November 25, 2024

Nintendo Switch 4K report denied by Nintendo — but we’re not buying it

September 30, 2021 f_admin Switch 0

Nintendo has swiftly denied a report that it has been working on a Switch 4K, just days ahead of the launch of the new Nintendo Switch OLED.

When the OLED model was unveiled, many Nintendo fans were left disappointed that it didn’t include the strongly rumored 4K support. However, the Bloomberg report claims it had initially been on the cards, and that no fewer than 11 games makers around the globe are in possession of 4K toolkits supplied by Nintendo.

Eleven different sources would seem to be pretty conclusive that this is (or maybe was) part of Nintendo’s plans. And yet the company wasted no time at all in putting out a strongly worded denial on Twitter killing any lingering hope of an imminent Nintendo Switch Pro in its tracks:

We also want to restate that, as we announced in July, we have no plans for any new model other than Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, which will launch on October 8, 2021. (2/2)September 30, 2021

So what’s going on here?

While it’s certainly possible that 11 different sources have been misquoted or are misinformed, it’s worth looking closely at the language of the denial. It merely denies that Nintendo “is supplying tools to drive development for a Nintendo Switch with 4K support.” It does not deny that this is something it has ever done.

Equally “we have no plans for any new model other than Nintendo Switch — OLED Model” is not the same as saying “we have never planned a 4K Nintendo Switch.”

This may seem like petty semantic quibbling, but it could very well be significant in explaining quite how forthright the company can be. Note that Nintendo highlights “our investors and customers” as people they’re trying to communicate with in the tweet. Nintendo customers keen to get the latest and greatest Switch may be put off by word of a possible follow-up in the works and that, of course, is bad news for the aforementioned investors.

Of the 11 companies Bloomberg reportedly heard from, only one was named: Zynga. After the piece was published, it was updated with an official denial from Zynga’s Sarah Ross, who said: “To clarify, Zynga does not have a 4K developer kit from Nintendo.” Again, without sounding like a stuck record, this isn’t the same as saying it has never been in possession of one.

In any case, whether the Switch Pro never existed or was simply cancelled, the result is the same for gamers: there is no 4K version coming any time soon, so the OLED model is as good as you’re going to get.

Our full review is coming soon, but in the meantime our Nintendo Switch OLED hands-on preview should give you a taster, while you decide whether to buy the current model or wait for the update.