Nintendo Addresses Nintendo Switch Pro Rumors

During a recent interview, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser addressed the long-running [...]

By Tyler Fischer

During a recent interview, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser addressed the long-running rumors that Nintendo is working on a Nintendo Switch Pro, which is to say, a more powerful and premium version of the current Switch. From baseless rumors to credible reports, we've been hearing about the Nintendo Switch Pro in one form or another for well over a year, and many of these rumors and reports claim it will release in 2021. That said, so far, not only has Nintendo not announced a new and more powerful Switch, but it hasn't commented on these reports and rumors.

As noted, this recently changed, though Bowser didn't say anything definitive or incredibly salient about the topic. Bowser notes that Nintendo is constantly exploring how to improve and evolve the gameplay experience, whether that means via the current platform or a future platform. However, at the same time, with the Switch and Switch putting up huge numbers, Bowser reaffirms that Nintendo is committed to these two pieces of hardware now and going forward.

"First, we're always looking at technology," said Bowser while speaking to Polygon. "And as we know, technology is constantly evolving and changing. And we're always looking at what is coming to determine: How can it enhance and improve the gameplay experience? And whether that's on a current platform, or whether that's on a future platform, we're always looking at that. However, we also see right now — and we just talked about it — that the momentum on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite in the fourth year is strong. And we believe we're changing the trajectory of another typical console life cycle. And we will continue, for the foreseeable future, to really lean into both of those platforms and the content that comes with it, because it's the symbiotic relationship that makes the real difference. And it's why Nintendo Switch is so differentiated."

Some have taken the above statement as Bowser shutting down the Nintendo Switch Pro rumors and reports, but there's nothing here that really supports this claim. That said, with the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite breaking sales records, there's not much incentive for Nintendo to make an investment in new hardware.

For now, the Nintendo Switch Pro rumors and reports remain undebunked, however, it sounds like Nintendo is more focused on what it has right now than anything else, which may mean we won't see any more hardware from it quite yet.

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