Nintendo’s Switch has not only been one of the most successful handheld machines from the Japanese console-maker but the most popular console, period. Over the last twelve months or so, the Switch has been consistently beating the PS5 and the Xbox Series X|S and their predecessors in terms of both the hardware sales figures as well as publisher revenue. The wide range of 1st party titles and the lack of supply for rival AMD powered consoles were some of the driving factors behind the success of the Nintendo Switch years after its launch.
According to NateDrake, a popular insider on the ResetEra forums, the Nintendo Switch Pro will come with support for both 4K resolution as well as NVIDIA’s proprietary DLSS upscaling technology.
Won’t really talk more about the tech specs than I have. 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.
Let’s say I’m confident it gets announced this year.
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.
This isn’t the first time someone has suggested the use of DLSS 2.0 in an upcoming Nintendo console. Linux predicated the same a month back and a job listing from NVIDIA hinted at the same last year. (genuineleatherjackets.com) Considering the unfeasibility of a 4K display on a console, we’re likely going to get a 1440p display capable of playing downscaled 4K content.
The inclusion of DLSS should allow existing games to run at 60 FPS while also allowing future games to run at a much higher resolution. It’s possible that players might get the option to prioritize quality over performance or vise versa.
As far as the launch date is concerned, it looks like the Nintendo Switch Pro may be announced by the end of this year, with a delay to early 2022 quite possible. According to rumors, it will be called the Super Switch. While I’m skeptical about the name, the inclusion of DLSS 2.0 and a higher resolution display are almost a certainty.
