Well, I should be able to catch the opening big game and the first 2-3 small games before I have to head to work.

I guess it depends if they are going through with the rumored Prime 2 & 3 remasters. I wouldn't expect to hear anything about 4 until they get those out. But if they decided to skip 2 & 3 then of course we could hear about 4 at any time. Or it's always possible they announce 2 and 3 are immediately dropped like they did with Prime and at the same time throw out a teaser of 4 finally to kinda get people more excited about by 2 and 3 in anticipation of 4.

At this point though I'm kinda expecting the reason we haven't heard anything about 4 after all these years is that they moved it over to being a next gen game a long time ago, so there is no reason to say anything about it until they start talking about the next system. I'm hoping its not cross gen cuz I don't want a next gen version to just be like modified current gen. It'd be disappointing if they try to say its a next gen game but its just a cross gen enhanced version of the Switch version. Either get it out on Switch before the next system launches or have moved it over to fully take advantage of much more powerful next gen specs.

Personally I'd prefer they went all out making Prime 4 a next gen game since Prime aesthetics benefit from more power, and they use it as a way to promote Switch 2 along with the next 3D Mario and MK9, rather than just have it be like the last AAA game on Switch. I wanna see Prime 2 and 3 out on Switch first half of next year, and then next gen Prime 4 out either holiday next year or early 2025 - probably early 2025 if the system launches in November as 3D Mario and MK9 would be enough in terms of major holiday games to launch the system with.

To keep Switch HW selling outside Japan though they need to start doing price cuts. And they have clearly realized they need to do something proactive to keep HW sales going given that they announced those bundles in Europe and NA. With price cuts, they could absolutely keep Switch going strong into 2025, assuming they still have games in the pipeline. Without price cuts though, Fall 2024 makes sense for successor as sales outside Japan should be quite weak by then.

I expect they'll still have AA games coming out each quarter next year, maybe even a major IP like Donkey Kong or something next year, but everything else is next gen, launching in just over a year.

That'd be cool, but I'd rather a new Donkey Kong game that doesn't have to be tied to Mario. It's been almost a decade since we got one.

In the past Nintendo had always been supporting two hardware lines. Part of the reason for the hybrid was to prevent that sort of thing. This year had a new Zelda, but that was delayed and releasing it this year wasn't the original plan. Aside from that, Skyward Sword released just about a year before Wii U, so that logic would place the Switch 2 at the middle of next year. 

Aside from Mario Wonder and TOTK which was delayed into this year, there aren't a ton of major titles that were released this year. Pikmin 4, Mario RPG, and FE Engage are the biggest ones. Not a terrible lineup, but also not one that makes me think the Switch must have another few years of life.

You sure about that?

US release dates Nintendo published games (other regions will vary)

2004 (year DS released)

February 9-Metroid: Zero Mission

March 22-Pokemon Colosseum

April 5-WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Game$

May 10-Custom Robo

May 24-Mario vs Donkey Kong

June 7-Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

June 22-Mario Golf: Advance Tour

August 3-Pikmin 2

September 7-Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen

September 20-F Zero: GP Legend

September 27-Donkey Konga

October 4-Mario Pinball Land

October 11-Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door

October 18-Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

November 8-Mario Power Tennis

November 15-Metroid Prime 2

November 15-Donkey Kong Country 2

November 20-Super Mario 64 DS

December 6-Mario Party 6

2006 (year Wii released)

January 9-Electroplankton

February 6-Drill Dozer

February 8-Chibi Robo

February 27-Super Princess Peach

March 6-Pokémon Trozei!

March 20-Metroid Prime Hunters

March 20-Tetris DS

April 16-Brain Age

May 15-New Super Mario Bros.

June 5-Big Brain Academy

June 5-Magnetica

August 28-Star Fox Command

September 11-Mario Hoops: 3 on 3

September 18-Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red/Blue Rescue Team

September 25-Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

October 9-Clubhouse Games

October 23-Magical Starsign

October 30-Pokémon Ranger

November 6-Elite Beat Agents

November 13-Yoshi’s Island DS

November 19-Wii Sports

November 19-Zelda: Twilight Princess

November 18-Excite Truck

December 4-Kirby Squeak Squad

April 2010-March 2011 (fiscal year 3DS released)

May 3-Picross 3D

May 23-Super Mario Galaxy 2

June 15-100 Classic Book Collection

June 27-Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

August 31-Metroid: Other M

October 3-Wii Party

October 4-Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs

October 17-Kirby’s Epic Yarn

October 25-Art Academy

November 1-PokePark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure

November 7-FlingSmash

November 14-Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini Land Mayhem

November 21-Donkey Kong Country Returns

November 29-Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

December 12-Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary

February 11-Mario Sports Mix

March 6-Pokémon Black/White

March 27-Nintendogs+Cats

March 27-Pilotwings Resort

March 27-Steel Diver

2012 (year Wii U released)

February 13-Rhythm Heaven Fever

February 27-PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond

March 11-Mario Party 9

March 23-Kid Icarus: Uprising

April 6-Xenoblade Chronicles

May 20-Mario Tennis Open

June 18-Pokémon Conquest

August 19-New Super Mario Bros. 2

September 16-Kirby Dream Collection

October 1-Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone

October 7-Pokémon Black/White 2

October 22-Style Savvy: Trendsetters

November 11-Paper Mario: Sticker Star

November 18-New Super Mario Bros. U

November 18-Nintendo Land

April 2016-March 2017 (fiscal year Switch released)

April 21-Star Fox Zero

April 28-Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge

April 29-Pokémon Rumble World

June 10-Kirby: Planet Robobot

June 15-Rhythm Heaven Megamix

June 24-Tokyo Mirage Sessions

August 19-Style Savvy: Fashion Forward

August 19-Metroid Prime: Federation Force

September 1-Picross 3D Round 2

October 7-Paper Mario: Color Splash

November 4-Mario Party: Star Rush

November 18-Pokémon Sun/Moon

December 2-Super Mario Maker 3DS

February 3-Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World

March 3-Zelda: Breath of the Wild

March 3-1-2-Switch

March 24-Mario Sports Superstars

Where is this supposed drop in output before a new device releases?

To add to your point, all of those releases were split up amongst Nintendo's main console and handheld at the time. (Pre-DS: GBA and GCN. Pre-Wii: DS, GCN, and GBA. Pre-3DS: DS and Wii. Pre-Wii U: 3DS, Wii, and DS. Pre-NS: 3DS and Wii U.)

This time around, the Switch is getting it ALL. Which means what would've been a subpar or mediocre pre-successor launch lineups for 2-3 different systems back then will now be a solid or pretty good pre-successor launch lineup for 1 system here.

Exactly!

Individual Nintendo systems may have had droughts or mediocre years but when looking at their overall output, they have always had a steady flow of releases.

In previous transitions, Nintendo has had to simultaneously develop games for 3-4 systems at a time  but now it’s just Switch and it’s successor so they should be able to give Switch a solid 2024 lineup while also making sure Switch 2 has a strong launch year.

I don’t get how some people still don’t understand this is the whole point of them unifying their handheld & home console divisions.

Zelda TP/WW HD ports
Fire Emblem Awakening/Fates port
Fire Emblem (previous games remaster/remake/port)
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Paper Mario TTYD Remaster
WiiU remaster of one of the following: Paper Mario Color Splash, Xenoblade Chronicles X or Star Fox Zero

I'll be happy with any of these.

I'd like a Star Fox Zero that fixes the controls and has better multiplayer.