Reports and rumors about a possible Switch Pro are nothing new. TECHBOOK therefore collects all known information and classifies it.
Nintendo hit the bull’s eye in 2017 with its flexible handheld console. The concept was well received right away, as were the Nintendo Switch exclusives, most notably Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The competition came up with powerful supplies in the form of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Although Nintendo released the Switch OLED in autumn 2021, it did not bring any technical innovations and in this sense cannot be traded as a successor. In the meantime, rumors about a possible Nintendo Switch Pro are piling up.
When is the Nintendo Switch Pro coming?
Since nothing is official yet, the question is still: is there a Nintendo Switch Pro coming at all? However, as already mentioned, the competition has recently delivered, which is why Nintendo is also under pressure. Since the Switch OLED primarily only has slightly different dimensions and an improved display, there must be a technically more advanced version at some point. Nintendo could do that with an entirely new console, but given the success of the Switch, that seems unlikely.
Some insiders and industry experts are still assuming a release in 2022. It is fitting that “Bloomberg” reported at the end of September 2021 that at least eleven developer studios had received hardware kits from Nintendo in order to be able to develop games for a 4K-capable switch. The report publicly names one of the studios, Zynga. This is only possible for a reputable publisher like “Bloomberg” if the studio has given its consent. Nintendo itself and Zynga have meanwhile denied the existence of the alleged 4K developer kits.
Due to the continuing shortage of semiconductors, a release planned for 2022 could be postponed to 2023. That would also explain Nintendo’s continued silence about a Switch Pro. Then an official announcement could still be made this year. Nintendo recently took some videos of the OLED version offline. This, in turn, is common practice to prepare new announcements so that the most recent video appears at the top on YouTube and Co. when users search for it. A now-deleted tweet by notable analyst Dr. Serkan Toto that the summer of 2022 is “pro-time” also hints at an announcement to that effect.
Denial just an attempt to keep the development of the “Switch Pro” secret?
YouTuber Nate the Hate turned on his own contacts to find out what really happened. He’s been right in the past with his prediction that N64 games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online. In a video with fellow YouTubers Modern Vintage Gamer, he talks about the possibility of a new Nintendo Switch.
First, the two examine the denial of the development studio Zynga. The exact wording of the denial: “Zynga does not have a 4K developer kit from Nintendo”. This press statement could be interpreted as if Zynga had not received the developer kit from Nintendo itself. It is not uncommon for industry partners to give their kits to others who previously did not have access to them. Zynga is named in the “Bloomberg” report. So the company has no choice but to deny ownership of a Nintendo developer kit. After all, the developers are legally obliged by so-called “NDAs” (Non-Disclosure Agreements – German confidentiality agreement) to keep the possession of unreleased hardware secret.
The YouTubers see this statement as an attempt to reassure investors and still not rule out the possibility of a new switch. Their argument is that Nintendo’s statement is only denying the development of a “Nintendo Switch with 4K support”. This would not categorically rule out a new console, but only the name “switch with 4K support”. After all, the console could simply be called “Switch Pro”, “Switch 2” or something else entirely.
Also interesting: A mistake that buyers of the Nintendo Switch OLED should not make
These technical innovations are pending
So far, of course, we can only speculate about technical innovations in a Nintendo Switch Pro. But there are quite a few points where Nintendo could start – and with a view to the PS5 and Xbox Series X it should. While it’s a bit unfair to compare the Switch to these high-end consoles, it appeals to a slightly different audience. Due to the manageable market in the console area, a certain comparison is also obvious.
storage capacity
Among other things, both the memory and the working memory could use an upgrade. As of now, the Nintendo Switch has 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. It works at 1,600 MHz and has a bandwidth of 25.66 GB/s. That’s not very much these days. For comparison: The PlayStation 5 has 16 GB of GDDR6 RAM.
And there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the internal memory of the switch. Currently, players have to make do with only 32 GB. The games for the handheld console also require significantly less space than the graphically more complex PC, PlayStation and Xbox games. With 32 GB, however, you quickly reach your limits, especially if you have several large titles installed. Although you can expand the storage with a microSD card, more internal storage still seems to be the logical next step. Insiders assume a memory expansion to 128 GB – that would be a decent leap!
Also interesting: find the right memory card for the Nintendo Switch
Processor, 4K and Co.
The disappointment was great when the Nintendo Switch OLED – among other expected innovations – did not bring a new processor with it. For a possible Nintendo Switch Pro, support for ray tracing and DLSS is therefore under discussion. This is also indicated by data that hackers discovered at Nvidia and posted online. There is always talk of NVN2 – an indication of an improved graphics resolution. The abbreviations T234 and T239 in turn indicate a graphics acceleration, with which ray tracing and thus a particularly realistic representation of light rays would be possible.
There are also several clues already pointing to Nintendo working on 4K compatible hardware. First of all, the dock of the new Switch OLED already supports 4K output – even if the console itself is limited to 1080p (Full HD). In addition, Nintendo only patented a technology in early October 2021 that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to upscale lower-resolution images to 4K. We already know the term “upscaling” from many 4K-capable TV sets. However, an AI-supported “upscaling” is more comparable to the “Deep Learning Super Sampling” technology (DLSS) from the graphics card manufacturer Nvidia. Because Nvidia uses machine learning to get the same sharpness in upscaled images as in native 4K. Manufacturer AMD also has a similar function for its graphics cards with “FidelityFX Super Resolution”.
backward compatibility
Regardless of what the new console should be called, the YouTubers around “Nate the Hate” assume that it is a completely new generation. The outdated Tegra X1 chip from Nvidia can be found in all previous Switch models – including the new OLED model. The chip does not do well with some games in Full HD resolution, so completely new hardware is required for 4K. However, this could cause problems with backwards compatibility with previous switch games. That would mean developers would have to adapt their games for the new generation of consoles, similar to the jump from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5.
New design would be possible
Nintendo will probably not completely reorient itself optically for a new console. The design of the switch is already too iconic.
But there is still room for improvement with the controllers, for example. In addition, Nintendo recently patented a new wireless controller with Federal Communications. According to the leak, this supports Bluetooth, among other things, and requires a little more energy. With this, Nintendo could fix the previous problem of the Joy-Con drift in the long term.
In terms of format, the OLED version is currently the latest model. A Nintendo Switch Pro will most likely adhere to it. orientate.
This is how much the Nintendo Switch Pro could cost
Even without specific information, a price range for the Nintendo Switch Pro can be estimated well. The Switch appeared in 2017 for 330 euros. Since then, apart from special offers, the price has dropped slightly and is now around 280 euros. This is primarily due to the continued high demand and the shortage caused by the Corona crisis.
The Switch OLED started slightly higher with an RRP of 350 euros. That and Nintendo’s family-friendly focus suggest that a new console shouldn’t cost more than $400.
How reliable are the Nintendo Switch Pro rumors?
Rumors about a successor to the Switch have been around for a long time. However, the Bloomberg report is so specific that work on a new console is very likely. The assessment of the YouTube “Nate the Hate” and “Modern Vintage Games”, which have their own contacts with insiders, is that Nintendo and game studios are currently working with 4K developer kits. However, this does not necessarily mean that we can expect a new switch in the near future. Developer kits are often released early to give game studios time to become familiar with the new requirements. After that, it can be years before a new console actually hits the market.