Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 have been heating up in recent months, and the latest leak suggests a serious upgrade for Nintendo’s second generation hybrid console.
Apparently the Switch 2 will come with a Mini-LED display, which is a serious upgrade from the 720p LCD screen included on every other Switch console up to this point.
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This news comes from Taiwan's Economic Daily News, which claims the Mini-LED panel will come from Taiwan’s Innolux Corporation. Nintendo apparently visited the company to obtain the screens, which will be ready for a 2021 launch of the Switch 2.
For those that don’t know, Mini-LED displays are made up of millions of tiny LEDs and offer better contrast, response times, and energy efficiency over typical LCD panels. They also don’t suffer from issues like burn-in that plague the more-common OLED displays. They’re just not very commonplace right now, though Apple is said to be including them in its next iPad Pro.
Mini-LED displays are expensive, given how uncommon they are, though having Apple or Nintendo adopt the tech would be a big step towards eventual cost-reduction. Because the more companies that compete to try and get their business, the less they’re going to try and charge.
The Switch 2 is also said to come with an Nvidia Tegra Xavier processor, 4K resolution support, two USB-C ports, and a 64GB SSD. Other rumors have suggested it could also get a controller redesign, and won’t be playable in handheld mode, though the fact Nintendo is said to be including a screen on the device would contradict that daft claim. Plus, the Switch’s charm stems from the fact you can instantly swap between TV and handheld mode.
While it’s suggested the launch of the Switch 2 could be imminent, we’re not likely to hear anything this year. The COVID pandemic has hit everyone, and it’s likely that there would be delays on any hardware production. But considering how well the Switch has been selling this year, Nintendo has no need to try and rush out a new machine. Certainly not until after the hubbub of this fall's Xbox Series X and PS5 launches dies down.
