New Switch models have been in the rumour mill for a while now. In October of last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that a hardware remodel was slated for release in 2019, before newer reports earlier this year indicated that Nintendo was working on not one, but two models– a cheaper, more portable one, which would remove the system’s trademark docking and undocking abilities, and a costlier one with more powerful hardware.
These were being dubbed the “Switch Lite” and “Switch Pro” in common parlance, and the Lite and Pro were also being substantiated by Japanese business journal Nikkei in separate reports. Now, Nikkei has followed up on those reports, and given out new details on the two new hardware versions of Nintendo’s console/handheld hybrid (via US Gamer).
The Switch Lite, it turns out, is reportedly still going to have its docking and undocking features. This model is going to be a smaller, more portable, and cheaper option for prospective buyers, but how still having docking abilities intact fits with that (especially in light of earlier reports) is something that remains to be seen. It is still slated to be out this year itself.
The Switch Pro, meanwhile, is one that Nikkei’s report calls an “overhauled next-generation model intended to replace the one currently available”. With the refresh, Nintendo is looking to make improvements in usability, rendering quality, changes and upgrades to the operating system, and other updates and improvements. That said, the report also claims that as per one source, the new, more powerful Switch hardware is still in development, and Nintendo haven’t yet internally decided who will take the lead on it.
For now, it all remains unconfirmed, and you can never be too sure about anything with Nintendo- but usually where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and there’s a whole lot of smoke here. It wouldn’t be the most surprising thing in the world if Nintendo were to make official announcements sooner rather than later.
