Introduction
Earlier today, Takashi Mochizuki of Bloomberg has published an article of the rumored "Super" Switch (or Switch "Pro") specifically in regards to the system's screen technology. Speculation of an upgraded version of the Switch akin to the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X has circled around the internet for more than a year. However, Nintendo has repeatedly shook off questions of whether the new hardware exists.
Regardless, anticipation for a souped up Switch has not waned and Mochizuki's article offers a bunch of interesting details on the hardware.
OLED Screen, 4K Output, and Release Date
The "Super" Switch may feature a 720p 7-inch screen. It's the same resolution as the current Switch albeit the hybrid console uses a 6.2-inch screen. The juiciest part is that the hardware may use rigid OLED technology produced by Samsung. Mochizuki supports his claim with the fact that prices of 7-inch rigid OLED panels have been falling substantially due to over supply.
In addition to the OLED screen, the "Super" Switch may be able to output at 4K resolution on the TV. This is a massive improvement over the original Switch's 1080p display output.
Lastly, the article predicts that Nintendo will release the new hardware this holiday season.
Other Rumors
Not mentioned in Mochizuki's article, there is also speculation that the "Super" Switch will use Nvidia's DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology. Since Turing (2000 series), Nvidia has implemented tensor cores in order to use DLSS. The feature allows the hardware upscale lower-resolution images to a higher resolution without substantial image quality dips. It also boosts the framerate as the hardware does not need to render at high resolutions.
The current Switch uses Nvidia's Tegra X1, so it is likely that the "Super" Switch will sport either a Turing or Ampere-based Tegra chip.
My Thoughts
I like the possibility of the "Super" Switch using an OLED screen as opposed to LCD. While rigid OLED is not as good as flexible OLED, it still provides better contrast and more responsiveness. This will prove quite beneficial in action-oriented games. The OLED technology will also help with battery life as LCD screens need to have a constant backlight whereas OLED pixels are effectively off when displaying black.
The screen size is intriguing. If the "Super" Switch uses the same Joy Cons, then will Nintendo shrink the bezels in order to accommodate the larger screen? I checked my Switch and measured the diagonal distance and the length is more than 7 inches. I would hope that Nintendo retains a similar form factor for compatibility.
In regards to the 4K output, I think that's just mere market speech. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are advertised to display up to 8K resolution, but in practicality, rendering games at that high of a resolution is a fool's errand. Even with DLSS, I doubt that will allow the Switch to display "4K quality" images. Make no mistake, Breath of the Wild in 4K emulation looks absolutely stunning, but expectations must be tempered:
In my opinion, it would be better if games target 1080p and 60 fps. There are many games on the Switch that I enjoy like Breath of the Wild, Dragon Quest XI S, and others. However, they tend to suffer from framerate drops that dip below 30 fps. With DLSS, provided that the developers patch their games, the gaming experience will be far more pleasant. Look no further than Ghost of Tsushima being able to run at 60 fps on the PS5 in contrast to a target 30 fps on the PS4 Pro. It's a night and day difference.
I think the "Super" Switch has a lot of potential. If it sports the rumored features, has good battery life, and has good build quality, I would seriously considering buying one.
