console built around a larger 8-inch display is a fresh insight. On the one hand, some will argue that going back to LCD panels is a retrograde step, but the larger (and likely higher resolution) screen should boost the immersion available to handheld gamers.
