New Nintendo Switch 2 release date, specs, leaks and rumors


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Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch in 2017, fans have been obsessed with what the Following console version will be, whether it’s the Switch 2, the New Nintendo Switch, the Switch Pro – or whatever.

Of course, the Switch has already been updated several times. We got a slightly modified version of the original with improved battery life, but also the portable-only Switch Lite and in October of this year the Switch (OLED) joined the lineup as well.

The OLED version is the console that many thought would have be a 4K capable Switch Pro, but it wasn’t. That’s not to say Nintendo doesn’t have a bigger upgrade in the works, and there are already reports that another The switch is on. Here’s what we know so far.

When will the Nintendo Switch 2 be released?

Nintendo Switch 2 rumors have been popping up steadily since the original Switch first launched in 2017, making it difficult to put too much stock into any specific dates.

The Switch Lite launched in September 2019, with the Switch (OLED) confirmed to follow in October 2021, so another two-year gap is pretty plausible – which would give us a new console in the future. fall 2023.

An upgrade could come sooner than that though. Following the announcement of the OLED upgrade, Tokyo-based games industry analyst Serkan Toto told Bloomberg that it’s possible Nintendo is already working hard on a “true upgrade” that could launch with or after Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 – itself is slated to launch in 2022.

“This new Switch feels more like an interim model than a real upgrade to me,” said Serkan Toto, Tokyo-based analyst. “It could be just a dummy upgrade until Breath Of The Wild 2 is ready and the component shortage is over next year.”

A more recent Bloomberg report, from September 2021, predicts the 4K Switch should be released “no earlier than the end of next year,” and cites anonymous developers claiming to be working on 4K Switch games to be released “in the course of or after the second half of Next year. “

How much will the new Nintendo Switch cost?

While we don’t know for sure, it’s highly likely that the Switch 2 or Pro would see a price increase over existing Switch models.

The regular model is priced at £ 259 / $ 299, while the OLED version is £ 309 9 / $ 349. If an upgrade comes with features like 4K support or more powerful graphics, expect it to cost more than either.

What will the Switch 4K be called?

An obvious question is What the next Switch will be. Many expected the Switch (OLED) to be called the Switch Pro, and it’s still possible Nintendo would use that name, or something similar, to indicate that the new model is more powerful, but still a part of it. from the same generation of consoles. Like the Switch (OLED), it could also simply refer directly to its new key specification and be called Switch 4K.

A more likely name refers to the company’s previous naming convention: the New Nintendo Switch. The company has used the ‘New’ mark on a few of its 3DS upgrades, so it might repeat the trick here.

If instead Nintendo sees this as a whole new generation, it could of course just be called the Switch 2. Another classic Nintendo move might be to call it the Super Nintendo Switch, but that seems a little bit to us. unlikely.

Finally, with Nintendo’s past, it’s just as likely that the company will abandon the Switch name altogether and go for something entirely new. The SNES and the Wii U are the only two home consoles to have borrowed the names of their predecessors, and only one of them worked. We may not be able to predict the name of Nintendo’s next console at all.

What will the specifications of the Switch Pro be?

While there haven’t been many direct leaks or specs rumors for the next Switch since the OLED model was announced, we still have a clue of what might be on the way. It is because so many leaks of before this launch indicated a very different device than what was revealed – suggesting that some of these leaks may in fact be for the next console to come.

Two previous reports from Bloomberg claim that Nintendo “has considered including more computing power and high definition 4K graphics” and cite several anonymous third-party game developers who claim that “Nintendo has asked them to prepare their games for 4K” .

These predictions were reiterated in Bloomberg’s September 2021 report, which claims that at least 11 game companies “ranging from large publishers to small studios” – including Zynga – already have 4K Switch development kits, which apparently had already been distributed by the time the OLED model was announced.

Zynga and Nintendo quickly denied the report, the latter Tweeter that “we have no plans for a new model other than Nintendo Switch – OLED model”.

Nintendo of course would have deny new console plans while it hasn’t launched the OLED model yet, as it wouldn’t want to disrupt sales of that hardware, so take any official statement here with a firm pinch of salt.

It’s worth clarifying that if 4K is included, it should only be for the console’s TV output – the portable screen remaining likely to stay at 720p or get a slight upgrade to 1080p.

