*Rumor* Nintendo Switch Pro announcement “imminent“

[KHCast]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-27/nintendo-plans-upgraded-switch-replacement-as-soon-as-september
 

It’s slated to be released September, and be priced higher than the current $299 price of a regular switch
 

This is seeming to be more credible than the last few rumors on it we’ve had, but if it doesn’t seem topic material yet, mods can lock the topic until further information comes out. Not sure how often Bloomberg reports on fake leaks 

[SupahBerry]

Why is everyone not bothering on waiting till June to start drop their bombs lately?!

[KHCast]

1 minute ago, Supah Berry said:

Why is everyone not bothering on waiting till June to start drop their bombs lately?!

Just my own guess: E3’s a dying market due to the ESA’s incompetence over the years, and Nintendo directs and the pandemic showed how you can generate as much buzz/interest, if not more, as it with your own presentations, isolated announcements, and not worry about the competition and pressure that E3 brings. 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

15 minutes ago, Supah Berry said:

Why is everyone not bothering on waiting till June to start drop their bombs lately?!

We're pretty much in the phase where companies start spreading out info to get people in motion for E3.

It's actually been a thing for quite some time to the point where "pre-E3" shows could show up as early as late May.

[SupahBerry]

Well alright, I'm not complaining if we start getting the good stuff ASAP. Now for the rumor itself:

 

Do you think they'll tease any new games in it (BOTW2 and MP4 I'd wager) like how Mario Odyssey was teased in the reveal trailer for the original?

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Recent developments from a chinese manufacturer. 

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Jesus, I can't even imagine a Switch Pro outputting at 4K. The regular Switch already has trouble running certain games at 720p, let alone 4K. 

I sincerely pray they offer a performance and a resolution mode that the user can choose between. I'd rather have games like Age of Calamity run better instead.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

If this Switch Pro can output in 4K seamlessly,  that is one hell of an upgrade, almost the equivalent to a generation jump.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

1 minute ago, Jovahexeon The Undyne said:

If this Switch Pro can output in 4K seamlessly,  that is one hell of an upgrade, almost the equivalent to a generation jump.

I doubt it. Even PS4 Pro and One X had issues keeping an upscaled 4K, and even that had to come with conditions (30fps, usually). 

A Switch Pro - while still feasibly being far more upgraded since it's been almost five years since initial release would be able to pull off a fair amount of upgrades, but it's still going to get throttled by the portability side of the equation, which is how we ended up in this scenario, where games are pushing the current regular model to breaking point (Crash 4 and Age of Calamity being prime examples).

I could see some older titles possibly introducing 4K modes, with concessions. Things like BOTW, Mario Odyssey and so on, but I can't see many being able to pull off 4K/60fps, which Nintendo usually strives for. It doesn't help that a Switch Pro would still only be an upgrade, meaning unless we get a New 3DS scenario, they're still gonna have to design games to still be playable on all models. 

This isn't going to be seamless 4K. They'd need a straight up PS5/Series X level of power, and still somehow be able to make it portable, and that's not going to happen. At best, it's going to be the equivalent to a PS4 Pro/One X - 4K with concessions, which is why our best hope would be getting the choice between visuals (Upscaled 4K/30fps), or performance (1080p/60fps).

Still a upgrade, because we're going to be going from something that's weaker than a PS4/Xbox One, and jumping closer to where the last gen left off, which as long as Nintendo gives this enough horsepower to play cross gen titles, it should carry them far enough until they're ready to put their next console into development.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

2 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

A Switch Pro - while still feasibly being far more upgraded since it's been almost five years since initial release would be able to pull off a fair amount of upgrades, but it's still going to get throttled by the portability side of the equation, which is how we ended up in this scenario, where games are pushing the current regular model to breaking point (Crash 4 and Age of Calamity being prime examples).

My guess is that the 4K output would come from the docked mode, and the handheld mode while regularly powerful itself, would not.

[Dejimon11]

10 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

Jesus, I can't even imagine a Switch Pro outputting at 4K. The regular Switch already has trouble running certain games at 720p, let alone 4K. 

I sincerely pray they offer a performance and a resolution mode that the user can choose between. I'd rather have games like Age of Calamity run better instead.

