Opinion Switch

Is A Switch Pro Worth £400?

On Mar 25, 2021, by Jamie Sharp

I’ve already banged on about how necessary a Switch Pro is and isn’t on this site. Now though, we’ve had some new rumors courtesy of a Bloomberg reporter. Generally, I find that these rumors are salacious at best, but they also hold credence in most, if not all of the facts. I have no doubt in my mind that they’ll be met with outrage online though. In this article, I’m not going to give into that hate, instead, I’m going to talk about whether or not a Switch Pro, given all the details we allegedly have on it, is worth the hefty price of £400.

Let’s start with the advantages first. The device is said to have a 7-inch, 720p OLED screen. That’s pretty great, but if we listen to other rumors then it’ll also achieve 4K visuals when docked. It’s going to be equipped with DLSS, have a better CPU and much more internal memory, and even launch alongside a host of new games. I can believe that there will be some brand new releases alongside this console. Nintendo isn’t one to waste an opportunity, but those games could also be exclusive to this new version of the Switch. That isn’t so good.

Finally, let’s get to the main talking point. The price tag for this Switch Pro could be as much as $400. Given how consoles are generally priced around the world, it’ll be at least £400 in the UK too. To put this into perspective, the Switch Lite is £200, and the standard Switch models sell for roughly £300. This is £100 more, and it’ll probably cost more if you want any games with it. That’s not a good deal. I paid £400 for my original PS4 a few months after it launched, and that was the cheapest I could get it at the time.

Considering the 4K visuals, £400 does start to sound more attractive. It’s cheaper than a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. Still, if you’re only going to play this in handheld mode, as I will be, you lose that factor entirely. For me, £400 is way too much for a device like this. I’ll still want the new games, but locking them away under that price tag, mostly justified by a feature I won’t be using, doesn’t make me want to part with the better part of £500 for a new console and games.