A cheaper Nintendo Switch may launch before the next-gen version

Image Credit: Nintendo

Rumors of Nintendo revamping its Switch console in the near future have been pouring in over the last few months, and one report even suggested it'll come later this year.

A new report from trusted Japanese newspaper Nikkei has suggested Nintendo will be introducing a smaller, and therefore more affordable, Switch model before then.

This new model will be aimed at those who want portability and to play the console while on the move, but it'll still come with the same ability to connect to your TV.

Nikkei's report says sources believe there's still a more powerful version of the console coming, but that it won't launch at the same time.

Whether that goes against the report from The Wall Street Journal, which suggested the model will launch by the end of the year is not explicitly clear. This report doesn't explicitly suggest that we couldn't still see both models before December.

If the Nintendo Switch's price is a little high for you at the moment, you may want to wait a while to see if this cheaper and smaller console ever materializes. We'd expect it to be missing a couple of features though to ensure that smaller price tag, but this report doesn't suggest what any of those would be.

Quality of Life update

The same newspaper story also shared an update on Nintendo's Quality of Life project, which was a piece of sleep tracking technology that was teased and patented by Nintendo back in 2015.

The company reportedly halted work on the tech before December last year, and it may have been stopped long before that too.

One of Nikkei's sources said they have heard the company wasn't able to produce a  “Nintendo-like product" with the technology that was developed so it was cancelled.

Via The Verge

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.