As the system continues to break sales records, Nintendo continues to have amazing momentum on its latest handheld-console hybrid. The Nintendo Switch has quickly broken sales records from Nintendo consoles themselves, other console makers, and the industry as a whole. Many looked to games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, among other third-party games on the Switch to entertain themselves. While the base Nintendo Switch console continues to have renewed success, rumors of a new/more powerful console could continue Nintendo’s hardware success moving into 2021.
Rumors of a Nintendo Switch “Pro” console have been circulating for a while now, with one of the primary rumors of the new system being a 4K screen. Many figure that, since the original Nintendo Switch’s 720p LCD screen is starting to show its age, that a follow-up system will come with a higher resolution screen. Undoubtedly, in the market of smartphones and tablets gradually increasing screen resolution and frame rate, a new Switch system with a 4K screen almost seems like a no-brainer. However, there are certainly benefits and drawbacks to a 4K screen on a portable tablet, something that could significantly impact the Switch’s portable/handheld experience.
One of the biggest benefits of 4K resolution on a new Nintendo Switch console will be visual fidelity, obviously. The current Nintendo Switch console’s 720p screen certainly isn’t bad, but compared to other mobile technology in the last three years, it’s certainly starting to show some age. Most smartphones at bare minimum have full HD screens, not to mention tablets which are largely Full HD as well. On the higher end of mobile technology, both phones and tablets often sport a screen resolution somewhere between Full HD and 4K. A higher resolution screen on a new Nintendo Switch platform would be a welcome addition, whether it’s docked or handheld.
Even though the Switch’s 720p screen is serviceable for most games, things like expansive RPGs that weren’t specifically built for Switch can be a little troublesome. Any titles that require a lot of UI space and have a lot of information to display and manage can be a little hard to see on screen. Any bump in resolution from 720p is going to help games like that, especially when the Switch’s 6.2-inch LCD screen doesn’t have much real estate for displaying video. Even 1080p across the board would be a significant enough improvement, but 4K resolution (regardless of handheld or docked-only) would be a huge boon to the Nintendo Switch platform.
Of course, assuming the Nintendo Switch “Pro” can even affordably implement a 4K resolution option, there’s a number of potential drawbacks to that capability. Generally speaking, there are several high-end tablets that offer QHD screens (not 4K), but most rise well above the Nintendo Switch’s $300 price point. Not only that, but a higher resolution screen is going to draw more power, which means that console will need a larger battery to compensate. Battery life could see a serious reduction in handheld playtime without a toggleable resolution mode (like on PS5/Xbox Series X), especially since handheld is the preferred way to play Nintendo Switch for many.
Some of the rumors for Nintendo Switch “Pro” have even cited a 4K-only console that has no handheld mode, which is even more problematic. One of the biggest draws for Nintendo Switch is the hybrid hardware capability, being able to take the console anywhere else besides a dedicated gaming setup or living room. Taking that away not only leads to a vastly different gameplay experience, but also potentially leads to console exclusivity for certain games that have higher graphical fidelity. Generally speaking, Nintendo typically replaces consoles with new ones, rather than taking a tiered approach like like Microsoft has with the Xbox Series X and Series S.
All in all, a higher resolution capability on the Switch in either handheld or docked mode would be an improvement. The Nintendo Switch has already aged significantly in the last four years, while the mobile tech industry continues to surge forward in quality every day. However, there are some significant technical barriers and quality-of-life changes that would need to be overcome with a 4K Nintendo Switch “Pro” console. Higher resolution screens are going to sap battery power without a toggleable resolution mode, not to mention drive up the price of the hardware itself. It also opens up the strange world of hardware-exclusive Switch games, which is a no-go.
Either way, it’s hard not to expect some kind of hardware update to the Nintendo Switch hardware in 2021. The amount of rumors and “leaks” that have come out regarding the Switch Pro console at least indicate that something may be in process with Nintendo. However, there’s been little-to-no concrete evidence or confirmation that a Nintendo Switch “Pro” console even exists, so for now it’s still just a rumor.
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