What do you think Nintendo's next game console will be like?

The Switch came out in 2017. Nintendo consoles have always historically been at the forefront for 5 years, or 6 years if it's a monster hit, as is the case with the NES & Wii. So we'll probably see Nintendo's next console somewhere between Holiday 2021 and Spring 2023 (prolly. SPRG/HLDY 2022) which brings Nintendo into the 9th generation shortly after the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett come out. This gives them the potential to create a game console that has power advantages over them, and if they aren't thinking about that... frick, they really should.

Of course, they should have next-gen Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Smash Bros., Metroid, and Pokemon within the first 2 years, but also please make an honest effort to get Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Madden, GTA, and all those other major multi-plats so that no one will ever have to buy 2 consoles ever again!

What do you guys think the next generation of Nintendo has in store?

That's not going to happen... Nintendo's aim isn't to have the most powerful hardware (as we see now with Switch). And to be honest, I don't really want them to chase power and try to compete with Scarlett/PS5.

I'm assuming they'll do another hybrid, and just improve on the current formula. Obviously use newer chips (the latest Tegra chips you'd assume) and just make quality of life improvements. That's what I'd like anyway. But who knows with Nintendo.

@hrt_rulz01: Nintendo has power in its DNA. In the early days of gaming, the Super Nintendo was more powerful than the Sega Genesis. Then after that, the Nintendo 64 was more powerful than the PlayStation and especially the Sega Saturn (except for the cartridges vs. CDs comparison). Then the GameCube's power was higher than the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 (though lower than the Xbox), even if certain games needed multiple discs due to the miniDVDs. Nintendo has the ability and know-how to make their consoles comparable to its contemporary competition.

Reality is, the Switch is only a band-aid to fix Nintendo's brand image for the 8th generation. The fact that its life cycle is scheduled to end soon after the 9th generation starts can be seen as proof of that. I think I can predict what Nintendo's plan was, and here it is. They screwed up with the Wii U by making it too underpowered to handle major multi-plats and having major Nintendo IP releases far too sparse. But they realized that the PS4/Xbox One era would've lasted until the end of the decade, so they decided to do as follows:

Make a console that is essentially the Wii U repackaged with full-on portable capabilities, and bring all of the Wii U's would-be system sellers over to it almost year earlier than they ever have. This way new customers who didn't have a Wii U would think that they're new games and Nintendo will be remembered for the Switch in the 8th generation, whereas the Wii U would be erased from history, basically.

Then when it comes time for the 9th generation, the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will already be out for a couple of years before the Nintendo um... Gold comes out. Nintendo can't possibly like being the underpowered machine that can't get major multi-plats, so I think they wanna leapfrog their contemporary rivals by using the extra time they gave themselves (5-6 years per console as opposed to 7-8 years for PlayStation & Xbox, plus the extra year that was taken from the Wii U's life cycle) to make the Nintendo Gold the ultimate gaming package of the next generation. But that's just a theory, a game theory!

Don't much care about the power, so long as the games don't stutter like many of the Switch's. What good does it do me to have Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Madden and GTA on my Nintendo? Those types of games suck, and Nintendo will continue to succeed with or without them. I'd rather play their exclusives, a few of Sony's exclusives and the rest on a PC. People know what they're buying a Nintendo for, and there are enough of these people to keep the systems relevant. I only wish Nintendo made a few more original IPs, ambitious ones with the same production values as the Mario Odysseys and Breath of the Wilds.

@ezekiel43:What good does it do me to have Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Madden and GTA on my Nintendo? Those types of games suck, and Nintendo will continue to succeed with or without them.

But why CAP your success like that? Like it or not, those games are titles that move consoles and are seen as essentials to the gaming package by many. I'd also like to know what you think sucks about those types of games. I think they're pretty damn fun.

Agreed. Unless next-gen Sony/Xbox console offers a portability solution like the Switch, Nintendo is probably going to continue down their current route.

As long as their first-party line-up is as as strong it is, they will not miss having next-gen mainstream titles in their line-up because their first-party games seem to sell for launch day price forever.

Yeah Nintendo has dropped out of the “power race” some time ago when the released the Wii and I don’t see them returning to that race anytime soon. I think, as well as hope, that their next console will be a hybrid like the Switch. It’ll probably be backwards compatible with the current Switch as well.

My guess is that it's gonna be a Switch 2.

Nintendo handhelds sell too much to not make, and Nintendo will still want to make console games.

Because you're aiming for a part of the market that the other two aren't interested in pursuing and you avoid having to fight so much for dominance in a market that's already crowded.

I'm not answering the second question. If you like them, don't let me try to take that from you.

nearly impossible to say with Nintendo.

its probably going to be ARM based on the CPU side. Nintendo like ARM, have a lot of experience with it and are well tooled up to work with it. They have no reason to go X86. In fairness ARM CPUs are impressive little gaming CPUs.

they seem happy with nvidia so there is a good chance that will also continue. But they may look at a more power efficient mobile based GPU also (maybe from ARM too....just 1 company to deal with then). it'll depend on what they want to do.

Maybe they will try to make it an even more flexible gaming platform: TV, handheld and VR with a spec, screen and controllers that are solid at doing all 3. Nintendo certainly have games that would shine in VR. Fzero-VR....comes with a bucket accessory :P.

I don't see them entering the hardware race again. Its not so much the cost of the hardware but the cost of software production thats going to put them off. it's a hige risk to throw 60-70 million at a next gen production and limit it to only one device. In terms of power, like with all their devices, it will be powerful enough to meet Nintendos requirements: anything else will be a bonus.

I wonder if they will look to separate the handheld and console side next gen too. It's working well for them with the switch but if the successor fails and thats all they have on the market they could be in trouble. All their eggs are currently in one basket.

Think people look for (give me next gen now!) debates too soon.

Nintendo will stick with the Switch for the foreseeable future. They're happy with it, majority customers are happy with it. So the problem is null and void_

Tech-Heads are not, as always. Though relatively no-one cares what they think being the blatant minority. Honestly I do not think can ever be satisfied, they're attention seeking collectors more than genuine Gamers. And should be viewed as such by all major gaming parties_

I had one issue with the launch model and that was portable battery-life, which has since been fixed with the latest models; easy to trade old for new as well.

Switch isn't perfect, but gets more than the job done.

I could be wrong but I'm guessing it's going to be following in the footsteps of what the Switch has done. Keeping it portable as well as being able to play on the big screen.

Could they mess things up? Sure.