The Nintendo Switch is easily one of the best consoles out there, especially if you love Nintendo's brand of extremely fun games.
While some might prefer the might of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, there is something beautiful about the Switch and its Nintendo Switch OLED successor.
But nothing is ever perfect and we're getting excited for the Nintendo Switch 2, the rumored successor to the Switch and Switch OLED that should – hopefully – take everything to the next level.
After all, the OG Switch was released back in 2017, and all models since have not really upgraded its core performance at all, so an upgraded model seems well overdue.
We've been hearing various rumors about the Nintendo Switch 2, or possibly Nintendo Switch Pro, for some time now as well, suggesting a launch sometime in the near future – despite Nintendo remaining tight lipped on the subject.
Now, though, we have three pretty compelling clues that Nintendo is currently working on Nintendo Switch 2, with a variety of reports potentially shedding light on the secret operation to bring a Switch OLED successor to market.
Here we detail what those clues are, as well as detail our opinion on when we will potentially see a Nintendo Switch Pro console.
Clue 1: A trademark filing
The first clue is a trademark filing. If that sounds boring, stick with us.
As spotted by various gaming outlets, Nintendo filed a trademark for "NSW" with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, which has led some to speculate that the next generation could be called the Nintendo Switch W.
Of course, that's just speculation: we have no idea what Nintendo will call the next-gen Switch (although Switch 2 or Switch Pro are good bets). Nevertheless, the activity is interesting and suggests something is coming.
Clue 2: Spending more on materials
The second clue comes via our friends at Tom's Guide, who cleverly spotted that Nintendo has disclosed higher spending on raw materials in the past few quarters.
According to Nintendo's filings, spending on raw materials and supplies has risen to over $500 million during 2022, a sign that the company could be preparing a new Switch model.
For perspective, such spending was $92 million in 2020 and $70 million in 2021, so this represents a big increase. In 2019, Nintendo spent $240 million on raw materials and introduced the Nintendo Switch Lite.
It's absolutely not definitive proof of the Nintendo Switch 2 but it becomes pretty intriguing when paired with the other clues.
Clue 3: Analysts agree
Finally, a well-respected analyst has suggested that we're a couple of years away from seeing the Switch 2 up close and personal.
Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis (via VideoGameChronicle) estimated that we'll see the next-gen sometime in 2024.
"Switch sales, setting aside the unexpectedly strong growth in 2020 due to the pandemic and Animal Crossing release, are following a traditional console lifecycle shape," said Harding-Rolls.
"Even with the release of the OLED model, sales were expected to decline from their peak as the Switch reaches year six of the cycle in 2022 and Nintendo’s latest shipment forecast reflects this."
Harding-Rolls predicts Nintendo will release a Switch Pro in 2023 and then release the full Switch 2 the following year.
So... Is the Switch 2 coming soon?
With the obvious caveats aside, these three clues do seem to present a compelling argument that we could see at least a new Switch sometime soon, if not the actual Switch 2.
Ever since US new site Bloomberg dropped a story late last year saying that "Developers Are Making Games for a Nintendo 4K Console That Doesn’t Exist", it's been hard not to see a new Switch console been in the works, as that outlet and the reporter who wrote it are very rarely wrong.
We'll keep you posted over at T3 for any new developments in 2022 to this story, so make sure to check back over the coming months.
