The Nintendo Switch is heading into its seventh year on the market as the third best selling console of all time, beaten only by the Playstation 2 and Nintendo’s own DS. It’s success is undeniable, yet due to it already being fairly underpowered at launch fans and journalists have constantly speculated about the release of a new Nintendo console. Well, Nintendo themselves seem to have put those rumours to bed.
As reported by the folk over at Bloomberg, in the latest investor call Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa addressed the topic of new hardware. He was quite clear that Nintendo is not considering any new hardware launches in the 2023/24 financial year. If we take him at his word, which we have no reason not to, then this means there we be no new Nintendo hardware before April of 2024.
Despite the fact that the more hardcore among us, myself included, do bemoan the Switch’s lack of power, the average person doesn’t seem to care as the console continues to sell like crazy. Though the console has seen a decline in sales over the past few financial years, Nintendo is still aiming to shift 15 million units this financial year. President Furakawa did admit that this would be a bit of a “stretch” but it’s incredibly impressive that even as it winds down the Switch is still seeking to sell such huge numbers. The much newer PS5 managed to shift just under 20 million consoles in 2022, although it did face continued supply constraints.
If Nintendo hits its goal, the Switch will have sold an estimate 145 million units, putting it around 10 million behind the Nintendo DS.
To achieve its goal, Nintendo will be relying on a few big games launching this year. Obviously as I write this, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is just days away from launching and will presumably sell like Mario-themed cocaine if its predecessors 29 million copies sold is anything to go by. Its launch and the fancy Zelda themed Switch OLED might help Nintendo get to that 15 million goal.
But in other Nintendo news, they’ve released a brand new advert for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and it’s brutally depressing. You might expect a Nintendo advert to be aimed squarely at kids, but this one actually depicts a middle-aged man who is clearly struggling under the weight of everyday life. We start with a dull buss journey to work, and then switch to him coming home after a long day where he finds the The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and starts playing, brining a breath of joy into his life, so he takes it on the bus the next day and plays with the volume turned up and no headphones. Don’t be that guy. Never be that guy.
On the one hand, the advert reminds us of how important it is to find time for ourselves and how gaming can be the perfect way to unwind and relax.
On the other hand, it’s like a super depressing take on the monotony of life in a world where most of your time is either travelling to and from work, or being at work. Jesus, Nintendo, calm down.
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