The Nintendo Switch has proven itself to be one of the biggest successes for the Japanese giant, outselling its other popular handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS by quite a margin, in a relatively short amount of time. Nintendo has great plans for the future of the platform, with highly-anticipated titles like Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 currently being in development.

Rumors have been swirling for a while now regarding a potential Super Switch or a Switch Pro, and it seems that the speculation may have gotten a big boost very recently. A few statements in the recent Nintendo investors call add a lot to this rumor, and the possibility of a Switch Pro seems more prominent than ever.

RELATED: Zelda: Breath of the Wild Fans Discover Link Can Ride Barrels

Switch Pro Is (Probably) Happening

Nintendo Switch Pro Thinking

There are two prominent statements that hint towards the Switch Pro being a real thing. As reported by David Gibson, Nintendo's Investor Results reveals an interesting insight into what the company has in store for the future. When asked about areas that saw an increase in R&D expenditure, Nintendo has stated that it is simultaneously investing in online as well as the next platform (presumably Switch Pro, rather than a completely new console).

Additionally, Universal Display Corp's recent investors' call has stated that the new Switch Pro is in the making, which would be using an OLED display panel. Steven V. Abramson (CEO of Universal Display Corps) has stated that Nintendo has reportedly selected an OLED panel for the Switch Pro, thanks to the benefits of higher contrast and better response time. While this isn't confirmed, there is a high likelihood that these claims are indeed true given the company provides screen tech and hardware to giants like Samsung (which is reportedly manufacturing the screens).

Putting Things Into Perspective

switch pro

While the Switch Pro rumors have been all over the place lately, these two statements put a lot of things into perspective. It seems that there is a high likelihood that the new Switch Pro will indeed use a 4K OLED panel, which would require some serious horsepower to run games at anywhere near the native resolution.

This simultaneously increases the possibility of a complete hardware swap which, by extension, gives some credibility to the allegedly leaked specs for the machine. There have been rumors that the Switch Pro would use a new variant of the Nvidia Tegra processor which would support graphical options such as DLSS 2.0. In the memory department, most rumors state that it would double the amount of RAM from the original Switch, which puts it squarely at 8 GB.

While this may not be comparable to the graphical behemoths that the PS5 and Xbox Series X are, the specs are definitely impressive for a handheld. Most importantly, the existence of innovative technologies such as DLSS 2.0 would enable games to render at a drastically higher resolution, which should justify the inclusion of a 4K panel.

RELATED: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is Nintendo's Skyrim

A Revision Or Next-Gen?

Nintendo Switch Pro Price

Nintendo isn't exactly known for releasing souped-up versions of their consoles, with the notable exceptions being the new Nintendo 3DS and 2DS. The Switch has received a revised model in the form of the Switch Lite, which trims the fat in certain areas like battery life and affixed Joy-Cons. However, a massive tech bump such as this would be a first for the company, which poses the question of whether the Switch Pro would actually be a revision or an entirely new Switch.

The Nintendo Switch has just recently crested four years, and the company has stated that the console midway through its lifecycle. This should imply that there are still a couple of years remaining until the next console is announced, which squarely aligns with Nintendo still spending in R&D. Given the global hardware shortages and the pandemic aftermath, Nintendo is already struggling to keep up with the demand for the Switch, so it would arguably be impractical to start producing new consoles.

On the contrary, reports of the console being referred to as Switch Pro may suggest otherwise. The PS4 Pro was an upgraded version of the PS4, and Nintendo could be following this trend if it revises the Switch. Wii U, the successor to Wii, was confused by many to be an add-on of sorts, among other issues which contributed to its downfall. Naming the Switch successor as the Switch Pro would be repeating the same mistake.

Coming to a suitable conclusion becomes more difficult when highly anticipated titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Metroid Prime 4, and Bayonetta 3 have already been announced for the Switch. There is little chance that some of these games will release until 2022 or beyond, which makes commencing an entirely new console generation a tough sell. All things considered, it seems that Nintendo is definitely on to something, even if not much can be said definitively.

MORE: 10 Zelda Games That Still Need To Be Ported To The Switch