Nintendo set to drop a more powerful Switch model next year for 4K(Rumor)

[Fatboi1]

Nintendo is planning to release an upgraded version of its popular Switch game console next year, according to reports in Taiwan’s Economic Daily News and Bloomberg. The new model will come out in early 2021, according to the Economic Daily News, which cited supply chain sources.

This could be the first serious performance upgrade to the Switch since its release in March 2017. Bloomberg says Nintendo “has looked into including more computing power and 4K high-definition graphics,” while the Economic Daily News mentions improved visuals. Nintendo did release two new Switch models last year, but they used a more power-efficient version of the original hardware to enable a smaller form factor and better battery life without notable performance improvements.


That Switch hardware is based around Nvidia’s Tegra X1 system-on-chip, which was first announced more than five years ago. Mobile processor technology has advanced a lot since, so there’s certainly room for a major Switch speed boost, but it’d likely require a new custom design from Nvidia. While the X1 did make it into Google’s Pixel C tablet as well as Nvidia’s own Shield set-top boxes, the company no longer makes general-purpose mobile SoCs for third-party manufacturers.

According to Bloomberg, the new model will be released alongside a stronger lineup of games, which could go some way to explaining Nintendo’s light software schedule this year. The company hasn’t announced any big titles for this holiday season, when much of the attention will fall on the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Nintendo does, however, have major titles still in the pipeline after being announced years ago, like Metroid Prime 4 and the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, so it may well make sense to promote them alongside new, more powerful hardware.

The Switch has continued to sell extremely well in 2020, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons driving millions of hardware purchases. Nintendo had sold more than 61 million Switch consoles as of the end of July, putting it within touching distance of the original Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System.

Nintendo reportedly releasing upgraded Switch next year

 

[Cᵣₐₛₕ&ₜₕₑCₒᵤₚ]

Glad I held off then the Switch platform still has years left it seems.​

 

[Rekkapryde]

fukk

 

[kdslittlebro]

Definite wait and see for me. Outside of BOTW my shyt has been powered off all year as is

 

[old pig]

I’m down to cop one

Nintendo Plans Upgraded Switch Console and Major Games for 2021

 

[King Sun]

Yeah this might be day one for me.

 

[CarltonJunior]

This doesn't do anything for me. Most of the switch games that run like shyt is running like shyt because of the devloper, not the hardware.

But it is interesting to see that Nintendo actually cares about power now

 

[-DMP-]

I know gamefreak shook. They been using them same DS assets for Pokémon for years, I think. Not gonna look good in 4K.

 

[the_FUTURE]

– New Switch will begin production as soon as Q4 2020 FY
– Will be geared to launch in Q1 FY 2021
– Macronix, Pixart, and Weltrend are included on the list of new manufacturers for the next-gen Switch
– New Switch will have better interactions/communications (transliterated as “more interactivity”), and will have a new display quality (which may refer to a more crisper output, not necessarily a resolution bump)
– Macronix is the manufacturer that produces the NOR Flash chipsets, used for storage media on the Switch
– Pixart is the manufacturer that will produce the next-gen Joy-Con controllers, including the hand gesture sensing
– Weltrend is the manufacturer that produces and designs the USB-PD on the Switch

they aren't releasing something that will kill the current switch and switch lite. they're trying fix the current issues the switch is giving right now. especially for the Joycons.

 

[old pig]

they aren't releasing something that will kill the current switch and switch lite. they're trying fix the current issues the switch is giving right now. especially for the Joycons.

I wonder if it’ll come with a pro controller

 

[the_FUTURE]

I wonder if it’ll come with a pro controller

they might just discontinue the current joycons at some point later this year.

 

[taker597]

I wonder what APU that they'll use then, because all of the newer mobile Nvidia APU are for machine learn and self driving with most of the graphics stripped out for AI.

 

[Bathing Ape]

If Skyrim had mod support on switch I would have been grabbed one

 

[MeachTheMonster]

fukk Nintendo

 

[kdslittlebro]

But it is interesting to see that Nintendo actually cares about power now again