{"id":97352,"date":"2019-07-27T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/07\/soapbox_should_i_wait_for_switch_pro_or_is_the_new_switch_sku_worth_an_upgrade"},"modified":"2019-07-27T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-27T13:00:00","slug":"soapbox-should-i-wait-for-switch-pro-or-is-the-new-switch-sku-worth-an-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/07\/27\/soapbox-should-i-wait-for-switch-pro-or-is-the-new-switch-sku-worth-an-upgrade\/","title":{"rendered":"Soapbox: Should I Wait For Switch ‘Pro’ Or Is The ‘New’ Switch SKU Worth An Upgrade?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
\"Nintendo<\/a><\/figure>\n

The long-rumoured Switch Lite<\/a> is taking Nintendo\u2019s hybrid console concept, dumping the \u2018hybrid\u2019 bit and going full \u2018PlayStation Vita\u2019. Leaving aside the fact that you should never go full<\/em> PlayStation Vita (can we expect Nintendo to swiftly pull all support, disown the console and leave it to third parties to fill it with saucy visual novels?), the announcement was met with enthusiasm from many, although it\u2019s personally not for me and introduces enough caveats to dissuade me from an impulse purchase. The bezel\u2019s a bit too thick, the colours too conservative, not to mention the fact that it doesn\u2019t \u2018Switch\u2019 anymore.<\/p>\n

Switch Lite simply sacrifices too much of what I love about the Switch. The current screen size feels perfect already, and while the console isn\u2019t pocket-sized, you wouldn\u2019t catch me throwing it in with my keys and loose change anyway. Add to that the fear that those analogue sticks may be no better than their Joy-Con counterparts<\/a> and it\u2019s an easy pass (unless that Game Boy livery<\/a> became official \u2013 then I\u2019d have to reevaluate). For now, the original SKU is still the one for me.<\/p>\n

\"Old<\/a>
Old vs ‘New’.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Or is it? The Switch Lite announcement was soon followed by news that the standard Switch is also getting a revision<\/a> on the quiet which will improve the unit\u2019s battery life. This, too, had been rumoured, but I\u2019d assumed the improvements would be negligible and the primary reason for the update would be to close the security holes in the original chipset<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But no \u2013 battery life is significantly improved on this upcoming model, jumping from the old minimum of 2.5 hours (when you\u2019re really gunning it on a power-hungry game) to at least 4.5 hours. According to Nintendo\u2019s estimates, playing something less strenuous with WiFi off and the brightness low should get you a whopping 9 hours<\/em> of gameplay from a single charge, up from 6.5 for the current model.<\/p>\n

\"Battery<\/a><\/figure>\n

According to the specs, the battery seems to be unchanged, so we can assume that the revised \u2018Mariko\u2019 version of the Tegra X1 chipset<\/a> reportedly buried in the Switch Lite\u2019s smaller case (enabling cooler running and thus its smaller form factor) is being put to work in this regular Switch update.<\/p>\n

Now, don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 I\u2019m very happy with my Switch. It\u2019s by no means perfect (as evidenced by the various Joy-Con issues and other warping quirks<\/a> of the hardware that many have encountered), but what launch hardware is<\/em> perfect? Early adopters inevitably end up with hotter, noisier units than those who wait a year or two for a revision to filter through the manufacturing pipeline, but that\u2019s the price of jumping onboard on Day One. Its pick-up-and-play nature fits in with my life far better than a conventional home console \u2013 I\u2019d love to play more Forza Horizon 4<\/strong>, but the last four times I\u2019ve sat down for a half-hour blast, my brief window of opportunity was stolen by interminably long mandatory updates.<\/p>\n

