Industry Analysts Are Still Confident We'll See A Switch Pro This Year

We're not even a week into 2021, please don't start with the "analyst prediction" articles.

Yes! Upgrade! Need more powerrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

I’d upgrade in a heartbeat - as long as it’s still a hybrid product. If it’s not (“Switch is just a word” seems to be implying this) then I’d probably not get one until it becomes necessary to continue playing Nintendo first party output.

Upgrading instantly here

My uncle who works at Nopetendo says this is all false.

I guess if we keep saying it, it'll eventually be true 🤷

Would be nice to have 4K to go along with this new TV. And yeah, they have merged their portable/console segments and already made a Lite — Pro is pretty much inevitable (for the first such business cycle) to mirror the previous handheld business of theirs.

It’s a-bit early for Nintendo to make gaming console that supports 4K. We just got HD gaming yesterday from Nintendo

My guess is a slightly upgraded chip with 1080p in handheld mode, 5G support (to play cloud games) and a magnesium case

Analysis mmmmmmmmmm the smae idiots that have got evertything wrong about nintendo and what they should be post wii u. lol

Updating the flagship model was almost assuredly going to happen, and this year makes sense.

I’m also so ready to throw my current joy cons into the deep dark closet, lol

...Yeah, sure, whatever. lol

I still doubt it's going to be that much more powerful than the current Switch or Switch Lite. Probably at most a more current Tegra X1 and a 1080p screen on the handheld with some other quality of life improvements like better battery than the V2 Switch and maybe padding out the dock so the screen doesn't scratch when you insert it for playing on the TV

Nintendo's next console will probably be when they actually try to address the power disparity between them and the PS5/Series X

Slimmer bezels, newer tegra chip set, 1080p display and better battery life would do the trick just fine.

I'm not sure how a switch Pro would work to be honest.
Would it be similar to the PS Pro and 1X that simply boosts the power and games continue to be playable on all iterations - this approach doesn't make sense to me, Developer's would still have to target the current switch for performance which would still incur that systems limitations, so what would be achieved by more power? It wouldn't address the lack of 3rd party support as it would still be Impossible to port "new gen" titles across leaving ports of last gen games.
I genuinely can't see Nintendo pushing for 4k yet, they don't sell hardware at a loss and this would pretty much price themselves out of the market as it still wouldn't be comparable with XsX and PS5, so who would the target audience be?

The Artist Formerly Known As Nintendo Switch

Can it please play 3DS games?

I kinda think that there will be a Switch . . . revision/pro model thing, lol, I’m very excited.

@ecco6tThat’d be an interesting turn!

I'd still prefer them not to do a Pro. Keep it simple for the general consumer with the Lite and normal Switch.

Don't do 4k and the rest until Switch 2 in 2023 at the earliest.

Buzzy buzz words a buzz

Nintendo Switch
Super Nintendo Switch
Nintendo 64 Switch
Nintendo Switchcube
Nintendo SWiitch
Nintendo SWiitch U
Nintendo Switch Switch

I still don’t buy it. There’s already 2 very successful models. It’s almost in its fifth year, the next step will just be whatever the next console is. So I guess in that sense, it’s possible we get news on that. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next console was indeed a switch revision

It's not likely to be called Switch Pro. I'm fine w/ everyone calling it that until it's official, but not official.

And don't see any reason for a 1080p screen on a 6" handheld. I know some phones have it, but a gaming console doesn't need it. 720p is fine for now, save the 1080p handheld screen when the console outputs 4k to a tv in several more years.

Still sorta hoping for a SwitchDS so we can get a Kid Icarus Uprising port and BotW 2 and Pikmin 4 w/ the map on the bottom screen. I already know a dozen reasons why it won't happen but it's Nintendo, the company that gave us the 2DS tablet and Wii Min w/ no internet, so almost anything is possible.

But before we get Switch Pro news we really need a Nintendo Direct to see some games. It's been over a year since a full Direct.

Well "Switch is just a word" sounds to me like another Switch model where you can't "Switch", but that would completely contradict a more recent Nintendo comment saying that their future device will "keep the same form factor", so I guess that rules out a full on home device (and I don't see the point of another Switch Lite, we already have one)

Saying it now, January 4th of 2021, this will be false.

@rjejr It'd be wild if it were called the "Switch Up" (as in 'Up'grade). If that happened, I imagine that there's be a ton of custom docks themed to the Pixar movie of the same name.

I buy whatever comes next with Switch. I hope it will stay as a long term thing. Like the iPhone. Just getting constant updates.

Would be a shame (in my opinion) if the Switch concept (and cloud!) would go away for something completely different in a few years.

I just hope for more ports and releases that are more up my alley. I literally only have 9 games on my Switch that I really like.

Like many others here, I'd like to see a 1080p screen on the handheld and slimmer bezels. I love the size of the switch lite and hope its a similar size to that model.

Switch V1, 2017 - launch
Switch V2, 2019 - improved battery efficiency
Switch V3, 2021 - slightly improved game performance

I want that Switch Pro. Much as I love my OG Switch, I don't like certain things about it. The battery life, the cracked shell from overheating, the Joy Con drift....

I don't really care about too much more power in the console itself but I just want these dumb issues fixed, and that longer battery life. I don't even play in handheld that much and it still bothers me.

This is an iffy one. On the one hand, it is obvious that the Switch's power budget is really already stretched thin on anything AAA last gen, but on the other hand, Nintendo's past hardware iterations give little hope that the we could really see a more or less generational leap.

What chip would they even use? The 15W Xavier? Do they have a line on a custom one? Is something based off Orin/Ampere even possible ? - that at least would offer a proper jump in terms of power budget, even vis-a-vis current gen hardware. Seems like a reach though, even for something like a Switch 2.

Then there is also the matter of storage and feature set of the hardware, which will be integral for the success of XSX and PS5 beyond the basic performance specs.

@KingBowser86 Too clever.

I mean I like it, but the Switch is already the Switch Up.

If I had to bet I'd say New Switch, unless it's the clamshell SwitchDS in which case it can only be called SwitchDS. They should call it Switch-A-Roo so I can give my son the old switcheroo. 🤣

@Giygas_95 probably Switch Heavy opposed to Lite 😉

I had a dream yesterday that the Switch pro was a Lite with a larger screen, better audio output, and battery life. And it was called the Nintendo Switch Lite XL. No other hardware upgrades. Remember me when it releases lol

Ah, yes, no way these analyst can be wrong. Nintendo has never gone over $350 so they might as well lose money now or go against their principles of keeping things affordable by having their first high-end device. But sure give a 4K screen to a device that can't even last 3-4 hours at 720p that would require a complete design overhaul; from the company that came into HD two cycles behind everyone else and whose answer to VR was cardboard.

That says it all....Just remember at of Big Games are coming March 26, 2021. Hint

Remember when 2012 was the year of HD Nintendo gaming at last? Somehow it didn't set the world on fire, eh?

All the people talking the "commercial sense" of a "beefed-up" Switch still refuse to elaborate just which part of it is supposed to significantly enhance Switch's core appeal while keeping the price consumer-friendly and not implying any exclusive software that would lock out OG and Lite owners.

And wait, "Switch Pro unlikely in 2020" also counts as a prediction in hindsight now? You mean, I've been an industry analyst for ages and I'm the last to know?😮😆

Like DUR anything would come true if you keep saying it.

I really don't believe in native 4k. Maybe with DLSS or other Upscaling technology. Probably they focus in a STABLE 1080p @60. And I really hope for they abandoned microsd and use NVME. Obviously with full retrocompatibility (games and accessories). I should buy as soon as possible

@Mr-Fuggles777 just as PC games have various graphics modes to accommodate different powered PCs, you can have a more powerfull switch, and games can just adjust graphic quality betwen the old and the new system ....
But, I think the new switch will just update its battery, screen (to play games as it does on docked mode) and maaaaybe left Joycons capable to obey the player inputs!

@JuiceMan_V Yep, and then idiots like Supermetaldave will be like, "See? Told you!"

If anything it'll be more efficiency upgrades, battery/screen/storage etc - possibly joycons with new parts?

I've been hearing about this Switch Pro since 2018. I'll believe it when I see it and not a second sooner.

Since NHK has begun broadcasting in 8K december 2020, I've assumed Japan's tech culture would be influencing Nintendo to move to 4K in the near future, even if western countries aren't in any rush for it. Regardless of which direction Nintendo goes, I wont be shocked, though.
https://www.nhk.or.jp/bs4k8k/eng/about8k/

@KateGray Uhhh, after reading the article it kind of actually sounds like industry analysts aren't so sure if there will be a Switch Pro this year.

1080p handheld and 1440p docked and a more extended battery life.

A revision is pretty much a foregone conclusion. It's the details that people dispute. I believe it'll be more like the 3DS v the New 3DS in terms of power, not the PS4 to PS4 Pro or X1 to X1X.

@Anguspuss tbf, these analysts are much more reliable than a certain troll who will remain nameless.

@KingBowser86 not sure if you came up with the title “Switch Up” but I totally dig it. It’d be a perfect zinger name for an iterative upgrade 👌

@IronMan30 slowdive?

People wanting 1080p handheld when a ton of games can't even hit 720p, lol.

my money is on them calling it the "Switch U"
and it's gonna have some dangly things coming out of it.
and it can smell you.
no - you can't smell the game - it SMELLS YOU

I think this is falce but they might make more new Game And Watch systems because the new Super Mario Bros one celebrates its anniversary. they might make a zelda game and watch and more

Year 4 of Switch Pro Articles

@WahooTime It's been 9 years.

Please don't call it "new Nintendo switch" that is just awful and will confuse most people

@RobotReptile Somebody's probably said it at some point before me, I thought of it in a vacuum. It's a half-joke, and yet, I don't see anywhere to go but 'Up' if they don't wanna use Pro (differentiate from Sony?) or New (probably not a good idea given how much the Switch has changed their hardware schema).

If they call it "new " and don't include a charger with it i am done with nintendo for life. I'm sorry but I can't deal with the same mistakes twice.

I think Nintendo isn’t really bothered with THOSE types of revised model, and probably won’t going into the new year at the rate the console already sold. It’s for all intensive purposes; the hope for a ‘Pro/Premium’ model Switch is lost cause.

@WahooTime so 2012 was yesterday? Did you just wake from a coma?

Oh, oh-oh! You see, the gamers these days, they listen to the industry analysts, which gives them the brain damage. With the hippin' and the hoppin' and the bippin' and the boppin', they don't know what the gaming is all about. Y'see, gaming is like Jello pudding... no, that's not it. Gaming is like Kodak film... no, that's not right neither. I've got it, Gaming is like the New Nintendo Switch - it'll be around forever!

So let me get this right, Nintendo were going to release a Switch pro in 2020 but decided against it, now they are going to release a Switch pro in 2021,but will not call it a Switch pro as they have decided the New Nintendo Switch is a better name.

All this sounds like glorified wish lists from core gamers who feel the Switch is doomed unless it gets a more powerful version, while totally ignoring the massive sales of he current console.

A console that continues to sell well despite in their eyes having no games for it, I would love a new model Switch but feel it will be a slight revision at best.

@Ralizah Switch can run Witcher 3 therefore it OBVIOUSLY can run [insert hugely unrealistic expectation] and even if it can’t, Switch Pro will give us 4K handheld gaming streamed directly into our eyeballs through eye vacuums.

How would they convince all of the casual gamers and parents to buy it?

Yes, I can't wait to spend like $100 more than what I would pay for a PS5. Unless Nintendo has found a way to manufacture the current Switch and its Game Cards cheaper, I'm very doubtful they would release a "Switch Pro" if it's going to cost them quite a lot. That would lead into pricing, and I really think Nintendo wouldn't want to push out a more powerful Switch if it's going to be expensive.

For now, I'm just going to assume it's just another hardware revision with better battery life.

They can’t make it 400. Whatever they make can’t stand next to the graphical prowess of the Xbox series s or the ps5 disgital

Nintendo was the forerunner on console power once, briefly, with the SNES. Yet people continue to speculate how they will "keep up" with the competition in every generation. If you're looking for the bleeding edge in gaming graphics and such, I don't know why the hell you'd ever be looking at Nintendo. They've always been about getting creative mileage out of supposedly outdated tech - both in game design and profit in their pockets by not selling consoles at a loss. An updated Switch might happen but all these dreams about suped up hardware are ridiculous. They have devs working to downscale big games from other consoles and PC for their hardware for god's sake. They don't need to lift a finger in the hardware race.

I wish people would shut up about the Switch Pro, do you guys hope to speculate this into truth?

Just wait a couple years and come out with the Switch 2 with better specs. But I wouldn’t expect it to be a 4K handheld, that’s silly. Maybe by the time of Switch 4 or 5.

I guarantee there won't be a Switch Pro... ever. Come on! Do people really think that with the Switch selling so well and probably only a year or so out from a likely replacement, that Nintendo will release a separate beefed up version to sell beside its base model with a 50% higher price for mostly niche appeal? The "Pro" concept was a one-off due to the sudden proliferation of 4K and HDR at the start the last generation PS/XB cycle. We never saw it before that and I doubt we'll ever see it again. Nintendo certainly have no history in this concept.

My prediction is that a Switch replacement will come roughly in the time frame mentioned, and this clown is just misconstruing it as a "Pro" concept, much like the rumour 2 years ago that proved to be the red-box Switch upgrade. Remember, that the next Japanese financial year runs until April 2022, so I'd bet now that a Switch 2 (or New Switch) with BOTW2 as a launch title is quite possible for March 2022. That will be exactly 5 years since the Switch launched. With the Switch so modular, it wouldn't surprise if the Switch 2 is compatible with all Switch accessories, meaning you only need buy the core console for a relatively cheap upgrade.

@nessisonett The issue with a lot of Switch ports is that they feature fairly baked-in compromises to lighting, texture work, environmental geometry, etc. in order to get them to run in the first place. A Switch Pro isn't going to help with that unless developers issue 'Switch Pro' patches that'll be even more work, and I can't imagine many are going to bother with that. At absolute best, it'll stabilize some games with dynamic resolution problems if they stick with a 720p display.

@Ralizah Devs already have to plan way in advance for a Switch port, with a Pro patch as well dividing the pipeline, I doubt many would bother.

Well duh if you guess every year will be the one it will come true eventually

Said it before elsewhere here but I'd be very happy with a switch lite form that can plug into a tv. Maybe a little slicker hardware, like the SP was to the GBA, a little more "adult". Could be fun.

O/w I've enough to be working through game-wise this year.

Are these the same Einsteins that were confident we'd see a Switch Pro in 2019 and 2020?

@AJDarkstar Well, they did make one in 2012. Textbook broken clock phenomenon though.

Sooner or later there is going to be a Switch Pro, or Switch 2, or New or Plus. It's going to happen eventually, and it's not too unreasonable to predict that 2021 is the year. I don't think 4K is likely this year, though. It's too much of a jump from the current model. I lean towards an incremental upgrade now, and a whole new platform coming along in another two or three years.

@Crockin
Its not even 4 years old yet
How is it almost 5 years?

In a year the Switch Pro will be you.

But seriously just wait for this thing to come out and Nintendo will make Wii VC exclusive to it.

@Curbie
Did you forget the GameCube?

@HalBailman
Did you forget about the "New" 3DS?
Or the DSi
Or the GBC
Nintendo invented the "Pro" models way before the other 2 companies

I don't know if it'll be this year, but I certainly hope it happens (and soon)! Beautiful games like Xenoblade 2 and Breath of the Wild more than deserve the horsepower necessary for rock-solid performance. The nonstop dips in resolution coupled with stuttering and inconsistent FPS make my heart weep. The Switch is home to some of the most visually interesting games out there. Let them shine.

@Curbie Briefly? Honestly, if you had known anything about Nintendo, you would know that ALL of their home consoles were the strongest until the Gamecube. Of course, the reason they stopped was that sales were going down.

@jamesthemagi No. They replaced the existing model. In simple terms, when New 3DS was released, 3DS was discontinued, discounted and quickly disappeared from shelves. Read the comments closely next time.

I think that a more stable Switch, with more battery life.

I hope not. I just want a next gen Switch end of 2022/early 2023 not a mid gen refresh.

Nintendo just need to spend the next 12 months focused on Metroid, Zelda and Switch development in general then shift the majority of development resources to the next gen from 2022

If its true I hope it would upgrade performance of older games to minimum of 1080p 60fps. i think its okay it doesnt reach 4k 120fps. but the stable 60fps is an absolute must for me.

maybe maintain the same size of the original switch but smaller bezel for a bit bigger screen. and of course (and i believe this is wishful thinking) no more drifting on joycons

@jamesthemagi Of your three examples, only one of them really works (GBC). As far as games, the DSi didn't offer any upgrades. In theory, the New 3DS was an upgrade, but then they only released five or so games that used the additional graphics capabilities.

This is what, the third year in a row of them saying it? Desperate for clicks i see.

If the current Switch continues to sell, then maybe holiday 2021. If there are further COVID restrictions, I could see the Switch Pro in Autumn of 2022.

I won't upgrade. I'm happy with my switch and will be for the next 5-10 years. I think all life cycles should be well over 5 years. The Swith graphics are good enough for me. It's the games, not the processor.

@MadCow74 really? I'm good with the Switch for another 5 plus years easy.

Yeah right, I'll believe it when I see it.

Forget 4k. Let's work on 1080p/60fps first.

@TheFox
The New 3DS and DSi offered better performance for a number of games.
GBC had pure graphical improvement of "color"
GBA SP had backlight
"Pro" could be improved framerate, resolution or (I hope is not the case) exclusive games, maybe even form factor or extra button.

@jwfurness
100% agree

Even if there is indeed a Switch Pro in the works (which I think is very possible), I don't see it being capable of doing 4K with good performance and keeping its portable form factor and price. That's way too hard with current technology.
It's more realistic to target 1080p/60fps with better quality textures and effects, or perhaps 1440p/30fps.

@HalBailman
Sorry you can't accept when you are wrong or have issues understanding
The "New" 3DS was NOT a "new" console, it is part of the 3DS family of system
It was not a new generation like the change from DS to 3DS or GB to GBA
It is a Pro model, one of the many that Nintendo has done, even prior to the other 2 console makers

@TheFox
I hope Nintendo does not forget about the colossal mistake exclusive games were
I think a Pro Model should not focus on 4K Resolution.
Improved battery life, portability, more power for stable framerate are all, in my humble opinion, far more important.

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." - Joseph Goebbels

Switch Pro would have DLSS upscaling — which is a no brainer — but it could just have more power in general (faster loads, smoother framerates, reduced jaggies). Maybe better Joycons and a sleeker dock. Or some new weird input hardware that no one has mentioned. A lot of people would pay for niceties like 60fps BotW at 1440p and Witcher at 720p portable.

@jwfurness True

@jamesthemagi Sorry, you're still wrong, or can't read, or perhaps plain stupid. Take your pick. The New 3DS REPLACED the 3DS. It was not sold separately at a premium price alongside a base model as PS4 Pro was to PS4. That New 3DS and 3DS are part of the same family is the exact point. One replaced the other... continued the line. While you can delude yourself, you can't delude history. It's there whether you want to admit it or not.

Either way I just hope there will be some firmware updates with improved stability

These guys are such hacks.

@K1N6AC3 Why though???

It's either an iteration (like mobile phones) or a 'third pillar' (new
but amalgamating Switch tech and backwards compatible)

But, to me, it doesn't sound logical to say in one sentence it's the most popular console this year, and in the next say they are going to try to replace it. Stupid, infact.

These analysts keep repeating themselves until either.

A. A Switch pro launches.
B. A next gen Nintendo console launches.

There have been "Switch Pro" rumors since before the launch of the original Switch.

Well, here I'll post my analysis, just as credible as these "analysts":

I don't think Nintendo will launch a Switch Pro in 2021. Simply because the current Switch models are still in high demand, fragmenting the market will only hurt the Switch sales.

However, if they do release a Switch Pro this year. I suspect it being a Holiday release, alongside one or two major IPs. (Breath of the Wild 2, Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, etc)

@jamesthemagi yes, 4 is what I meant

Is this how "industry analysts" maintain their reputations? Continuously predict something until it happens and then say, "See, I told ya."

@HalBailman
Not my fault your simple mind cannot understand that your narrow concept of what entails a "Pro" model is incorrect.
In addition, the fact that you need to resort to name calling speaks volumes as to how incapable you are at having an intelligent argument

@jamesthemagi Wrong again. I am correct. PS4 Pro is a beefed up version selling beside a base model for over 50% more. New 3DS replaced 3DS and sold at the same RRP. How can anyone be so blind? My initial post clearly made the distinction even by your warped opinion there is none. I never called you a name either. Another lie. Save your petty arguing for someone else, troll.

I don't have my Switch anymore but bought all my games digitally with the intention of buying another one once a better model comes out so I hope this is true. I think it might have to be in order to keep up and I'd love to see BOTW 2 running smoother on upgraded hardware, but I have no idea how they handle this with so many people having the less powerful version of their console.

I'll take the rumor mills for these features.
1. 4K-Docked
2. 1080p-Portable
3. upgraded 32gb to 128gb at least if bigger
4. sd slot to 4tb card expansion

These for me is the most important to keep Switch options expanding.

If it will be a 4K docked/ 1080p portable and strong enough to maintain 30-60 FPS stable, I will upgrade

Why does everyone think the "Switch Pro" will have improved Joy Cons? Sure, it can coincide WITH the launch, but it certainly can't be exclusive to the Switch Pro. Nintendo might as well just release an entirely new console, but they wouldn't.

@jamesthemagi I could certainly agree with "Improved performance" but not a radical change or 4K. There are a bunch of Switch games like Astral Chain that run... fine. But they could definitely benefit from better frame rate.

Just to stir the pot on the question of weather or not the New 3DS was a new system, I'd say that was determined by marketing. If Nintendo had pushed hard for New 3DS exclusives, so Xenoblade 3D and Fire Emblem Warriors would have been just the beginning of a large number of games you could only play on the New 3DS, I think you'd have to consider it a new system. But since they decided to allow those to be rare exceptions, they are seen as a revision of the 3DS even though they could have been a new generation. If you want to geek out on gaming history, NEC did the same thing with their TurboGrafX (PC Engine in Japan). They came up with a new version with modest improvements called the SuperGrafX. It ran the same games but could also play exclusives for the new system. But like the New 3DS, they only released a handful of games that made use of the new system.

Uh, not even PS4 and X1 were able to do 4k. Even the PS4 Pro wasnt able to.

Anyone thinking switch pro is gonna somehow match the output of an Xbox One X is smoking something. 4k is not even REMOTELY in the cards. We'd be lucky to just get an HDMI port that outputs 4k upscaled.

The only hope for 4k is next generation, if a switch 2 can match a PS4, and even then it would need Tensor cores to use DLSS technology to hit 4k by rendering 1080p.

I thought they said it was already coming out definitely no lie last year.

Ridiculous.

My switch pro wish list: Get rid of black rectangle around screen, add a second kickstand, add web browser, add bluetooth thing so it can be used the same time the tv is on like the wii u. Bring back miiverse. Make the video recordings 5 minutes max instead of 30 seconds which is ridiculously low

Industry Analysts are always confident of everything they say, no matter how off-base, accurate, insane or obvious it is. Industry Analysts were "confident" the Switch would only sell 2-3 million in its first year before it launched. Then they were confident it would sell over 20 million. Then they claimed Nintendo was a failure and was "losing steam" when they sold 17.7 million.

They also have claimed a Switch Pro was coming every year since launch. They claimed about sixty different things would kill the Switch's momentum and Nintendo would be in "big" trouble. So.. yeah. Their confidence means nothing.

Will it play the same games?

Is it a bit too optimistic to put a Switch Pro/BoTW2 bundle on my 2021 Christmas list?