The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular portable consoles, especially with its exclusive video games (Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Legend of Zelda, etc.). However, since the Nintendo console dates from 2017, it is of the same generation as the Xbox One console or the PlayStation 4. So, will the Nintendo firm release a new console to stay up to date and put a distance between it and its competitors?
Why would Nintendo want to release a Nintendo Switch 2 or Pro?
Released around 2017, the Nintendo Switch portable console is gradually being overtaken by the competition in terms of power and ergonomics. Apart from exclusive video games (Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Legend of Zelda, etc.) from studios that work in partnership with Nintendo, the portable console is struggling to run video games in port . With an Nvidia Tegra X1 processor and a dated CPU, the Nintendo Switch does not offer a suitable refresh rate on new video games (Hogwarts Legacy, The Witcher 3, etc.). This is the case with the new versions of the console, the Nintendo Switch OLED.
The Nintendo company must therefore release a new console in order to reduce the fairly large gap between the Nintendo Switch OLED and the consoles of the competition (PlayStation and Xbox). Therefore, the Nintendo Switch 2 or Pro must be able to:
- Run any video game in 4K with a frame rate of 30 fps;
- Launch a video game in full HD resolution (1080p) at 60 fps;
- Have HDR technology;
- Enable Adaptive Sync to perfect the refresh rate.
It must be recognized that the information concerning the release of the Nintendo Switch OLED console is going well. However, the Nintendo company has always denied and does not currently plan to release a Pro version of its portable console. Around June 2022, Nintendo filed with the European Intellectual Property Office an NSW trademark. So, can we expect a new Nintendo console for 2023?
What are Nintendo’s ambitions for the years to come?
Currently, Nintendo is still one of the players that dominates the video game sector along with Sony and Microsoft. Unlike its peers (Microsoft and Sony) who are fighting to have the largest part of the home console market, the Nintendo firm focuses more on the portable model of the console. Moreover, it has remained in the lead for several years.
At the beginning of 2021, false information began to circulate saying that Nintendo plans to release a Pro version of its portable console. This new portable console would have a screen with full HD resolution, a new processor and the ability to run recent video games in 4K. Nintendo has released an improved version of the blue and red Nintendo Switch, the Switch OLED. This model differs only very little from its predecessor in terms of configurations. The players expect something else, however, which was not enough to silence the various insinuations.
The Nintendo firm must inevitably offer a new model that can run recent video games if it does not want to lose its place in the world of gaming. Indeed, the Nintendo Switch portable console already has more than five years of experience under its belt. However, no information has yet been announced by Nintendo, a slight downside, especially with the configurations required to run current video games. Indeed, even with the OLED version of the Nintendo Switch and video games, the video game company is in tough competition in the gaming market. As a reminder, these games are essentially Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Legend of Zelda, etc.
Will a new video game console be released by Nintendo?
As always, information from the world of video games comes mainly from Bloomberg. According to this media, which is known for its reliability, the Nintendo firm recently gave development kits to video game studios. According to information provided by Bloomberg, studios would be instructed to develop video games that can be shot with a game console with the ability to shoot in Ultra HD.
The Nintendo firm would thus have the idea of using a powerful portable console that might run video games with 4K resolution on another screen. If having an Ultra HD screen on a portable console can reduce battery life, that’s another matter with the dock.. Thus, the future Nintendo Portable console will be able to run triple A video games on a 4K TV. This is the case with most new generation game consoles.
Thus, nothing has yet been confirmed regarding the arrival of a new console that will succeed the Nintendo Switch OLED. However, it is quite possible that the Nintendo firm is designing a new model of console so as not to lose face vis-à-vis the competition.