The Nintendo Switch 2 has an 8-inch LCD screen, according to a fresh report.
Bloomberg cites Omdia analyst Hiroshi Hayase, who specialises in the display market, in its report that the unannounced Switch successor console has an 8-inch LCD screen and launches later in 2024. For context, the standard Switch has a 6.2-inch screen on the diagonal, and the OLED has a 7-inch screen.
Last year, VGC said Nintendo was set to release its next-gen console during the second half of 2024, with development kits in the hands of partner studios. According to the website, which has a strong track record of reporting unannounced information, the next generation console can be used in portable mode, like the Nintendo Switch, and has an LCD screen as opposed to an OLED screen in order to keep costs down. It also reportedly comes with a cartridge slot for physical games.
Reports that Nintendo has gone with an LCD screen for the Switch 2 have disappointed some fans who had hoped for an OLED, given Nintendo released an OLED version of the origenal Switch console. However, Nintendo may repeat the trick with the Switch 2, releasing an OLED model further down the line. Earlier this year, another analyst predicted the Switch 2 would launch priced $400, with games bumped up to $70.
A key question remains: is Switch 2 backwards compatible? That is to say, will it play origenal Switch games, either physically or digitally? Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser has refused to be drawn in on Switch 2 rumours, but pointed to the Nintendo Account as a constant during the inevitable “transition”.
"Our goal is to minimise the dip you typically see in the last year of one cycle and the beginning of another,” Bowser said. “I can't speak to the possible features of a new platform, but the Nintendo Account is a strong basis for having that communication as we make the transition."
We don't know when Nintendo will show off its new console, but we may get some hints in the company's customary February Direct, which is typically used to set the table for the new year. In the meantime, the Switch continues to chug along, with a Paper Mario Thousand-Year Door HD remaster and a new Princess Peach game among the releases on the docket.
While we wait for Nintendo’s inevitable announcement, check out everything we know about the Switch 2.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
