Nintendo Switch Pro Reportedly Scrapped as Successor Price Predictions Climb

An analyst who tracks the games industry says a version of the Nintendo Switch that never reached shops did exist. Dr Serkan Toto told GamesIndustry.biz that a "Pro" model was real enough that some developers were already working with its development kit. He says it has since been scrapped.

The comment came as part of a round of 2024 predictions that the outlet gathered from several industry analysts. It lands in the middle of months of speculation about what Nintendo plans next. Nintendo has officially announced nothing about a successor to the Switch, and everything that follows rests on rumour and one analyst's view.

The talk of a new machine has a specific origin. It was claimed that demo kits of a next-generation Nintendo console were shown to developers at Gamescom in 2023. People have also discussed the idea that Switch 2 models have already been played by developers. If that is accurate, the console could in theory be on sale as soon as this year, though none of it has been confirmed.

The Pro idea had its own logic. Many had expected Nintendo to release a mid-generation upgrade, in the way it has sold XL versions of earlier consoles to lift sales. What arrived instead was the OLED model, which has a better screen. In terms of hardware, though, the OLED is functionally identical to the standard Switch, so it was not the performance upgrade some had wanted.

Toto's forecast is that Nintendo will skip the Pro entirely and go straight to a new generation. He also expects it to be the company's most expensive console yet. In his words, he believes the next hardware will arrive next year at $400, and that games are likely to cost more too, at $70. He added that Nintendo might include some extra features, but that the device would be similar to the current Switch.

The numbers matter against today's prices. The OLED is the dearest Switch model, retailing at $350, which is more than the original console cost at launch. A $400 successor would sit above that. On software, Nintendo has been reluctant to match the $70 price point set by PlayStation and Xbox. Its most expensive Switch game, Tears of the Kingdom, retails for $60.

Note the timing in Toto's remarks. He speaks of hardware dropping "next year", which sits apart from the possibility, raised by the Gamescom claims, of a release in the current year. The two accounts are not reconciled in the reporting.

Until Nintendo says something itself, the price, the date and even the existence of the Pro cancellation rest on a single analyst's word and on unconfirmed claims about developer kits. An official announcement is the thing to wait for.