The original Nintendo Switch.
Scott Stein/CNET
Reports in both Taiwan’s Economic Daily News and Bloomberg are claiming Nintendo is planning to release an upgrade of the Nintendo Switch in early 2021.
The report doesn’t go into specifics, but cited that Nintendo is targeting increased computing power and 4K visuals with the new device.
Rumours regarding upgraded versions of the Nintendo Switch have been circulating for years, but with the imminent release of the Xbox Series X and PS5, there could potentially be some veracity to these reports.
The Nintendo Switch Lite, a smaller, portable only version of the original Nintendo Switch was released last year, but Nintendo has traditionally released multiple versions of consoles, particularly in its handheld line-up. Nintendo has also quietly released versions of the original Switch with improved battery life, but those weren’t marketed or sold as a new model.
At last count Nintendo has sold over 60 million units of the Nintendo Switch, and the machine is still flying off shelves. Superficially there isn’t a pressing reason for Nintendo to release an upgraded version. But, if this upgrade exists, it will most likely be similar to upgrades Nintendo has done with consoles like the DS and 3DS, or upgrades like the the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X: Consoles that are essentially the same, but are designed to provide a power boost to existing (and future) games on the console.
Nintendo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.