A Recent Report Indicates Nintendo Might Be Working on a New Switch Pro

Not even a year after Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch OLED, new rumors appear that the company is already working on a new Nintendo Switch model, and some of us believe it might be the Nintendo Switch Pro. 

The report comes right after Nintendo revealed new information about its production expenses near the end of June. As reported by For the Win, Nintendo shared that it spent over 8000 times its budget on materials.

To be more specific, the company spent over 66,517 million yen on raw materials recently. As Twitter user Shokio_YT mentioned, that’s twice as much as what the company spent for the Nintendo Switch Lite.

So yes, Nintendo is getting ready to release something big, but what is it exactly?

The Nintendo Switch Pro, a Next-Generation Console, or Just the Same Console?

Despite what some people might believe, it’s not so clear if Nintendo is working on a new Nintendo Switch model. Here’s why.

First, sure, it’s highly unlikely that Nintendo is already working on a next-generation console. Based on everything we’re seeing, including new games coming out in the Nintendo Switch and special edition consoles, Nintendo isn’t ready to say goodbye to the Nintendo Switch just yet. 

Instead, there are two possibilities: Nintendo is working on a new model, probably the Nintendo Switch Pro or Nintendo is working on special edition consoles. 

People have been quick to point out that Nintendo has already announced a new Splatoon 3 edition Nintendo Switch OLED that’s set to come out on August 26. 

And while it’s true that Nintendo would need a lot of components to build that special edition console, it’s highly unlikely that the company would buy so many materials for a console that not everyone would buy. 

Not only do a lot of people already have a Nintendo Switch that can play Splatoon, but not everyone likes the game so much that Nintendo would expect to make a lot of sales. 

So that leaves one option: the Nintendo Switch Pro.

Nintendo Needs to Release the Nintendo Switch Pro

A lot of Nintendo fans weren’t happy when Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch OLED because it was pretty much the basic Nintendo Switch with a bigger, better screen. So the company needs to surprise its customers with something new.

Not only that, but as Shokio_TY pointed out as well, Nintendo changed the videos for the Nintendo Switch OLED and Nintendo Switch Lite to private on its YouTube channel. The company usually does this when it’s about to showcase a new product—so older products don’t steal the new console’s thunder.

Last but not least, Nintendo is starting to get competition. Before, Nintendo changed the game by introducing a console that let you play on the go or on the couch. 

Now however, there are other companies trying to get into that market, and they might hurt Nintendos’ bottom line. The biggest competitor is Steam and its Stream Deck, and this console lets you play more demanding PC games on the go like it’s nothing.

Fortunately for Nintendo—and unfortunately for us—the Steam Deck is pretty hard to get right now, so the company is still ahead. However, a lot of smaller companies are starting to create their own handheld consoles that can run Android games, some PC games, and even older Nintendo games if you use an emulator. A good example is the Odin, a handheld console made by AYN Technologies.

So Nintendo needs to step its game up. Because releasing new games won’t be enough, the company needs to find a new way to fight against other, more powerful handheld consoles. 

Enter the Nintendo Switch Pro. This new console might be what the company needs to compete against the Steam Deck, the Xbox Series X|S, and the PS5 in terms of power and performance. 

Is the Nintendo Switch Pro Finally Coming?

Unfortunately for us, this is mere speculation at this point. Nintendo hasn’t announced anything about a new console, so we’ll still have to play the waiting game. 

The good news is that Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch Lite and the Nintendo Switch OLED in September 2019 and October 2021, respectively. So there’s still the possibility that we’ll see this new console near the end of this year. One can only hope at this point.