The latest rumors surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 suggest that the upcoming console, whose tentative name has yet to be announced, may have entered mass production.
That’s according to David Gibson, senior analyst at MST Financial, who said: X / Twitter to post something interesting about Nintendo’s main assembler, Hosiden.
“No one seems to have noticed the Nintendo assembler – Hosiden is spending ¥2 billion on production equipment and ¥1 billion on automation in FY3/25 for its largest customer in entertainment (Nintendo),” Gibson writes, adding that he expects “news in September and a March 2025 release for [the] next device.”
The chart in the post does indeed show an increase in spending on automation, as well as the addition of spending on production equipment and a new factory in Vietnam. If anything, it shows that there could be some sort of hardware production going on at the Osaka-based assembly plant.
No one seems to have noticed the Nintendo assembler – Hosiden is spending ¥2 billion on production equipment and ¥1 billion on automation in FY3/25 for its largest client in entertainment (Nintendo). I’m still expecting news in September and a March 2025 release for the next device. pic.twitter.com/APGEGGSyS8September 4, 2024
In related news, noted by VGCindustry leaker Nate the Hate took to the comments section of a post on the r/GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit about Hosiden’s increase in spending. Nate simply notes that Nintendo Switch 2 has “backwards compatibility support.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the possibility of backwards compatibility support for Nintendo’s successor console. Last year, a Nintendo executive hinted at backwards compatibility for the Nintendo Switch 2 during an annual shareholder Q&A session.
They then said, “With the Nintendo Switch, we can connect directly with different customers through Nintendo Accounts.
“As we transition from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation console, we will do our best to make the transition smooth for our customers.”
While there’s no definitive confirmation yet on whether the Nintendo Switch 2 will also be backwards compatible, the idea of a smoother transition (at least compared to people making the switch from the disc-based Wii U to the cartridge-based Switch) could mean that things like Nintendo Switch games and Nintendo Switch Online accounts will be able to transfer over to the new console.
Additionally, Nintendo has traditionally held a Nintendo Direct presentation every September. If that precedent holds this year, we may finally see an official announcement for the Nintendo Switch 2 this month.
