A “Pro” version of the Nintendo Switch had been in the pipeline for a while. A data leak From Nvidia had even revealed the existence of a personalized Tegra SoC for this update of the Nintendo console.
If the details concerning this project, its postponement and its possible cancellation remain few, interesting details were mentioned in the podcast Digital Foundry Direct Weekly. According to journalists from this venerable site specializing in technical subjects relating to the world of video games, the Switch Pro will never see the light of day.
Indeed, Digital Foundry is renowned for its information from sources within the industry. This medium was, among other things, the first to disclose the use of an Nvidia Tegra X1 SoC for the Nintendo Switch and its various variations. And according to developers the reporters spoke to, one of the reasons Nintendo hasn’t released a more powerful console is because the company fears a “failure“, especially after the massive success that was the Switch.
The ghost of the sequels at Nintendo
The memory of a Gamecube much less popular than the Nintendo 64 had been, then of a Wii U which failed to capitalize on the immense success of the Wii, would still haunt Nintendo. As a result, the firm would have taken the decision to postpone the arrival on the market of a new console, certainly presented as “the new Switch”, even if it was only a so-called “mid-generation” machine. , making the link with the Switch while waiting for its real replacement.
Digital Foundry therefore does not expect to see a new Nintendo console arrive in 2023, leaving at least one more year of exclusive operation for the current console. A successful strategy so far, the different versions of the Switch (the classic model, the Switch Lite and the Switch Oled model) continuing to find their audience.
A console that sticks out its tongue
That said, the components used by the console are beginning to age, which is felt in games, with graphics rendering increasingly criticized by pixel aesthetes. The recent release of versions Scarlet and Violet Pokémon even pushed Nintendo to issue an apology after the mass dissemination of very unflattering screenshots on social networks. An update quickly tried to correct the situation.
The console is also preparing to welcome very resource-intensive titles later in 2023 like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomexpected for May 12, 2023. A game that should push the console to its limits from a technical point of view.