A new Nintendo Switch Pro model may be coming after all. Comments from a Sharp executive point to a new display for the Switch using the company’s indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) technology.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the Sharp executive confirmed that it would be supplying display tech to Nintendo. However, they didn’t comment on which model would be receiving the IGZO screens. It’s possible that the Switch Lite could use these displays, but Nintendo hasn’t commented as of yet.
IGZO screens excel at providing high-resolution at a low energy cost. Given that most games play at 720p or below in handheld mode, it doesn’t seem like Nintendo would be getting the most out of Sharp’s tech with current models. A Switch Pro with an upgraded chipset, on the other hand, could provide higher resolution in handheld mode while reaping the benefit of energy savings.
Of course, this is all speculation for now. However, we’ve heard stirrings of a Switch Pro for the last year or so and with Sony and Microsoft preparing to enter the ninth-generation, it would make sense that Nintendo would want to enhance its platform’s capabilities to remain competitive. Since the Switch came in at around the halfway point of the eighth-generation, it’s a good move to go with a Pro model of the console as opposed to an entirely new machine. Rumors of a Switch Pro have turned out to be wrong before, though.
Since the Switch Lite focuses entirely on handheld mode, we’d love to see a model that focuses on bringing a better experience to docked mode. Whether or not that’ll happen is up in the air right now, but the more we hear about stirrings of new Nintendo Switch components, the more likely it is that there are new models coming sooner rather than later.
We’ll know if Sharp’s IGZO displays will be for the Switch Lite or not when it releases on September 20.
