Clearly emerged this year, the rumor that Nintendo has two new consoles in development. A Nintendo Switch 2 and a Switch Lite handheld. Both game computers will probably be announced in 2019. Last week it became clear that Nintendo was looking for a new production location, where both the existing and the new Switch models are now being produced.
Nintendo has decided to relocate production. The Wall Street Journal reported that the trade war between China and America led to this. Initially, the new Nintendo game console would be manufactured in China. But recent developments and the deterioration in understanding between China and America have led the Japanese game manufacturer to find a new production location in south-east Asia. It is probably Taiwan or Vietnam.
The American market is the largest market for video game consoles worldwide. By choosing a different production location, Nintendo can bypass the 25% import tax that America currently levies on Chinese products.
Nintendo Switch 2 game console release
People involved in the supply chain report to the Wall Street Journal that production has meanwhile started. Both the current Switch and the two new models are currently being produced there.
The handheld model, the so-called Switch Lite, is likely to get a new design. The Switch 2, also called the Switch Pro, will show many similarities with the current model. Naturally, the necessary improvements are made internally, so the new console would become a lot more powerful and have more memory.
For the time being, it is unclear how many Nintendo models have the two new models produced. The company would, in any case, want to produce enough to serve consumers in the US.
This has been different in the past. The delivery times of the Switch increased in 2017 to such an extent that worldwide waiting times arose, resulting in retailers using ridiculous prices. Bol made it very colorful, in our Nintendo Switch review, we reported that Bol had increased the selling price more than 100%, compared to the suggested retail price of € 309.
When the Nintendo Switch 2 is introduced is still unknown. The E3 2019 was previously mentioned as a possible introduction date. At the annual gaming fair, however, only new Switch games were announced, a new game console was not discussed yet.
The new Switch will probably be introduced before the end of the year so that the release can take place just before Christmas. In this way, Nintendo is able to launch its new game console (more than) a year earlier than Sony and Microsoft. The Sony PS5 and the Xbox Two are both expected at the end of 2020.
There are more manufacturers who opt for the same production solution as Nintendo. For example, Taiwanese Foxconn announced last week that Apple iPhones would be moved outside of China if necessary. The Japanese Sharp division of Foxconn also announced that it wanted to relocate the production of its PCs to Taiwan or Vietnam.
