Nintendo Could Be Debuting a Switch Mini This Year

Photo credit: Courtesy
Photo credit: Courtesy

From Esquire

Nintendo is at a crossroads right now. For the past two years, the iconic gaming company's efforts have been almost solely devoted to its massively successful Nintendo Switch. It effectively phased out its prized handheld consoles, doing away with the 3DS in favor of a console/handheld machine. But Nintendo always found a ton of success in the purely handheld market, and though the Switch is tablet-sized, it's still not quite small enough to keep in your pants pocket.

That's why, when the Wall Street Journal reported that Nintendo may be unveiling two new consoles this year, many anticipated a Mini version of the Switch would be one of them. It makes sense. A smaller Switch could help further bridge the gap between the handheld and console market, allowing Nintendo to really capitalize on the smaller screen size once again. And recently, that rumor just gained a ton of credence.

Nintendolife spotted that the Chinese company HonSon had listed a bunch of accessories for a "Switch Mini" on its site, such as carrying cases and protective outer cases for the alleged smaller version of the console. Leaks like this surface from time to time, and many of them do not turn out to be real-but based on everything we've heard so far about the rumored new iterations of the Switch, this leak seems more believable than most.

After reaching out to HonSon about the mysterious new accessories, Nintendolife reported:

We've spoken to a HonSon representative about the product listings in question, and have been told that the company has based these products on "secret" information and that it is waiting for Nintendo to officially confirm the system before putting these items into production; HonSon will then "adjust the model to ensure it can perfectly suit the console". The representative also confirmed that, based on the information it has received, the Switch Mini is (as the name suggests) "a little smaller" than the current version.

It's hard to say, exactly, what these leaks may mean for the future of the Nintendo Switch. Fans of the console have been predicting that, instead of attempting to compete with Sony's next PlayStation (perhaps called the PS5) and the Xbox Project Scarlett, Nintendo will continue to focus on the Switch, likely delivering an XL version of the console with updated specs (and possibly 4K output, or at the very least, a screen with 1080p resolution), and also a smaller version of the console for handheld enthusiasts.

Nintendo followed a similar strategy with its 3DS, eventually making a 3DS XL and the 2DS iteration of the handheld, which was smaller and did away with the 3D technology in favor of a cheaper, more kid-friendly device.

It could all be bullshit. But, if these leaks are real, we're pumped to see Nintendo really crush it yet again in the handheld market it has dominated for years on end.

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