We have an interesting new rumor that bodes well for, well, every console company, as well as every console gamer.
Reddit user Fragrant_Okra6671 shared this rumor on the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit. They also clarified that this had gone to translation twice, from Chinese to Portuguese and then Portuguese to English. So there’s definitely a huge risk that part of the message has been lost, but the message seems to be direct enough that there’s no confusion.
This was what the translation says:
“Taiwan Inc. com based semiconductor manufacturer Weltrend Semiconductor recently released its financial results and plans for the coming months.
As reported by the newspaper MoneyDJ, the company highlighted through a comment made by its CEO that “orders involving video game consoles will recover in the third quarter, including initial shipments of the new PlayStation 5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch models.”
Taking into account that the three systems mentioned already have orders in progress, the quote “new models” refers to the unreleased products of the three companies (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) that are planned to be manufactured / assembled on a large scale over the next few months starting in the quarter starting in September 2024.”
It also stated that Weltrend supplies a component used to charge the Nintendo Switch via USB.
Of the three console manufacturers, two have officially confirmed new models of their consoles, while one is heavily rumored to have one. Microsoft revealed new digital models of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, with 1 TB SSDs and a white color scheme, as well as a 2 TB Xbox Series X with a black color scheme. These consoles were announced to release this holiday.
For their part, Nintendo revealed a gold Hyrule themed Nintendo Switch Lite. This model is releasing at the same date as The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, this coming September 26, 2024.
The third console is the PlayStation 5 Pro, which we once again have to emphasize, still has not been officially confirmed or announced by Sony. While rumors have been running rampant that the console was definitely releasing this year, we certainly have reason to believe that that isn’t happening.
Now, some people speculate that this could be a hint that Nintendo has started manufacture of the Switch 2, but there’s reason to doubt that. For one, the gap in translation means we can’t jump to conclusions.
But aside from that, it’s reasonable to believe that Nintendo has already been manufacturing the Switch 2 for some time now. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa expressed a desire to avoid shortage issues when the console launches. Of course, they would have to prepare a large batch of the consoles at launch to defeat the scalpers, and make sure they can get the maximum profit they can when it releases.
So we didn’t need a doubtful interpretation of a rumor to believe that Nintendo started making their new consoles. On Sony’s part, if the PlayStation 5 Pro is real, they could greenlight manufacturing regardless if they are ready to launch the new SKU this year, or 2025.
Regardless, all the console companies are presumably confident they can keep their products going forward with new console models. That’s clearly a sign that the industry is doing well, even if not in all its aspects. Whoever ‘wins’ this holiday in console sales isn’t actually as important, as seeing sales jump up for everyone.
