After months of reporting on the Nintendo Switch Pro, there was a lot of disappointment following the recent OLED model reveal. Despite facing backlash from fans over the lack of hardware improvements, the Switch manufacturer is doubling down on its stance. In a recent comment, Nintendo Japan said that the company has “no plans for launching any other [Switch] model” right now.
Will there be a Nintendo Switch Pro?
We also want to clarify that we just announced that Nintendo Switch(OLED Model) will launch in October, 2021, and have no plans for launching any other model at this time. (2/2)
— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) July 19, 2021
Nintendo doesn’t have any plans to launch a Nintendo Switch Pro model (or Super Nintendo Switch, as we hoped it’d be called) at this time. That doesn’t rule out the possibility of a Nintendo Switch hardware upgrade in the future, however.
The Nintendo Switch OLED doesn’t do anything to improve the aging console’s horsepower. As a result, many gamers are concerned that the popular hybrid handheld will either be left behind, or hold games back from achieving their full potential on other platforms. Nintendo does have a makeshift workaround for this in the form of cloud streaming, though. Notably, the upcoming Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cloud Version will enable the game to be played on Switch.
In spite of the Nintendo Switch (OLED model) reveal, some simply assumed that the “Pro” version was coming later; perhaps after a forced delay due to the ongoing scarcity of GPU hardware. Nintendo Japan’s tweet is the first confirmation from the company that this absolutely isn’t the case, even though a large audience was hoping to hear the opposite.
Nintendo’s timing arguably couldn’t be worse, owing to the recent Steam Deck announcement from Valve. The portable gaming PC is everything that consumers were hoping for in a Nintendo Switch Pro, at just $50 more for the base model. With many unabashedly terming Steam Deck the Switch Pro online, Nintendo could come to regret leaving this new handheld device unopposed.
Although the Steam Deck won’t play Nintendo exclusives, it can run popular games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft.
