The Biggest Next-Gen Rumors Explained

Console gamers are always curious about what comes next. While gaming PCs are in a near-constant state of flux as new hardware and software is released and iterated upon, home consoles instead experience more definitive release generations. The release of the Xbox Series X|S and the PlayStation 5 marked the beginning of the ninth console generation, but they are already a few years old. Because of this fact, gamers have started looking toward the future. 

Video game companies have so far remained tight-lipped in regards to specifics of their future consoles, but it's safe to assume that the likes of Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox have already started the years-long journey of designing their next great systems. When considering the fast progression of gaming hardware and streaming possibilities, there are a ton of questions about what those consoles could end up looking like. While fans will have to wait months to years for any official announcements, next-gen rumors have been spread by insider leaks and tippers releasing information whenever they gain access to it. 

We're going to take a look at some of the most prevalent rumors, but remember to take everything with a grain of salt. None of this has been officially confirmed — and even if it is true now, it could very well be subject to change before the following companies reveal their plans to the public. 

Rumors regarding a follow-up to Nintendo's breakout hit console, the Nintendo Switch, have circulated for years. The Nintendo Switch was released in 2017, boasting hardware that put its performance below that of its competitors. Fans have hoped that an updated version of the console — commonly referred to as a Nintendo Switch Pro — could help continue the system's great run. Fans were disappointed when it seemed their hopes of a Switch Pro were dashed, as industry pros have cast doubt on its imminent release. However, newer rumors suggest a proper follow-up console may still be on the way in the near future. 

According to a VGC report from July 2023 multiple sources claim that key studios have already received next-gen development kits from Nintendo, with the plan being to begin working on software to go with it. These sources also claimed that Nintendo is aiming for a release in the second half of 2024, giving fans around a year to wait if it proves true. This would not only mean the console could release around the desirable holiday season but, according to the sources, will hopefully allow Nintendo to avoid the component shortages that plagued the launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. 

Most rumors of the Nintendo Switch 2 are trying to answer questions of what the console will look like or be capable of, but many fans are also wondering what will happen to their Nintendo accounts. A tease of what Nintendo could be planning was given by the company's president Shuntaro Furukawa during a shareholder Q&A session in June 2023. As translated by Twitter user @Genki-JPN, Furukawa spoke on the company's interest in maintaining the 290 million-plus Nintendo accounts that currently exist across the Nintendo Switch and mobile.

Furukawa didn't directly refer to Nintendo's next console as the Nintendo Switch 2, but instead spoke on using the accounts to smoothly transition Switch players to the company's next platform. Exactly what this means is pure speculation at this point. It could simply mean the next Nintendo console will allow players to continue using the same accounts, bringing their payment information and friends lists with them. This would mark a change from the last generation shift, when players with a Wii U had to make new online accounts for the Switch. 

A smooth transition could hint toward Nintendo's intention to include backwards compatibility for Switch games on the next console, allowing players to bring their entire game library with them when they make the transition. This would be great for the company's biggest fans, but it largely remains to be seen how the company's online services will work in the future.

The next Nintendo console is most commonly referred to as the Nintendo Switch 2 or Switch Pro, but leaker Jonathan Bark has suggested that the console may instead be called the Nintendo Focus. Bark's initial post was accompanied by an official-looking logo for the name, but all of the account's information should only be taken as rumors. The account was created shortly before posting the news, and while it has continued to post more information about the supposed console and potential games for it, none of what the account has said has been confirmed by other sources or official announcements as of yet. 

In another tweet, Jonathan Bark stated that the name for the console is derived from it having VR capabilities, although the scope of such a feature has not been specified. Some Switch games support limited VR capability, so it would not be very surprising to see Nintendo continuing to explore the format moving forward. 

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this particular leak, however, is the idea that Nintendo could possibly move away from the extremely popular Switch brand name. Then again, Nintendo has a history of switching up console names, and the company could be hoping to avoid any confusion similar to what happened with the Wii U.

