If you were disappointed by Nintendo’s Switch OLED announcement on July 6, there may be hope yet if you were banking on a 4K-focused Nintendo Switch Pro being unveiled.
Bloomberg consulted Tokyo-based games industry analyst Serkan Toto regarding the new Switch and whether it means a Switch Pro now isn’t in the works. Toto’s assessment of Nintendo’s new console is interesting to say the least, as he believes the Switch OLED might just be a “dummy upgrade”.
“This new Switch looks more like an interim model than a real upgrade to me,” Toto told Bloomberg. “This might just be a dummy upgrade until Breath Of The Wild 2 is ready and the component shortage is over next year.”
The biggest gripe people seem to have with the Nintendo Switch OLED is that, in terms of specs other than the console’s dimensions and the new display, it’s nearly identical to the original model. That means it only outputs at 1080p when docked, not 4K like many had hoped, and the resolution tops out at 720p in handheld mode.
It’s essentially a fancier Switch, then, with a few nice quality of life features like better speakers, a wider, more functional kickstand and 64GB of storage over the original’s 32GB.
So could the Nintendo Switch OLED simply be a quick upgrade of the original before a Switch Pro model arrives? Well, it’s hard to say, but Toto certainly thinks so. The component shortage, which has made it a daily struggle to find PS5 and Xbox Series X in stock, could have indeed scuppered Nintendo’s plans to produce a 4K-capable Switch, something that was one of the key features of the widely-reported Nintendo Switch Pro rumors.
1080 spin
For now, though, those looking to upgrade or purchase a Switch for the first time will need to weigh up whether the Nintendo Switch OLED is a compelling enough proposition. If it isn’t, then even Nintendo advises sticking with your current Switch.
The Nintendo Switch OLED is due to launch later this year on October 8, and will retail for $349.99 / £309 / AU$539, which is slightly more expensive than what Nintendo’s hybrid console launched back in March, 2017.