A subsequent report from EDN claimed that Nintendo was looking to adopt a Mini LED panel supplied by Taiwanese manufacturer Innolux, which would help improve picture quality and battery life – no doubt the two priorities for the upgraded Nintendo Switch.

4K support could be powered by a new Nvidia chip that will use the company’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology, which uses machine learning to more efficiently render higher-resolution images. This will require support to be enabled in games, however, so don’t expect older Switch titles to support 4K output unless the developers take the time to fix it.

Other rumors are even older, but may still be relevant. The Switchbrew hackers dug into the firmware update 5.0 that was released to Nintendo Switch consoles in March 2018 and found something interesting: references to technology not included in the current console.

In firmware 5.0, references to a new T214 chip (which as the name suggests is a small improvement over the current T210 chipset) were discovered alongside references to an updated PCB (Print Circuit Board ) and upgraded RAM, 8 GB compared to the current 4 GB.

Nintendo is also considering next-gen designs. As Polygon echoed, Nintendo has filed an interesting patent related to Joy-Con in Japan, and it looks like it will tackle a pressure point on the current Switch. That pressure point is comfort over long periods of time in portable mode, and die-hard Switch gamers will know what we’re talking about here.

Nintendo seems to be aware of the issue and is planning to fix it with flexible and improved Joy-Cons. As shown in the image below from the patent, the new top third of each Joy-Con can bend, which should improve ergonomics over long periods of play. Of course, this does not confirm that these Joy- Updated Cons will hit the market someday, but it’s good to see Nintendo actively working on improvements.

What we want to see from Nintendo Switch 2

There might not be a lot of information online about the Nintendo Switch 2, but that hasn’t stopped us from thinking about what we’d like to see from the next-gen console. After a few years with the first-gen console, and given what we know is coming with the Switch (OLED), here are the biggest changes we’d like to see in the Nintendo Switch 2.

High resolution display and 4K output

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Nintendo Switch is the 720p screen; Sure, the console can output in Full HD 1080p when connected to a TV, but in an era when there are 4K smartphones on the market, surely Nintendo could have upgraded the screen to at least 1080p?

While the Switch (OLED) remains with a 720p display and a docked 1080p output, we would like the Nintendo Switch 2 to upgrade to a 1080p display and 4K TV output to really show off just how amazing Switch games like Zelda: BotW and Super Mario Odyssey see.

Then again, there is a balance between battery life and display quality, which brings us to our next point …

Better battery life

Nintendo Switch’s battery life is by no means bad, especially compared to gaming laptops, but it could always be better. There are a plethora of great Nintendo Switch power banks and handy accessories that will extend the console’s battery life, but these come at a cost; they’re heavy and bulky, and if they don’t attach directly to the console, it’s another accessory to carry.

2019 brought a slightly updated version of the Switch with small improvements in battery life, but the OLED upgrade doesn’t promise any further improvements. We would like to see something more substantial in the Switch Pro. Are we too greedy asking for 10 hours of playtime on a single charge? We do not think so.

Oh, and we would love to see the introduction of fast charging technology to speed up the recharge time and allow forgetful gamers to quickly charge the console before heading out.

More storage on the device

The Nintendo Switch comes with 32GB of built-in storage, which is upgraded to 64GB on the OLED model, both expandable via a microSD card. That’s enough for a few Switch games, but it’s nowhere near the capabilities offered by the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

We’d love to see more storage available on the Switch 2 – maybe not as much as 1TB, but 128 or even 256GB isn’t unreasonable – again, those numbers are pretty standard on phones now. This would allow gamers to store a large library of games without having to invest in a microSD card, which is essentially necessary with the first-gen Switch.

With storage prices dropping every day, we don’t see this as much of a demand, especially as the console appears in a few years.

Improved specifications

In addition to more storage, we would like to see a big improvement in terms of graphics output. The main downside to the Nintendo Switch is that it isn’t powerful enough to handle some of the biggest and best games available – and the ones coming to the console usually appear later than on other platforms. We imagine this in part because of the time it takes to properly optimize the game for the relatively fuel-efficient console.

Every Switch model on the market is powered by the 5-year-old Nvidia Tegra X1, and mobile processing has come a long way since this chip was developed. It’s about time Nintendo brought more powerful silicon into the Switch Pro.

An increase in graphics power would bring more high-end games to the console, speed up Switch versions, and generally make games look better, making them more appealing to a larger audience. Who doesn’t want that?


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About Jason Zeitler

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