New leaks about a successor to the Nintendo Switch have emerged hinting at a possible price point that's almost too good to believe.
Several sources familiar with Nintendo's next-generation console plans claim the Nintendo Switch 2 will cost $399, noted tipster Zippo reports, as first spotted by Notebook Check. At $50 more than the Nintendo Switch OLED, that price point would make it among the most expensive Nintendo Switch console to date, but it would still come in $100 less than other current-gen consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
According to the tipster, an unnamed insider at Nintendo has been pretty explicit with regard to the Switch 2's price tag, stating in no uncertain terms:
"$399. That's the 'golden number' that they have in mind. It's the price that works in terms of the power of their new system, it's the price that works for them making a decent profit, and it's the price that they think works for the audience that they're trying to maintain. No more. No less."
Granted, we'll have to take this with a grain of salt for now. For one, Nintendo hasn't officially confirmed a Switch successor is in the works, as the game maker's famously tight-lipped about upcoming hardware plans. But with the original Switch turning six years old earlier this year, not to mention it didn't exactly have cutting-edge hardware at launch in 2017, Nintendo is arguably well overdue for a new console.
Secondly, Zippo is a bit of a controversial figure in the world of gaming rumors. As Notebook Check notes, the tipster has been banned from some Reddit groups for purportedly posting misleading and inaccurate information.
Though it's worth noting Zippo's sources did echo a rumor from earlier this week that the Nintendo Switch 2 will stick with an LCD screen rather than upgrade to an OLED one. According to noted gaming tipster NateTheHate, the Switch 2 will pack a bigger 8-inch LCD display and 512GB of storage.
The latter is promising news. Game file sizes only get larger with each generation, and it's already easy to fill a standard Switch up with the best Nintendo Switch games. But an LCD display for a next-generation Switch would be a step backward for Nintendo, especially when compared to the dramatic display improvements in terms of colors and contrast available on the Nintendo Switch OLED.
We may not have to wait long to learn more about Nintendo's plans for a Switch refresh, though. A slew of rumors make it seem increasingly likely we'll see the Switch 2 arrive sometime early next year.
