The teasing of a new Switch variant has gone on for a long time, now we have some more concrete info to share. In a new report by Bloomberg, sources with knowledge of Nintendo plans have revealed more details about the oft-rumored Switch Pro. The upgraded version of the portable console will in fact feature a new version of an Nvidia SoC that allows for much better visual quality. The new Switch Pro SoC (System on a Chip) has been teased as having support for DLSS and much higher resolution.
Once the new console releases, there’s going to be a downside though, as the new console could cost $400 or more. The report suggests that the new portable variant is coming out sometime in 2021, although dates are not confirmed. According to the sources, Nintendo plans to release the console by the “year-end shopping season.”
Deep Learning Super Sampling (or DLSS), will be a huge visual upgrade to the 720p experience of the undocked console. It will likely be locked to the docked mode though, as the more intense power draw would absolutely drain battery life. Thanks to it likely being a new chip as well, we will likely see a bit better energy efficiency to compensate.
It’s unclear what the total price of the new product will be, as well as how much of an improvement it will offer for FPS in portable mode. If there’s not enough improvement, the $400 price point may not be worth it. It’s a fact that some newer games, like Hyrule Warriors, ran pretty poorly on the current hardware.
We do know a bit more about the unit thanks to other leaks and reports. The new console could get a bigger, 7-inch OLED display along with the new chip. It would be great to see an improved cooling system be integrated into the system, which might be possible with the larger screen forcing a larger body. We will have to wait and see if that comes to pass though.
