Nintendo's OLED Switch upgrade is not the 4K console many were looking for, but this doesn't mean that the Switch Pro isn't still waiting in the wings
This morning, the house of Mario announced out of the blue that it would release an upgraded Nintendo Switch, but it's not the next step forward some may have been hoping for. While Nintendo's new Switch model does have an OLED screen, a better dock, and larger internal storage, the hardware that drives Switch games seems to be the same as the existing models. Despite many rumors to the contrary, this OLED Switch won't play games in 4K and won't support updated resolutions. While it's possible that insiders simply got the facts wrong when it came to Nintendo's console plans, the ongoing chip shortages across tech industries may have led to this compromised upgrade.
Nintendo gamers have been waiting patiently for an updated Switch almost from the day it came out in 2017. While the console's portable-focused design is still impressive considering its massive library, the system struggles with cutting-edge games from a wide variety of publishers. With a lack of 4K output and added horsepower, it may be hard for some to justify owning Nintendo's console alone, a situation exacerbated as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X made their debut. While even the fabled "Super Switch" would likely fall behind the latest from Microsoft and Sony, it likely would solve a lot of the framerate and performance issues seen in the current library.
If the rumors were true regarding the Switch Pro, why would Nintendo's upgrade plans shift so drastically? It could also have been due to Microsoft and Sony's own upgrade plans. Video games have boomed thanks to the global pandemic in 2020 shutting down other forms of entertainment temporarily, but that came alongside the aforementioned chip shortage, which has affected all forms of technology. Gamers have seen the effects on the supply line when it comes to the continued rarity of new Xbox and PlayStation consoles on store shelves.
Click here to watch the Switch OLED announcement on YouTube.
It's entirely possible that Nintendo saw this situation play out with rival machines and decided to avoid the situation altogether. It's not out of the ordinary for Nintendo to release a side upgrade for a console years into its lifespan, and the company can continue to market the Switch OLED model as part of its same branding. It creates buzz in the short term for new hardware among enthusiasts while saving the real drop of a "Switch 2" (or whatever it might be) for when Nintendo can produce enough consoles to meet demand. It makes all the more sense when considering that there's a sizeable group who would conceivably buy both revisions.
But there are other factors to consider in this decision as well. Part of the rumors circulating about the 4K Super Switch involved Nintendo putting off the hardware revision specifically because of the Switch's surge in sales in 2020. This would make sense considering that behind-the-scenes news about an upgraded Switch goes back to at least 2018. It's not a stretch to include Switch upgrades in the more general idea that Nintendo simply marches to the beat of its own drum, on its own schedule.
Ultimately, the public may never know what the original plans were for 4K Nintendo Switch in 2021, but fans looking for more than a better screen from their next console purchase shouldn't lose hope just yet. The extensive success of the console may make it elementary for Nintendo's next hardware revision to also model itself after the portable hybrid. In addition, the company eventually has to upgrade simply to keep its hardware aligned with the times. Once the world moves back to something resembling normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic closures (and chip production stops becoming an issue), it may finally be time to see what a Switch Pro could really be.