On top of revealing the name of the supposed Nintendo Focus, Jonathan Bark has also tweeted numerous times about different games that fans should expect to be playing on the new console. The first of these was "Arms 2" in 2025 and "F-Zero Titans." While Bark didn't comment on when "Titans" would be released, he did claim that it would be a relatively low budget title intended to test public interest in reviving the long-dormant racing series. Bark has also claimed "Mario Kart 9" could act as an early title for the new console, while the console will supposefly be bundled with a four-player co-op platformer called "Relno Ramen Warrior."

Here is another image of Relno: Ramen Warrior on Nintendo FOCUS. Again, it's a gimmicky 3D platformer that will launch alongside the system in October of 2024.

I know this has been reposted, I want to keep details slim.
#Nintendo #NintendoSwich #gaming #leaks #Switch pic.twitter.com/LB1y3e2l7N

— jonathan bark (@jj201501) August 28, 2023

In more traditional franchise news, Bark has also claimed to have information on a new 3D Mario platformer for the console. They claim their sources say it will also be a four-player co-op platformer inspired by "Super Mario 3D World," rather than the Switch's "Super Mario Odyssey." Finally, Bark also claims that players will be able to transfer most first-party Switch games to the new console, but that doing so will come with a small price tag of $2.99. This would be an unconventional approach to backward compatibility, but it is a definite possibility.

One of the biggest questions when a new piece of gaming hardware is on the horizon is how much players should expect to spend on it. Luckily, rumors and leaks have also given Nintendo fans some idea of what to expect already. One popular tidbit comes from notable Nintendo leaker Zippo on their blog. Zippo has a mixed history of leaking Nintendo information; some of their larger claims have come true, but others have been proven false. 

Track record aside, their more recent leaks claim that Nintendo's next console will release with a price tag of $399 in the United States, making it cost around $50 more than the OLED Switch model. Like all leaks the price point should be taken with a pinch of salt, but it does seem reasonable. Nintendo has a history of releasing hardware cheaper than Xbox or Sony to appeal to more casual gamers, and $399 would place the console comfortably below both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X. Meanwhile, Jonathan Bark has predicted a slightly higher price point of $429.

There have also been various rumors and leaks regarding the power and features of the Switch's successor, some of which are more substantial than others. VGC spoke with multiple sources about the console's innards earlier this year, and got some interesting information that was later corroborated by notable leaker Nate the Hate on his podcast.

Their sources claim that the new console will continue the use of game cartridges in lieu of discs, but will also ship with drastically more storage space for digital games. Nate the Hate went on to claim that the console will launch with 512GB of integrated storage, which is a massive upgrade from the Switch's quaint 32GB. The console will also be capable of being played on a television via a dock or in handheld mode, and will allegedly feature a larger eight-inch screen. However, sources also claim that the screen will be an LCD to keep costs down, rather than following in the footsteps of the successful Nintendo Switch OLED. Various sources continue to be conflicted over whether or not the system will be capable of 4K resolution.

Sony has a history of releasing smaller versions of its consoles that dates back to the first PlayStation. Because of this tradition, fans continue to wonder if they'll get a slim model of the PlayStation 5, especially due to the console's large size. Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson reported in 2022 that Sony was indeed working on a slimmer version of the console, with the goal being to replace the current models of the console. The new version would otherwise come with almost identical interior components. 

However, the new version of the console will reportedly achieve its smaller frame by incorporating a detachable disc drive that connects to the bottom of the console, as well as a USB-C port on its back. Henderson reported that gamers will be able to buy the so-called "PS5 Slim" and the disc drive either separately or as part of a bundle. This would allow the single model to replace both current versions of the PlayStation 5 while also making replacement disc drives readily available. 

Very little further information followed the initial report of the PlayStation 5 slim model, until alleged photos and videos of the console began to surface in August 2023. Henderson also reported on these leaks, stating that they largely match his original sources.

CFI-2016 PS5 Case pic.twitter.com/udFyQbVpz8

— BwE (@BwE_Dev) August 11, 2023

PlayStation players have also been curious about whether or not Sony's current console will receive a mid-generation refresh like previous generations. According to Insider Gaming's sources, the PlayStation 5 Pro is indeed in development, and it's targeting a late 2024 release date. 

