Whether you want to or not, you can now overclock your Nintendo Switch

Two weeks ago we saw Nintendo release a brand new update for its handheld console, the Switch. What’s really interesting about this particular update, is that it now includes a mode that allows you to overclock its CPU.

The Nintendo Switch isn’t a particularly ‘powerful’ little console by PC Master Race standards. But it is one of the most convenient consoles, with enough capability to keep fans happy. Now Nintendo has quietly released a new “boost mode” addition.

Strangely the new mode has been omitted from the patch notes, but some enthusiasts found the mode and posted it on Discord. The mode overclocks the Switch’s CPU, which usually runs at 1GHz, to run at 1.75GHz in some cases. This will allow games to load faster and perform better overall. After the update rolled out, Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were also updated. These software updates supposedly reduce those games’ loading times fairly significantly.

Users took to a forum to brag about their load times — some of which were pretty impressive. One user said that the Switch’s boost mode reduced Breath of the Wild‘s fast-travel time by eight seconds, shrine-entering time by three seconds, and save file loading time by 10 seconds.

The thing is, for boost mode to affect them games need to be updated. This is likely why Nintendo didn’t include the mode in its patch notes for the newest update. The company will probably announce a reveal when more games have implemented an update that allows for boost mode. You can download firmware version 8.0.1 for your Nintendo Switch right now.

Source: GearNuke