The Nintendo Switch Pro has been rumored to no end. The sheer volume of chatter around the revision suggests that it’s real, even though reports vary on the details. Whether it leans into Nintendo‘s traditional design philosophy or strays in a power-focused direction, some new hardware is coming. However, regardless of what philosophy informs the device, it should not have any exclusive games — at least not from Nintendo’s first and second party studios. Instead, the option for exclusivity should be given solely to third-party teams.
After all, people buy Nintendo hardware for Nintendo games, and there are tens of millions of current Switch owners who will not upgrade to a Pro model. Those players should still have access to Nintendo’s exclusives. Splitting the player base would be a mistake, especially when that player base is so large and buys so many games. It would feel exclusionary and strange to limit access to limit Nintendo’s upcoming blockbusters.
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Naturally, any extra horsepower in the Switch Pro should be used to make Nintendo’s games look and play better on the Pro hardware. Similar to the handful of New Nintendo 3DS games that took advantage of that device’s extra power — like Hyrule Warriors Legends — the Switch Pro should become the definitive way to play Nintendo’s games. That said, unlike Hyrule Warriors Legends, the base versions should still run amicably. The Pro should offer an additive benefit over the base model, instead of featuring games that either arbitrarily or effectively require it.
Games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus would probably benefit from being exclusive to stronger Switch hardware, but that cannot become the status quo. The Switch Pro is not the Nintendo Switch 2, and conflating that could be a mistake. The sales momentum and success of the current Switch ecosystem should not be jeopardized by driving a wedge between base Switch owners, and Switch Pro owners.
While Nintendo will want to incentivize players to upgrade, the most equitable way to do that would be to make the hardware itself appealing. If Nintendo released a Switch with features like an OLED screen, Bluetooth support and other quality of life changes, that alone could sell the device. Those features, and a bit more power under the hood, would be perfect. Boosted frame rates and boosted resolutions would also be compelling as long as they don’t compromise the non-Pro experience. The point of a new Switch model should be to give the ecosystem new legs, not to wind up knee-deep in a controversy about the established user base being left behind.
That said, third-parties should be given the opportunity to release games exclusively on the new device. The Switch is so far behind its competitors from a technical perspective, which makes third-party ports of new games incredibly difficult. The Switch was already at a disadvantage when it was competing just with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S have expanded that power disparity. All of the goodwill Nintendo restored with its third-party partners could be jeopardized by the sheer scope of the power gap between systems.
While it isn’t ideal, Nintendo should offer the olive branch of exclusivity with the intention of building lasting partnerships with these developers. If the Switch Pro packs more horsepower, it could be the difference between the industry’s best non-Nintendo games hitting the Switch or skipping the platform.
Ultimately, the Switch Pro’s power increase will likely be marginal if history is any indication. However, every little bit helps. And, considering the rough state that games like Apex Legends have launched in on Switch, whatever power that can be extracted from the hardware should be. To be charitable to players with less powerful units, perhaps third party developers could even release their games natively for the Pro and through cloud streaming on base models. Allowing developers this combination could help Nintendo’s third party shortcomings by providing flexibility.
Nintendo’s relationship with third parties had dissipated into near-nothingness prior to the Switch generation. Nintendo is finally starting to mend some bridges, but the Switch’s specs don’t make that easy. The core of every Nintendo system’s library is its exclusives, and those should remain available to everyone, even when a Pro releases. But, if third-party exclusivity on the Pro is the only way to get key games that supplement Nintendo’s fare, then that strategy is worth employing.
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