There have been a lot of rumors circulating regarding an upgraded version of the Nintendo Switch, the latest of which claims that the console will be composed of a magnesium alloy, rather than plastic.
Nintendo is no stranger to releasing new revisions of hardware throughout the lifespan of the system, with both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS receiving different iterations over the years. The Nintendo Switch has already received two different revisions since it was released in 2017, with one offering an increase in battery life, while the other was the vastly different Nintendo Switch Lite, which removed features in exchange for a lower price point.
There has been a lot of speculation that the next version of the Nintendo Switch will be a more powerful system in the vein of the New Nintendo 3DS, and new rumors seem to confirm this line of thinking, along with a major shift in the design of the system. Digital Times is reporting that the upgrade of the Nintendo Switch will have a better CPU and that the system itself will be composed of a magnesium alloy instead of plastic, with the aim of releasing it mid-2020. Dr. Serkan Toto has discussed these rumors further on Twitter.
The idea of the next Nintendo Switch having a case composed of a magnesium alloy isn't too far out of the realm of possibility, as there are a number of laptops on the market that also that material for their cases, which are generally lighter in weight than the cases used for conventional laptops. The Nintendo Switch is more of a nuisance to carry around than previous Nintendo handhelds and its possible that the rumored design could be part of an effort to make a new system that is smaller and easier to carry.
A new version of the Nintendo Switch is almost guaranteed and even Microsoft and Sony have committed to releasing new iterations of their upcoming systems. It would make sense for Nintendo to release a version of the Switch that is beefier in terms of hardware, yet lighter to carry around in order to compete with the upcoming release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Source: Digital Times, Dr. Serkan Toto/Kantan Games Inc./Twitter