The consoles of a generation are usually on the market for many years, and the technology is constantly evolving. For this reason, companies often release a mid-life technology upgrade to port at least some of the benefits that have become possible to the current generation. In recent years there have been rumors about the Nintendo Switch in particular. After all, the handheld console has been on the market for a number of years, and improved energy efficiency in particular would bring clear advantages here. An upgrade in the style of a Switch Pro is said to be off the table for Nintendo.
Next-Gen statt Upgrade
At least that’s what Digital Foundry editor John Linneman recently claimed in a video. Discussions with affected developers have shown that Nintendo is probably working on a corresponding upgrade, but has since discarded it. Instead, the company is now supposed to present an actual next-gen console next.
“So I think at one point internally, from what I can understand from talking to different developers, is that there was some sort of mid-generation Switch update planned at one point and that seems to be no longer happening. And thus it’s pretty clear that whatever they do next is going to be the actual next-generation hardware. I don’t think it’s going to be 2023. And I think Nintendo itself is likely very nervous about this transition, because, let’s face it, their last few transitions have not gone well.”
“I think internally, from what I’ve understood from talking to various developers, some sort of mid-gen Switch update was planned at one point, and that doesn’t seem to be the case now. So it’s pretty clear, that what they do next is going to be the actual next-gen hardware, I don’t think it’s going to be 2023. And I think Nintendo itself is probably very nervous about that transition because, let’s be honest, the last ones a few transitions didn’t go well.”
It is also assumed that this next-gen switch will not be on the market in 2023, but later. Although there is no evidence for all these assumptions, they would certainly fit into the picture. So it would be quite conceivable that a possibly planned Pro version would become the OLED model released in 2021. Time is now running out for an upgrade that is compatible with the old Switch, after all, the original console will soon be six years old.
Finally on the topic: Switch Pro: Nvidia provides new information about the next Nintendo console [Gerücht]
Instead, it could actually make more sense for Nintendo to continue offering the old switch for a while and then present a whole new generation. On the one hand, this is a challenge for the company – after all, some of the company’s new console generations have flopped – on the other hand, the switch is suffering from old age. As a reminder: An Nvidia SoC works in the handheld console, which is manufactured in 16 nm and whose GPU is still based on the Maxwell architecture (GTX 900). A new console could therefore make a significant leap in both manufacturing and architecture and thus stand out noticeably from the old switch.
Quelle: Digital Foundry (Youtube) via Reddit
