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Latest Nintendo Switch Firmware provides Switch Pro Details

Good old Nintendo- they will NEVER change. Just when we ALL expect them to try compete, even in some small way, with the competition, they go and do the opposite and remain with a weak, underpowered console/handheld unit. Good luck trying to have the Switch as your only console within the next 3 years as the PS5/Series X start flexing their next gen muscles.
There's no way they wait until 2024 to release Switch 2.

The only reason the Switch released mid way through last generation was because their first attempt at an 8tj gen system was an unmitigated disaster, so they needed a do over.

Quite honestly if the Switch Pro does end up being barely anything more than a fancy upscaler for 4K TV's alongside a minor power bump, that probably means Switch 2 is much closer to release than many are expecting, and they're doing the bare minimum to extend their last gen system without, stepping on their new current gen replacements toes.
 
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Rat Rage

Member
If you can't provide 1080p at 60fps then...why bother, really. It's 2021.

Yet, just by looking at the ridiculous numbers the Switch is selling both hardware and software-wise, a better question would be: if you are not able to develop games under or at 1080p/60fps that (are fun and) still sell well...why bother?

I think resolution and framerate are not THAT important, as long as the games are fun. This is a very simple truth. Many multi-million sellers on Switch are not 1080p or 60fps. The customers just don't give a shit and still enjoy them.
 

Fake

Member
Even 1440p DLSS from a 720p would be satisfactory for me.

900p and above are the basic of the DLSS to work just fine. 720p don't make much sense, taking into consideration while dock some games run at 900p.

BTW, this is a work IDK Nintendo want to do. Lets remind people there are bunch of games without AA, so I prefer to believe a minor hardware bump would do the Nintendo job.
 

BabyYoda

Banned
720p screen. OLED will mitigate but i mean come on to fuck.
If it's true then it follows the usual Nintendo pattern, overpriced and underpowered, but with innovation. Still, count me out till they enter the 21st century, or at least port their back catalogue to the PC, I mean, what do they have against the format, people already emulate them all anyway, decent ports with perhaps some new bells and whistles, with modding ability and you cannot lose, people will still buy their consoles en masse for their kids and convenience etc. People want to give Nintendo money, just on their format of choice!
 

kyliethicc

Member
I think you guys are looking at this wrong. The Switch could never output to TV without the dock. The previous dock was limited to 1080p. The new dock supports 4K output. The new Switch will obviously have internal hardware that can push the image quality of games past 1080p. Possibly using DLSS.
It can't use DLSS. That requires Tensor cores, which RTX cards have hundreds of on chip. Even like 10 Tensor cores would be larger in die area than the entire Tegra X1 chip.

A big RTX die is just a GPU and its like 750 mm^2 in area. The Tensor cores take up like 25% of that die.

A Tegra X1+ is fucking tiny. No room for DLSS. And that tiny chip has 8 CPUs on it too, not just 256 cuda cores.

It will have an upscaling chip in the dock for 4K output. Same as most 4K UHD Blu-ray players. It can make 1080p content look good enough on a 4K TV.

That's all Nintendo can afford to do in their tiny handheld with an SoC the size of a thumbnail.
 
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Same form factor handheld sized system with 90%of the inner space occupied by a battery. Cooling fan the size of a Ritz cracker.

pBCpxwZ.jpg


$300 price point.

"We expect the Swicth Pro to offer 4K visuals"

giphy.gif


Anyone expecting more than 1080p are seriously setting themselves up.
 

Mister Wolf

Member
The dock is just a glorified usb hub. That’s not anything new. All the output processing and power profile control is on the Switch itself. Again, nothing new.

I know the dock is just a usb-c to hdmi converter. My question was does that converter in the original switch dock support 4K output or does it top out at 1080p?
 

JimboJones

Member
Instead of just upscaling, could the Chip inside of the dock could help getting more calculation power?
Something like a eGPU for example.
Or is it a no, because they are completely different chips?

