Though Nintendo has repeatedly said it has no plans to release an upgraded Switch console, a “Switch Pro” or “Super Switch” so the rumours call it, the company does, apparently, plan on unveiling a new model of the current console with a bigger, brighter screen. Bloomberg reports that Samsung Display will begin mass producing seven-inch, 720p (the same resolution as the standard Switch and Lite sport) OLED screens for Nintendo in June, ready for shipment by July.
Nintendo’s giving its console a one-up
Bloomberg speculates that this is a move by Nintendo to keep Switch sales high amid new competition from the PS5 and Xbox One X, which makes sense considering it’s effectively a last-gen console with no Pro version set to release anytime soon.
The console was the linchpin of Nintendo’s 2020 earnings, with the company reporting its best financial quarter since 2008 this February. Nintendo plans to maintain its momentum this year.
Nintendo also plans to use rigid OLED screens instead of the flexible ones seen in mobile phones, which is good news for Samsung Display. The market hasn’t been hugely kind to rigid OLED displays, which have gone down in price thanks to an over-supply. Now Nintendo gets to extend the shelf-life of their console and Samsung Display gets to sell off their rigid OLED supply. Talk about win-win.