Nintendo Switch Pro can get a killer display, but there's a catch

Nintendo Switch Pro can get a killer display, but there's a catch

The rumored Nintendo Switch Pro may not arrive for another three years, but when it does, it could feature a significant display upgrade.

This is according to a report in Taiwan's Economic Daily, which claims that the so-called Switch Pro will feature a Mini-LED display supplied by Innolux. However, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has hinted that there is no rush to change the Switch's winning formula.

However, if the Nintendo Switch Pro does arrive, it may feature a Mini-LED display instead of an LCD display.

Mini-LED displays use thousands of tiny backlights on the glass substrate of the display panel, effectively replacing the clusters of backlights used in LCD screens. Mini-LEDs can be considered a more affordable alternative to OLED panels. Next year, Mini-LED displays will be available in Apple's MacBooks and iPads.

The Switch's display is impressively bright and colorful for an LCD, but still only 720p resolution, held back a bit by the panel technology; by moving to Mini-LED, Nintendo could make the console more attractive in its undocked state It will. The upgraded Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to support 4K resolution in docked mode.

Speaking of 4K, the Switch Pro is expected to feature an upgraded chipset and an overall performance boost suitable for today's popular 4K TVs. Nvidia currently provides the chipset for the Switch, but there is no word on the graphics giant making a new mobile-grade chip.

All of this suggests that it will be a while before the next Nintendo Switch appears. In an interview with Polygon, Bowser said that the Japanese gaming company is always thinking and working on improving its hardware, but that it will not move away from its current Switch formula for some time.

"We're always looking at technology," Bowser explained. 'As you know, technology is constantly evolving and changing. And we are always trying to see what is coming up. And whether it's on current platforms or future platforms, we're always looking at it."

This somewhat vague answer as to whether the Switch hardware will be updated in the not-too-distant future was accompanied by Bowser's mention that "the momentum for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite in its fourth year is strong."

"We believe we are changing the trajectory of another typical console life cycle," Bowser added, emphasizing that with the Switch, Nintendo is "at the midpoint of this life cycle."

Given that the Switch launched in 2017, our rough calculations suggest that the Switch has three more years of life left before Nintendo moves on to develop a new version in the form of a Switch Pro or Nintendo Switch 2.

It is very likely that we will have to wait several years for a new Nintendo Switch, but that is not a bad thing. This is because the Switch is in its prime right now, and there are plenty of impressive games to choose from.

So with another two to three years of lifespan, we can expect to see more games that get the most out of the Switch's capabilities as developers become increasingly familiar with its capabilities. And as it stands, Nintendo's hybrid console is still so popular that it's still quite difficult to buy one three years after its release; if you haven't picked up a Nintendo Switch yet, check out where you can get one.

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