Nope, minor issues aside, my Switch is holding up remarkably well. However, the promise of a shiny new unit with a hefty jump in battery life is very tempting, especially if it runs cooler and potentially avoids some of the issues that have befallen colleagues\u2019 systems<\/a> at Nintendo Life Towers. My Switch gets mighty hot in that dock sometimes and after over two years of heavy use, a refresh is an attractive prospect. I’d also get a fresh pair of Joy-Con, which should keep me from having to crack out the tri wing screwdriver<\/a> for a few months at least.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s perhaps worth mentioning that I\u2019ve got form in this area; I owned three 3DSs over the course of that system\u2019s life, starting with Aqua launch unit, upgrading to a red and black XL before finding the happy medium with a New 3DS. I could easily have gone for a fourth<\/em> had I found the beautiful SNES-themed New 3DS XL for a sensible price.<\/p>\n

\"Three3DSs\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Each of those upgrades represented something substantial, though. A HAC-001(-01) Switch isn\u2019t cosmetically different in any way from my current console, and it almost certainly won\u2019t offer performance improvements beyond better thermals and battery life. I know all this, but still\u2026 new hardware! The obvious answer is simply to wait for the inevitable \u2018Pro\u2019 variant and ignore this \u2018silent\u2019 internal revision, but there\u2019s another factor clouding the issue: Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Arriving in March, it\u2019s highly likely that several family members will take the plunge into the Switch pool for Animal Crossing alone \u2013 no fewer than three of them bought a 3DS just to play the last entry in the series. The Switch Lite will be the cheapest option for them, but the ability to throw the game on the TV and share it by snapping off the Joy-Con is a novelty I think would go down very well. Then again. dropping another hundred notes might be too much of a deterrent.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for all involved, I am here to selflessly \u2013 gallantly<\/em>, even \u2013 offer another way to share the joy(con). For argument\u2019s sake, say I sold one of them my used Switch for the price of a Lite; a bargain, I\u2019m sure you\u2019d agree. I could then make up the rest to get a shiny ‘new’ Switch with the most modest of upgrades. More to the point, my tragic gamer self would have that most valuable thing: peace of mind that I\u2019ve got the \u2018best\u2019 SKU going.<\/p>\n

\"He<\/a>
He knows what he’s doing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I know, I know \u2013 you\u2019re all thinking I\u2019m crazy and I should just sit tight for a true revision. I imagine, though, that there\u2019ll be some readers in a similar position. After all, I wasn\u2019t the only one to buy three 3DSs, and I dare say there are a bunch of people out there that bought even more. Those readers will be itching<\/em> to find a way to upgrade to the new SKU and take advantage of its extra battery life, stretching<\/em> to justify a purchase that, on paper, simply isn\u2019t worth it. You people understand me. Sure, the \u2018Pro\u2019 is likely coming next year, but that\u2019s next year \u2013 what about now?!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a poser. My head and my heart are going in opposite directions. Of course, it\u2019s inevitable that I\u2019ll pick up the Switch \u2018Pro\u2019 when that comes along, too, so this stopgap \u2018upgrade\u2019 is even less meaningful. And has the current model\u2019s battery life ever been a real issue for me? Probably not, but let\u2019s not cloud the decision with inconvenient things like \u2018facts\u2019! The probability is that my heart will win out and I\u2019ll end up opening up a brand new-old Switch when they roll onto shelves August-September time. Whatever I decide, Nintendo wins. Clever girl<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Will you be upgrading your standard Switch to the ‘new’ SKU? (68 votes)<\/h3>\n
\n

Oh yes \u2013 that extra battery life makes it worth it<\/h4>\n

12%<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Maybe, if I trade in my current Switch or offload it on an unsuspecting family member…<\/h4>\n

21%<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Nope, I’ll sit tight and see what’s on the horizon<\/h4>\n

68%<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Please login<\/a> to vote in this poll.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The long-rumoured Switch Lite is taking Nintendo\u2019s hybrid console concept, dumping the \u2018hybrid\u2019 bit and going full \u2018PlayStation Vita\u2019. Leaving aside the fact that you should never go full PlayStation Vita (can we expect Nintendo to swiftly pull all support, disown the console and leave it to third parties to fill it with saucy visual […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97352\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}