Nintendo will reportedly release an updated version of its popular hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch, in time for the 2021 holiday season. The news comes from Bloomberg’s Takashi Mochizuki and Sohee Kim, whose sources claim that the “Switch Pro” will feature a 7-inch, 720p-resolution OLED panel manufactured by Samsung (the current Switch and Switch Lite have 6.2-inch and 5.5-inch displays, respectively). Nintendo’s updated Switch model is also said to support 4K graphics output.
“Samsung Display Co. will start mass production of 7-inch, 720p-resolution OLED panels as early as June with an initial monthly target of just under a million units,” Bloomberg’s sources reported. “The displays are slated for shipment to assemblers around July, the people said. Representatives for Nintendo and Samsung Display declined to comment.”
“The latest model will also come with 4K ultra-high definition graphics when paired with TVs, they said. That could intensify a longstanding complaint of developers, who have struggled with the difference in resolution between handheld and TV modes and now face a bigger gap between the two.”
According to ResetEra insider NateDrake, the Nintendo Switch Pro’s 4K capabilities will be driven by NVIDIA’s deep learning super sampling upscaling technology, DLSS. He also believes that the updated Switch will be released in time for the holidays.
“Won’t really talk more about the tech specs than I have,” NateDrake wrote. “It has DLSS & it has 4k functionality. No reason to go deeper than that right now. That’s enough to illustrate the device is a meaningful upgrade. First party support with span the new hardware and current Switch for at least a couple of years. We were shown as much yesterday & I talked about it on my latest podcast.”
“A delay to 2022 would need to be communicated in the next few months, as dev kits and third-party partners begin to plan software for the device. As of this very moment (Feb 18, 2021), I believe the hope remains for a 2021 launch.”