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Nintendo is updating the original Switch with a new CPU and storage

Aranea

Member
Nintendo just announced a smaller, cheaper version of the Switch today, but the Switch Litemay not be the only trick up Nintendo’s sleeves — the original Nintendo Switch is also getting a new processor and new flash storage chips, according to filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The new chips could mean fewer slowdowns, faster load times, longer battery life, less heat... or perhaps none of these things.

Nintendo submitted what’s called a “Class II Permission Change” to the FCC, effectively a request to tweak an existing gadget without having to get the whole thing recertified for sale in the United States. And there, it vaguely lays out the changes:

nintendo_BKEHAC001_Letter_02_FCC_Class_II_Permissive_Change_Letter_4349995_2019_07_10_11_56_45.jpg


In case you’re unaware, “SoC” refers to the Switch’s system-on-chip, aka the Nvidia Tegra processor that contains its CPU and graphics, while “NAND memory” is more commonly known as the flash storage you find inside a solid-state drive.

You should know that we’re not talking about the rumored Switch Pro successor to the Nintendo Switch, the one that would supposedly accompany the Switch Lite announced today. This is very clearly an update to the original model (right down to the same model number) and Nintendo probably won’t say a thing, because it doesn’t want people to worry whether they’re buying the Switch with the slightly newer processor when they’re picking one up at retail.

The video game industry has a long history of quietly swapping out components like this, by the way — and often just to cut costs because newer chips are generally smaller and easier to produce. But video game message boards often get pretty excited about opening up consoles and looking for new silicon because sometimes it makes a noticeable difference. The most famous example is perhaps when the Xbox 360 tended to overheat and succumb to the “red ring of death,” but models with newer chips were far better at resisting the issue. (My Jasper is still going strong.)

With the Switch, it wouldn’t take much of an improvement to make a difference, given how the Switch’s four-year-old Tegra X1 processor is barely enough to churn through some of the system’s existing titles. But there’s no telling until someone gets their hands on the new model and does a comparison.

That said, Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry coincidentally has a wonderfully geeky article about a new Nvidia chip that could be the one featured here. For what it’s worth, Nintendo told us the new Switch Lite will have a more power-efficient chip layout with “slightly” improved battery life, so it might simply be that Nintendo’s standardizing by also using those chips in the larger original model.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...h-update-fcc-change-cpu-nvidia-tegra-soc-nand
 
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Birdo

Banned
How so? I still got 100s of hours of good/great gameplay thanks to it.

True. However. Take my PS4 experience fot example. I purchased a PS4 when the Slim model came out. Quieter, cooler, smaller.

My friends have all had to replace their ageing PS4 fats at this point with Slim models, due to various problems.

True, that they got to play for over a year before me, but I only ever had to buy one machine :messenger_sunglasses:
 

Ulysses 31

Member
True. However. Take my PS4 experience fot example. I purchased a PS4 when the Slim model came out. Quieter, cooler, smaller.

My friends have all had to replace their ageing PS4 fats at this point with Slim models, due to various problems.

True, that they got to play for over a year before me, but I only ever had to buy one machine :messenger_sunglasses:
Should've gone for the Pro. :lollipop_grinning:
 

Birdo

Banned
Should've gone for the Pro. :lollipop_grinning:

My friend has one. It sounds like a hair dryer. That would really bug me because I game in a quiet room with low volume.

Actually, I think the newer Pros are quieter (According to DF). My point proven again.
 
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Ulysses 31

Member
My friend has one. It sounds like a hair dryer. That would really bug me because I game in a quiet room with low volume.

Actually, I think the newer Pros are quieter (According to DF). My point proven again.
What was he playing?

It never was that audible during my God of War sessions. 0o
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Never be an early adopter.

Meh, there's always something better around the corner--even more so in the era of mid-generation upgrades. I've gotten 100s of hours of enjoyment out of my launch Switch.

Plus I don't care to upgrade anyway. I'm not playing these cartoony Nintendo games and retro-ish indies (pretty much all I play on Switch) for the graphics. Hell, I regret getting a PS4 Pro instead of Slim when my original was on it's last legs (noisy and freezing a lot) as that was in 2016 and I still have no plans to get a 4K TV. Launch models are fine for me for now on. I have my PC I can upgrade if I ever get into graphics/performance maximizing (unlikely as I care less and less the older I get).
 

Tranquil

Member
My friend has one. It sounds like a hair dryer. That would really bug me because I game in a quiet room with low volume.

Actually, I think the newer Pros are quieter (According to DF). My point proven again.
Mines quite as can be, barely notice it's on.
 

Tranquil

Member
You can’t live your life sitting on your hands waiting for the perfect version of something. Hell, you might not even live long enough to get it at all.

Early adopt, enjoy the world and upgrade if you even want to later on.
Yup
 

Birdo

Banned
Those idiots bought a PS2. I told them better consoles were coming. I said the same for PS3 and PS4 users. I'll do the same with PS5.

The secret is to wait and buy the best console available right before you die. You avoid wasting all that money.

Laugh now, with your peasant consoles.

I'll be laughing in the future on my PS9.
 

Aintitcool

Banned
Those idiots bought a PS2. I told them better consoles were coming. I said the same for PS3 and PS4 users. I'll do the same with PS5.

The secret is to wait and buy the best console available right before you die. You avoid wasting all that money.
PFFT, I am PS7 exlclusive gamer 😤

Only 7th version of playstation is worth buying because it has quantum graphics. And double blast processing.

