The current Nintendo Switch is likely to be around for a while yet.

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa and Director Koh Shiota see the three-year-old Switch as having plenty of life left in it, Nintendo Life reports. At the company's 80th annual shareholders meeting, Furukawa noted the Switch's growing momentum and suggested that a second-generation console would not be available for some time.

"The current generation game console, the Nintendo Switch, has been on the market for four years now, and it is gaining momentum. I believe there are two factors behind this," Furukawa said in response to a question about the outlook for Nintendo's next game console.

"First, there are two hardware configurations with different characteristics, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite, and second, Nintendo's development resources are focused on developing content for a single platform, Nintendo Switch. Second, Nintendo's development resources are focused on developing content for a single platform, the Nintendo Switch. We want to extend the lifecycle of the Nintendo Switch while making the most of these advantages.

In other words, he has effectively poured cold water on rumors that Nintendo might create a new Switch console or a "pro" version of the hybrid console. Shiota did, however, offer an idea of how Nintendo might approach a new console beyond simply improving performance.

"Through the Nintendo Switch, we have discovered a lot about how a dedicated gaming platform fits into consumers' everyday lives," Shiota said.

"Seeing scenes of children and their families playing around the console on social networking sites has reaffirmed for me the value of a dedicated gaming platform. We would like to use these experiences to carefully consider the shape of game consoles in the future."

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This vaguely suggests that a sequel to the current Switch could offer a console with unique Nintendo-like features. After all, the Switch is distinct from the current generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and differs significantly from the upcoming Xbox Series X and PS5.

Alternatively, it could mean that Nintendo is planning additional accessories and peripherals to enhance the Switch's capabilities. We have already seen Nintendo doing just that with the Nintendo Labo cardboard system and the Ring Fit Adventure fitness game. But as ever, time will tell what Nintendo will do next.