It's a console that launched from 2017 and technology moves fast so it's possible they most likely made improvements for that. Although from my understanding and take it with a grain of salt apparently the Switch's technology was outdated by the time it even launched so we'll see. 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

1 minute ago, Jovahexeon The Undyne said:

My guess is that the 4K output would come from the docked mode, and the handheld mode while regularly powerful itself, would not.

It doesn't change my point though. The Switch as a console still has to account for the portability aspect. It needs to remain affordable while also being able to get the right parts for portability, while still appealing to a certain form factor. That's why the current Switch model has hit a wall in terms of graphical power and performance. While impressive back in 2017 for what it could portably do, it was still held back by that portability, and it's why games like Crash 4 runs far below the PS4/Xbox One even when docked graphically, and Age of Calamity has so many performance hiccups. They've hit the threshold of what they can do.

The Switch Pro unfortunately is gonna hit that same limit. Technology has advanced to allow them to get the proper tech in to boost up the power and the resolution for an affordable price, but it's still going to be throttled because it needs to be able to be suitably portable, utilising battery life, and form factor, and therefore are still limited by what can be packed into it. If the PS5 and Series X are still having issues doing 4K/60fps, and having to go with upscaled 4K/60, or native 4K/30fps, there's no way in hell the Switch Pro is going to be able to do seamless 4K, docked or not. At best, it's going to be upscaled (which to be fair - isn't bad), but it's also likely going to take a performance hit in doing so too.

[KHCast]

 

According to Kelios, it the reveal may be “tomorrow” (or later today since it’s 3am where I’m at?), as retailers get this stuff usually a day or so before a reveal 

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Given that we got a Direct announced for June 15th, I doubt it's going to be announced tomorrow. It'd make more sense to announce it during their E3 show.

Edit: Then again, apparently the direct is mentioned to be specifically focusing on software, so maybe it will be announced tomorrow?

[Tailikku]

And nothing came from yesterday, nor did anything come today.  These rumors are starting to get tiring

[Shade Vortex]

At the end of the day, it's a bad idea to trust hearsay on when something is happening or IF something is happening. At this point there are enough indications that there is SOME sort of hardware revision or replacement or new SKU (or whatever) coming for the Switch, there's no guarantee we'll hear about it before, or even at E3. We still have another half of the year to go after this month and Nintendo doesn't seem like the type of Company to kill the regular Switch sales before the Holiday season, to me. The Switch is still selling like hotcakes, so I don't think Nintendo is in as much of a hurry to announce a replacement as soon as people expect.

But who knows, I'm no journalist, analyst or anything of the sort- I'm just guessing, but my point stands. Getting hyped over hearsay and then getting disappointed when the thing you were told that sounded too good to be true wasn't true, it's kind of your own fault.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Keep in mind, the Switch Pro wouldn't really even be an outright replacement, and if the data from the manufacturer is anything to go off of, it would have a different price point from the original Switch at this point in time.

The two could run alongside each other, but I could easily see Switch Pro being touted as the one capable of running a lot of third party stuff that the original Switch got left out of for obvious reasons. The original Switch still being there for people not as interested in that other stuff.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

18 minutes ago, Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon said:

Keep in mind, the Switch Pro wouldn't really even be an outright replacement, and if the data from the manufacturer is anything to go off of, it would have a different price point from the original Switch at this point in time.

The two could run alongside each other, but I could easily see Switch Pro being touted as the one capable of running a lot of third party stuff that the original Switch got left out of for obvious reasons. The original Switch still being there for people not as interested in that other stuff.

Another possibility I could see is them making the Switch Pro the 'premium' model, and making the Switch Lite the 2DS equivalent. They could keep the original Switch model in as a middle ground option, but given how confusing three different models could be to parents looking to get one for a kid, plus what happened already with the New3DS and 2DS, I think it would make more sense to "retire" the original model, bring out the Pro as the updated premium model, which would justify continuing to sell it as the current price point as the Switch resides right now, if not slightly higher, and have the Lite as the budget, cheaper option - ala 2DS.

