Over the years, we have seen Nintendo do some crazy things from gen to gen.  Especially with their home consoles, the key features of their devices differ greatly from gen to gen.  From motion controls, to touch controls, to a tablet controller, going outside the norm is no strange occurrence for them.  However, I believe Switch might be a turning point moving forward.

Over time, I feel we will be seeing new iterations of Switch in the form of step ups rather than flat out new generations.  I have said this before, but now I believe it more than ever.  As other consoles become stronger, new iterations of Switch will be released to close the gap.  They will be fully backward compatible and will allow for 3rd parties to continue to deliver choice console experiences on the go.  This will of course lead to older models slowly being phased out in time, but they will still get 1st party games and less demanding games for years to come as it becomes a "cheaper" option to replace the 3DS.  We may even see a few "miracle" games on the OG models for a while due to the sheer number of them in the wild.  They won't be pretty, but they will be there for those not ready to upgrade right away for a time.

Now don't get me wrong, they will still think outside the box.  I just do not think they will abandon the hybrid format.  Instead of releasing a drastically new console, we will see more add ons such as Labo, Ring Fit, and maybe even VR.  The way the Joycons function along with the versitility of the Switch allow them to innovate while evolving current hardware, which is a unique and special situation Nintendo has found them in compared to the past.

So what do you all think, will we see Nintendo ditch the hybrid concept for something drastically different?  Or will they continue to evolve the Switch concept, and even keep releasing Switch iterations as a family of devices while innovating in other ways for as long as dedicated hardware remains relevant?

Let it also be known that this would not be a move made simply to keep up with the other consoles alone.  We all know that is not how Nintendo operates.  However, for many reasons I see this as being a very natural progression that Nintendo will take moving forward based on their own goals.

EDIT

There seems to be some confusion here, so let me clarify. This is not a prediction about small incremental upgrades, but rather the way the Switch family of consoles will evolve down the line. For example, a full blown Switch 2 falls in line so long as what I mention in my OP still comes into fruition.

Key points...

Full BC for OG Switch.
Same eshop with digital purchases carrying over.
Same core hybrid concept and execution.
Innovation being done by add ons like Labo and Ring Fit rather than basing the console around it.

A "next gen leap in power" can still happen and remain part of the Switch family. Be it closer small upgrades or bigger and more spread out leaps in power, the end result is the same for my prediction.  Also I believe this pattern will continue for as long as dedicated hardware remains relevant for Nintendo.

Already called it: 

I have also called this since year 1 myself, but I feel it is time to spell it out exacly how I see them handling it.  What you stated was nothing more than a series of names.

NES and SNES for example are two very different machines, and do not operate at all like a family of devices that I am describing.  😉

They may very well follow that naming scheme however, I do agree with you there.

I wish they would drop the name and choose something better for their next generation.

This isn't really anything new for Nintendo, though. The Gamecube -> Wii -> WiiU were compatible. The Gameboy Color etc. were backward compatible with the Gameboy. The 3DS was backward compatible to the DS.

It's actually quite a gamble to introduce an entirely incompatible system. Now that Sony and XBox are just x86 with an AMD graphics card, it's hard to imagine them not being backward compatible from here on out...

It is not just about BC however, but how Nintendo will innovate and focus on the hybrid format moving forward.  Also as a family of devices, every new iteration would be BC all the way back to the current Switch down to even the eshop.  To date, Nintendo has never been BC for more than one generation back from whatever their current hardware was at the time and required you to use an entirely separate online store specific to the console.

It's pretty much a given that the hybrid format is here to stay it gives a platform access to two markets and the's no real reason to drop it, the next platforms however won't necessarily be tied to the Switch name and they won't really follow the MS approach as that strategy doesn't suit Nintendo.

Never said it was ever needed, just something I could see them doing.  Nintendo was the first of the big three to introduce a mid gen refresh however after all with the NEW 3DS, which also had a few games exclusive to it that could not run on the base 3DS.  There is literally no reason to believe that they would not expand on that idea.

Furthermore, by your logic, if devs would not release a game that could only run on the new model if it needed the extra juice then every PS5 and XSX game would also run on a base X1.  You and I both know that will not be the case however.

It would be no different than those specific games being treated as a new console generation, which kind of debunks the entire premise that they would ignore it based on install base alone.

I can definitely see Nintendo rolling with the home console-handheld-hybrid concept (while maybe also tacking on a new feature each gen), but I don't really see them running with the Switch name except maybe for one more gen. Nintendo is known for going in new directions with both their console and branding most of the time. 

It does not need to have the same name so much as keep the hybrid concept alive with full backwards compatibility to all the way back to the current Switch.  If they added an extra feature that would only be usable on the newer model, the name can help showcase that.

The key points are hybrid concept, full BC with eshop included, hardware cycling, and hardware design at its core.  Most innovating will likely be done in similar fashion to Labo or Ring Fit at this point.  So in that respect, it can still be part of a Switch "family" without being called a Switch in name itself.