A few months ago an Instagram-like picture full of digital stickers was spreading on social media. The person who originally posted it claimed it was a picture of the Switch Mini (Switch Lite as it was officially revealed to be called). People online had mixed opinions. Lo and behold, it was true. It was an actual picture of the turquoise plastic shell of the Switch Lite. After hearing countless whispers about a Switch Pro on the way, I will try to figure out all possibilities. The Switch Pro will be in one of the following forms. It’s only logical that one of these predictions will be true by the end of 2019.

A WHOLE NEW SYSTEM

This is the simplest prediction of them all. It’s going to be like the original Switch, just more powerful. All the work will be done by the beefed up Switch, with the dock taking on the same role as the original, just putting that image on the big screen. While it is the most requested type of upgrade, it is also quite risky for Nintendo. Consumers might be alienated if Switch Pro-only games start popping up. After all, developers nowadays tend to use powerful hardware to cut down on optimisation time, using the extra power to beat their game into running well. On the other hand, Nintendo could demand that all games be playable on all versions of the Switch. A bold move because developers already have to make 3 versions of each game run well on Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

A NEW DOCK

Another potential manifestation of the Switch Pro could be a dock that can be purchased separately and fit both the original Switch and Switch Lite, acting as an external GPU of sorts, aiming to give the Switch a boost in graphical fidelity and smoother gameplay. This seems more possible now that the Switch Lite was announced, a handheld-only portable console that officially can’t be docked, yet it retains the docking notch of the original Switch. Don’t you find that a tiny bit suspicious?

DOUBLE COMBO

That’s right. The Pro might come in the form of more powerful hardware under the hood of the tablet itself along with a dock with the ability to aid that new Switch. This is the least likely outcome simply because it would cost too much to manufacture and the consumers would be asked to pay 2006 PS3-level prices for it. I’m really hoping this is not the way Nintendo chooses to do it. But then again, they are incredibly stubborn.

THAT’S ALL FOLKS?

So there you have it. The Switch Pro will be released in one of the forms mentioned above. Of course Nintendo could pull a big Nintendo and just not release an upgrade at all, choosing instead to focus on a Switch 2 with backwards compatibility to be released in 2020. After they announced the upgraded classic Switch model with improved battery life and slightly brighter screen out of nowhere, half the analysts in the world just conceded that there’s no knowing what Nintendo will do next.

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Nintendo has to be one of the most hilariously stubborn companies of all time. Throughout the years, they have made some baffling decisions regarding the online functionality of their consoles, friends codes, voice chat and features in their flagship titles or hardware. Fans have been voicing their opinion in social media ever since social media started being a thing. Nintendo just doesn’t care.

THE WHY

The simplest explanation is that they have some kind of strategy, a grand plan about maximising profits that sometimes leads to decisions that make sense from a financial and legal standpoint but can seem almost anti-consumer at times. One of the best examples that comes to mind is voice chat. While the Nintendo DS and 3DS had a microphone ready to go, this important hardware feature was omitted from the Switch, replaced by a phone app of all things. Of course some games like Fortnite can support voice chat with a headset or headphones, Nintendo’s games do not. Was it a cost cutting measure? Was it meant to protect Nintendo from potential lawsuits from children coming into contact with inappropriate language online? No one knows. All I know is that it can be a major pain in the ass to play Splatoon with my girlfriend and chat at the same time. Voice chatting while playing any game on Xbox takes literally 5 seconds to set up.

LITE MY FIRE

Which brings us to the next thing on the docket today. The Switch Lite. Nintendo announced their new edition of their Switch console, which can be played only in handheld mode. While the reception has been largely positive, with many journalists and analysts seeing the potential for massive sales numbers, some fans are extremely disappointed that it can’t be docked and played as a home console, like the original. Nintendo could have thought of a way to make the Lite “dockable” but that would mean you would have to buy a controller in order to play on TV. Joy-cons are already tiny, making even tinier versions for the Lite would be an ergonomic nightmare. That’s where the idea of a universal dock comes in. But whatever the case, Nintendo doesn’t care what fans think. They know that a cheaper, more affordable portable console is very attractive to their consumers. The rest is just background noise.

STILL AROUND

This stubbornness has been a staple of Nintendo. The cartridges in the N64, the crazy N64 controller, the incredible yet funky design of the GameCube controller, the tiny GameCube discs, the DS and 3DS…the….the Wii U. Nintendo takes ideas and runs with them. Sometimes they pay off, sometimes they seem insane to outside observers and fail miserably. Fans may be often furious about some of Nintendo’s design ideas or hardware releases but time and time again the oldest theory in gaming is proven correct; if it has great games and it’s fun to play, people will buy it.

THEY STILL DON’T CARE

That’s why I can’t easily voice chat with my friends while playing Splatoon 2. Because Nintendo would rather do whatever they want rather than let the consumers sway their biggest decisions left and right. There’s nothing I can do about it. They make awesome games. I am powerless to the Marios, the Zeldas and the Metroids. Goddamnit Nintendo.

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