With the announcement of the Nintendo Switch OLED, gamers' hopes for a long-rumored 'pro' version of the popular console were dashed, but it didn't stop the dreams and rumors flowing.
An article from Bloomberg claimed that 11 different game studios had access to an official development kit that featured 4K support – one of the most popular rumored features for a Switch Pro – but Nintendo has once again quashed these hopes.
We also want to restate that, as we announced in July, we have no plans for any new model other than Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, which will launch on October 8, 2021. (2/2)September 30, 2021
Nintendo's official Twitter account has posted a direct response to the Bloomberg article, wanting to "clarify that this report is not true" and that its claims of "supplying tools to drive game development for Nintendo Switch with 4K support" are false.
Even more damning, in a reply to this tweet, Nintendo outright stated that it has "no plans for any new model other than Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, which will launch on October 8, 2021."
While it's possible that some language in the first tweet could be bent to suggest that Nintendo is no longer providing 4K dev tools but at one point did so, the second tweet (if accurate) puts to bed any rumors of a Nintendo Switch Pro being currently in development, or even on the distant horizon.
Analysis: Switch pro quo
There's a little bit more to unpack in the phrasing "no plans for any new model" – if we're to take 'no plans' literally, it would mean that the company hasn't even considered the prospect of another Switch model other than its upcoming Switch OLED, but we find that hard to believe.
More likely, ideas and viability assessments have been made for all kinds of Switch console counterparts, but we take this 'no plans' messaging to mean that none of these concepts have made it into any concrete form, such as a development roadmap.
Looking at the second half of this statement, 'any new model' may just be a sneaky way of suggesting that there will be another, more powerful console on the horizon, but it may not specifically be a Switch console – could we soon see Nintendo's answer to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
The final and (frankly) most likely option is that this statement is a little white lie from Nintendo. What ramifications, if any, would the gaming giant face for releasing another Switch console in a year's time, for instance, after having claimed that they weren't working on one?
Furthermore, stating that there's no impending update to the Switch lineup just a week ahead of the launch of the new OLED model may well help its sales, as prospective buyers will be less likely to wait out for the 'next' upgrade.
There's also the matter of Bloomberg's initial report – while its sources are anonymous, they claim to be from 11 different companies, so we find it hard to believe that each employee is making the same false claim independently.
Either way, we'll no doubt here further clarification on this point in the days to come, and we'll update our story as we learn more.
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