The Switch Pro is Inminnent, Here’s What We Expect

The Nintendo Switch just turned four years old on March this year. For a console that has been around for that long, it still looks like Nintendo hasn’t released the majority of its flagship exclusives.

Ahead of E3 this year, there are already a number of confirmed titles which fans expect to see during the conference of the Japanese giant. Breath of the Wild 2, Bayonetta 3, Splatoon 3, Metroid Prime 4 and Donkey Kong are all franchises that have been making the rounds in the news during the last few months, as more rumours and leaks have surfaced from a variety of reports from the likes of Eurogamer, Polygon and TechRadar.

The one outlet that has brought me the biggest news this year is none other than Bloomberg though. As yesterday they further confirmed in a new report, the existence and imminent announcement of a new Nintendo Switch model. Whether this is a “pro” upgrade or a successor to the current line-up remains to be seen, but I think we can reasonably expect to have the former with quite upgraded hardware built in.

Not long ago, we had reports come out detailing how Nvidia was going to play an important role in providing Nintendo with the technology capable of taking the Switch a step forward in terms of visual fidelity. With DLSS upscaling technology, the new Switch is expected to reach output resolutions of up to 4K in docked mode. Whether this will be possible on all titles released to date, or mainly newer entries, is something that can be up to debate according to what games and developers we would be talking about. I do however believe that most first party titles will make full use of the tech, and it may even be the case that the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, may be the showcase game for the new console on the same way its predecessor was for the original Nintendo Switch.

This would perfectly align with this year’s 35th anniversary of the franchise and recent reports that Xbox expected Nintendo to release the game way back in 2020. It may have been the case that Nintendo decided to again delay the sequel as a launch title for the revision as they did with the first game. And we will hopefully see the benefits of this in three weeks at E3.

Beyond that there’s the talk about OLED screens. Another rumour that has been floating around as Bloomberg did mention the intentions by Nintendo to upgrade the display model while keeping the current 720p resolution soon the handheld device alone. If this is a reality, I do think it is a given that we will see a significant reduction on the bezels of the tablet’s display. At a reported slightly larger screen, it could turn out to be the same size as the current model in the market, which could also mean the newer models may be compatible with the docks from older models after all.

With that being said, I don’t think the same will apply the other way around. As more reports have come out mentioning the possibility of a newer dock having separate specs, it is likely that only the new Switch will take advantage of this added technology, rendering the dock to a basic version of the original for the older consoles.

Lastly but more importantly, there’s the discussion about the Joy-Cons. Given how much backlash Nintendo has seen over the faulty design of the original designs, it is reasonable to expect Nintendo to revise the current designs of its controllers to address the drifting issues, and possibly discontinue the current models. Doing so would definitely address the multiple lawsuits they are facing over the quality of these, and it is the route they seem decided to take as plans have surfaced to discontinue the current model, in favour of the revision.

In terms of specs, maybe a custom newer processor will be key to pull off stable, improved framerates. I also do expect to see a revamped UI with newer functionalities added, ranging from Bluetooth support to USB 3.0 and even 5G or mobile network connection, admittedly this last one is a bit of a stretch.

If all the rumours are true, we should expect to have a first look at the console within the next two weeks before E3’s digital event, in advance for developers to showcase their games on the newer model. Click here for more information about E3 and how to register as a media attendee.