The Nintendo Switch 2 might feature two screens, as recently suggested by a well-known industry insider, as well as a separate report from Taiwan. Though this isn't the first time the possibility of a dual-screen Switch successor was brought up, prior reports about the unannounced console's design have been inconsistent.

The oldest indication of Nintendo possibly working on another dual-screen device dates back to April 2020, when a security researcher dug up some references to such a product in the 10.0 firmware update for the Switch. Nintendo subsequently patented a dual-screen device that can be split in half in late 2023.

A recently emerged report from the Taiwan Economic Daily has now claimed that the Switch 2 will feature two screens. Soon after, this rumor was seemingly given more credence by GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring, who tweeted that while he thinks the Switch launched with a "decent" screen, "there wasn't enough of them." The comment itself was made in response to another Twitter user wondering how Nintendo could improve on the Switch. And although there are numerous ways to interpret his cryptic tweet, Dring recently flat-out said that he heard the Switch 2 will be a "dual-screeny-type product" during a September 6 episode of VGC's The Video Game Podcast. He did, however, clarify that the console's purported second screen could also merely be a TV.

TV angle aside, the possibility of Nintendo making another dual-screen handheld would have major implications for the Switch 2. For one, such a design would plausibly pave the way for the upcoming console to offer support for the DS and 3DS libraries, in addition to its widely rumored backward compatibility with the Switch. On the other hand, adding a second screen would increase Nintendo's manufacturing costs, which would likely be passed down to consumers. A more complex console design would also come with more points of failure, which would plausibly affect Nintendo's warranty repair costs. Finally, two screens would complicate game development and make Switch 2 ports more challenging.

Given these significant drawbacks, it is questionable whether Nintendo would truly be willing to follow up on the immense success of the Switch by making another highly experimental dual-screen device, even if industry rumors suggest otherwise. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently said that it's appropriate to label the company's upcoming console as the "next" Switch model, suggesting that the unannounced device might retain the overall form factor of its predecessor rather than experiment with things like multiple screens.

Regardless of whether the Switch 2 will look like a traditional handheld, have two screens that can be split in half, or adopt some other design, it shouldn't be long before fans finally lay their eyes on it. Based on several recent reports and Nintendo's decision to get its fall 2024 product showcases out of the way in August rather than September, the Switch 2 announcement could arrive in late September or early October 2024.

Posted: Sep 21, 2024 1:19 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://gamerant.com/nintendo-switch-2-dual-screen-rumors-report-implications/