The Switch Pro, or Switch OLED model as it’s formally known, has finally been unveiled,
and the worst-kept secret in gaming has officially been announced, confirming what millions of
Nintendo fans already knew.
Despite the many, frequent leaks of hardware specs for the new console upgrade, Nintendo’s
higher-ups have until now been adamant that such a device doesn’t exist.
In an investor Q&A released in English in March of this year, Nintendo president Shuntaro
Furukawa said: “With this release schedule for new hardware
and Nintendo Switch having just marked its highest sales in its fourth year on the market,
we do not have plans to announce a new model.”
Four months later, Nintendo revealed that they actually did have plans after all.
Surprise surprise.
So why the attempt at secrecy?
Why has Nintendo been so desperate to keep people from knowing about the Switch OLED
Model, to the point of actively misleading investors?
In December of last year, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser was asked about the
Switch Pro, which by then was already heavily rumoured.
He, of course, attempted to avoid the question.
He spoke about how, thanks in large part to the popularity of the Switch thus far, Nintendo
feels that the device is at the mid point of its lifespan, meaning it could easily keep
selling for another four years.
22 He said:
“We believe we’re changing the trajectory of another typical console life cycle…
“Right now, with the momentum that we have, our focus will be on the existing form factors.”
Nintendo is hesitant to mess with a formula that’s clearly working so well, and that’s
understandable.
The company has sold around 80 million Switch units worldwide, and just hit 20 million units
in Japan alone.
The breakdown of Japan’s sales also show that Nintendo’s efforts to diversify their
Switch offerings hasn’t yielded as much success as simply sticking with the standard
device.
Of the 20 million Switch consoles sold in Japan, over 16 million were standard Switch
devices, and less than 4 million were Switch Lites.
The Lite is by no means a failure, but it does make it clear that the Switch’s original
form is a big key to its success.
There’s a good chance that everyone at Nintendo is very hesitant to mix things up and potentially
damage the appeal of the console.
In four years on the market, Nintendo hasn’t felt the need to reduce the price of the Switch,
and throughout 2020 there were still regular stock shortages due in large part to the popularity
of games such as Animal Crossing – as well, of course, as some manufacturing delays, because
2020.
While the Switch remains as popular as ever, Nintendo has never been shy about revising
hardware to make improvements and to encourage the most dedicated of fans to upgrade.
These help to extend the lifespan of a device that might otherwise not prove as long-lasting
over time.
Switch Pro rumours have been bouncing around for several years now, and according to Doug
Bowser, this is in large part because Nintendo is constantly investing in research and development
for new hardware.
Bowser said: “We’re always looking at technology.
And as we know, technology is constantly evolving and changing.
And we’re always looking at what is coming to determine: How can it enhance and improve
the gameplay experience?
And whether that’s on a current platform, or whether that’s on a future platform,
we’re always looking at that.”
It's likely that the Switch OLED Model has been in some stage of development for several
years, but not part of Nintendo’s active plan for the immediate future.
Nintendo likely saw the success of the Switch, the momentum that the device was generating,
and realised that there was no immediate rush to improve on the base model.
Thus, the device underwent a minor refresh at the time that the Switch Lite was released,
giving it a slightly bigger battery, but Nintendo held off on a fully revamped console.
So why not come clean and tell fans that a new Switch was in the works?
Because of that momentum that Bowser references.
Nothing kills hardware sales quite like an indication that something newer and better
is coming.
If Nintendo announced the Switch OLED Model earlier, more consumers would have elected
to wait for the new model, and that would have caused sales to drop off.
The problem is that while Nintendo remained tight-lipped about the Switch OLED Model,
the company’s various business partners, including manufacturers, did not.
Thus, a lot of the Switch OLED Model’s details – such as its wider, more functional kickstand
– became public knowledge.
Meanwhile, other rumours relating to a potential 4k output led many Nintendo fans to get their
hopes up a little too high for the device, and employees at every level of Nintendo found
themselves being asked about a console that they weren’t in a position to discuss publicly.
Some, like Doug Bowser, attempted to dodge questions wherever possible.
Bowser is very good at changing the subject.
President Furukawa took a more direct approach.
In January of last year, he explicitly stated: “Please note that we have no plans to launch
a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020.”
In the past six months, though, Nintendo has found it more difficult to dodge the Switch
Pro question.
In May, a spokesperson simply stated: “There is nothing we can tell you about
production numbers and higher-end models.”
So, now, we’re at the point where Nintendo’s efforts to occlude the truth have borne fruit,
with the announcement of a new console update that everyone already knew was coming.
The moral of the story?
The truth is underrated.