When the Nintendo Switch OLED came out last year, most thought that this was the long-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro. True enough, the rumors about a mid-cycle upgrade to the Nintendo Switch have mellowed this year. But, this isn't to say there haven't been reports of a Switch Pro. Today, we came across arguably the biggest piece of evidence that a Switch Pro exists, or rather, existed.

According to one of Digital Foundry's latest YouTube videos, John Lineman revealed that a mid-gen refresh for the Switch "was" in the works, saying:

From what I can understand from talking to different developers is that there was some sort of mid-generation Switch update planned at one point, and that seems to be no longer happening.

Mid-cycle refreshes and ugprades have always been Nintendo's thing. However, after Sony and Microsoft came out with the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One X, respectively, most hoped for Nintendo to join the trend and release a Switch Pro or its equivalent. The portable console is currently struggling to keep up with current-gen competition, with games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet proving this.

It's hard to imagine that things will improve for the Switch. This is why Nintendo will have to address the growing concerns about the glaring need for a more powerful console to keep up with the market.

Having said that, the cancelation of the planned Switch Pro might explain the reason for the conflicting reports. Given new hardware isn't planned for the current fiscal year, Nintendo might be preparing for a successor to the Switch instead. If we're lucky, we'll be able to get our hands on a new and more powerful Nintendo console by March 2024 but don't bet on it just yet.

If nothing else, the Switch came out in 2017, 4 years after the Xbox One and the PS4 hit the market. A 2024 release date for its next console would fit with the same timeline.