The Nintendo Switch has been showing its age with more recent titles such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Fortunately, a new and more powerful Switch is on its way, if the rumors are to be believed.
The release date for the next Nintendo Switch console has reportedly leaked online.
According to these reports, the upcoming handheld will be arriving in the winter. The leak was posted on 4chan, a frequent source of high-profile leaks both legitimate and farcical - while some of the biggest verified leaks came from here, so have a lot of hoaxes, so we'd stay skeptical for now.
This particular post was primarily about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC. The user claims to be a programmer and contractor for the most recent Pokémon game and shared very specific details about the upcoming content. These details were later revealed by the Pokémon Company in its latest Pokémon presentation.
GIANT NEW LEAK
A 4chan leak that correctly predicted everything revealed today claims that new Nintendo Switch models will be released this year along the second part and the game will have graphical enhancements for it.
We have verified this leak is real. pic.twitter.com/oWbnK9N176
— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) February 27, 2023
One very interesting piece of information contained in the leak states: "We are working on a graphics enhancement patch for the new Nintendo Switch models that will be released alongside DLC2." The DLC2 mentioned in the leak refers to "The Indigo Disk" which is the second expansion for The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Said new expansion should be released in the winter of 2023. The information given by the leaker checks out based on the latest Pokémon presentation giving it some credence. The leak is too specific to pass it off as a wild guess.
However, there is still a strong possibility that the information is inaccurate given that Nintendo has not revealed its plans for a new handheld console. Ironically, the company has announced that it is ramping up production for the current generation Switch.
Gamers have long expected Nintendo to release a new version of the Switch sooner rather than later. Industry experts believe that the new Switch will retain the design of the current model but will feature newer internal parts such as processors and GPUs needed to run newer and bigger games.
Interestingly, Nintendo recently signed a deal with Microsoft to bring the Call of Duty title to the Nintendo console. While the announcement did not specify which handheld console, it is widely expected to be a newer model. The current generation Switch cannot possibly handle a full-fledged Call of Duty title with the same content and features as the more powerful PC and home consoles.
If Nintendo does indeed plan on releasing a new Switch console, expect that the announcement will come sometime toward the end of Q3. The most logical venue for the reveal would be at the Nintendo Direct for the second half of 2023.
As always, take any unconfirmed rumor like this with a grain of salt.
