Those waiting eagerly for a ‘Nintendo Switch Pro’ or any other new hardware from the Japanese gaming giant are set to wait longer, as it seems that Nintendo won’t be releasing new hardware until March 2023.
According to a Nikkei report, Nintendo won’t be focusing on the release of a new device, but rather concentrate on just making enough of the current Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED.
The global chip shortage and supply chain issues have been causing issues for Nintendo, whose sales have dropped 23% this quarter compared to the same time last year. “Hardware production was impacted by factors such as the global shortage of semiconductor components, resulting in a decrease of hardware shipments,” said the company in their earnings report.
Typically, the end of the year period is a time where companies like Nintendo begin to stock up on hardware to prepare for a busy sales period at Christmas. However, as Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa told Nikkeithis isn’t possible.
“Normally, we stockpile inventory in the summer to prepare for the year-end sales season, which is at its peak. This summer, we are not able to produce as many as usual.”
The Nintendo Switch was first released in 2017 and has sold over 100 million units over its lifetime. Despite the current issues, Nintendo is set on selling 21 million units this year.
A new, more powerful, 4K compatible Switch has been on the minds of Nintendo fans for some time, however it seems we won’t be hearing about that until March next year at the earliest.