Yet more Nintendo Switch 2 details are making their way online in lieu of an official reveal, with possibly more to follow in the next week.
So much information about the Nintendo Switch 2 leaked in December, from its Joy-Con controllers and dock to the console’s actual design. At this point, all that’s left is for Nintendo itself to show it off and announce some games for it.
Nintendo has promised a formal announcement by the end of March and rumours suggest some kind of news could be shared in the coming weeks. So, the most eager of fans will be feverishly checking Nintendo’s social media accounts every day until it happens.
In the meantime, said fans are continuing to look elsewhere for more crumbs of Switch 2 info and they may have found some thanks to a recently discovered patent.
Said patent was filed by Nintendo with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) back in July 2023 but was only published on December 31, 2024.
The long and short of it is that it discusses DLSS-style upscaling technology that can be used to improve the resolution of video games. Essentially, it’d allow for higher graphical settings and frame rates on weaker hardware.
While there’s no explicit mention of Nintendo’s next console, this lines up with previous Switch 2 rumours. In 2023, reports claimed to have seen Nintendo hardware running an upscaled version of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and the Unreal Engine 5 The Matrix Awakens demo, both of which made use of DLSS tech.
Although there’s no concrete information on how powerful the Switch 2 will be, it has been rumoured to be either less strong than the PlayStation 4 Pro or about as strong as the Xbox Series S. So, it would make sense for the console to incorporate upscaling technology to help it reach 4K visuals.
Interestingly, as highlighted by one Laura Kate Dale on Bluesky, the patent also suggests the tech could be used to reduce game sizes to fit them on ‘smaller capacity physical media.’
For example, a game that natively features 4K textures could be downscaled to a 1080p resolution so it can fit onto a physical cartridge. But then the console could upscale it to its original 4K resolution in real-time.
It wouldn’t be surprising if more Switch 2 details continue to leak in the coming weeks given how often they’re happening. In fact, alleged pictures of the console’s motherboard have been spotted on Reddit.
On top of that, accessory company Genki is promising to discuss new products it’s making for the Switch 2 on January 7 as part of CES 2025. However, there’s no telling if this will result in any brand-new details becoming public or if all these leaks will incentivise Nintendo to reveal the Switch 2 any time soon.
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