What is the Nintendo Switch Pro? Everything we know about the highly rumoured console
The Nintendo Switch exploded onto the gaming scene way back
in March 2017, which will mean that this year marks the wildly successful
hybrid console’s fourth anniversary. We can’t believe it either! Fact is if this
were a PlayStation or Xbox console we were discussing, you can bet that a new
mid-step console upgrade would be hitting the market around about now.
Nintendo, however, notoriously don’t like to play by the rulebook, but rumours
continue the swirl concerning the existence of an alleged Nintendo Switch Pro.
What is the Nintendo Switch Pro? Well, we don’t know exactly,
but in general terms it’s what many industry insiders highly expect to be a new
and improved version of the Nintendo Switch. Usually these unsubstantiated
rumours and titbits would warrant ignoring. Problem is that there’s been too
many individual and unrelated mentions of the term ‘Nintendo Switch Pro’,
which, regardless of whether that’s what it ends up being called, leads us to
believe that it could be real – we may even see it launch in 2021.
In this advice guide we’ll be documenting every shred of
evidence we’ve found so far related to the so-called Nintendo Switch Pro, helping
to paint a better picture of what to expect.
Nintendo Switch Pro – Better screen resolution
Much has been said about what differences the Nintendo
Switch Pro will have compared to the standard model. And one of the most
popular theories revolves around a boosted screen resolution. The standard
Nintendo Switch currently touts a 6.2-inch LCD screen capable of achieving 720p
quality when played in handheld and a still impressive 1080p (Full HD)
resolution if you dock it and play on your television. This level of visual
quality works well for the casual audience Nintendo has worked hard to
cultivate lately, but hardcore gamers with a 4K-capable setup have been
screaming out for more.
Luckily, a recent news article published at VideoGamesChronicle
revealed certain details uncovered by a known dataminer SciresM, who claimed that
there was reference of 4K resolution support present in the Switch’s latest
firmware update. The new firmware also allegedly makes several references to some
form of hardware codenamed ‘Aula’. Could this be the highly prophesised Nintendo
Switch Pro? It’s a safe bet.
This lines up with a report from September 2020, when
credible rumours suggested that Nintendo had started telling its developers to
make their forthcoming titles 4K-ready. This indicates that there is a strong
likelihood that the Nintendo Switch Pro will support 4K visuals – at least when
it’s in docked mode. This has left us frothing at the mouth just at the thought
of a Breath of the Wild sequel running in 4K. Like many people, we hope this
turns out to be true.
Nintendo Switch Pro – Extended battery life
Though the current model Nintendo Switch is technically both
a handheld and home console hybrid, many players exclusively choose to play
their Switch in handheld mode. This can be a bit of a problem when you consider
that it currently has an estimated battery life of between 2.5 and 6.5 hours.
These numbers were slightly boosted again (up to 9 hours) when the Nintendo
Switch V2 arrived on store shelves towards the end of 2019, yet continuing Nintendo
Switch Pro rumours indicate that the console’s battery life could once again be
bettered since technology has improved.
What evidence is there for this? Well, according to Japanese
outlet Economic Daily News (via NintendoLife), Nintendo wants to partner up with Taiwanese company Innolux to improve
the image quality of the Switch screen and potential battery life using what’s
called “Mini LED” display technology. The site suggests that by swapping out
the LCD screen for this Mini LED alternative battery life, the Nintendo Switch Pro
will be able to draw power more efficiently to areas of the screen that require
illumination. Could this new hardware speed past 10 hours of play time?
Nintendo Switch Pro – Improved performance
Rarely does a first-party Nintendo Switch title run poorly
or struggle to maintain a solid framerate. That’s because in-house studios have
become perfectly attuned to working on the console’s Nvidia Tegra X1 chipset. Every
so often, though, certain third-party games can be choppier in terms of
performance quality. It’s hard to blame them considering that the current
Switch model is less powerful than the PS4 and Xbox One; even more so when you
compare it to the PS5 and Xbox Series S|X which are now current-gen.
A Nintendo Switch Pro could potentially solve some of these
issues, with an article from Digitimes dated
as far back as last January seemingly indicating that the new model will tout
an improved version of the Nvidia Tegra architecture. Industry analysts have
likened this performance jump to that of the difference between PS4 and PS4 Pro,
as anything other than that would require using a different CPU all together.
The Nintendo Switch Pro isn’t believed to be a full generational jump for
Nintendo, but rather a significant boost of power and performance within the
same eco-system.
Nintendo Switch Pro – Release date
Of all the leaks and rumours that have circled so far, nobody
can seemingly agree on when the Nintendo Switch Pro will release exactly.
Production of the upgraded model is thought to have already started, so there’s
every possibility that we could see it hit the market some time in 2021.
However, of all the major platform holders Nintendo looks to have suffered the
most from COVID-19 related delays, at least on the software side, and who knows
whether the trickled-out launch of PS5 and Xbox Series S|X was enough to put
them off from launching earlier than planned.
We’ll be sure to update this advice guide with any new
relevant information regarding the Nintendo Switch Pro, but that’s just about
it for now.