Nintendo Switch Mini release date and feature rumours

If the Switch and new 2DS XL wasn’t enough for you, Nintendo is rumoured to be working on a mini version of the Switch console. Here we take a look at the possible Nintendo Switch Mini release date and what it might be like including specs. Find out what to expect at E3 2017.

The news follows on from the NES Classic Mini which the firm didn’t make enough units of to meet demand. It has now stopped making the pint-sized console for some bizarre reason, although you can buy it for an inflated price on Amazon.

Nintendo Switch Mini release date

There might be a bit of a wait for the Switch Mini as a rumour suggests the console will be launched during fiscal year that ends in March 2019.

With a period of 12 months when Nintendo could release the new console, it’s hard to predict the possible release date. Our best guess at the moment is a similar timeframe to the NES Classic Mini which was announced in July 2016 and launched on 11 November.

The news about a possible Switch Mini comes from Bloomberg which cites Citigroup Inc. as the source.

Nintendo Switch Mini specs and features

There’s next to no information about what the Switch Mini will be like apart from a smaller version of the current console. Whether this will compete more with the DS range than the current console is a key question, though. See also: Best 3DS games.

“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,” said analysts at Citigroup Inc. “Accordingly, we think Nintendo will launch a lighter, dedicated handheld version of the Switch, possibly to be called the Switch Mini.”

The issue for us is that the console Citigroup’s analysts are describing sounds like Nintendo’s long-running DS handheld devices which are so popular with younger gamers.

We’re not convinced Nintendo will cannibalise its handheld sector with a version of the Swich that is more like the DS. A SNES Mini Classic is far more likely to be the next mini console from the Japanese gaming giant.