With thanks to My Nintendo News for the information, a new report from Digital Foundry shines fresh light on years of reports surrounding a supposed Switch Pro. While the rumour mill has churned since Nintendo released the Switch in 2017, the furore around a possible hardware iteration reached its height between 2019-2021, culminating in the launch of the Nintendo Switch OLED Model.
This week, Digital Foundry’s John Linneman reignited rumours in a podcast with the Digital Foundry Direct Weekly, when he revealed that a mid-generation hardware iteration was in the works but was ultimately shelved (though no news on whether it was actually going to be called the Switch Pro or not.) The cancellation could have been down to shipping issues surrounding COVID-19, or to the semiconductor shortage that has affected the production of both PS5 and Xbox consoles.
In a statement on the show, Linneman explained, “from what I can understand from talking to different developers […], there was some sort of mid-generation Switch update planned at one point and that seems to be no longer happening. And thus it’s pretty clear that whatever they do next is going to be the actual next-generation hardware.” So while all rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt, signs suggest that a next-generation Switch will appear down the line – as opposed to any smaller iteration a la the New 3DS.
If you want to see the conversation in full, be sure to check out the full video from Digital Foundry below.
If you’re just picking up a Switch, or in need of something to play, be sure to check out our bumper guide to the best Switch games next.