Just as Nintendo prepares to phase out one miniature console, analysts believe it’s now planning to introduce another one in less than two years. It’s not the expected SNES Classic Edition either — it’s a miniaturized version of the Nintendo Switch.
According to a Bloomberg report, Citigroup Inc. analysts believe Nintendo plans to launch a smaller Switch during the company’s 2018-2018 fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2019. While the Switch rode gamer and critic adoration of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to 905,000 U.S. sales in its launch month, Citigroup’s analysts believe the console is just too big for young children, historically one of Nintendo’s biggest customer demographics, to operate on the go.
“Although the Nintendo Switch can be used as a handheld device, we think smaller children could struggle to use it comfortably in that format due to its size and weight,” the analysts wrote in an April 13 report. “Accordingly, we think Nintendo will launch a lighter, dedicated handheld version of the Switch, possibly to be called the Switch Mini.”
Citigroup didn’t narrow down the release window any further than Nintendo’s 2018-2019 fiscal year. However, the financial services and investment banking corporation foresees sales of 6.7 million by March 2019 for the more diminutive Switch. Citigroup also predicted sales of 25.7 million original Switch units by that same date. Assuming a theoretical Switch Mini sold at a similar pace, that would mean the miniaturized console would have to launch sometime in late August 2018 in order to hit Citigroup’s 6.7 million forecast for such a device.
The analysts did not provide pricing, size, or feature estimates for the shrunk-down Switch.
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