Another new Switch model has been announced with improved battery life

Less than a week after the announcement of the Switch Lite, Nintendo has released confirmation of what appears to be the rumoured "Switch Pro". It takes the form of an updated model of the original console with a vastly improved battery life.

Depending on the software you’re playing, you can expect between 4.5-9.0 hours of handheld battery life. This is a huge upgrade over the 2.5-6.5 hours of battery you’d get from the original model. An example they give for the updated version is that you’ll now be able to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for around 5.5 hours without the need to charge, whereas the original model could only manage around 3 hours of play at best.

Outside of the improved battery life, the updated Switch looks pretty much identical to the original. It’s definitely not quite as ambitious as some had hoped, but the promise of playing 5 hours of uninterrupted Breath of the Wild is still tantalising.

You can expect this to retail for the same price as the original Switch (roughly £280), and it’ll be launching this August.

Alongside this announcement came news of new Joy-Cons. The latest colours include Blue/Neon Yellow and Neon Purple/Neon Orange. They’ll be priced at $79.99, which is pretty standard, and they’ll be available for purchase from the 4th of October.

Customize your #NintendoSwitch even more with these new Joy-Con colors – Blue/Neon Yellow and Neon Purple/Neon Orange. Available beginning 10/4 for $79.99. #MyWayToPlay pic.twitter.com/231TcnnTG2 — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 17, 2019

Reckon the improved battery life is enough to get you interested in buying this new model? As I said, the lack of other enhancements might be a little disappointing for some, but the battery concerns were probably the biggest thing a "Switch Pro" had to address, and this does just that.