Nintendo could see record Nintendo Switch hardware and software sales this year mainly due to the release of the rumored Switch Pro with an OLED display.
Switch Pro could boost sales
As reported by Bloomberg, Nintendo is expecting Switch sales to either remain flat or rise slightly higher in 2021 due to the release of an OLED display model within the latter half of the year, according to its partners and suppliers.
Additionally, Nintendo will also be bolstering the console's library of games with "a much stronger blockbuster software lineup."
Some suppliers have been briefed on the company's plans for the Switch in 2021.
Other partners forecast the console won't suffer a decrease in sales until March 2022 which is the end of the fiscal year.
However, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Matthew Kanterman doesn't agree with the rising sales forecast due to the semiconductor shortage that's currently impacting the supplies of all major console providers.
“With or without an upgraded Switch, Nintendo’s hardware sales would probably decrease in the year from April,” stated Kanterman.
Switch Pro and OLED again
Bloomberg is no stranger to Switch Pro rumors and leaks. The business media outlet has been reporting such claims from industry insiders as far back as 2018, one year after the console was launched.
This new report from Bloomberg coincides with earlier ones pertaining to a more powerful Nintendo Switch model AKA the Switch Pro.
Two weeks prior to this report, Bloomberg also reported that a new Nintendo Switch model--fitted with a 7-inch OLED display supplied by Samsung--was entering production in June.
Besides Bloomberg, other sources have claimed the validity of a new model with an enhanced display. Back in January, a dataminer uncovered new information pointing to a new model sporting not only an unspecified enhanced display but also an enhanced chipset, and dock.
Coronavirus' impact on Switch Pro
Like many companies, Nintendo has had to deal with the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on its operations globally. Interestingly enough, the pandemic has both hindered and helped with Nintendo Switch sales during the ongoing fiscal year.
While production was stalled and supply lines became congested, sales of the console continued to perform well overall.
By the end of 2020, Nintendo has reportedly sold 80 million units of the Switch.
Analysts predict Nintendo will reach its goal with the Switch of surpassing the Wii console's lifetime sales of 100 million units sold. Depending on conditions with the pandemic, this goal could be reached as early as the end of the fiscal year 2021 (March 2022).
