The latest round of Nintendo Switch 2 rumors suggest the upcoming, tentatively-named console may have entered mass production.
That's according to MST Financial senior analyst David Gibson, who took to X / Twitter to post something interesting about Nintendo's primary assembler, Hosiden.
"No-one seems to have noticed the Nintendo assembler- Hosiden is spending ¥2bn on production equipment and ¥1bn on automation in FY3/25 for its major customer in amusement (Nintendo)," writes Gibson. He adds that he expects "Sept news and March 2025 release for [the] next device."
The graph included in the post indeed shows an uptick in automation spending, as well as the addition of spending on production equipment and a new Vietnam-based factory. If anything, it shows that some kind of hardware manufacturing could be underway at the Osaka-based assembler.
No-one seems to have noticed the Nintendo assembler- Hosiden is spending ¥2bn on production equipment and ¥1bn on automation in FY3/25 for its major customer in amusement (Nintendo). I still expect Sept news and March 2025 release for next device. pic.twitter.com/APGEGGSyS8September 4, 2024
In related news, spotted by VGC, industry leaker Nate the Hate took to the comments section of a post on the r/GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit regarding Hosiden's uptick in spending. Nate simply comments that Nintendo Switch 2 "has backwards compatibility support."
This isn't the first time we've heard about the possibility of backwards compatibility support on Nintendo's succeeding console. Last year, a Nintendo executive hinted at Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatibility during an annual shareholder Q&A session.
At the time, they had said: "with the Nintendo Switch, we can directly connect with various customers through Nintendo Accounts.
"In the transition from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation console. We will do our best to make the transition smooth for our customers."
While not outright confirming backwards compatibility for Nintendo Switch 2, the notion of a more seamless transition (at least when compared to folks making the jump from the disc-based Wii U to the cartridge-compatible Switch) may indicate that things like Nintendo Switch games and Nintendo Switch Online accounts could carry over to the new console.
Furthermore, Nintendo has traditionally broadcast a Nintendo Direct presentation in September every year. Should that precedent hold true this year, we might finally see an official announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2 this month.
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