Originally filed in May 2018 and registered in April 2020, the patent shows a controller that’s highly similar in shape and layout to the existing Joy-Con found on the original Switch.
While this isn't a 4K console just yet, it's possible that the dock could be used in some minimal upscaling capacity down the line, or for a 4K Switch Pro when it eventually launches.Ī newly discovered patent (via VGC) suggests that some standalone Joy-Con controllers have been considered by Nintendo.Ī newly-discovered Nintendo patent suggests that the company may be planning to release a new form of Joy-Con style controller. The Switch OLED dock, contains a Realtek chip that could be 4K capable, which is new to this console – though it could be tied to other features like improved audio or Ethernet capability instead.
For one, the console ships with an HDMI 2.0 cable – instead of the 1.4 standard used by the regular Switch – which should enable 4K passthrough from the dock, or even HDR. With the Switch OLED's launch, some of the changes from previous consoles have started up speculation that 4K capability could be hidden right under our noses. If true, that means we shouldn't expect a Nintendo Switch Pro or a Nintendo Switch 2 before March 2023. Spotted by Bloomberg journalist Takashi Mochizuki on Twitter (opens in new tab), he advised that it's unclear if Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa was being interviewed or Nikkei’s own reporting. Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei has reported that Nintendo will not release any new hardware this fiscal year. Nintendo Switch Pro: news and rumorsĭon't expect new Nintendo hardware this fiscal year With that in mind, we're still taking all of this with a pinch of salt.
Of course, there’s been no confirmation from Nintendo itself that a new Switch is on the cards and, in fact, Doug Bowser has made comments very recently that suggest there might not be for some time. The claims of some kind of 4K support do line up with the many other reports from the past year which claim that an upgraded Switch capable of 4K is on the horizon.
Rather than being within the Switch tablet, they think that it “might be inside a new dock and not inside the tablet, though, there’s no way to tell from the firmware code yet.” They also say that the tablet itself will have an improved OLED screen, though what resolution it’ll offer is still unclear. However, SciresM also claims that there are references to support for a Realtek chip which is a “4K UHD multimedia SoC”.
If a new Switch console did have 4K capability, we imagine it'd be in docked mode, with handheld mode offering a slightly-boosted Full HD (1080p) display.Įlsewhere, a data miner known as SciresM has claimed (via Wccftech (opens in new tab)) that they have found reference to a new Nintendo Switch model within the Switch’s latest firmware update, codenamed 'Aula'. Reportedly, this hardware uses the same chip as the Nintendo Switch Lite and 2019 Switch model, the Mariko (Tegra X1+) SoC. The original Switch and Switch Lite consoles use an HD (720p) LCD screen, though the Switch OLED naturally uses an OLED option. According to a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News (opens in new tab), the still-rumored Switch Pro model could sport mini-LED screens supplied by Innolux, a well-known manufacturer in the field. Some rumors suggested we may see a mini-LED display replace the current LCD screen. It's worth noting though that Bloomberg's report most notably corresponds with a recent reports from the Economic Daily News (opens in new tab), which cited various hardware manufacturers responsible for the Switch’s flash storage and Joy-Con controllers, and claimed that a more powerful Nintendo Switch console with upgraded interactivity and improved display quality could go into production. In a post on Twitter, Nintendo said that Bloomberg's report "falsely claims that Nintendo is supply tools to drive game developers for a Nintendo Switch with 4K support", the company went on to say "we have no plans for any new model other than Nintendo Switch OLED Model" Nintendo, however, moved swiftly to deny these claims.
A previous report by Bloomberg (opens in new tab) has alleged that Nintendo is asking developers to make their Nintendo Switch games 4K-ready, adding weight to previous rumors that Nintendo has a resolution upgrade up its sleeve with a 4K-ready upgraded Switch console.īloomberg has also claimed that 11 different game studios had access to an official development kit that featured 4K support. Reportedly, the console was apparently shelved due to supply issues caused by the ongoing global semiconductor shortage, though it could still be released. There's been no end of rumors about what a Nintendo Switch Pro could offer, and most suggest it'll support 4K resolutions.