Rumors and potential leaks concerning a Nintendo Switch Pro have been a thing since 2018, shortly after the console launched originally. Gamers and various news outlets have been pushing the rumors for years, and they may have finally hit on something substantial. Until now, there has been little indication that the current Switch Pro rumor was anything more than that.
The newest filing concerning the Switch with the US FCC lists some interesting details that could suggest a major change in hardware, and thus gaming power, is coming. Check out the details of the filing below, and we’ll talk through them.
“This is to request a Class II permissive change for FCC ID: BKEHAT002, originally granted on 04/18/2017 and all its permissive changes. We changed the following points from the original model,” the letter says, with the changes listed as:
- Change of SoC
- Change of Memory
- CPU Board is changed due to the above two components
The change of SoC means that Nintendo may be working on a completely new chipset for the Switch Pro. For those that don’t know SoC (System On a Chip) is the term for a combined computing platform that handles all the tasks needed by the device. So rather than having dedicated processors for main CPU tasks assisted by another GPU chipset, the Switch combines all of that into one chipset that’s divided among the system tasks.
The aging Nvidia Tegra X1 that powers the current crop of consoles has long been rumored to be replaced by the newer X2, or possibly another chipset. The filing also shows that photos and plans for the new internal layout of the hardware revisions were also submitted. The listing also suggests a memory change, which could mean more system RAM being added too.
The FCC filing does list something very interesting. There is no mention of a major change in the shell of the console. “Since there is no change in shape of the enclosure and the component layout related to RF characteristics including the antenna between the original model and the new model, the SAR testing on the new model is not required and is waived,” says the filing. This would mean that the new Pro variant would look very similar to the current console, if not exactly the same. it will be very interesting to see how the cooling solution evolves for both the console and dock in the new variant.
Current rumors suggest that a Switch Pro could be coming as soon as Q1 2021, aligning it to more directly compete with the Xbox Series X and PS5. The new Switch is supposedly aiming to game in 4K, a current gold-standard for both console and PC gaming.
