Nintendo has been making quite a bit of headlines lately. Just last night, the Japanese video game company revealed Game Builder Garage, an upcoming title focused on teaching beginners how to create and program their own video games. Now, the company has released its earnings for the fiscal year, which show great success for the Nintendo Switch, as well as the company's projections for the next fiscal year.
Of course, Nintendo is always looking towards the future as usual, not just in terms of its own IPs, games, and other software, but in terms of its hardware as well, especially since the Switch proved to be such a hit in 2020 when many other companies struggled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, reports from a recent earnings call with investors have some fans speculating on Nintendo's plans for its upcoming hardware.
The news comes from Twitter user David Gibson, who has translated the earnings call for fans to read. Reportedly, when asked about how research and development resources are being spent over at Nintendo, the company replied saying that the Switch is still midway through its lifecycle, and while the company is currently placing an emphasis on new software, investing in the next platform is a priority as well.
It goes without saying that this comment immediately had fans thinking of the highly-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro, a revised version of the hybrid console supposedly coming soon according to many insider reports. Other more speculative fans have leaned towards Nintendo thinking even further in the future, past the Nintendo Switch and towards an entirely new piece of hardware. While the company's comments on the Switch's life cycle may point towards it wanting to refresh the console soon, it seems that some fans are also under the impression that Nintendo will continue to draw out the success of the Switch, while dedicating more resources to an entirely new piece of hardware.
At the moment, many rumors have been floating around about a Nintendo Switch Pro, which include Nvidia's machine-learning DLSS technology, increased resolution and processing power, a sightly larger OLED display, and more. Additionally, many fans hope to see more advanced hardware utilized for upcoming Nintendo titles such as the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, and Metroid Prime 4.
For now, many fans look forward to E3 2021 taking place just next month in an all-virtual format. Nintendo certainly has a lot in its arsenal that it could show off at the upcoming virtual convention, but the company is sure to whip out some new surprises as well.
