Nintendo Switch is unarguably the most successful hybrid console released, which only became more successful with the release of the trimmed down Switch Lite. It now seems that there's a powerful 4K-capable Switch console on the horizon. The rumors emerge from Bloomberg, which says that several third-party developers have been asked to make their games 4K-ready for the Switch. This indicates that a much more powerful Nintendo Switch console isn't far from release.
Despite the leaks, Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite sales are on a constant rise. Famitsu's industry tracker, Katsuhiko Hayashi, stated that “Our data suggest the Switch hasn’t fulfilled demand yet... Switch sales are likely to gain further momentum at the year-end.”
According to a previous report, it seemed that Nintendo was only looking to implement more computing power and 4K capabilities within the current console. However, the new report suggests that the company could be working on an entirely new product.
However, this doesn't mean that Switch and Switch Lite are becoming less popular. The massive success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons has caused Nintendo some struggles in meeting demands for the Switch and Switch Lite. The company recently requested its partners to produce 30 million console units by the end of March 2021.
While the Switch is still regarded as a hybrid console that can be used handheld or docked, the release of powerful consoles like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S could have led Nintendo to shift away from its current hybrid design. A powerful platform means more ports and more games, after all.
Now, we aren't sure how the new 4K-ready Switch will support UHD resolution, but there's a strong chance that the company could use Nvidia's DLSS 2.0 technology to make that happen. Back in July, an Nvidia job posting surfaced online which listed an opening for a Senior Embedded Software Engineer for the Tegra Team. The job posting also discussed the role, stating that the engineer will be working on next-generation graphics and AI for gaming consoles leveraging the power of technologies like DLSS 2.0.
Of course, all of this is just a rumor for now. The 4K capable Switch console has yet to be confirmed by Nintendo. We'll have to wait and see if the Big N is looking to compete with the new PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.
