Should you buy the Nintendo Switch during Black Friday sale or wait for Switch 2?

With Black Friday deals live, players have many exciting offers on games and consoles. The Nintendo Switch also enjoys a bunch of decent discounts and bundles for its various hardware models. Splurging on such inviting deals is perfectly fine. But considering that the hybrid console from Nintendo is quite evidently at the end of its lifecycle, is it really worth getting it now?

To top it off, we have seen plenty of rumors and leaks centered around the next-gen Nintendo Switch successor. So should players hold off Black Friday 2023 and save up for the inevitable upgrade or make the jump anyway?

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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Waiting for Nintendo Switch 2 is the smarter option at this point

Putting things into perspective, the current Nintendo Switch is over 6 years old. Originally released in 2017, it is powered by Nvidia's Tegra X1 chipset, which first debuted in 2015's Nvidia Shield TV Android home console. More specifically, it is an underclocked version of that SoC. Therefore, its performance is slower than what stock X1 builds allow.

Of course, these concessions were made with form factor, heat generation, battery life, and other similar factors in mind. That said, the fact remains that the Nintendo Switch simply cannot keep up with the cutting-edge titles of today, with more demanding ones on the horizon. Games like Resident Evil Village, Hitman 3, and Control Ultimate Edition have to resort to being streamed rather than native ports.

Renditions of taxing games that do make it over are compromised in one way or more. The latest Hogwarts Legacy is a great example of this. Avalanche Studios' latest open-world RPG adventure set in the Wizarding World franchise has received critical acclaim. This is for not just wonderfully adapting the series' lore but also the beautiful Unreal Engine 4-powered visuals.

Hogwarts Legacy is visually the worst console version out there (Image via Warner Bros. Games)

These take a considerable hit on the Nintendo Switch port, even compared to the already downgraded last-gen PS4/XB1 versions. Making matters worse, it sees further design changes like parts of the open world, such as Hogsmeade, being sectioned off into areas that need to be loaded into instead of being seamless.

In other words, Nintendo's portable device simply does not have enough grunt to keep the original vision of the game intact. This will only get worse as more demanding graphics technologies, like raytracing, become normalized. The good news is that the next-gen system from Nintendo looks to be capable enough, assuming the rumors are legitimate.

From what we know, it will utilize hardware derived from the Tegra Orin chipset, which has so far only been used in self-driving vehicles. On paper, it is a massive jump from the current version. It even boasts high-end technologies, like Nvidia DLSS, raytracing, and so on, all of which are made possible thanks to the Nvidia Ampere (RTX 3000 series) architecture.

But this also means it is likely to be an expensive system, at least pricier than the $300 tag of the current Nintendo Switch. We expect something in the $400-450 range. With that said, we would recommend players wait and save up for the new system. As enticing as the Black Friday deals sound, this is a better future-proof option since the next-gen system is also rumored to have backward compatibility.

Top it off with support for upcoming unannounced games, and players really would not want to miss out on the launch day hype. Yes, Nintendo has officially denied the existence of a Nintendo Switch 2, but anyone who has been keeping track of the Japanese company's history knows this is a deflection to avoid cannibalizing their current hardware's holiday 2023 sales.

As for the Nintendo Switch 2, a 2024 reveal and subsequent release in the same year appears to be inevitable. However, players must wait for an official announcement from the game maker. Might as well start saving up for the hardware from now, particularly since $70 games have started to become the norm.

Those who are still interested in what Black Friday 2023 deals are here for Nintendo Switch, check them out here.