What’s better than a hybrid game console? How about three hybrid game consoles? Or maybe, if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, three hybrid game consoles that each do something a little different? If you’re a massive company like Nintendo, it makes sense to cater to as many consumers as possible. That was the thinking behind the release of the Switch Lite, a smaller handheld only version of the original, dockable Switch. Yet not everyone wants a smaller, weaker Switch. Some absolute madlads want a Switch that can output in 4K so that can see every single hair in Mario’s mustache. We want to see them rustle in the wind, dammit. Why don’t I have this incredibly specific thing, Nintendo?
Switching it up
If rumours are to be believed, a more powerful version of the Nintendo Switch is on the horizon. Reports out of Bloomberg and Economic Daily News indicate that the launch of an upgraded Switch is slated for 2021. Economic Daily News speaks in general terms about “improved visuals” while the Bloomberg report states that Nintendo, “has looked into including more computing power and 4K high-definition graphics.” We would love to know what 4K graphics do to the battery of a Switch. We have to imagine serious work will go into upgrading that feature too.
To add a bit more flavour into this stew of rumours, Bloomberg alleges that this new powerful version of the Switch will launch alongside a lineup of strong first-party games. It would make sense for Nintendo to go this route to promote its new hardware and would explain why their 2020 software development has been so weak, beyond the stupidly successful Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
These are all still rumours so take it with a pinch of salt. Given the recent trend for companies to release more powerful versions of existing hardware and the fact that both Sony and Microsoft are on the verge of dropping new consoles, we see some validity in these reports. We’re not convinced by the idea of 4K but would love it if the Switch could run at 1080p in handheld. That’s what we call next-gen hardware.
(Source: The Verge)