Just as the final whispers about a Nintendo Switch Pro console had seemingly scattered into the wind, it comes back with a surprising vengeance. Not only that, but the almost-forgotten rumored device has been mentioned in the same breath as the PS5 Pro. Because the post comes from Tamakichi (@segamega99), who is widely believed to work as a retail buyer in the Japanese video-games industry, it has sparked a lot of discussion on forums and sites as to what it could all possibly mean. The tweet in question even ends in an appropriately highly ambiguous manner that can be machine translated as either “wow, you’re going to become a great manufacturer, a wholesaler” (Google) or “wow, manufacturer, wholesaler, I’m sure you’ll be a big fan of this” (DeepL).
If you don’t immediately discount this tweet as simply wishful thinking from the “uncle” (so called because of the common claim of people having an “uncle” that works at Nintendo, etc., providing them with leaked information), then it is open to many interpretations. It has already been reported that the PS5 Pro might appear in late 2024, which seems a long time to wait for a Switch successor. It is arguable here that either Tamakichi simply meant a revised PS5 console, such as the one expected to arrive with a detachable disk drive (PS5 Slim?) that could be unveiled before 2023 has finished, or it could be that the source really means Nintendo fans will have to wait until the end of next year to enjoy a next-gen Switch device release.
The same source has recently discussed the Switch 2/Switch Pro, stating that the next-generation Nintendo console will have “Zelda, Mario, and Splatoon at launch”. Yet again, this can be either interpreted as just stating what impressive IPs are already awaiting the future Switch or that new Zelda, Mario, and Splatoon titles are incoming. This is possible but unlikely, as opined by a report from Gameranx, reminding readers that Splatoon 3 was only released in September 2022 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is due on May 12 this year. This could also be a hint of backwards compatibility for the Nintendo Switch 2 or Switch Pro, but a follow-up tweet from the buyer uncle in regard to the release of next-generation consoles simply states “pending train”.
If you take the second translation from above, via DeepL, then it seems that Tamakichi is just opining that manufacturers and wholesalers are going to have a great old time when consoles like the PS5 Pro and Switch Pro come out, and there may be nothing further in it. Undoubtedly, both devices would fly off the shelves upon release, so it’s stating the obvious. But if this post is an actual leak from a Nintendo “uncle”, it’s also arguable that “Switch Pro” has been used as a placeholder as nobody is really sure what the next console from the Big N will be called. There are quite a few signs that gamers can look forward to new gaming hardware from Sony and Nintendo in 2023, but it might not end up being the revolutionary advance that most are hoping for.
Switch PRO
— Tamakichi???? (@segamega99) April 18, 2023
PS5 PRO
わーすごいすごい
メーカー、問屋
●●になるね。