 Hey everyone, before I get into this video, I wanna remind you that you can get shirts just like I'm wearing here, this nice little alien shirt, woo! You can get shirts just like this at IntoTheAM.com slash Nintendo Prime 10 for 10% off. They have some awesome sales going on as well for other stuff. These shirts are super soft, pretty shrunk, industry best prints as well. They've got basic undershirts. They've got stuff like this. They've got some other clothing lines as well, sweatshirts and pants and shorts and underwear. You guys go check it out at IntoTheAM.com slash Nintendo Prime 10 through the link down below and you know what? Enjoy, because these are some of the best shirts you'll ever buy. All right folks, we're doing it again. We're going down the Switch 2 train. It is what it is. I know yesterday I mentioned I was getting a little tired of this stuff. I'm getting kind of bored of talking about this sort of thing, but here's the problem. What did I say in yesterday's video on Switch 2? I said, well, we're done talking about it until more reputable outlets decide to open up. And today, that happened. How ironic, it happened in less than 24 hours. Video game Chronicle has a bunch of sources on Nintendo Switch 2 and today we learned some new information, some dev kit information and some actual new stuff for what this system is going to be as well as how some third party companies are feeling about it. And by the way, with this information coming out here, that means the floodgates are going to be opening fairly soon, like we might get exact specs and what chip is in here. No more speculation based on old leaks from Nvidia. So I'm really excited about that, so let's just get right into it. And we're talking about Video Game Chronicle and they have some sources here that we need to talk about. And what are those sources saying? Well, the engineer says Nintendo targets 2024 next year in console. Okay, if that's all this was, oh, they're targeting 2024, we wouldn't be talking about it, but they actually have some more. So it says key partners have development kits ahead of a plan, launch sources tell Video Game Chronicle. So let's get into this article. Development kits for Nintendo Switch console are now key partner studios with launch plan for next year's sources have told Video Game Chronicle. Now, who wrote this article? I believe it was Andy Robinson. So he's one of those well-known Video Game journalists that's pretty in the know. And it says here, according to multiple people with knowledge of Nintendo's next-gen plans, the company is likely to release new hardware during the second half of 2024. Now remember, I've been telling you that I've been betting on holiday 2024 for a while, even though there's been a number of reports suggesting early 2024. Anyways, to ensure that it is ample stock available on day one and to avoid the kind of shortage seen with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X slash S. One thing that I wanna note here on talking about stuff like that is the thing's gonna sell out anyways. You can't really avoid shortages. The shortages for Xbox Series X slash S were due to unusually high demand during a pandemic. The fact that we're no longer in a pandemic is already gonna fix a lot of that. I don't, I think he's just speculating here. I don't think that that's, if it launches the second half of next year that it's really because of that, maybe he's even speculating on when it's gonna launch. I have no idea. Anyways, moving on, it says, although specific details on the console are being kept closely guarded, those video game chronicles spoke to indicated that the next-gen console would be able to be used in portable mode similar to the Nintendo Switch. So there is that confirmation that we've been wanting on this is going to be a hybrid. So this is the first time that we've had direct confirmation from people who have dev kits that this will be a hybrid system. It will be portable, it will be home console, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So are those thinking this was gonna be a different device? Well, that's just been quashed. Next, two sources spoke to VGC to suggest that the console could launch with an LCD screen instead of the more premium OLED in order to bring down costs, especially considering the increased storage needed for high-fidelity games. The current Switch comes with just 32 gigabytes, 64, by the way, if you get the OLED version, while many current-gen PlayStation Xbox games are over 100 gigabytes. Now, notably, PlayStation Xbox games are over 100 gigabytes due to having native 4K textures, something that we're presuming you're not gonna have to worry about with this. So the storage concerns aren't gonna be as dire. You don't need that terabyte of storage on your Switch at launch. However, it is notable that 32 gigabytes, 64 gigabytes isn't very much. It would be nice to see 128 or 256, or maybe 128 with an included extra 128 through a micro