A large part of the Nintendo community has been obsessed with rumors of theNintendo Switch Profor a few years now. Numerous sources, some of them fairly reputable, have stated the upgrade to theNintendo Switchwill be able to provide enhanced graphics in docked and handheld mode, in addition to impressive processing power. The speculation and leaks don’t stop there, however, as recent reports have shown that the Switch Pro will supposedly have system-exclusive games. According to the leaks, these exclusives would come from third-party developers that would otherwise be unable to develop games on the current Switch.
If this is the case, it’s entirely possible that Nintendo itself could be looking to take advantage of the advanced power of a Switch Pro for future releases as well. As impressive as the current Switch is as a portable video game console, it’s restricted by certain hardware limitations. There’s a reason why huge, open-world games hardly get released on the Switch, and although there have been some ports likeThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntandSkyrim, they often don’t run as smoothly as they do on other systems.
A Switch Pro would not only give third-party developers a chance to expand games to Nintendo fans, but Nintendo itself would be able to develop games that take advantage of a more robust system. Just taking a look at what Nintendo has slated to release sometime in late 2021/early 2022, which is when many believe that the Switch Pro will release, it’s starting to become obvious which games would be exclusive to the system.
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Breath of the Wild 2
The sequel to the immensely popularThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,Breath of the Wild 2was first announced at E3 2019. A brief, but promising trailer for the game was revealed, but little else on the game has been divulged since then. The most recent morsel of news that fans have gotten came duringthe most recent Nintendo Direct, when producer Eiji Aonuma apologized to fans for the lack of information, promising more updates later this year. This disappointed a lot of fans, asBreath of the Wild 2has been one of the most highly anticipated Switch games of the past few years now, but the reasoning behind this lack of information could point to the Switch Pro.
Breath of the Wildhas remained one ofthe most popular games on the Nintendo Switchbecause of how it blends a majestic open world with the magic ofThe Legend of Zeldafranchise. At the same time,Breath of the Wildis also incredibly taxing on the Switch’s processor, especially when it’s in handheld mode. The art style of the game helps prevent any major dips in graphical quality, but one of the most noticeable things about the game is how the frame rate drops when too many things are going on at once. There’s also the added fact that it rapidly drains the Switch’s battery, with maximum playtime on the original Switch models capping out at about three hours.
Ifthe long-awaitedBreath of the Wild 2plans to expand on the original game by even a little bit, it might be too taxing for the original Switch hardware. Consistent frame drops and an overall less satisfying experience isn’t what players want for a sequel. Making the game a Switch Pro exclusive would only make sense, allowing Nintendo to make the game the very best it can be, without having to make any sacrifices for the sake of the current Switch’s hardware.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
One of the most recent game announcements for Nintendo came during thePokemonpresentation, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the franchise. Among the reveals of the long-awaited remakes toPokemon DiamondandPearl, there was one new trailer that caught fans off guard. Immediately after fans discovered they would be returning to the Sinnoh region, The Pokemon Company doubled down on Sinnoh content by announcing a new open-world game set in Sinnoh’s past. TitledPokemon Legends: Arceus,The trailer showed off gameplay unlike anything that has ever been seen in thePokemonseries, with many fans sayingit strongly resembledBreath of the Wild.
Pokemon Legends: Arceusis slated for an early 2022 release, lining up with therumored release window of the Switch Pro. This game also looks like it’s going to be much more complicated than previousPokemonentries, incorporating a wide open-world with Pokemon roaming all over the place. The total amount of Pokemon in the series has nearly reached 1000, and if the game wants to include 3D models for even a fraction of them at one time, it’ll probably be more than the Switch can handle. Although thePokemonseries isn’t known for pushing consoles to graphical limits,Pokemon Legends: Arceuscertainly seems like it’s changing the formula in more ways than one.
If this game is going to be even half as ambitious as it already appears to be, focusing on the Switch Pro will be in its best interest. The currentSwitch is known for struggling to run certain ports, and if it fails to run the newest entry in one of Nintendo’s most profitable series,Pokemon Legends: Arceuswill be a missed opportunity.
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Metroid Prime 4
Nintendo’s proverbial white whale of Switch games has been the next installment in the popularMetroid Primeseries. It was E3 2017 when Nintendo first made the announcement that the game was in development, but it has been plagued with issues ever since.Metroid Prime 4’s original developerwas industry titan Bandai Namco Studios, but two years into production, Nintendo announced a change in developer due to dissatisfaction towards the work that had been done.
This was a huge blow toMetroidfans that haven’t seen a new home console release in the series since the Nintendo Wii era, but the announcement that the originalMetroid Primedeveloper Retro Studios would be helming production provided some glints of hope.
It’s now been two years since any kind of news onMetroid Prime 4was given to the public, but the prospect of a Switch Pro could be its saving grace. Video games have evolved a lot sinceMetroid Prime 3released almost fifteen years ago, especially when it comes to first-person shooters. Nintendo is probably going to want to go big forSamus Aran’s first mainline appearance on the Switch. Leveraging the power of a Switch Pro would ensure thatMetroid Prime 4is everything that fans have been longing for, and it could serve as motivation for other third-party developers to bring additional first-person shooters to the Switch.
The shortage of news on the game’s development would suddenly make a lot of sense if it was Nintendo’s way of waiting to announce the game as a Switch Pro exclusive. It would certainly be a great way to drive fans to the upgraded console. The last thing that Nintendo wants to do is deliver a return to theMetroidseries that is lackluster in any way, especially since some fans still felt burned bythe underwhelmingMetroid: Other M. With how long development has taken at this point, a 2022 release alongside the launch of the Switch Pro seems like an obvious move for Nintendo.
The prospect of a Switch Pro opens up a lot of doors for Nintendo and gamers alike. With potentially faster processing power and expanded graphics capabilities, a lot of third-party games that would usually only make it to the Playstation, Xbox, or PC could find their way onto the Switch. The tools that Nintendo would have at its disposal for shaking up existing IPs would be endless, and fans could possibly play games on par withwhat has been releasing on the PS5and Xbox Series X|S. If recent leaks are to be believed, the slate of potential Switch Pro exclusive games could deliver this exact experience.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2,Pokemon Legends: Arceus, andMetroid Prime 4are currently in development.
