If this pans out, we might have a more powerful model on our hands.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rumor/56467/nintendo-buying-new-panels-for-upgraded-switch
Reports are beginning to emerge regarding a possible upgraded Switch that could enter production by Nintendo's second financial quarter.
As reported by Bloomberg (note: limited access before a paywall) Nintendo has placed an order with Samsung for 7" OLED (organic light emitting diode) displays to go into production starting in June; the screens would be shipped to assemblers starting in July. According to consultant Yoshio Tamura in a quote to Bloomberg, the panels would "consume less battery, offer higher contrast and possibly faster response time when compared to the Switch’s current liquid-crystal display,"
Although the handheld display would remain at the Switch's current 720p resolution - also used in the Switch Lite - the reported model would output a 4K (3840 x 2160 at minimum) signal for compatible televisions. The aim would be to keep the total size of the unit the same (to use existing docks), which would shrink the system's outer bezel if the full 7 inches is used. The Switch employs a "rigid" screen, which is less expensive when compared to the flexible displays in modern smartphones due to a higher supply which is to be maintained with the new panels.
Nintendo did not respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.
I think this may be true...but I don't see the 4K part being right...unless the dock upscales the image. There is no way Nintendo is getting affordable 4K in a small Nintendo Switch device this year. However, IF this is true...and it comes with new designed controllers that work better, I hope the controllers will be backwards compatible with the original switch so I can just get the controllers.It's probably true. If you have 47 minutes, start here: DLSS 2.0 - Image Reconstruction for Real-time Rendering with Deep Learning (https://youtu.be/d5knHzv0IQE). Digital Foundry has a nice video as well and it's considerably shorter: Control vs DLSS 2.0: Can 540p Match 1080p Image Quality? Full Ray Tracing On RTX 2060? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWIKzRhYZm4)
Do OLED screens still have trouble with screen burn-in, longevity? Those used to be the main knocks against them.There have been many strides towards reducing the issue on both a hardware and software level, but it does still exist. If this new Switch included similar prevention methods as the TVs do, then it should be largely fine, especially since the current Switch already does things like dim the screen after a few minutes of inactivity and enters sleep mode from idling. May still not want to play NES games on it, though.
It sounds like another small revision that will not be advertised. We saw this once already with the current model having improved battery life over the launch hardware. Nintendo will probably not advertise these improvements or market it as a new model.The display is supposedly an entire inch larger. Even if outputting in 4K wasn’t part of this, there’s a literal zero percent chance Nintendo wouldn’t advertise something like screen size that is immediately quantifiable by just looking at the box.