Nate the Hate (opens in new tab), an insider who has previously leaked accurate Nintendo information, has claimed that the Nintendo Switch Pro will launch within the first six months of 2023. In a now deleted tweet, Nate’s history of predicting the Switch Pro was called out but the insider quickly fired back suggesting that this call-out “will be odd” when the console is released in “first half of next year.” Considering the nature of the call-out, Nate must be pretty confident in their sources to essentially stake their reputation on the imminent release of the Nintendo Switch Pro. But nevertheless we still advise taking this prediction with a grain of salt. Until confirmed by Nintendo, the Switch Pro doesn’t technically exist and there is no guarantee that the console is being prepped for a release over the next few months. Of course, a Nintendo Switch Pro would make a lot of sense. The original Switch’s hardware is now more than five years old, and struggles to handle games designed for the PS4 and Xbox One. When it comes to matching the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the Nintendo Switch doesn’t even enter the discussion. The recent release of the Steam Deck has given the Switch further pseudo competition as well. It would be highly unlikely that a Nintendo Switch Pro could offer the same level of graphical fidelity and performance as the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but it could allow developers the extra wiggle room required to get visually taxing games onto the hardware. Plus, it would be great if a Pro model could give existing Switch games with performance issues a little boost. The Switch Pro would appear to be the logical evolution of the Switch range, which to date doesn’t include a model with any additional power. Furthermore, a release in the first half of 2023 would put it around 18 months after the launch of the Nintendo Switch OLED which feels like an appropriate gap. However, there is also growing suspicion that the Switch is reaching the end of its lifespan, and Nintendo’s next hardware launch will be the console’s full successor rather than a mid-generation refresh. Perhaps what started as the Nintendo Switch Pro will morph into a full Nintendo Switch 2. Read next: A new Nvidia leak seemingly confirms the existence of the Tegra239 SoC — widely rumored to be powering the Switch Pro