Btw: do we even have a mobile SoC that is capable of true 4k gaming?
I don't think the USB C port on switch has enough bandwidth for an external GPU.
Only thing I would think is possible is if the upscaler in the dock was like those m cables and added a layer or post processing anti aliassing or something.
 

kyliethicc

Member
Same form factor handheld sized system with 90%of the inner space occupied by a battery. Cooling fan the size of a Ritz cracker.

pBCpxwZ.jpg


$300 price point.

"We expect the Swicth Pro to offer 4K visuals"

giphy.gif


Anyone expecting more than 1080p are seriously setting themselves up.
Exactly. It will have an upscaling chip, like in a Blu-ray player or a TV, inside the dock, with an HDMI 2.0 port. Its still only gonna render games at 720-1080p.
 

TriSuit666

Banned
I know the dock is just a usb-c to hdmi converter. My question was does that converter in the original switch dock support 4K output or does it top out at 1080p?
Sorry, I think I got the wrong end of your post, apologies.

There is no converter in the Dock, as I say, it's all on the Switch itself. All the dock tells the Switch to do is to change power (cpu+gpu) profile from handeld to full power, essentially.

Also, the connector on the dock isn't technically USB-C, it's slightly modified.

 
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Rat Rage

Member
...in a Switch Pro upgrade. Context is important. The Switch was not released in 2021.

The thing is, 720 for such a small handheld screen is enough. Relation is important. People are always screaming for more resolution, but in reality it depends on the screen size/viewing distance.

If the rumor about the upscaler in the new dock is true, then this would be a very simple, yet super effective solution to get 4k on home screens. 4k displays are the new standard for home tv sets, so this would be enough to put "supports 4k televisions" on the new sku box and make the average joe happy.
 
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brap

Banned
All I was asking for is a normal controller for people with normal hands and a box to connect to my tv. Thanks for nothing as usual nintendo.
 

Calverz

Member
If it's true then it follows the usual Nintendo pattern, overpriced and underpowered, but with innovation. Still, count me out till they enter the 21st century, or at least port their back catalogue to the PC, I mean, what do they have against the format, people already emulate them all anyway, decent ports with perhaps some new bells and whistles, with modding ability and you cannot lose, people will still buy their consoles en masse for their kids and convenience etc. People want to give Nintendo money, just on their format of choice!
To be honest i used to ask myself that years ago when i was younger but have come to realise this:
That idea is behind some glass thats says, “break incase of emergency”

While nintendo continue to print money they dont need to.
 

Tranquil

Member
Not sure I understand what the problem is with 4k upscale. It will be producing a 4k image with better clarity and less jaggies right?

I understand the framerate won't improve, but gaming on the switch at 720p docked is noticeably bad.
 

BabyYoda

Banned
To be honest i used to ask myself that years ago when i was younger but have come to realise this:
That idea is behind some glass thats says, “break incase of emergency”

While nintendo continue to print money they dont need to.
I suppose you're right, they should do it for the fans though, but I'm not so naive...
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Not gonna buy unless there is an actual upgrade from my current Switch.

Expecting 1080p screen. DLSS type tech for more 60fps games, especially better BC With the current switch games
OLED. Better battery Etc. Oh and bring back Virtual console Nintendo, you can make tons of money with the Switch audience.

Nintendo are a joke when they are selling well though, so not expecting much
 
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Chittagong

Gold Member
My Samsung 4K TV already upscales the 720P Switch image to 4K otherwise I would not see an image on the screen, why would I need a Realtek chip for that? Unless it’s part of the GPU like DLSS I do not understand what possible benefit there would be for another upscaler before the TV?
 

Ryu Kaiba

Member
Hopefully its also made with metal, that plus a an OLED screen and 4k Output and improved battery might be enough for me.
 