This timeline sounds about right, as it would see the PlayStation 5 Pro releasing around four years after the original console. The PlayStation 4 Pro launched only three years after the original PlayStation 4, so this rumor lines up with Sony's actions in the past. It also would position the console's release just before the holiday season, which is traditionally one of the most profitable times of the year for video games and gaming consoles. 

If all of the leaks out there are to be believed, this could also see the console's release lining up with the launch of Nintendo's next console, leading to a very interesting competition during the 2024 holidays.

If the PlayStation 5 Pro does exist it will undoubtedly bring improvements in performance and graphical fidelity over the base PlayStation 5. While specifics have not been officially revealed by Sony, there have been considerable leaks regarding the console's components already, and many of them with incredible detail. Perhaps the most detailed report of these elements comes from YouTuber RedGamingTech, who released an extremely technical report of what fans should expect the console to launch with. For any fans that aren't interested in the highly technical details, RedGamingTech's leaks of what will be in the console point toward it achieving approximately double the processing power of the original PlayStation 5. 

Twitter user @Onion00048 also tracked down a relatively recent patent from Sony that seems to point to a greater emphasis on visuals in the new console. The patent is related to the company's efforts to achieve more efficient ray tracing on console. For those who don't know, ray tracing is a method of processing the lighting in video games that tracks the path of light rays, creating more realistic scenes through effects such as accurate real-time reflections. Ray tracing was a big selling point for the PlayStation 5, so improving its performance would make a lot of sense for the upgraded PlayStation 5 Pro.

The patent was filed by PS5 architect and Knack creator Mark Cerny, and mentions “System And Method For Accelerated Ray Tracing” and “System And Method For Accelerated Ray Tracing With Asynchronous Operation And Ray Transformation.”#PS5 #PlayStation5 #PlayStation pic.twitter.com/yyjL8SMfRw

— Gamingnews (@Onion00048) February 25, 2022

While new consoles are always exciting, the gaming industry is also changing and beginning to look toward the possibilities of cloud gaming, allowing players to stream games without the need for pricey hardware. Xbox allows players to stream a variety of Xbox Game Pass games to computers, consoles, and even mobile phones through its Xbox Cloud Gaming service, and PlayStation is supposedly hoping to answer with its own service known as Project Cronos. 

While details on Project Cronos have been sparse, Insider Gaming reported on various details about the service that have leaked. One of the biggest reveals from the report is that Sony had to develop its own server to be able to stream data as quickly as the PlayStation 5's SSD. Codenamed "Kura," the servers are reportedly able to stream up to 5GB of data per second. The report also states that Sony is planning on building a total of 28 data centers to aid in the launch of the service. At the time of Insider Gaming's report, Sony had allegedly been working on Cronos for roughly five years, and the targeted release window was in the 2023 fiscal year. It remains to be seen how far Project Cronos may have been pushed back.

While there are already two consoles available in the current generation of Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, Nick Baker claimed on the XboxEra podcast that a new version of the Xbox Series X is currently being developed, one that does not come with an internal disc drive. Little else is known about the possible console just yet, but it makes sense to offer players a smaller or cheaper version of the console. The BBC reported that almost 90% of video game sales in the UK were digital in 2022, making disc drives on home consoles less necessary than they were in previous generations. Microsoft has already shown interest in this approach, releasing the Xbox Series S as a digital-only console, albeit one with lower processing power than its Series X counterpart. 

Despite the excitement surrounding this rumor, it should be noted that Xbox does not seem to be moving away from the Xbox Series S anytime soon. While talking with Eurogamer, Xbox boss Phil Spencer doubled down on the company's dedication to the cheaper console by saying that it is an important option to offer for gamers who want a cheaper entrance into the Xbox ecosystem. So, it could be that a new digital-only version of the Xbox Series X could be released as a happy medium between the two current consoles, rather than a replacement for the Series S.