Originally pencilled in for some point between February 12 and February 15, the first Nintendo Direct of 2024 was reportedly delayed due to scheduling conflicts with last week’s Xbox Business Update. Microsoft made headlines by announcing plans to bring a handful of its exclusive games to other platforms. Not wishing to be outdone, Nintendo postponed its planned Direct conference until a later date. The good news is that fans shouldn’t have to wait very long for the next Nintendo Direct, which will supposedly take place later this week.
That’s according to industry insider Jeff Grubb, who claims that the Direct was moved due to the Xbox Business Update.
“I heard earlier this week that they were discussing moving the Direct *because* of the Xbox business update,” Grubb tweets.
“I’ve never known the date for sure. I’ve only ever heard by the middle of Feb.”
Another prominent Nintendo leaker has also claimed that this week’s Direct will focus on third-party releases, which means we’re unlikely to hear more about the Nintendo Switch 2, or games like Metroid Prime 4.
It’s believed that Hi-Fi Rush could be announced for Nintendo Switch during the event, and perhaps another Xbox exclusive such as Pentiment or Sea of Thieves.
As for the Nintendo Switch successor, the unannounced console will reportedly cost $399 at launch, which is $100 more than the price of the original Switch when it released in 2017.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will also have an LCD display, instead of a superior OLED screen. The decision to use an LCD screen is seen as a cost-cutting measure for Nintendo.
According to previous reports, the new console will launch with an impressive 12GB of RAM.
While it’s less than the 16GB of RAM used in the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it’s more than the 10GB of RAM found in the Xbox Series S.
It’s also believed that the Nintendo Switch 2 will support Ray-tracing technology for superior lighting and shadows.