KEY POINTS

  • A new leak may have revealed the release window of the Nintendo Switch Pro
  • The info came from an accessories manufacturer of the upcoming console
  • Nintendo has not yet confirmed that the rumored Switch Pro is in development

The global release details of the heavily rumored Nintendo Switch Pro have been revealed online and while it strongly goes against recent reports of the upgraded hybrid console being released this year, it somehow aligns with the previous comments made by a Nintendo executive about the worldwide chip shortage.

The supposed latest details about the global release window of the Nintendo Switch Pro came from a tweet of the YouTube channel SwitchUp. According to the tweet, Nintendo will not release the rumored upgraded hybrid console this year but instead would roll it out in 2022.

The information reportedly came from a Chinese peripheral manufacturer working on Switch Pro's accessories, which has been informed about the gaming system's 2022 global release details.

Over the past months, several industry insiders have claimed that the successor of the Nintendo Switch would debut this year. Even the renowned media company Bloomberg reported that the Switch Pro would go on sale as early as September 2021.

However, there might be some good reasons why Nintendo would release the console next year.

Since it hit stores in March 2017, the Nintendo Switch has become a huge global seller
Since it hit stores in March 2017, the Nintendo Switch has become a huge global seller AFP / Kazuhiro NOGI

It can be recalled that Nintendo President Shuntaru Furukawa said in a previous interview with Nikkei that the current shortage in semiconductors caused problems for the Japanese gaming giant.

According to the executive, Nintendo was "not able to produce all the products we want to." Releasing the new Switch Pro during a supply crunch while the 2017 Switch is still making impressive sales does not seem like a smart business decision.

It is also worth noting that it's almost the second half of 2021 but Nintendo has not yet confirmed that it is working on the Switch Pro. If there is a new gaming system arriving in 2021, the company may have already revealed some hints or clues about it in the early part of the year.

And if it is any indication, Nintendo announced that one of its major titles, "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2," will be launched in 2022. Therefore, releasing the Switch Pro next year with a major launch title makes a lot of sense.