I really think this bears repeating:
Please stop thinking of this new hardware on a “revision/successor” binary. From everything we know and from my understanding, this unit is:
- Capable of outputting a 4K video signal.
- Capable of rending games at 4K resolution, with the help of DLSS technology.
- Will probably play the vast majority of existing Switch games.
Is it a successor or revision? I don’t think it’s that clear cut, and I frankly don’t think it will ever be. It’ll have exclusive games that take advantage of the new hardware capabilities, but it won’t be positioned as a successor.
They’ve got 100 million Switches out there and momentum is extremely strong. A lot of people just bought a Switch. They’re not going to say to those people “the thing you bought is now outdated, buy the new one.” They’re going to position the new unit as an optional premium model for enthusiasts, targeting current Switch owners who want more out of the unit, but will publicly maintain that the base/lite/OLEDs are also still relevant and will be getting MOST (but not all) of the same software as the new model. If you’re one of the millions who bought a Switch for Animal Crossing, you’re probably not the target demo for the premium model. In my head I’ve been thinking of the new Premium Model as the “Digital Foundry Subscriber Model.” It’s for the people who already know what DLSS is, what a “frame rate” is, etc.
It is going to be positioned (and priced) as the model for people who
already know they want it.