A notable Nintendo insider has claimed that the Japanese video game publisher is still going to release a “Switch Pro” version of the console in the first half of 2023. Over the past couple of years, plenty of rumors and reports associated with the Switch Pro have circled, but none of this conjecture has ever resulted in an actual announcement of the hardware from Nintendo. And while many fans were beginning to give up hope that the Switch Pro would ever arrive, it sounds like the console could still be right around the corner.
According to Nate the Hate, who is a frequently-cited video game insider that has had accurate Nintendo scoops in the past, the Switch Pro is still set to land at some point in 2023. In a new interaction on Twitter today, one user happened to call out Nate the Hate for previously talking about the Switch Pro only for the hardware to never end up being revealed. In response, Nate said that this complaint will be “odd” when the Switch Pro “releases in the first half of next year.” With this in mind, it seems like Nintendo could have a big announcement to make in the coming months.
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In a general sense, it wouldn’t be shocking for a more powerful version of the Switch to be released by Nintendo at some point in the future. As it stands, Nintendo’s latest console is well over five years old, which means that it’s really starting to pale in comparison to the power that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X offer. And while a “Pro” model of the Switch still wouldn’t match up to the PS5 and Xbox Series X in terms of raw specs, it would, in theory, make a number of games on the platform run that much better.
If Nintendo still is looking to release a Switch Pro model, though, why has it taken so long for this console to come about? Well, one reason might be hardware shortages that have come about in recent years. It has been well documented that a number of tech companies including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have struggled to obtain chips that are needed in order to create video game consoles. As such, if Nintendo did have plans to release the Switch Pro previously, perhaps those plans got pushed back due to these shortages.
Do you think that a Switch Pro console is still set to be released by Nintendo? Or are these rumors and reports simply going to result in more sadness for fans? Let me know your thoughts on the matter either down in the comments or reach out to me on social media at @MooreMan12