Development on next-gen Nintendo games could already be underway

Development kits for Nintendo’s new console have been sent to their partner studios, according to reporting from Video Games Chronicle.

Sources informed them that Nintendo’s latest console could be slated to arrive in the latter stages of 2024, as Nintendo want to avoid any supply issues.

Given the success of the Switch, it’s no surprise that Nintendo wants to capitalise on the large audience they’ve developed with their last console. Sources indicated that the new console would have similar portability functions to the Switch, and that it would continue to support physical cartridges for games.

New Nintendo console could be arriving in late 2024

The console could potentially launch with an LCD screen rather than an OLED one to keep costs down. There was no new information about backwards compatibility, which will be a key part of the console’s appeal.

Critically, VGC have reported that development kits for the new console have arrived with partner studios, meaning that new games for the next-gen console could already by under development.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard about a new Nintendo console recently. Speculation of a “Switch 2” was sparked last week when one of Nintendo’s partners, PixArt, referenced a new “Japanese game machine”, and that they expected to supply hardware for a Nintendo project in 2024.

Nintendo will also no doubt be cautious that previous console followups had fallen flat. The Wii U failed to recreate the success of the Wii, so time will have to tell if the Switch’s successor can capture the same popularity that it has.

For more news and updates on a potential new Nintendo console, check out the release date rumors that circulated after a partner referenced a new device.