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.
Nintendo might equip the first iteration of the Switch 2 with an LCD panel for several valid reasons. Console makers put a lot of effort into minimizing the bill-of-materials of a console across its lifecycle. Nintendo might have obtained a great deal from Sharp, and the panel might be of excellent quality. Meanwhile, companies that supply OLED display panels may have few resources dedicated to 8-inch panel output, meaning supplies are limited, and there would be little benefit from economies of scale. If Nintendo is determined to increase the display size of the next-gen Switch, an LCD panel might have proved a necessity.
We have previously had some false starts concerning the arrival of a next-gen Switch, so it is best not to get too excited yet. For example, rumors ahead of the release of the Switch Lite and Switch OLED were sometimes mistaken for true, next-generation updates. However, in recent months, we have seen some compelling supporting evidence of Switch 2 development.
Last September, we reported on indications that the Nintendo Switch 2 could use a customized version of Nvidia's Jetson Orin. Its SoC could thus include up to 12 Arm Cortex A78 CPU cores and an Ampere GPU with over 2,000 CUDA cores. There was also talk of select game developers enjoying some Switch 2 action behind closed doors at Gamescom 2023.
