Kirby looking around in confusion.
Category:
Gaming

Nintendo Fans Are Joking About Their “Switch Pro” Disappointment

Easing the pain with humor, a Nintendo fan tradition.
Image of Dan Van Winkle
Dan Van Winkle
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Published: Jul 6, 2021 04:16 pm

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This morning, Nintendo finally officially announced its long-rumored upgrade to the Switch system, but the officially, bafflingly titled “Nintendo Switch (OLED Model)” fell short of the improvement a lot of fans were hoping for, and the venting of their frustrations online may just be the most fun part of the whole thing.

For a long time, people thought we were on the verge of getting a “Nintendo Switch Pro,” which was, among other things, supposedly equipped with the ability to output its graphics to a TV at 4K resolution. Far from a New Nintendo 3DS situation (the upgraded 3DS handheld revision that featured enough hardware improvements to play exclusive games that were too graphically demanding for previous 3DS models), or even a PlayStation 4 Pro situation, the OLED Switch is more analogous to the 3DS XL version of the Nintendo 3DS—simply featuring a larger screen at the same resolution.

That’s not the only improvement, but it’s certainly not exactly an inspiring one as the main change in the anticipated, which even led to “3DS” trending on Twitter due to that comparison, as well as “Vita” because Sony’s handheld console already sported its own OLED screen when it debuted back in 2011 in Japan. That’s just the beginning of what’s been going around online, though, with my favorite joke so far being this reference to a clip from the Super Smash Bros. Brawl reveal trailer, wherein Nintendo’s big names got more “realistically” detailed graphical makeovers from their Smash Bros. Melee incarnations, except for Kirby, who looked a bit confused to find himself unchanged:

Such is the fate of the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model).

There’s also, inevitably, a lot of talk about the “Joy-Con drift” problem that plagues the Switch’s standard controllers, which is, in itself, an entirely valid complaint no matter what the new Switch is like when the issue still inexplicably exists years into the console’s lifespan.

With Nintendo’s initial reluctance to even admit hat problem was real, let alone fix it in the time since, it seems unlikely this new edition will address that problem.

The jokes have even, of course, crossed over with the meme of the day:

And then, of course, there are logistical concerns when it comes to playing games like Smash Bros. Ultimate at tournaments, which involves using USB peripherals:

To be fair, though, I don’t own a 4K TV and would have no use for such an upgrade myself, and I’m guessing plenty of gamers on a budget are in the same boat. It’s possible a technologically beefed-up “Switch Pro” could not just introduce 4K resolution but improve other performance aspects on some games the way the PS4 Pro does, which would be nice, but I’m more focused on being glad that they didn’t go full New 3DS with it and wind up with some games that are only playable on a system that’s really just a half-step between console generations.

If, for instance, the Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel were to only be available to “Switch Pro” owners, I’d probably just wind up never getting to play it, rather than spend all that money for a slight upgrade on a console I already own—one that could very well see a proper sequel come supplant it in the next few years—just for that and probably a handful of other exclusive games. After all, the New 3DS only wound up with a handful of exclusive titles that the original 3Ds couldn’t play, likely because cutting down on potential customers by requiring an incremental hardware upgrade just didn’t make a lot of sense for most games, and on the other side of the coin, that was probably a huge bummer for people who did plunk down the extra cash for the new system with not many games they couldn’t have just played on hardware they already owned.

They certainly could have made a bigger upgrade without taking it that far, and I get why some people are disappointed—and especially appreciate all the jokes—but I also doubt I’m alone in being perfectly content with the Switch I have.

(featured image: Nintendo)

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Image of Dan Van Winkle
Dan Van Winkle
Dan Van Winkle (he) is an editor and manager who has been working in digital media since 2013, first at now-defunct Geekosystem (RIP), and then at The Mary Sue starting in 2014, specializing in gaming, science, and technology. Outside of his professional experience, he has been active in video game modding and development as a hobby for many years. He lives in North Carolina with Lisa Brown (his wife) and Liz Lemon (their dog), both of whom are the best, and you will regret challenging him at Smash Bros.
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