The Nintendo Switch 2 rumor mill keeps chugging along steadily, but the latest news surrounding the successor to the ever-popular Nintendo Switch comes from an intriguing source: Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser.
While Bowser isn't ready to spill the beans about Nintendo's plans for the Switch 2 just yet, he teased in a recent interview with Inverse that players can expect a smoother transition to the company's next console compared to previous generations. The difference this time around, Bowser explained, is Nintendo's work on single sign-in Nintendo Accounts. Since the Switch launched in 2016, Nintendo Accounts have served as a unified accounts system across all of Nintendo's products from its mobile apps to its online services.
"One thing we've done with the Switch to help with that communication and transition [to a new console generation] is the formation of the Nintendo Account," Bowser told the outlet. "In the past, every device we transitioned to had a whole new account system. Creating the Nintendo Account will allow us to communicate with our players if and when we make a transition to a new platform, to help ease that process or transition."
In the wake of reports that developers demoed the Switch 2 at Gamescom, rumors have been swirling about what players can expect from the yet-unconfirmed follow-up to the Switch. While there's been the typical conjecture about possible specs, whether it'll be backwards compatible is a huge question looming over Nintendo. Will players be able to still play their favorite games on the new system, or will they have to buy their game library all over again to enjoy them on the upgraded tech, as we saw with the transition from the Wii U to the Switch? Thankfully, it seems Nintendo's already working on how to foster a seamless transition.
"Our goal is to minimize the dip you typically see in the last year of one cycle and the beginning of another," Bowser continued. "I can't speak to the possible features of a new platform, but the Nintendo Account is a strong basis for having that communication as we make the transition."
While Nintendo has not officially commented on its future hardware plans, the console has been tipped for a 2024 release date by multiple sources.
Huge tech upgrade rumored for Switch 2
That's not the only update on the Switch 2 this week. Speaking in a new YouTube video, noted leaker Nate the Hate (who also shared spec details about the Switch 2's presence at Gamescom) shared some possible features headed for Nintendo's new hardware, including some form of ray tracing reconstruction and support for DLSS 3.0.
These two features are really big deals for graphics performance, and they're part of what makes games look so great when playing on PC. Ray tracing is a rendering technique that creates a graphical image based on virtual light and how that lighting source would interact with virtual objects along an image plane. Ray tracing can replace traditional rendering of lighting effects in games and create a far more life-like depiction of scenes that are based on how light actually interacts with the real world. Meanwhile, DLSS 3.0 uses AI technology to upscale your games from a lower resolution, enabling a serious boost in performance.
Nate the Hate also suggested the Switch 2 will launch with two models: one that supports physical cartridges and digital downloads as well as a cheaper, digital-only option. We've seen both Microsoft and Sony take this route with their Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles, respectively, to cut costs, so it would hardly be surprising to see Nintendo go the same route with its next system too.
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