Rumors have been swirling about a potential upgrade Nintendo is planning for the Switch in 2020, a Switch Pro if you will. While nothing has been confirmed, Nintendo has a long history of console iterations. They did the same thing with the 3DS, releasing a more powerful version dubbed the New Nintendo 3DS.
On top of that, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X due out later this year, Nintendo might feel compelled to introduce a higher-end version of the Switch to stay relevant in the next-gen with their current-gen product.
If Nintendo does come out with a Switch Pro, there are some definite features and improvements we’d love to see.
Better Battery Life
If there’s literally one feature Nintendo needs to add on with a new Switch, it’s better battery life. For a system that has the appeal of being an on-the-go handheld, the Switch really should be able to last longer. You have roughly 3-5 hours with the launch version of the system. The upgraded version released in 2019 bumps that up to 4-9, which still isn’t amazing.
The main draw of buying game re-released on Switch, like The Witcher 3 or Cuphead, is the ability to play it whenever and wherever you want. To that end, better battery life would be a huge draw for a new model, especially if you’re looking to get current Switch owners to upgrade.
The Switch is a fantastic little system, and its success is clear, but battery life has been one of the glaring flaws from the start.
More Processing Power But No Exclusive Games
If you’re going to upgrade a system it seems obvious that it’d be more powerful than the previous iteration, but hopefully, it doesn’t come at a cost.
When Nintendo announced the New Nintendo 3DS, they also announced a game exclusive to the new iteration, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. Luckily, it was one of the few exclusive games the system ever saw, but it also means that only a fraction of players ever experienced it.
Hopefully, Nintendo doesn’t make the same mistake again, and simply uses a Switch Pro’s enhancements to bolster games. Titles like The Witcher 3 or Wolfenstein could seriously benefit from more processing power, and even just a reduction in load times across the board would help.
We’ll have to wait and see just how much more powerful a new system would be, but it needs to be hefty enough to make consumers feel like the investment is worth it.
Built-In HDMI and 4K
The ability to take the Switch on the go is great, but if you want to hook it up to a friend’s TV you also need to lug around that plastic dock. It hurts the idea of the Switch being this media system that you can take and hook up anywhere.
Giving the system a built-in HDMI port would be a perfect upgrade, and one that’d make it easier to bring to parties or gatherings. On top of that, the system needs some kind of 4K capabilities, whether that’s built-in or through a dock.
With PS5 and the Xbox Series X on the horizon, 4K is about to become the standard and not the exception. If Nintendo wants to stay ahead of the curve they need to jump on early, and not wait until whenever their next system comes around.
4K would be especially impressive with some of Nintendo’s more visually unique games. Imagine the colorful aesthetics of Super Mario Odyssey or Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition in 4K.
Voice Chat
It’s absolutely absurd that in 2020 you can’t do voice chat locally on your system, and instead have to use an app on your smart device. This is something that has to change for whatever comes next.
Obviously Nintendo is laser-focused on being family-friendly, but there are still safety options that you can put in place on the system. Needing the extra step of going to voice chat through your phone makes multiplayer games so much more cumbersome on Switch.
This is especially frustrating when you have some great multiplayer exclusives like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Nintendo is, and always will be, stuck in their ways to a degree, but voice chat is one thing they absolutely need to get to the norm on.
More Durable Screen and Kickstand
The Switch certainly doesn’t feel like a cheap piece of hardware, but there are still a couple of areas Nintendo could improve upon with a Switch Pro. Chief among these is the system’s screen, which is surprisingly easy to scratch.
The screen is made out of plastic, instead of the flexible glass that many smartphones use. Upgrading the quality of materials could make for a handheld system that just feel hardier, or even introducing a new layer on the Switch’s screen to help protect the main screen.
Perhaps the cheapest feeling part on the Switch, though, is the plastic kickstand. The piece is very easy to break off by accident, and it hardly keeps the Switch standing up.
You don’t need a huge upgrade here, just one that would make the Switch more stable if you put it on a table or flat surface.
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