Nintendo Will Not Release Switch Pro in 2020

Nintendo has formally shut down the rumors that they intend to release a new Nintendo Switch in 2020.

“Please note that we have no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020,” reads a brief statement in the latest Nintendo financial report. While the company does not elaborate on its position beyond that, we’ve got to say that it seems pretty cut and dry.  

Do rumors regarding a new Nintendo Switch sound familiar? They should. Early last year, a few outlets reported that Nintendo was working on an upgraded version of the Nintendo Switch that would benefit from a better screen and other such improvements. For the sake of discussion, let’s refer to that model as the Nintendo Switch Pro. Later that year, other reports indicated that Nintendo was working on a slight upgrade to the Nintendo Switch as well as a modified version of the device designed to emphasize the console’s handheld functionality.

While those last two rumors proved to be true (Nintendo did upgrade the base Switch slightly and then released the Nintendo Switch Lite), the rumors of the Switch Pro haven’t panned out quite yet. 

DigiTimes recently reported that Nintendo is back to work on a new Nintendo Switch model that will benefit from an expanded CPU and other “Pro” improvements. Their information indicated that Nintendo plans to begin production of this “Switch Pro” early in 2020 with the intention of releasing the device later this year. We now know that those rumors aren’t true. 

Truth be told, we’re a little surprised that Nintendo wouldn’t release an upgraded version of the Switch this year considering the potential impact of the 2020 releases of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Then again, Nintendo has a history of doing things their own way, so logic may not be the best metric for their intentions in this instance. 

Still, lingering problems with the Switch hardware (which largely have to do with Joy-Con defects) could persuade Nintendo to eventually put a more powerful Switch on the market even if it won’t be during what would seem to be a potentially big year for software releases. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.