Switch fans, put away your wallets. The long-rumored Switch Pro still isn’t even being acknowledged by Nintendo even as fans beg for an upgraded version of the handheld console.
At the end of Nintendo’s most recent earnings call, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa held a Q&A session with investors where Bloomberg asked whether or not we’d hear from the Switch Pro. Furukawa’s response was simply, “Not anytime soon.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean that we won’t get a Switch Pro later in 2021–perhaps in time for the next holiday season. It just means that Nintendo isn’t giving us any information about it.
Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser was asked a similar question in a recent interview with Polygon where he gave a very noncommittal answer. “We’re just at the midpoint of this life cycle on this platform,” said Bowser, explaining that the company’s “focus will be on the existing form factors.”
It’s widely believed that a Switch Pro is in the works with a better battery, more RAM, and a hardware upgrade capable of displaying 4K graphics when docked. Engine Software vice president and co-founder Ruud van de Moosdijk pointed out that this might lead to compatibility issues with older games if newer Switch titles are made for this rumored Pro model.
Nintendo also revealed during their investor relations presentation that the Switch has now outsold the 3DS with almost 80 million units sold. However, the sales of its games where the Switch truly shines, outselling all games sold on both the Wii U and 3DS combined.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has moved into the second top spot on the Switch charts with 31.18 units sold, just behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It should be noted that New Horizons has been on sale for less than a year whereas Mario Kart 8 has been sold since the Switch’s release and is often bundled with Nintendo’s handheld console.
Source: Bloomberg
