NEW YORK, March 28 — A less expensive, less fully-featured Nintendo Switch is on the way, alongside a slightly enhanced model, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and Eurogamer.
Two alternative versions of the successful, two-year-old Nintendo Switch could be introduced in 2019, according to both the Wall Street Journal and Eurogamer.
One would be less expensive than the US$299 (RM1,219) launch model, while the other would tote some slightly higher grade enhancements.
Offering two additional models mirrors the approach Nintendo implemented with the handheld 3DS console.
Having launched the clamshell portable 3DS in 2011, Nintendo introduced a wedge-shaped Nintendo 2DS without 3D capabilities in 2013, and a New 3DS XL, which added several extra control buttons as well as slightly more powerful internals, in 2014.
In a similar manner, the budget Switch would strip out built-in rumble and incorporate a sturdier design.
Eurogamer also reports that the budget model of the home and portable hybrid would only be available to use in handheld mode.
That raises the possibility that it may not have the detachable controllers that the original Switch has.
Fellow console manufacturers Sony and Microsoft Xbox have both employed dual-model tactics, with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One now available as a slimmer PS4 or Xbox One S and a more powerful PS4 Pro or Xbox One X.
Both product line revisions followed similar moves in flagship smartphone design. — AFP-Relaxnews
