Nintendo has plans for a small upgrade to the original Switch

[Cal Jeffrey]

Rumor mill: News of a Switch Lite seemed to semi confirm whispers from earlier this year that Nintendo was working on two new models of the hybrid console. While the rumored Switch Pro still remains elusive, a Class II Permissive Change Request filed with the FCC seems to indicate that the current model is receiving some upgrades.

On Wednesday, we reported that Nintendo is preparing to release a budget model Switch this September for $200. What slipped under the radar is that the flagship version is getting some upgrades as well — or so it would seem.

According to documents filed with the Federal Communication Commission, the Switch is getting a new processor, flash memory, and motherboard to accommodate the upgraded components. The change request does not go into specifics, so it is hard to say how significant the upgrades will be.

It is probably safe to say that storage capacity will be increased. As for the new SoC, Nintendo could just be replacing the old power-hungry Tegra X1 with the slightly more energy efficient chip it will be using in the Switch Lite or going with something a bit more powerful. It cannot be too significantly different since the documents are regarding the current model and not an entirely new generation of device.

However, an upgraded Switch along with the confirmed Switch Lite would confirm rumors that started circulating back in March that Nintendo had two versions of the handheld in the pipe for this year. Originally, the new devices were expected to be announced at E3, but Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa dispelled the idea saying that the company would have no new hardware to introduce at the show.

While this clearly is not the rumored Switch Pro that many are still crossing their fingers for, it is at least a small tweak showing that Nintendo is willing to improve upon and perhaps address some shortcomings of the current design.

Image credit: Wachiwit via Shutterstock

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80907-nintendo-has-plans-small-upgrade-original-switch.html

 

[Hardware Geek]

Pleasantly surprised that it will be $200. I know what the kids are each getting for Christmas now.

 

[Vulcanproject]

Tegra X1 in the original Switch runs at fairly low clocks. At least compared to the full potential of the chip as seen in the Nvidia Shield.

Moving this chip to a more modern manufacturing process would cut power consumption as well as allow higher clocks in both docked and portable modes. Games should run better if nothing else.

I expect this from Nintendo. They evolved the DS and 3DS hardware this way. Newer machines were faster albeit not generational leaps in performance.

 

[Hardware Geek]

Tegra X1 in the original Switch runs at fairly low clocks. At least compared to the full potential of the chip as seen in the Nvidia Shield.

Moving this chip to a more modern manufacturing process would cut power consumption as well as allow higher clocks in both docked and portable modes. Games should run better if nothing else.

I expect this from Nintendo. They evolved the DS and 3DS hardware this way. Newer machines were faster albeit not generational leaps in performance.

Similar to how Xbox released the one, the one S, and the one X. Or Sony with the PS4 and PS4 pro. Next gen systems from both vendors will be backwards compatible so it's just an evolution of those platforms as well.

Nintendo has been more innovative with ds, 3ds, Wii, Wii U, and switch, than Sony or Microsoft. Sure not all have been successful, but enough have that Nintendo is the company pushing the boundaries of gaming the most, with the weakest hardware too!