A series of Animal Crossing: New Horizons screenshots, published on Twitter by Nintendo, may reaffirm rumors that a Switch Pro release is around the corner. That's for the simple reason that the shots were shared in 4K – a resolution the current Switch is incapable of.
Rumors of a Switch Pro have been circulating for months, fueled by rumors but also by the weak performance of Nintendo's existing hardware. When the Switch first shipped in March 2017, it was already less powerful than the PS4 Pro launched in November 2016, and would be eclipsed by the Xbox One X later the same year. A Switch Pro may be needed just to avoid seeming completely outdated next to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The new console is typically expected to support 4K when docked, though a recent rumor suggests it might be limited to 1440p.
The Animal Crossing screenshots, first examined by Animal Crossing World, measure as large as 5760 x 3240 when the current Switch maxes out at 1080p. Nintendo has apparently been publishing Animal Crossing shots in the higher resolution since the beginning of 2021, and across the game's Japanese, U.K., and North American Twitter accounts. Some alternate explanations to new hardware may be that Nintendo marketing is upsampling for sharper displays, and/or that the shots come from development platforms that aren't limited by the Switch's processors.
Apart from 4K, enabled by a new Nvidia chip, other upgrades rumored for the Switch Pro include a 7-inch, 720p Samsung OLED display. OLED is mainly superior to LCD because of increased contrast – individual pixels can shut off completely, whereas the best LCDs can manage is shutting off portions of their backlighting. 7 inches is also a larger size than the 6.2 or 5.5 inches present on the Switch and Switch Lite.
Nintendo doesn't appear poised to announce a Switch Pro during E3, which ends June 15. Some sort of news is possible or even probable in the next few months, however, particularly if Nintendo is targeting holiday 2021 or spring 2022. An updated console would be the ideal platform for launching The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 – or perhaps the reverse, convincing diehard Zelda fans that they need new hardware to get the most out of the experience. The original Breath of the Wild was generally considered a system-seller, being not just one of the best Zelda games ever but shipping day-and-date with the Switch. Conversely, the Switch Pro may just be an interim upgrade, in which case it might be worth holding out for truly next-generation hardware.
Sources: Animal Crossing/Twitter (via Animal Crossing World)