SD card for those that don't have them. So you actually get 256 out of the box. That would be really appreciated, but who knows what's gonna happen? I will say the LCD screen part is pretty much right in line with what I expected. Like, I would like to see them continue, you know, to bring the OLED screen like on this one over. I love OLED. It's gonna be really hard to go back to LCD, but I understand for cost-cutting reasons. There's also some advantages, by the way, to LCD. They could keep it at a 720p screen, which I fully expect them to do, but then they could provide a variable refresh rate, which would be just amazing and is not something I believe is widely available on OLED panels at 720p. So you get some advantages there. Also, just because it's LCD, doesn't mean there couldn't be some technology in there like mini led, which is just like, you know, it's mini LEDs. It's not an OLED panel, but mini LEDs still are on, obviously, an LCD panel. So there could be some different technologies involved, but I'm not surprised. You gotta cut costs. You gotta make this affordable. And also, it just opens the door to there being an OLED model down the line. So getting back into this, like it's predecessor to the new console, we'll also accept physical games via a cartridge slot, the sources said. So they're not getting rid of physical games. That is something that's gonna be music to many people's ears. We have another generation of Nintendo with physical. That's great. The other details, such as backwards compatibility support for Switch games, physical and digital, remains unclear. So they aren't sure with these dev kits that there's gonna be backwards compatibility yet. Nintendo has said it wants to convert as many of Switch's 100 million user base as possible to its next system, although some third-party publishers are said to express concern that legacy support for Switch games could negatively affect sales of next-gen titles. And I am going to call bullshit on that. Now, I'm not saying it's bullshit that his sources and the third-party companies working on games for the system said it. I'm gonna call bullshit on what they're saying. I'm sorry, this is dumb. PlayStation 5 has backwards compatibility. Xbox Series X has backwards compatibility. PC has infinite backwards compatibility. What are we talking about backwards compatibility that's gonna negatively impact sales of new games? What are you, are you high? What are you putting in that pipe? Because it sure ain't weed. You must be throwing in some, I don't know, some of that white powder. What is happening here? That is one of the dumbest statements I think I've ever seen. Oh man, if it supports backwards compatibility, our new games aren't gonna sell as much. What are you talking about? I mean, if that was true, just stop making video games. Imagine like, oh, hey, we're selling a new iPhone. By the way, better make sure that new iPhone isn't backwards compatible or our new applications aren't going, come on, come on. Anyways, so I just found that point to be ridiculous. Moving down a list, it said Nintendo did not immediately respond to video game chronicles requests for comment on the story, which is pretty typical for those who don't know Nintendo. Pretty much doesn't comment on stuff unless it's abhorrently fake. Nintendo is obviously aware of dev kits that would have been sent out. They're aware that as soon as more dev kits get sent out, more information gets out. It's just an inevitability. We've been hearing about dev kits for a little bit out in Spain. I'm not surprised. At this point, if the system is truly coming next year, I'm pretty sure most major third-party companies, including here in the West, have a dev unit. So, information's always bound to get out. It happens every time before new hardware. Anyways, Tokyo-based industry consultant, Dr. Sertin Toko, which he's a really nice guy, but remember, this is just from an analyst, told Video Game Chronicle that a 2024 console launch would make sense for Nintendo, since it's projected to see double-digit declines in Switch hardware and software sales this year after it cleared seven years in the market. He goes on to say, I would generally say that Nintendo is looking at, I would generally say looking at Nintendo's financials. It seems clear it was time for a new piece of hardware in 2024. Hardware is already projected to fall 16.5% year on year in the current fiscal, while the minus for software is expected to hit 15.9%. The only way to stop those losses from totally ballooning next fiscal is a new device. And the second half of 2024, sounds like the realistic window to me, which, yeah, it makes sense. It's just logic, right? Sales are declining, but still doing well. Let's get something out there before the sales actually tank. Now, Reed Pops, head of Games B2B, Christopher Dring, who he's got a lot of experience in the industry. And we often get our UK sales from him. So he's definitely someone who's