Nintendo Switch Pro Could Be Announced Prior To E3 - Report

Update: Nintendo has officially confirmed a Switch OLED model, though the announcement came after E3. It releases on October 8 for $350.

The long-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro will, according to a new report, finally be revealed in the near future and release this year, and the announcement could be coming ahead of E3 2021. This upgraded Switch will reportedly offer 4K support and come equipped with a 7-inch OLED screen, and it will sell for more than the $300 price tag of the standard system. Moreover, it could replace the existing standard Nintendo Switch system currently being sold.

This information comes from sources speaking anonymously to Bloomberg, and then corroborated by Eurogamer's own unnamed sources. [Update: If such an announcement is coming soon, it almost certainly will happen before E3, as the reports suggest. Nintendo has announced its Nintendo Direct for E3 2021, and it specified that it will be focused on showing off games. That doesn't preclude a Switch Pro from being revealed in the coming days, but that event apparently won't be home to the reveal of a new piece of hardware.]

According to Bloomberg, Nintendo will begin assembling the new Switch model in July and then release it in September or October. Production will press on despite ongoing semiconductor shortages, it seems. The system will reportedly cost more than $300, which is what the original Switch currently sells for.

Regarding the price point, the report said the cost of "pricier components and rising labor costs" in China, where the systems are assembled, will be passed on to the consumer.

The system will have a 7-inch Samsung OLED display (up from 6.2 inches for the original model) and it will sport a "faster" graphics element from Nvidia, according to Bloomberg. The unit will reportedly be capable of outputting at 4K when in docked mode.

As for the announcement, Bloomberg said it could be revealed before E3 2021, which begins in just a few weeks on June 12. The idea, according to the report, is for Nintendo to announce the system ahead of the show, which would then give developers an opportunity to discuss how their games are using the upgraded power themselves at E3 2021.

Eurogamer separately reported that Nintendo will hold its own E3 2021 digital event during E3 week where developers could announce games for the new model. As always, plans can change and nothing here is set in stone.

The $200 Switch Lite model will stay in circulation when the upgraded Switch model releases, according to Bloomberg. However, the original model (which continues to retail for $300) will reportedly be phased out.

What this new system will be called is unknown--Bloomberg said only a "handful" of people inside Nintendo even know its name. It's been colloquially known as the Switch Pro or Super Switch online since rumors first emerged about the upgraded console.

A spokesperson for Nintendo declined to comment when approached by Bloomberg. GameSpot has also reached out to Nintendo in an attempt to get more details, although it's unlikely to share anything ahead of a planned announcement.

In other E3 news, Microsoft just announced the date of its summer showcase--Sunday, June 13. It will be a joint broadcast with Bethesda, which Microsoft acquired this year.