Nintendo’s latest model of the Switch, the OLED model, got a relatively tame response from the gaming industry and fans. It was overshadowed by the specter of a hypothetical console, the Switch Pro, that would have been more powerful but for which there had always been tentative evidence. It appears Nintendo is trying to both head off potential speculation about another Switch Pro, as well as shut down rumors about the Switch OLED’s price point.
A recent Bloomberg report claimed that Nintendo’s new Switch OLED model cost about $10 more than the usual Switch to manufacture, and it’s being sold for $50 more in an attempt to increase the profit margins per unit. It also said that Nintendo was relying on the momentum created by the pandemic demand for their consoles to create enough interest that gamers will just pay the new price on the console.
Nintendo put out a statement today that didn’t name Bloomberg, but said, “A news report on July 15, 2021(JST) claimed that the profit margin of the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) would increase compared to the Nintendo Switch. To ensure correct understanding among our investors and customers, we want to make clear that the claim is incorrect.” Given that it was at least partly media reports that pumped up the hopes for a Switch Pro model that never actually materialized, I don’t blame Nintendo for choosing to refute this report specifically.
Another rumor that Nintendo has officially smacked down in a reply to the original tweet is the one that they’re still secretly working on the Switch Pro and will reveal it soon: “We also want to clarify that we just announced that Nintendo Switch(OLED Model) will launch in October, 2021, and have no plans for launching any other model at this time.” They’ve said that for a while, so this should come as no big surprise.
