Nintendo Switch 2 Likely Delayed To 2025 And You Can Blame Scalpers
Another report has surfaced claiming that Nintendo's next-generation Switch console will not launch this year after all, and instead will make its anticipated debut in 2025. March 2025, to be more specific, which means that the Switch 2 is still more than a year away from replacing the current crop of Switch consoles. The reason for the delay is reportedly linked, in part, to scalpers.
More news of Nintendo's supposedly revised launch schedule comes from Nikkei, a Japanese news outlet that claims the Switch 2 will introduce a larger display than the regular Switch model's 6.2-inch screen. There's no mention of how will it compare in size to the Switch OLED, though, which checks in at 7 inches. Previous reports have suggested that the Switch 2 will launch with an 8-inch LCD screen.
What do scalpers have to do with Nintendo's roadmap? According to the outlet (via Google Translate), Nintendo's priority is to "prevent resale and securing an initial stock of successor machines" for its next-gen handheld game console.
We suspect it's a losing battle, given how things played out with the original Switch when it launched in March 2017. Furthermore, delaying the launch effectively has the same impact for the general public, in that interested buyers will have to wait longer to buy a Switch 2 either way. However, if Nintendo can bolster its supply in the months leading up to the final release date, then at least some scalpers will miss out on screwing over buyers (womp, womp).
Nikkei's report is consistent with a previous one by a Brazilian journalist, who earlier this month pointed to a Q1 2025 release for the Switch 2. The journalist claimed that they heard of the delay through sources that are working on games for a launch-day release.
A separate report from earlier this month claimed that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with Switch 1 games, including in both digital and physical form. We'll have to wait and see if that's true, but if so it would be a great selling point, especially considering how many Switch 1 consoles are in the wild.
To that end, the Switch recently became third-best selling console of all time, having leapfrogged over the PlayStation 4 and GameBoy for the No. 3 spot with 122.55 million units. It trails only the Nintendo DS (154.02 million units) and PlayStation 2 (155 million units). Assuming that the Switch 2 is truly delayed until March 2025, there's a strong chance that the Switch 1 will secure the top spot by the time its successor arrives.
