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A new report has given a new estimate on when the next 2024 window had been targeted for the new device.

As reported by VGC, Nintendo presented its results for the end of its 2023 fiscal year. In this report, president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that no new or upgraded hardware is factored into Nintendo’s annual forecast, with USB Securities backing up this claim by saying “We expect Nintendo will not release the next-generation hardware over the next 12 months”. This could mean that the previously predicted 2024 window may be referring to later in that year, after April 2024 at least.

Related: It's A Terrible Time To Buy A Nintendo Switch

There Has Been A Slowdown In Nintendo Switch Hardware Sales

A docked Nintendo Switch OLED model with its controller positioned in front of it on a table.

There's no denying that the Nintendo Switch has been a huge success for Nintendo, having sold 125.62 million consoles as of March 31, 2023, being Nintendo's second best-selling console behind the Nintendo DS, which sold 154.02 million units, and its best-selling home console having overtaken the Wii's record (as per VGC). As is to be expected from a console entering its seventh year on the market - which is normally about the duration of a regular console generation - year-end console sales have declined.

This has led to Nintendo missing its sales target for 2023 as it sold a total of 17.97 million devices, which is less than its original goal of 21 million, and its revised target of 18 million. The company believes it will see a further decline in sales, and predicts that it will sell 15 million consoles by the end of the current fiscal year in March 2024, and Furukawa isn't completely confident in hitting this 15 million target, stating that the goal is "a bit of a stretch", especially with no new or upgraded hardware on the way. The company is planning to "bolster demand" going into 2023's Holiday season to achieve it.

Exclusives Like The Legend of Zelda: TOTK May Not Boost Switch Hardware Sales

Link overlooks Hyrule's floating lands in key art for The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom.

Although Nintendo has exclusives such as the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom due to release with its own custom OLED Switch design this week, analysts such as UBS Securities believe that this may not help to boost hardware sales as it has done in the past. The company states that “Nintendo’s valuation is very likely to shrink until the launch of the new hardware”, and the fact that the Switch's sales have declined despite major exclusive releases such as Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime Remastered, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet seem to back up this prediction.

The news that Nintendo won't be releasing any new hardware until after April 2024 at the very earliest will probably disappoint fans, especially given the number of rumors surrounding a next-gen Switch that have been circulating. With many people who have wanted to play Nintendo's exclusive titles having likely already purchased a Switch over the last seven years, the sales slowdown is understandable. Those who haven't bought a Switch are probably waiting now to see what the next console holds, especially with newer handheld devices over the years such as the Steam Deck or the Aya Neo demonstrating the increase in performance and power that's now available on portable consoles since the Nintendo Switch's original release.

Source: VGC