The Nintendo Switch Pro, or whatever Nintendo is planning on calling their next hardware revision, is rumored to launch near Christmas 2020, but new reports suggest it may be lacking a key modern feature.
The Nintendo Switch launched on March 3rd, 2017, and is now fast approaching its third anniversary. The console's already seen a Switch revision with improved battery life, and Nintendo dropped the portable-only Nintendo Switch Lite on September 20th, 2019. As the next-generation wave rolls in with the arrival of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X later in 2020, Nintendo is facing strong pressure to update its home-portable hybrid machine to stand a little firmer in the face of fierce competition. The Nintendo Switch is already the most technically inferior device among the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and that gap will likely only widen with the next console generation.
If and when the Nintendo Switch Pro releases this holiday season, rumors indicate that it will not support 4k resolution, a decidedly contemporary feature in today's age. Via Metro, a Korean source indicates that the Nintendo Switch Pro will forgo Nvidia's Tegra X1 (or newer) in favor of a custom processor designed in partnership between Nvidia and Nintendo. That new processor, according to the source, will not provide a major bump to the Nintendo Switch's graphical capabilities, and it definitely won't push the system to support 4k resolution.
Fans are obviously ready for an upgrade to Nintendo's killer Switch platform, but they may not get exactly what they're hoping for. The source goes on to indicate that the design phase of the processor isn't even entirely complete up to this point. They suggest that Nintendo may not be able to get the Nintendo Switch Pro ready for launch by the end of 2020. To be clear, Nintendo has not officially confirmed its intention to release a Nintendo Switch Pro.
Rumors have, of course, been ever-present thanks to the system's age and the future of the PlayStation and Xbox line. Nintendo has a history of being more affordable and graphically weaker than the Xbox and PlayStation platforms. The console maker places its emphasis on unique design and first-party software. It would be a little foolish to expect Nintendo to drop that approach after launching the Switch to such wonderful success. Remember, every piece of news about the Nintendo Switch Pro so far is an unconfirmed rumor. For now, the simplest course of action is to assume that, sure, Nintendo is working on something, but fans shouldn't place too much stock in tidbits like these until the company drops genuine information.