So I have heard some controversy over the net about one of the latest Switch "Pro" rumors, and figured it could make for an interesting topic.  Please note this is NOT a prediction of if there is or is not going to be a Switch "Pro", nor is this a prediction what what screen the "Pro" might have.  This is a matter of what you would like to see, based on the rumors we have heard.

So we have hears reports of the Switch "Pro" having a 1080p screen while being a 1440p device when docked, with DLSS upscaling it to 4k.  So far, the realistic dock specs have been consistent so we will go with that for baseline power.  In handheld mode, we should probably expect 1080p to be the ceiling with fps usually being 30 fps (depending on demand, some could still be 60 fps).  In some cases, as seen in Bowser's Fury, the frame rate could even be 60 docked but 30 in portable mode.  This seems to be the one a lot of people have been hoping for, even if a few minor visual effects need to be scaled back in portable mode to hit that 1080p mark (as we have seen in the current model for a number of games).

However more recent rumors have come up regarding the screen, that suggests it is an OLED 720p screen instead.  This would still be a step up in visual quality due to the screen type, but it is not close to 1080p and this has some people upset.  However there are other things to think about than just resolution here.  With 720p now being the target, more games would be able to hit that 60 fps mark without a hit to the max resolution as that extra power could still be used to boost performance.  Furthermore it is possible, especially for 30 fps games, that visual cutbacks between docked and handheld modes could be eliminated.  This means that outside of resolution, you would have the same settings in handheld mode as you would docked mode with little to no issue.  So what we would be looking at here is lower resolution with better performance.

Now for me, I will take the 720p screen with better performance and visual settings personally.  I have always seen raw resolution as a bit overrated on a small screen, where pixels are much more condensed.  However frame rate is noticeable no matter the screen size.  To me, this decision is just solidifying top performance at all times while keeping the cost per unit as low as possible.  Even the Series S has been seen to drop below 1080p for 60 fps modes, so there is little doubt that the Switch "Pro" would end up in a similar spot anyway with a 1080p screen.

So lets hear what you think, and be sure to vote in the poll.  Also this is not about would be performance or graphical mode options that may or may not exist.  It is one or the other strictly for portable mode, based on the docked specs that line up with most rumors.

It very much depends on whether or not there is new hardware in the Switch Pro that can run games at Native 1080p. If there is a new SoC that can allow games to hit that, then I would like to have the option to run the games at 1080p or 720p instead of having Nintendo making the choice for me. But if there isn't a new SoC or the games can't hit the Native 1080p resolution, then I'd rather just have the 720p option as running at Native 720p on a 720p screen is better than upscaling 720p game to 1080p.

I am personally disappointed and hope that rumor is incorrect. I was looking at a Switch Pro in terms of developer complexity, and what the easiest way to get to a more modern 4K system would be. With last-gen, both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X added one additional tier: you had base PS4, then PS4 Pro. Pretty easy. With Switch, every game already has to target two tiers: docked and undocked.

With a Switch Pro, literally ANY type of update to the main SoC, in both CPU and GPU power, should easily be able to hit the current Switch's docked performance while in handheld mode, with maintaining (probably extending even) the battery life. So with that being true, it would mean that Switch Pro portable mode would be the same developer-target as current Switch docked mode. Or another way of putting it: if a game on Switch right now targets 1080p in docked mode, it would simply run in that same 1080p mode while portable on Switch Pro.

The Switch Pro would then add one more, actually new third tier for games to run in: docked, 4K output. I do believe this would be 4K DLSS of course, but other perks could come into play as well (higher resolution textures, etc.) while using it. NVIDIA's DLSS is amazing in games that support it, and that is precisely why it would work so well here: being part of the Switch Pro's main spec means of course that every game can utilize it to its full potential, and probably provide even better results than what we have seen on PC just due to console's more close-to-the-metal and fixed development platform.

But considering that current docked versions of games are more often than not sub 1080p for bigger games, and some more demanding games are dynamic with 720p being the ceiling...would aiming for current docked performance really be worth pushing sub 1080p resolutions on a 1080p screen?

I totally get what you are saying, like I said, I was thinking about Nintendo doing it in as simple a way as possible for developers. If you have a Switch Pro, it just runs all current Switch games docked modes as its portable mode. No need for any additional developer input. For unpatched Switch games, Switch Pro would run it the same while docked then as well. But then newer/patched Switch games could run in 4K DLSS in Pro docked mode.

That way, buying a Switch Pro would get you a upgraded experience no matter what: for people who play portable mostly, suddenly they are getting the graphics/resolution/performance that docked mode people were getting before. And primarily docked mode people (like me) can have a much nicer 4K experience.

Ideally I would like to see a 1440P OLED screen.. Unfortunately mobile technology hasn't reached a point where that is affordable in a handheld console.

Otherwise, give me a 1080P display... Which doesn't mean that games will operate at 1080P, but if a developer so wishes they can scale the resolution dynamically but maintain crisp 1080P text and UI.

I don't think 1080p at a 7 inch screen is a good idea, 720p should be enough is enough in pixel density term. You're gonna need bigger than 7 inches.

As for the biggest technical issue would be the battery life, 1080p consumes more power and it needs something better than OLED, well optimized CPU power efficiency and well crafted internal battery pack.

source:

Performance

540p 60fps with dlss go to 720p, beautiful in an Oled screen.

I predict it's going to have same basic SoC performance, and 4K DLSS upscaler for docked mode.
HDR color would go well with OLED. That's it, so no new performance profiles to fragment platform.