The Nintendo Switch continues to dominate the console market, having now sold almost 80m units and outselling the Nintendo 3DS.
However, with the next generation of consoles now available, the Switch's ability to support third-party titles may be eroded as developers are unable to port their games over to the Switch's limited hardware capabilities.
This is why a Nintendo Switch Pro console, which would provide a suitable upgrade to the base Switch model, could be set to launch in the future. But what has Nintendo's President Shuntaro Furukawa had to say on the matter?
READ MORE: Nintendo Switch Pro news: Will Nintendo release the Switch Pro in 2021?
Nintendo President comments on Switch Pro
Following the release of Nintendo's latest financial results, Nintendo's Furukawa responded to investor questions in a Q&A session, as reported by Bloomberg.
When asked about a Nintendo Switch Pro, or an upgraded Nintendo Switch model, Furukawa said Nintendo is not planning on announcing a new Switch model anytime soon.
This would seem to put an end to any speculation about a potential 'Super Switch' releasing in the near future, but is that true?
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When will the Nintendo Switch Pro be revealed?
The wording of Furukawa's reply is intentionally vague. Rather than saying 'this year' or '2021', the phrase 'anytime soon' leaves sufficient scope for Nintendo to announce a new Switch Pro model in the latter part of 2021.
You may be wondering why we would treat a Nintendo statement like this with such suspicion.
This would not be the first time Nintendo pulled off this move. In June 2012, Nikkei published an article suggesting that Nintendo was set to release an upgraded, larger 3DS device. Nintendo then responded by calling this "entire speculation", with Shigeru Miyamoto also commenting to IGN that the company was 'satisfied' with the 3DS, casting doubt on the accuracy of 3DS XL rumours.
Then, in late June 2012, Nintendo announced the Nintendo 3DS XL during a Nintendo Direct. Strange, huh?
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Nintendo Switch Pro features
If Nintendo does release a beefed-up Switch, we should expect to see a boost in performance to keep up with the increased power required to run the latest games.
According to Bloomberg, Nintendo has also asked developers "make their games 4K-ready", suggesting that a new Switch could support 4K gaming when docked, hopefully indicating that the Switch's handheld screen could be boosted to 1080p.
However, with nearly 80m Nintendo Switch consoles in the hands of consumers, we would not expect Nintendo to release any Switch Pro-exclusive titles for a while, if ever, at risk of alienating and fracturing its player base.
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