Two new Nintendo Switch models are in the works, and one is portable only – report

UPDATE: Eurogamer has backed up reports previously made by The Wall Street Journal regarding two new Nintendo Switch models being released later this year.

In its report, Eurogamer states that the two upcoming models will be focused on both casual and hardcore gamers, with the former hoping to act as a successor to the Nintendo 2DS.

The other model will have “enhanced features for avid video-gamers” with increased power and design in a similar vein to the New 3DS XL, which also had a small yet exclusive library of titles that only worked on the device. However, don’t expect something on the level of PS4 Pro or Xbox One X.

An allegedly “kid-proof” model of the Nintendo Switch is aimed at migrating existing 3DS users over to the new platform, and according the report, will be a handheld-only console that will ship without a Switch Dock. This is one of many features, including rumble vibration, to be cut to lower the price. No such changes are intended for the more powerful new model.

Original story follows: 

The Switch may still be selling at a rate that few would have predicted after the Wii U’s struggles, but Nintendo clearly thinks it can be given the kind of shot in the arm that’ll see it close in on the Xbox One and PS4, despite their multi-year headstarts.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Nintendo is planning not one, but two new revisions of the handheld/console-hybrid: one that will lose features and the other that’ll gain them.

Related: Best Switch Games

The report is sadly light on details as to what they might be, but has more to offer on the cheaper version. It will lose the vibration feature, and the report suggests that it won’t have detachable Joy-Con controllers, making it seem more of a dedicated handheld than the dockable home console it is currently. That’s interesting, as it would imply that it’s just as much a rival to the 3DS as it is to the current Switch.

Related: Upcoming Switch Games

Little is written about the higher-end model, other than that it’ll have “enhanced features targeted at avid video gamers.” A source suggests that it will be more than just a faster console, although you could get quite some way with just that, given the Switch’s use of the four-year old Tegra X1 processor. Although it’ll naturally be a lot less powerful, it might be worth considering a new Switch as like the PS4 Pro to the regular PS4.

The good news is that we shouldn’t have too long to wait to see what a new Switch might involve. The report reckons that Nintendo will unveil the new hardware at around the time of E3, possibly in the form of a Nintendo Direct. That’s just 78 days away, so start the countdown…

What features would Nintendo need to add to an enhanced console to make you consider upgrading your existing Switch? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews.