People have been talking about a "Nintendo Switch Pro" since the Nintendo Switch released in 2017. However, it wasn't until this year that those rumors really started to look legitimate. Among all that hype, Doug Bowser shot down the idea of a Switch Pro, despite credible sources reporting that the console was in development, and would probably be released this year. Lately, I've been wondering if those sources misunderstood recent events that have occurred?
Hope of a Switch Pro being released this year was sparked by The Wall Street Journal back in March of this year. That report claimed that Nintendo planned to release two new versions of the Nintendo Switch, one that would boast improve specifications, and would be targeted for avid gamers (The Switch Pro); the other would be a version with less features to be more affordable for casual gamers, and was meant to replace the Nintendo 3DS (The Switch Lite).
Last month, Nintendo revealed the Nintendo Switch Lite, but we heard nothing about a true Nintendo Switch Pro being released alongside it. In the shadow of the Switch Lite news, Nintendo listed an FCC filing for a revised version of the regular Switch, it would have an extended battery life, more storage space, and an improved CPU. Not long afterward, Nintendo began listing this revised model on the technical specs page of its website.
Considering these models were announced the same day, and are releasing only months apart (You can get your hands on the revised Switch now via some retailers, and the Switch Lite will release next month), it seems they were the ones The Wall Street Journal reported on. In retrospect, I think the contents of the WSJ report (in terms of the Switch Pro) were misunderstood. It is now pretty clear that the improved Switch model that was described was actually just the revised version of the normal Switch that we've gotten alongside the Switch Lite.
I think we will see a proper Switch Pro in the future, but all the rumors that accumulated about it between March and July are no longer relevant after consideration of recent events. This brings us back to a point of a Switch Pro being merely a hope again, unfortunately.
Do you agree with me that the Switch Pro rumors were sparked from a misunderstanding of information? Or do you think it's still possible that the WSJ report was detailing a Switch Pro that might be released next year? I'm really interested to hear your thoughts!
Citations: The Wall Street Journal, Federal Communications Commission, Nintendo
Hope of a Switch Pro being released this year was sparked by The Wall Street Journal back in March of this year. That report claimed that Nintendo planned to release two new versions of the Nintendo Switch, one that would boast improve specifications, and would be targeted for avid gamers (The Switch Pro); the other would be a version with less features to be more affordable for casual gamers, and was meant to replace the Nintendo 3DS (The Switch Lite).
Last month, Nintendo revealed the Nintendo Switch Lite, but we heard nothing about a true Nintendo Switch Pro being released alongside it. In the shadow of the Switch Lite news, Nintendo listed an FCC filing for a revised version of the regular Switch, it would have an extended battery life, more storage space, and an improved CPU. Not long afterward, Nintendo began listing this revised model on the technical specs page of its website.
Considering these models were announced the same day, and are releasing only months apart (You can get your hands on the revised Switch now via some retailers, and the Switch Lite will release next month), it seems they were the ones The Wall Street Journal reported on. In retrospect, I think the contents of the WSJ report (in terms of the Switch Pro) were misunderstood. It is now pretty clear that the improved Switch model that was described was actually just the revised version of the normal Switch that we've gotten alongside the Switch Lite.
I think we will see a proper Switch Pro in the future, but all the rumors that accumulated about it between March and July are no longer relevant after consideration of recent events. This brings us back to a point of a Switch Pro being merely a hope again, unfortunately.
Do you agree with me that the Switch Pro rumors were sparked from a misunderstanding of information? Or do you think it's still possible that the WSJ report was detailing a Switch Pro that might be released next year? I'm really interested to hear your thoughts!
Citations: The Wall Street Journal, Federal Communications Commission, Nintendo
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