Derktron

Banned
Good old Nintendo- they will NEVER change. Just when we ALL expect them to try compete, even in some small way, with the competition, they go and do the opposite and remain with a weak, underpowered console/handheld unit. Good luck trying to have the Switch as your only console within the next 3 years as the PS5/Series X start flexing their next gen muscles.
Let’s see how the developers continue to support the switch. With those ports I expect more old ports and expect more cloud games.
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
I think resolution and framerate are not THAT important, as long as the games are fun. This is a very simple truth. Many multi-million sellers on Switch are not 1080p or 60fps. The customers just don't give a shit and still enjoy them.
I would put it differently - customers do care, but they do not have an alternative to Nintendo games, so they put up with it. I would have loved all Switch games in 4K and 60FPS, but I'm not going to get them and Nintendo has a monopoly on certain type of 'game magic' that exists with all their IPs.
 
DLSS looks bad when trying to use a 720p image can't imagine this looking any better.

As for it being pro if the unit itself is same hardware then it's still gonna run doom at 30FPS so it's really Pro is it?
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
How so? Vita had it, and it was perfectly fine. People are gaming on OLED TVs with portions of HUD static hours upon hours, also with no burn in.
I have an OLED Vita, and sold a second one last year. Degradation is a massive issue, and common. Just Google ‘Vita OLED black spot’ and there’s hundreds of forum posts about it.

Also, not on board with this revision. Happy to keep my day one Switch, I use portable mode 99% of the time anyway. Upscaled via the dock is going to look murky.

They’ve already screwed the naming convention by releasing a handheld only version, so they definitely should have just released a stationary cheapo home console with 2x the power for native 1440p.
 
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mcjmetroid

Member
I'm calling it now.

This isn't going to be a Switch Pro. They may be testing for a newer console but that's it.

This is going to end up being the Switch 2.
 

//DEVIL//

Member
How so? Vita had it, and it was perfectly fine. People are gaming on OLED TVs with portions of HUD static hours upon hours, also with no burn in.
Uhh just type vita burns in and you get the results .

also all oleds have a burn in. There is no escaping it . Even if the newer old tv has longer hours resistance to burn in, it will still drive me crazy checking my tv or switch did I get burn in did I get a burn in ?

also are you comparing a high quality expensive TVs to a 300 to 400$ console ?

the quality of the oled will tell by its price lol
 
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Burger

Member
It can't use DLSS. That requires Tensor cores, which RTX cards have hundreds of on chip. Even like 10 Tensor cores would be larger in die area than the entire Tegra X1 chip.

A big RTX die is just a GPU and its like 750 mm^2 in area. The Tensor cores take up like 25% of that die.

A Tegra X1+ is fucking tiny. No room for DLSS. And that tiny chip has 8 CPUs on it too, not just 256 cuda cores.

It will have an upscaling chip in the dock for 4K output. Same as most 4K UHD Blu-ray players. It can make 1080p content look good enough on a 4K TV.

That's all Nintendo can afford to do in their tiny handheld with an SoC the size of a thumbnail.

Woah, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
 

The Skull

Member
I'm calling it now.

This isn't going to be a Switch Pro. They may be testing for a newer console but that's it.

This is going to end up being the Switch 2.
I hope so. I love my Switch but want a good upgrade with some level of enhancing original switch titles akin to the PS5 and XBSX.
 

Beer Baelly

Al Pachinko, Konami President
We need to drop this stupid Pro name. Why? Because there is a PS4 Pro. Call it the Super Switch or something.
 

Kataploom

Gold Member
DLSS looks bad when trying to use a 720p image can't imagine this looking any better.

As for it being pro if the unit itself is same hardware then it's still gonna run doom at 30FPS so it's really Pro is it?
Maybe this is because Nvidia haven't trained the AI for taking such a resolution for a variety of reasons that Nintendo don't care about, they could even get access to code so they can do their own implementation of DLSS to optimize it for their own purpose.

I don't see it out of the real of possibilities.
 
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