For gamers, 2020 has been defined in large part by Microsoft's Xbox Series X or Sony's PS5. As these two tech titans barrel towards the holiday season with brand new consoles, it's been a year full of live streams, groundbreaking announcements, and anticipation. In contrast, it's been something of a quiet year for Nintendo, which has been pretty light on announcements aside from a handful of major releases, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Nonetheless, there are surely big things in the Big N's future.
The latest lingering Nintendo rumor is that there's something along the lines of a Switch Pro on the way. The company hasn't come forward to confirm these rumors yet, but reliable leakers are swearing up and down that there's going to be a more powerful version of the Switch on store shelves in the near future. It's a remarkable idea, and not far-fetched. Nintendo has had a lot of success in the Switch era, and it could keep that era thriving with a Switch Pro. One big reason for that theoretical success would actually come from outside the company. If Nintendo produces a Switch pro, odds are that there will be a lot more ports in Nintendo's future.
New Nintendo Switch Pro Games and Ports
The Switch is a great gaming console that revolutionized the concept of a console thanks to its ability to play on the go or at home. It's a flexible, affordable option with plenty of AAA games from Nintendo and other developers. However, it certainly has room for improvement. Some players have been disappointed when games arriving on the Switch have relatively low frame rates for the sake of performance, compared to what other devices can muster.
Perhaps most important of all, the leaks claim that the Switch Pro will be capable of rendering games in 4K resolution. That's simply beyond the reach of the Switch, which means that there's a lot of games that can't perform as intended on the original device. If the Switch Pro can provide resolution of that caliber, players might feel a new wave of hope for playing games like Devil May Cry 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, or Cyberpunk 2077 on a Nintendo console. Nintendo could also move forward with Switch Pro exclusive versions of its own games with vastly improved graphics and performance.
Feedback Loop
Probably the biggest obstacle to a possible Switch Pro is that the original is already such a success. The Switch is one of Nintendo's best selling consoles, breaking records set twelve years ago by the Wii. A tide of powerful ports is just the right thing to convince people who are on the fence about buying a new version of the same console to invest. If Nintendo really has put this console together, it will want to lean into the new device and try to support it with best-selling exclusives. Something like that could spur a second golden age for the Switch.
There's plenty of games like the aforementioned Cyberpunk 2077 that have shown interest in being on Switch, but haven't due to reservations about its capabilities. Nintendo is really missing out by being unable to sell high-profile games like it. On top of that, announcing the Switch Pro will be a huge boost to the company just when it needs to reclaim the gaming conversation from its two top competitors. Even if it's a pricey investment—which it surely is, if the rumors are to be believed—coveted ports are just what players need to make the reveal of a Switch Pro a win. Nintendo has a knack for dramatic Directs that grab viewer attention, so hopefully a Switch Pro direct revealing a cadre of ports is on the way.