As reports that a Nintendo Switch successor is inbound become more commonplace, we’re learning more about what we can likely expect from the company’s next console. Maybe this was to be expected, but new details suggest that the performance of the Nintendo Switch 2—or whatever it ends up being called—may be roughly on par with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. That would represent a nice step up from the current Switch, though obviously not enough of one to match Sony and Microsoft’s latest consoles.
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According to The Verge, Activision Blizzard executives—including CEO Bobby Kotick—met with Nintendo in December 2022 to chat about the Switch 2. As uncovered in a heavily redacted summary document labeled “NG Switch Draft.pdf” (a stand-in for “next-generation Switch”) that was made public due to the FTC v. Microsoft hearings, Activision’s head of platform strategy and partner relations, Chris Schnakenberg, suggested in internal emails that the Mario creator’s Switch successor might be more akin to the PS4 and Xbox One than to the latest hardware on the market.
“Given the closer alignment to Gen8 platforms in terms of performance and our previous offerings on PS4 / Xbox One, it is reasonable to assume we could make something compelling for the NG Switch as well,” Activision Blizzard said in the documentation reviewed by The Verge. “It would be helpful to secure early access to development hardware prototypes and prove that out nice and early.”
It’s been many generations now since Nintendo was competing directly with Microsoft and Sony in the technical power department, so it’s hardly surprising that the next Switch may not be able to push as many polygons as a PlayStation 5. What it will likely do is allow the company to offer a nice increase in power while still preserving the Switch’s hybrid nature, which should make games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom look even better.
Kotaku reached out to Nintendo for comment. When reached for a comment, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson declined to discuss the nature of the news.
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Although we’ve potentially now got an idea of the Nintendo Switch 2’s power, it still remains to be seen exactly how the company’s next-generation console will actually perform. At the very least, hopefully we can expect Nintendo to address the drift in its wireless controllers. Come on, Nintendo, I’m begging you here.
