Wacky rumor claims Nintendo might build their own gaming smartphone

Nintendo has in the past attempted some pretty out-there ideas, such as the Virtual Boy which admittedly might have been way too ahead of its time. Now it seems that Nintendo could be looking to try their hand at something new, this time in the form of a gaming handset.

This is based on a report from DigiTimes who claims that there is some speculation that the gaming company could be looking to launch a gaming handset that can integrate with its Switch consoles. DigiTimes doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to rumors, so it’s probably best to take this with a heaping pile of salt for now.

“There have been speculations about Nintendo planning to launch a gaming handset that can integrate with its Switch consoles, the Japan-based vendor has yet to respond to such speculations.”

At the same time, Nintendo of America’s former President Reggie Fils-Aime did make a very interesting point back in 2018. When asked why Nintendo chose to use a mobile app to facilitate voice chat on the Switch, Fils-Aime was quoted as saying:

“What we see is a situation where we know that Nintendo Switch is being played in the open, at a park, on a metro bus. We believe the easiest way for you to connect and have a peer-to-peer experience with voice chat is with your mobile phone. It’s always there, it’s always with you.”

So perhaps this gaming handset could be some kind of dedicated expansion of that, where it would better facilitate certain features of the Switch while keeping Nintendo’s mobile games optimized for the device. We’re still extremely skeptical of these claims, but with gaming smartphones starting to become a thing, maybe Nintendo could be trying to get in before it gets too crowded.

Source: DigiTimes