Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 have been quiet for some time, but it appears that a release date is in sight. According to a new report out of Taipei, a new version of Nintendo's hugely popular gaming console could be available by early 2021.

According to The Edge Markets, Taipei's Economic Daily News reports that Nintendo plans to launch new Switch hardware early next year. The paper cites an unidentified supply chain source, but provides no further details.

The possibility of a new Nintendo Switch launch in 2021 appears to be not entirely zero; in January, Nintendo confirmed in a financial memo that it has no new hardware in the pipeline for a 2020 launch. However, given the Switch's continued red-hot success (especially during the pandemic), it is possible that Nintendo will capitalize on this interest with a revised new model.

It is unclear whether the next Nintendo Switch will be a massively reworked console or a subtle spec upgrade with small quality-of-life changes. Some reports suggest that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be significantly enhanced with an Nvidia Tegra Xavier processor, 64GB SSD, and 4K support, while others suggest that the next switch will feature a slightly improved version of the Tegra CPU found in the current model.

One of the more intriguing rumors is that the Switch 2 may be a dual-screen device, as some sharp-eyed fans have been looking into a recent Switch firmware update that hints at dual-display support for Nintendo's machine, a series of codes Because they discovered.

Nintendo has released two revisions of the Switch since its initial launch in March 2017: a refresh in August 2019 that slightly improved battery life, and the Nintendo Switch Lite, released a month later, a more compact portable-only version. However, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X coming this fall, Nintendo may want to offer a more powerful Switch option for those who value performance.

Reliable gaming informant Jeff Grubb (via VGC) recently claimed in a live stream that the next major Nintendo Direct live stream will take place before the end of August. This event will likely focus on games, but there could also be an unveiling of the next Nintendo Switch, especially if this supply chain report is accurate.