What we really want on a Nintendo Switch Pro

Rumors of a much-wanted Nintendo Switch update have been around for some time, and this week, Bloomberg reported that this fabulous new switch may actually arrive soon.

This upgraded switch will apparently have a 720p 7-inch OLED screen that can produce 4K graphics when connected to a TV, according to the report. An OLED screen would be a major upgrade to the Switch’s LCD and Switch Lite, probably providing deeper colors and darker blacks. And the 4K output would also be a big leap; the current switch now reaches 1080p resolution when connected to a TV.

But many of us here in The Verge I still like our existing Switches a little bit, even those of us with the launch model that debuted four years ago this week. The changes we call for are not necessarily an OLED screen or additional performance. (In fact, it can be annoying if the added power led to exclusive Switch Pro games, such as when Nintendo launched the New Nintendo 3DS.) And while longer battery life is always appreciated, we hope it just doesn’t fall below the bar. that Nintendo established with the Switch v2 review.

Here is our list.

Best Joy-Cons (and more colors)

The Joy-Con controllers on the Switch, while a creative design that offers more ways to play on the console and a practical way to get two controllers in each box, they have notoriously unreliable control buttons, with many users reporting joystick deviation problems over time. Nintendo said little about what appears to be a widespread problem, but the company implemented a free repair policy in 2019 for users with problems. Nintendo also did not use the releases of Switch Lite and the second revision of the current Switch to fix drift problems, so they are still in progress – this could be another chance for Nintendo to fix.

Other changes could simply make Joy-Cons controllers better. Placing a real directional pad on the left Joy-Con, similar to the directional pad on the Nintendo Switch Lite, can make platforming and fighting games much easier than crushing the current four-button design on the left Joy-Con. Slightly larger shoulder triggers can make the switch easier to hold in your hands. And I would really like more colors – maybe Nintendo could offer a similar way to the Xbox Design Lab to decorate my switch and its Joy-Cons when I buy it?

Bluetooth headset support

Using Bluetooth headsets with your switch is surprisingly difficult: you need to buy and connect a third-party Bluetooth adapter to the headset connector, the USB-C port on the console, or the switch’s docking station. (Although Joy-Cons use Bluetooth, the Switch never came with Bluetooth audio support.)

The demand for Bluetooth audio was so strong that a homemade third-party adapter industry emerged – just search for “Nintendo Switch Bluetooth Adapter” on Amazon to see some of the many offers available. But even if you buy it, most of these dongles get strangely stuck in the console’s USB-C port, requiring you to remove them for charging, and some look like they can break if you’re not looking out.

A switch with native support for Bluetooth headsets can be particularly good for playing in bed, without the need for an extra dongle or wired headphones.

A feature similar to a quick summary

We really like Quick Resume on Xbox Series X / S, which allows you to switch between games without having to restart them from scratch before returning from where you left off. We think the Switch would really benefit from a similar feature, especially since it has so many games that you can play for a few minutes at a time. Imagine skipping a visit to your friend’s house Cross between animals island for one Hades run for a quick fight in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, all without having to wait for games to start cold each time – it looks great, right?

1 Border editor would also very much like not to have to find a save point in his JRPG every time his partner wants to fix his Cross between animals Island.

Better support

Support for the current switch seemed like a good idea at first, but in practice, it’s not as useful as we expected. It is small, unstable, just fits at an angle and, frighteningly, it comes off quite easily (although it is easy to put back). This means that the bracket works best on flat, static surfaces at just one angle – which hasn’t been very good for many situations where we really wanted to put the switch on its feet, such as on an airplane or in the back of a car.

One thing that many of us really want is for Nintendo to fix this with greater support, in the Microsoft Surface style. This would not only make the console much more stable while standing, but it could also be adjusted to many different viewing angles, which could be very useful for things like the back seat Mario Kart races.

Glass screen and smaller bezels

The current switch has a plastic screen that scratches easily – many Border employees immediately put cheap tempered glass screen protectors on their consoles to prevent permanent scratches. Many of us hope that Nintendo will add a glass screen to this new model that is more resistant to scratches, so we don’t need to add ours.

A larger screen means that we’ll see smaller bezels too, which would give the console a more premium feel. The current switch has giant black bezels that reveal how much space it could will still be populated by the screen. And if you’ve used the Nintendo Switch Lite, even though it has a smaller screen, the settings are not as prominent either, which makes the Lite’s smaller screen size less obvious.

An updated dock

The Switch’s current dock works well enough – it gives the Switch a place to charge and helps the console connect to the TV – but we’d like it more if it were smaller, had magnets to make the Switch a little more secure and a built-in Ethernet port, since connecting a USB-A to Ethernet adapter to get wired internet is an awkward solution.

A good name

Nintendo is not exactly known for easy-to-remember hardware names. This is the company that meant an entirely new generation of console with the letter U, launched a handheld called New Nintendo 2DS XL and launched a smaller version of the Switch that cannot really “switch” at all.

While it seems likely that Nintendo will just call you “Switch Pro” or “Switch Plus” or perhaps “Super Nintendo Switch” for fun, we thought about also proposing some names that Nintendo can throw in the trash now:

Nintendo Switch Max
New Nintendo Switch i XL
Nintendo Switch VII Remake Intergrade
Nintendo Switch HD 2.8 Final chapter prologue 358/2 days χ[Chi] øø ™
$ witch
The SwitcherU
2 Nintendo 2 Switch
Nintendo Swiitch
Nimtenbo Swantch
Nintendo Switch 3 (+ months between game releases)
Swii

Netflix

The Nintendo Switch, which turned four this week, does not yet have a Netflix app. Perhaps the potential power of a 4K-enabled switch means that we will finally be able to watch Bridgerton.

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