And I will buy it when they drop the price. so 2052. And I hope it isn't too hard to cool in 45c room average temperature.

I have a PS4 but I regret because no quantum processing!!
 
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DESTROYA

Member
Was just reading this. Well, fuck....
Sorry man I know you just bought a Switch but we’ve all been there. Maybe you can return it?
But then you would have to wait and nobody knows how long until this new SKU is out so just enjoy it now.
 

Mista

Banned
Sorry man I know you just bought a Switch but we’ve all been there. Maybe you can return it?
But then you would have to wait and nobody knows how long until this new SKU is out so just enjoy it now.
Nah bruv I got my Switch since day one. Will see if this upgrade is worth it or just wait for the "Pro" if it turns out to be real
 

Fbh

Member
People seem to be jumping to conclusions here.
As the article says:

the new chips could mean fewer slowdowns, faster load times, longer battery life, less heat... or perhaps none of these things.

I'd honestly be surprised if this is a big enough upgrade that anyone would want to sell their current system. Would be the first time that I can think of that we see a big change happening without some sort of new revision
 

DESTROYA

Member
Nah bruv I got my Switch since day one. Will see if this upgrade is worth it or just wait for the "Pro" if it turns out to be real
My bad.Why the salt then?
It’s been a long time for a revision, If a company can get more efficient and cheaper SOC’s its a no brainer to update to better hardware.
It’s not really surprising companies do this all the time.
 

Mista

Banned
My bad.Why the salt then?
It’s been a long time for a revision, If a company can get more efficient and cheaper SOC’s its a no brainer to update to better hardware.
It’s not really surprising companies do this all the time.
No salt at all. More of sugar
The thing is I haven’t used my current Switch a lot and I was thinking of getting the lady a Lite but might give her mine and wait for the Pro or see if the upgrade is worth it. This upgrade fucked the plan a bit that’s why I said “fuck”
 

PhoenixTank

Member
Iiiinteresting.
So 14/16nm refresh, likely the same as what is in the Switch Lite... and uh a different "type" of NAND? I don't know whether that refers to MLC/TLC/QLC, overall capacity or even the amount of chips on the board. I suppose a NAND shrink can end up with different dimensions, but would seem an excessive declaration if they were just changing suppliers.
 
I'd honestly be surprised if this is a big enough upgrade that anyone would want to sell their current system. Would be the first time that I can think of that we see a big change happening without some sort of new revision

It sounds like this hardware refresh could be using the rumored Tegra 'Mariko' chip set, which is said to run on lower voltages. there are also some hints that Mariko will run at higher clockspeeds and could end up having an updated GPU chipset. I would imagine that Nintendo will update the hardware just to stay inline with the PS5, and Xbox Scarlet. I could also imagine that third party developers would be happy with updated hardware.

I might buy a Switch with this update.
 

Fbh

Member
It sounds like this hardware refresh could be using the rumored Tegra 'Mariko' chip set, which is said to run on lower voltages. there are also some hints that Mariko will run at higher clockspeeds and could end up having an updated GPU chipset. I would imagine that Nintendo will update the hardware just to stay inline with the PS5, and Xbox Scarlet. I could also imagine that third party developers would be happy with updated hardware.

I might buy a Switch with this update.

I guess that would make sense. Though in that case I think this would be more of a new model that will get advertised at some point, so this could be the Switch Pro.
 
I guess that would make sense. Though in that case I think this would be more of a new model that will get advertised at some point, so this could be the Switch Pro.

Digital Foundry was speculating this a week ago:



That's where most of my info came from. It is unclear if Mariko will be higher spec than the X1 currently in the Switch.
 

Solarstrike

Member
I trust Nintendo. They know what they are doing more than at least half the time. They've been around longer than most companies on Earth. This is why i believe the unused cardboard boxes from unsold Gamecubes and Nintendo Wii's were recycled and made into Nintendo Labo stock. It's also why i believe the unsold Nintendo Labo stock will be recycled in order to provide boxes for the Nintendo Switch Lite, Nintendo Switch 2.0, and Nintendo Switch Pro/XL. I'm going to invest in cardboard. It's the wave of the future.
 
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Trimesh

Banned
It's a permissive change - it's not going to change the user visible characteristics of the device. If is did, then it wouldn't be allowed as a permissive change and would require a new approval and a new FCC ID.

I guess asking anyone that actually understands how the FCC approval process works would have been way too much like hard work for modern "journalists".
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
For those that don't hit the Click to expand button

You should know that we’re not talking about the rumored Switch Pro successor to the Nintendo Switch, the one that would supposedly accompany the Switch Lite announced today.
This is very clearly an update to the original model (right down to the same model number) and Nintendo probably won’t say a thing, because it doesn’t want people to worry whether they’re buying the Switch with the slightly newer processor when they’re picking one up at retail.

The video game industry has a long history of quietly swapping out components like this, by the way — and often just to cut costs because newer chips are generally smaller and easier to produce.
 
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EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Nothing to radical, the PS4 Pro must have really pushed Nintendo to do these alternate versions of the Switch.
 
Nothing to radical, the PS4 Pro must have really pushed Nintendo to do these alternate versions of the Switch.

Um, the DS line in fact was wildly successfully with each subsequent refresh. They're replicating their DS antics.

If you want to play switch games at 4k/60, you will soon be able too, emulator is coming along briskly.
 
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