New Nintendo Switch model won't come this year, apparently

The Nintendo Switch gaming console won't be getting an upgrade any time soon, according to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa.

Rumors of an new Nintendo Switch model have gained momentum in recent weeks, with murmurings of a a successor to the bestselling hybrid console, which can be used as both a portable gaming machine and home console.

While the Nintendo Switch has only been on the market for two years, the company has a tradition of regular hardware upgrades for its handheld devices, like the iterative Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS, or New Nintendo 3DS XL.

Rival gaming companies like Xbox and PlayStation have also been gearing towards more regular upgrades to current-gen home consoles. But it looks like the new Nintendo Switch won't be hitting shelves in the coming months.

Furukawa made the comments to Japanese daily newspaper The Senkai News – translated here by NintendoEverything – saying "we are not considering a successor or a price cut at this time".

End on a high

The comments come shortly before the end of Nintendo's fiscal year in March, when it is expected to surpass its hugely ambitious goal of selling 20 million Switch units in a single year.

It seems like Nintendo doesn't need to invest in a hardware upgrade to boost sales for now, especially not as early as as mid-2019. A Switch successor will certainly come down the line, and it's possible a new model will sneak out in time for 2019's end-of-year holiday sales, but Nintendo could well wait until its third birthday to give players something new.

The new model was expected to double the Switch's 4GB of RAM to 8GB, feature a larger screen with 1080p resolution, and – in some reports, at least – even a 4K resolution when hooked up to a compatible television. Players have also been hoping for a longer battery life, over the current model's modest 3-6 hours.