A new and improved Nintendo Switch will reportedly launch next year

midian182

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Something to look forward to: Nintendo’s hybrid handheld/console device, the Switch, has proved wildly popular since its arrival early last year, but a new report claims the company is getting ready to launch a new version in 2019, one that will improve the original's weakest element: its display.

The news comes from the Wall Street Journal, which cites “suppliers” and “others with direct knowledge of the plan.” The revised Switch is said to arrive during the "latter half of 2019, perhaps as soon as summer."

"Nintendo is still debating what new hardware and software features to include in the upgrade and weighing the cost of the features," the WSJ reported.

The next-gen switch won’t be entirely different from its predecessor, sharing many of the original model’s features while being able to play the same games. The main changes will come in the form of upgraded components, one of which may be the screen.

The current Switch’s 6.2-inch 720p LCD screen isn’t great, but it could be improved in the next version. The WSJ writes that Nintendo will keep the 6.2-inch size but move to an LED display, which should offer a better-quality image—and possibly a 1080p resolution.

Nintendo has sold nearly 20 million Switches and almost 87 million games worldwide. But with sales now having plateaued, it’s not too surprising to see the company turn its attention to the next iteration, especially as the Xbox One and PS4 have both had mid-cycle refreshes, and Nintendo has been introducing multiple versions of its handhelds for years.

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Glad I have the 2 year replacement plan for Best Buy. I actually just had my Switch replaced as it stopped powering on randomly. It's honestly the best console I've owned in years.
 
I really like the Switch's screen. In a sense it's like a 10 out of 10, though I'm sure I would change my mind if an improved version of the screen was made available. But the point is that if it looks great at 720p, using less resources, then it should not be a priority.
 
Glad I'm still holding out.

You're missing out.

The display is very good. For many, the 720p is a better experience than running it on a TV at 1080p. Just about every game runs well at 720p. 1080? Not always (usually 3rd parties who don't do good ports).

This refresh should probably be seen in the light of what's been done with the DS. Doesn't seem like much will change -- or really needs to be changed. Another example would be like different refreshes of an Xbox or playstation. The difference in die size didn't impact gameplay for an Xbox 360.
 
"the original's weakest element: its display."
Seriously?
Not SOC, not the quality of plastic, but we need more than 720p for mobile gaming ...
Yeah, that makes perfect sense.

I'm with you 1080p is great but it needs an updated soc with a better gpu to push that res.

like " AMD's Ryzen™ Embedded V1605B with Radeon™ Vega 8 graphics" which is whats in the SMACH Z.
 
"the original's weakest element: its display."
Seriously?
Not SOC, not the quality of plastic, but we need more than 720p for mobile gaming ...
Yeah, that makes perfect sense.

I'm with you 1080p is great but it needs an updated soc with a better gpu to push that res.

like " AMD's Ryzen™ Embedded V1605B with Radeon™ Vega 8 graphics" which is whats in the SMACH Z.
That is a highly unlikely scenario.
My bet is on some faster SOC (maybe newer Tegra) - Nintendo will most likely go the way Xbox and PS did with full backward compatibility (PS4->PS4 Pro, Xbox One -> S -> can't remember the new one).
It's Nintendo after all - do not expect new, top-tier hardware, expect only good games.
 
The chipset is now an old process, 20nm TSMC. Would love to see them use at least 12nm TSMC.

An updated SoC in mobile mode could potentially run all the games at the docked higher resolutions. 12nm should be enough to lower the power consumption and heat down significantly.

This could also explain the rumours of a 1080p screen. I might actually consider a Switch with these kind of hardware revisions.
 
No need for 1080p screen, but lighter and thinner would be great. Also, I would trade up for a switch with longer battery life and more power. Keep the 720p screen res and use the extra power for docked mode and save batter in mobile mode
 
No need for 1080p screen, but lighter and thinner would be great. Also, I would trade up for a switch with longer battery life and more power. Keep the 720p screen res and use the extra power for docked mode and save batter in mobile mode

The switch currently does what 4 hours on battery?
 
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