The Nintendo Switch console has been with us since 2017 and it was basically clear that we will see some other models as well. Two years after the release of the original Switch, Nintendo came up with the Lite version, which has joy-cones attached and can only be played in handheld mode. In essence, it is the spiritual successor of the popular Nintendo 3DS. For a long time, however, there has also been speculation about a more powerful version of the Switch, which became known as the Pro, although in the end it may well bear a completely different name. Last year, there was even talk that we could wait for the Switch Pro until the end of 2020, but this was refuted by Nintendo itself. After several months of silence, the well-known dataminer SciresM came up with the new information and found it in the source code. Given how often a new version of the Switch appears there, according to the dataminer, it is practically certain that it is real and will really work. He then published all the information on the forum ResetEra.
The new Switch model appears in the source code under the name Aula and is reportedly being worked on for 1.5 to 2 years. It seems to support 4K, however we can probably forget about playing in this resolution. Most likely, it will only be support in the field of multimedia, ie images, videos and the like. In short, the new Switch will probably only support 4K. Probably the most interesting information is that Aula should come up with a new display. It will no longer be built on the basis of LEDs, but OLED, which you may know from mobile phones, for example. However, it is not yet clear what resolution it will have. The current display of the Switch is only 720p, theoretically it could be increased to a Full HD display. Of course, it depends on how much more powerful the Hall will be. SciresM compares the difference to PS4 and PS4 Pro, which wouldn’t be bad at all.
Recall that the classic version of the Nintendo Switch uses the SoC Tegra X1 from Nvidia, whose graphics chip is built on the Maxwell architecture. And it must be said that it was obsolete when the Switch was released, because the GTX 1000 series graphics cards, built on the newer Pascal architecture, came on the market in 2016. The new Switche model is supposed to use an improved version called Tegra X1 +, which carries code designation Mariko and was issued in 2019. It offers higher cycles and a better production process, specifically 16nm from TSMC compared to the original 20nm. According to the dataminer, Mariko also has significantly better cooling and battery life, which could help the Switch significantly.
But when will we see the new Switch and how much will it cost? These are questions to which we do not yet know the answers. Nintendo is really hiding in this regard and can be pulled out with the announcement practically at any time. I would certainly not rule out the possibility that we will see the version codenamed Aula this year.
–
