Rumor: cheaper Nintendo Switch may not have a dock function
More details have emerged of the revamped Switch consoles that Nintendo is likely to release this summer. According to Eurogamer sources, the cheaper model is sturdier and focused on handheld mode. The dock function may be missing.
According to Eurogamer sources, Nintendo wants to do something similar with the new Switch models as with the 2DS and New 3DS XL. Those two variants sprang from the original 3DS; the cheaper 2DS model lacks 3d functionality, the housing consists of one piece and is therefore sturdier. Nintendo would also like to make the Switch such a sturdier and cheaper variant, which, like the 2DS, would be suitable for young children, for example.
The cheaper model would be aimed at use in handheld mode. Perhaps that means that Nintendo supplies the variant without a dock or that a dock function is completely missing. It is not yet clear whether it is not possible at all to use an external screen. That would go against the basic principle of the Switch, which takes its name from the ability to use the console both as a handheld and in combination with a TV. However, with the introduction of the 2DS, Nintendo also made a major adjustment by changing the form factor and omitting the 3d functionality.
To make the new Switch variant cheaper, Nintendo would in any case delete functionality. The vibration function is reportedly disappearing. Eurogamer says it’s not clear whether that’s HD Rumble or the complete omission of vibration functionality. It may be that there is a vibration motor in the cheaper version, but that the controllers do not have the advanced HD Rumble vibration function.
The upcoming upgraded version of the Switch would compare to the current version as the New 3DS XL to the regular 3DS XL. That means more computing power is available. It is not yet clear whether there will also be games that can only be played on the new version. That is the case with the New 3DS.
Eurogamer has spoken to sources close to Nintendo. The website is known for its good resources in the game industry. The publication follows after The Wall Street Journal wrote a story on Monday about the arrival of two new Switch variants: a cheaper version and an improved version. The American newspaper relies on parts suppliers and game developers. The new Switch versions are expected in the summer; an announcement could be made at the E3 games show in June.
The current Nintendo Switch