The Best And Worst Part About The New Switch
The Nintendo Switch celebrated its fourth birthday yesterday, and you know what that means: it's old enough to talk back now, but only if you download a separate app on your smartphone. In all seriousness, though, the original Switch is getting up there in console years, and it seems Nintendo isn't content to let it age without giving it a bit of a refresh. A new report from Bloomberg has revealed that Nintendo is apparently planning to roll out a new Switch model in the future — one that could serve as a big upgrade. This new Switch could make things a bit trickier for developers, however.
According to Bloomberg, Nintendo is partnering with Samsung to outfit the new with a 7-inch, 720p OLED display. This is an increase in size from the current display, which only comes in at 6.2 inches. Sources also told Bloomberg that, "The latest model will also come with 4K ultra-high definition graphics when paired with TVs." This is an even more substantial upgrade — the current Switch can only output at 1080p when docked.
There are benefits to be had from these changes. Going with an OLED display could help increase battery life, as Bloomberg noted. And supporting 4K could finally help Nintendo catch up to both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X where resolution is concerned.
Bloomberg seemed to suggest, however, that developers may not be too keen on what Nintendo is reportedly trying to pull off. It wrote that those who make games for the platform "have struggled with the difference in resolution between handheld and TV modes." If the undocked Switch stays at 720p and docked mode gets bumped up to 4K, that would only serve to make this issue a lot more pronounced. Long story short: the new Switch could be harder to make games for.
There's no word yet on when Nintendo might announce the new Switch model, which some have taken to calling the Switch Pro or Super Switch. As Bloomberg reported at the start of February, Nintendo claimed it wouldn't be talking about a new Switch "anytime soon," seemingly leaving the door open for a later announcement. Perhaps there's a chance you could see the new hardware arrive in time for the 2021 holiday season. Some fans would undoubtedly like to see Breath of the Wild 2 come with it. At this point, unfortunately, Nintendo has yet to confirm the new version of the Switch actually exists.