in the know. And he says, he said, he told VGC that 2024 release would fit with Nintendo's historical trend of launching new hardware mid-cycle compared to PlayStation and Xbox. The original Switch released over three years after the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which proved to be an effective move for Nintendo as second half 2024 release. For Switch 2, it would be nearly four years after PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, so we would see a similar mid-cycle launch for Nintendo. Now, he's just noting what they did last time, right? However, the biggest competitor Nintendo faces is itself. Although its core fans are eager for more hardware, it's more family-oriented casual fans will need more convincing. What will the next Mario Kart offer that they're currently not getting from the current one as an example? Man, I got a lot to say of this. Nintendo has struggled to upgrade players in previous generations. So how it approaches things like digital libraries and Nintendo account and even backgrounds compatibility may prove crucial in the next system getting off to a strong start. If Nintendo does release a Switch Assessor closer to Christmas, drinks idea expect a deeper launch lineup than what we saw with the first Switch, which arrived early in its launch year. In 2017, Nintendo spread out its releases with big games arriving almost every month. By the time the holiday period arrived, the firm had Mario, Zelda, Splatoon and Mario Kart, plus a number of small titles like Arms and Xenoblade to push the console over the crucial Christmas sales window. So, my problem with that last one, these are just from Christopher Dring, so you can argue, do these opinions really matter what he said? But I will note that while I respect Christopher Dring, sometimes there are just some things that come out of his mouth I don't understand. Things like, oh, Nintendo's gonna have a week, second half of this year. Well, yeah, we have a couple dead months, but we actually have some pretty strong games in the second half between Pikmin 4, Mario Wonder and Super Mario RPG. Many people would argue that's a fairly solid lineup. But the biggest thing for me, and when talking about this is they failed to convert casual, he's not wrong in noting that Nintendo has had a hard time transitioning from a successful platform into another big successful platform. They've been struggling with that since the company's inception into video games with the Nintendo Entertainment System. But I have to note that when you talk about backwards compatibility, they've had that with their handhelds, hasn't always translated. They've had that at times with their home consoles, hasn't always translated. The key thing is making it appealing with the software and the hardware and being consistent. Look at PlayStation. PlayStation is consistent. I can already tell you, hey, PlayStation 6, whenever it comes out, what's it going to be? Hey, more powerful PlayStation. And I'm good with that. And you gain consumers over time through quality hardware and software. A more powerful switch can, again, gain people back over time by just existing in the market and releasing quality software. This is not a rocket science. Like, there isn't something difficult to understand about how Nintendo can be successful and why Nintendo hasn't necessarily been able to do that in the past. They have milked their systems until nobody wanted to buy it anymore and nobody was talking about it and the momentum was gone. That is one thing they've done. Their next system usually offered something that was drastically different from what the prior user base used and oftentimes completely changed the branding. So if they keep consistent branding along with consistent product, hey, people love Switch. They would love to have a new Switch. I think the transition is quite obvious. Give us a more powerful Switch with obvious branding, Switch 2, and just keep releasing consistent quality software with third-party companies joining on and people will come over time. There's gonna be a massive demand for this thing at launch. It's probably gonna break first year sales records for Nintendo and from that point moving forward, we'll just see what happens. So I don't think it's really that difficult, but again, Nintendo has never really done that. They've sort of always struggled. So here's hoping that they've figured it out. Anyways, guys, I am Nathaniel Robojance from Nintendo Prime. Well, this is our last Switch 2 video until the next one because now that all the dev kits are out there, we're gonna get more and more information. Like if we're already getting panel information and stuff like that, but we're learning that it definitely is portable, then yeah, we're going to be getting like specs. I fully think we're gonna know the exact, like literally the exact specs of this system before the year is out. Thank you guys for tuning in and I'll catch you in the next video.