New Switch model with 7-inch OLED and 4K support reportedly arriving this year

[midian182]

Rumor mill: The Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console of 2020 and remains incredibly popular, but that isn’t stopping the Japanese firm from releasing a successor this year. According to a new report, this new device, possibly called the Switch 2, Super Switch, or Switch Pro, will feature a larger OLED screen and support 4K resolutions when connected to a TV.

Since launching four years ago, The Nintendo Switch has sold over 80 million units worldwide, passing the 3DS family on the best-selling consoles of all-time list. It may have already beaten the Game Boy Advance family (81.5 million) and is closing in on the Xbox 360’s ~84 million sales.

Despite the Switch’s continuing success, talk of a Pro model has been around for a while. Some analysts thought it would arrive last year, though Nintendo confirmed it wouldn’t land in 2020. We’ve heard rumors that 2021 will see a Switch successor, possibly called the Super Switch—an homage to the Super Nintendo, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year.

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the plan, writes that Samsung will start production of 7-inch, 720p OLED panels for the new Switch model as early as June, with shipments to assemblers set for July. The current Switch measures 6.2 inches, while the Switch Lite is 5.5 inches.

The introduction of an OLED screen could see the device follow in the footsteps of smartphones and increase the refresh rate from its current 60Hz, improving the gaming experience. It should also consume less battery and have a higher contrast.

Something we’ve repeatedly heard is that the next Switch will support 4K resolutions when docked with a television.

If a new Switch does arrive this year, it will doubtlessly be affected by the global chip shortages that are set to last into 2022. Don’t be surprised if it’s as difficult to buy as every other new tech product right now.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/88817-new-switch-model-7-inch-oled-4k-support.html

 

[Theinsanegamer]

My question, will this also have a full lifespan, or will this be like the DSi and new 3DS where there were only a handful of games that could take advantage of the newer hardware before the switch 2 comes out in a few years?

Or is this the switch 2?

Also what about backwards compatibility? And save games? Right now you have to subscribe to their cloud service to move save games, that increases the price of the console for anyone who doesnt actively subscribe already.

 

[Thretosix]

I've read elsewhere that it will use Nvidia's DLSS AI upscaling to achieve 4K, which makes perfect sense as the original Nintendo Switch is using a custom Nvidia Tegra processor. The newer GPU/CPU SOC would likely use newer technologies used in the Ampere GPUs from Nvidia. Though we all know how the supply for the graphics cards are having issues, it makes sense that they don't want to jump the gun on any announcement until they can secure that the supply chain will be capable. Not that Nintendo has had the best track record for supply to meet demand. This is essentially what I've been waiting for since the initial release of the Nintendo Switch, I can't wait for it to release. It is inevitable at some point. I will be hawking the pre-sale of this device.

 

[EdmondRC]

I believe Nvidia is working on an Ampere based SOC called Orin. It supposedly has 2048 cuda cores and would likely run sub 1Ghz in a handheld system. Still there would be potential there for about 3TFlops (over 3X more powerful than the NS), combined with DLSS 2.0 that could be a real game changer for Nintendo. I don't know if Orin would make it into this NS upgrade or not, but it is an exciting prospect, GTX 1650 level graphics from a handheld console with DLSS to boost frames and allow 4K upscaling. Nintendo can also make DLSS support mandatory (something Nvidia would love to do for PC), so that would be impressive for a handheld. Of course, if games are still required to run on the NS, that is still going to make it difficult for ports of PS5 and XSX games to land on it in the future.

 

[Stoly]

So how many times has the "Switch Pro" been "announced" by now?

 

[Puiu]

My question, will this also have a full lifespan, or will this be like the DSi and new 3DS where there were only a handful of games that could take advantage of the newer hardware before the switch 2 comes out in a few years?

Or is this the switch 2?

Also what about backwards compatibility? And save games? Right now you have to subscribe to their cloud service to move save games, that increases the price of the console for anyone who doesnt actively subscribe already.

What new hardware? It's the same console with a larger screen (same resolution) and support for 4K output (not necessarily 4K gaming). I doubt we'll see a better SOC for it (and if it is slightly better we'll at most see higher resolutions since some games tap out at 540p).