[PublicEnemy1]

3 hours ago, Tailikku said:

And nothing came from yesterday, nor did anything come today.  These rumors are starting to get tiring

All the "insiders" like NateDrake are backpedaling *wheeze*

[Salamander]

6 hours ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

Another possibility I could see is them making the Switch Pro the 'premium' model, and making the Switch Lite the 2DS equivalent. They could keep the original Switch model in as a middle ground option, but given how confusing three different models could be to parents looking to get one for a kid, plus what happened already with the New3DS and 2DS, I think it would make more sense to "retire" the original model, bring out the Pro as the updated premium model, which would justify continuing to sell it as the current price point as the Switch resides right now, if not slightly higher, and have the Lite as the budget, cheaper option - ala 2DS.

Makes a lot of sense to me; the Lite is also analogous to the 2DS in that both get away with lacking the console's nominal "selling point" (hybrid console-portable for Switch, 3D for 3DS).

[Solly]

On 5/28/2021 at 11:22 PM, Ryannumber1gamer said:

Jesus, I can't even imagine a Switch Pro outputting at 4K. The regular Switch already has trouble running certain games at 720p, let alone 4K. 

I sincerely pray they offer a performance and a resolution mode that the user can choose between. I'd rather have games like Age of Calamity run better instead.

The idea is that the new Switch uses NVidia's DLSS 2.0 technology to upscale the image. Internally it would be running well under 4K. 

At the risk of needing to eat crow later, I'm going to say that I trust these rumors and that we'll be hearing about the new Switch very soon. 

[VO.SUPER]

Here's hoping the thing can at least keep up on the tail end of the current gen. Though the biggest thing I hope for is just a decent memory increase as well as standardizing bigger carts. The ridiculous size limits of these 8gb-16gb carts is just as much a problem, if not moreso, for the state of certain ports.

I believe the rumors that it's being revealed soon, and there's plenty of time between now and July 15th.

[KHCast]

Let’s play, how many times can Doug bowser say “technology”

 

https://www.thegamer.com/doug-bowser-switch-pro-rumours/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

 

Anyway, typical deflection answer more or less on the topic 

[VO.SUPER]

Imminent is today:

 

Spoiler

 

Nintendo Switch (OLED model) console

 

	Nintendo Switch (OLED model) console
Size	102mm x 242mm x 13.9mm (with Joy-Con controllers attached) Please note: 28.4mm at the thickest, from the tips of the analogue sticks to the ZL/ZR Button protrusions.
Weight	Approx. 320g (With Joy-Con controllers attached: 420g)
Screen	Capacitive touch screen / 7-inch OLED / 1280x720 resolution
CPU/GPU	NVIDIA customised Tegra processor
System memory	64 GB You can increase your console's storage with compatible microSD cards (sold separately). For more information on compatible microSD cards, please visit our support section. Please note: a portion of the internal memory is reserved for use by the system.
Communication features	Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compliant) / Bluetooth 4.1 In TV mode, it's also possible to use a wired LAN connection.
Video output	Maximum resolution: 1920x1080, 60 fps Please note: output via HDMI cable in TV mode. In tabletop mode and handheld mode, the maximum resolution is 1280x720, which matches the screen resolution.
Audio output	Supports linear PCM 5.1ch Please note: output via HDMI cable in TV mode.
Speakers	Stereo
USB terminal	USB Type-C terminal Used for charging or for connecting to the Nintendo Switch dock.
Audio jack	4 pole stereo 3.5mm mini plug (CTIA standard) Please note: Nintendo cannot guarantee functionality with all products.
Game card slot	Exclusively for Nintendo Switch game cards.
microSD card slot	Compatible with microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC memory cards. Please read our microSD Card FAQ for more information on compatible microSD cards. Please note: an update via an internet connection is required to use microSDXC memory cards.
Sensors	Accelerometer / gyroscope / brightness sensor
Operating environment	Temperature: 5 - 35°C / Humidity: 20 - 80%
Internal battery	Lithium ion battery / battery capacity 4310mAh Please note: the internal battery cannot be removed. If the battery needs to be replaced, it can be replaced for a fee via Nintendo Customer Support.
Battery life	Approx. 4.5-9 hours The battery life will depend on the games you play. For instance, the battery will last approximately 5.5 hours for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Charging time	3 hours approx. Please note: this is the time taken to charge while the console is in sleep mode.

Here are the specs

[KHCast]

They shadow dropped a hardware announcement in a tweet. Definitely nintendo of them lol, but uhh, yeah I guess I’m sticking with my current switch, cause this doesn’t sound all that necessary tbh