It’s hard to believe it, but the Nintendo Switch is just shy a month of being three years old right now. Launching back in March 2017, it feels like it was just yesterday when Nintendo gambled everything on a not so little handheld device that looked at everything that the company had done in the decades since they rose to prominence and combined those strengths into easily the best device of the decade.
Since then, the Switch hasn’t seen much change. Compared to the Nintendo 3DS which underwent several evolutions during its lifespan, the Switch that many people started out with in 2017 is still the default Switch design that players looking to hop into the world of the Big N have to buy today. Aside from a revised model with better battery life and the gloriously slimmer Nintendo Switch Lite, that’s the entire catalogue right there.
So when’s a beefier Switch Pro coming? Not this year, that’s for certain. Pouring cold water on hot rumours that 2020 will see the launch of the Switch Pro hitting store shelves with fancier hardware innards to make games look even shinier, Nintendo doused those flames with a simple single line in their latest fiscal report:
Please note that we have no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020.
Tinfoil hats engage! They said 2020, Nintendo Switch Pro model confirmed for 2021 then! While it’s a bit of a burst bubble, it’s most likely a smart move right now. The current Switch is selling gangbusters right now as Nintendo’s entire business relies on that device. Announcing a new model would slow down momentum as well, as interested players would hold out for new tech rather than purchase what’s available.
Then you’ve got the two biggest elephants in the room, in the form of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 who are expected to dominate hardware sales when they release. Launching a new Nintendo Switch in that window, no matter how popular the brand is, would just be stupidly risky. At least in 2021, we can start making this silly noise all over again.
Last Updated: January 31, 2020
HairyEwok
January 31, 2020 at 09:44
So they aren’t going to switch up the market any time soon.
Pariah
January 31, 2020 at 09:50
They don’t Nintend-to.
cloudzn
January 31, 2020 at 08:09
They probably hope to milk the pokemon home thing to fund the switch pro launch lol
D@rCF0g
January 31, 2020 at 08:29
This is both good news and crappy news. At least I have clarity on the age old question of whether I should commit – the answer is Yes, if I intend to enjoy Switch this year!
The D
January 31, 2020 at 08:29
You going for the regular model or the Lite?
Original Heretic
January 31, 2020 at 09:14
As cool as the Lite is, it is a tad limiting with some games.
I got Mario Odyssey for my lad’s Switch and there’s the one hat throw movement that you cannot do without the detachable controllers.
D@rCF0g
January 31, 2020 at 09:32
Regular. No time play on the move!
Yozzie
January 31, 2020 at 08:41
Kaas had 11 min to do this, so now I will.
“So. You are making the Switch from PC?”
D@rCF0g
January 31, 2020 at 09:32
I would never ditch my PC for any other gaming machine – until maybe Cloud Gaming becomes a reality!!! I just really want to play the Nintendo games! Sometime you just want something that is guaranteed fun – graphics be damned!