Rumor: Nintendo Launching Two New Switch Models This Year
Rumors have been swirling that Nintendo was keen to do some type of a revision or upgrade to the existing Nintendo Switch hardware. There have primarily been two schools of thought. The first was that Nintendo might pull a Sony or Microsoft and introduce a “Pro” version of the Switch, which would offer up more powerful graphics and other amenities. The second idea that was floated around was that a new cheaper version would release to fill the $199 price gap left by the 3DS XL, which is all but dead now. We’ve talked about it at length on the Nintendo Times Radio podcast.
My personal theory was that Nintendo might yank the Switch dock out of the existing SKU to drop the price to $199 and then introduce a more robust Switch at $299 for the hardcore audience. However, the Wall Street Journal has just published a new article that has left me scratching my head.
According to the article, Nintendo is planning to release not one, but two new Switch models as early as this summer. One version is apparently targeting the hardcore gamers, although it still won’t be as powerful as the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X. In fact, it remains unclear whether it’ll have extra horsepower at all. It might just incorporate more gamer-centric features, like bluetooth headset technology, a better screen, improved battery, and more memory. It’s hard to say.
The second iteration of the Switch will be a cheaper option for younger and casual audiences. This model will basically take the place of the 3DS XL. To make things more confusing, Takashi Mochizuki (the writer of the article) has taken to Twitter to clarify and comment. This tweet in particular stuck out:
“You would be wrong to think the enhanced version is similar to what Sony did with PS4 Pro and the other is just a cheap alternative that looks very similar to some past hand-held machines, say, Sony’s PlayStation Vita" https://t.co/X0StRE0n4u
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) March 25, 2019
So, what in the world could be the feature sets of each model? It looks like we’ll have to wait longer to find out the details. If the article is correct, we won’t have to wait too much longer!
[Source: The Wall Street Journal]
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
