It’s only the seventh day of the year and we already have some crazy rumors about Nintendo circulating online, so grab some salt and keep reading.
Known data processor and console hacker SciresM reportedly discovered new details about the alleged Switch ‘Pro’ model by examining the firmware code – although they warn that these details may not be totally accurate and there is a little bit of speculation as well.
With that in mind, the revised system apparently has the code name “Class” and uses a Mariko SoC. In addition, it is believed that it will support both docked and portable game, support 4K in some way or form and may feature an OLED screen. The Realtek chip can also be in the dock, instead of the system.
Here is the full details of SciresM, via ResetEra:
In fact, Nintendo is working on a new model with updated screens and this has been going on for about 1.5 to 2 years. Personally, I believe it is 4K due to the signals I am seeing in the firmware, but this has not yet been confirmed and could be wrong.
The new hardware is code-named Aula and is using a Mariko SoC. There are a lot of references to it in the code (the atmosphere already supports the new display in theory).
The tablet itself definitely has an updated screen, I don’t know if it’s 4K.
Class has firmware support for some Realtek chip that advertises itself as a “4K UHD multimedia SoC”, hence my belief that it is 4K. This chip may be inside a new dock and not inside the tablet, although there is still no way to know by the firmware code.
Class explicitly supports portable mode. It is not just docked; this is calcium, which seems to be for internal use only / never released, since Calcio has no game card slot and battery.
You can check the display code of the boot module if you are curious. The new monitor does not support pwm power management, it has its own vendor-specific bs that I had to reverse engineer and implement a month or two ago.
Mariko has * substantially * better cooling and battery life. It is a genuine data reduction compared to the original generation.
My best guess (pure speculation, no firmware indication, this is the case) is that if they need extra performance, they will push you to higher clock rates.
But yes, I speculate that the games will be like “DSi-enhanced” games, or how some games have benefited from the PS4 Pro despite working on the PS4.
I checked my previous discussions with hexkyz, the updated tablet screen is an OLED screen. It’s probably not a higher resolution on the tablet itself, so I think the realtek 4k chip is more likely to be a new dock than I thought.
Vanilla probably won’t.
We are in the realm of speculation. Class has a new GPIO that the redbox does not relate to support for this, so I would try to guess that the redbox units do not support the new one.
Rumors of Switch ‘Pro’ have been circulating for a few years now, and several industry analysts are still confident that this will appear sometime this year. You can follow all previous developments at our complete guide.
What are your thoughts on all of this? Do you think it’s real or is it as fake as that fake Nintendo Direct leak? Tell us in the comments below.