Nintendo Switch has access to extra processing power on the go

By Imad Khan February 26, 2017

nintendo switch mobile processing power lzbotw tvc 3 cropped — Nintendo

There may be more power accessible by developers when the Nintendo Switch is on the go.

A major leak of Nintendo’s developer documentation suggests that Nintendo has added an update to push GPU performance while in mobile mode by 25 percent.

All the processing power is in the Switch itself, and not the dock. While in docked mode, the Switch’s internal processor clocks at a higher speed, about 40 percent more, to output gameplay between a 900p and 1080p resolution. Because the Switch’s screen is 720p, the processing unit clocks down to preserve battery. It was assumed this was locked for developers to ensure an acceptable battery life.

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But with a new update, it seems Nintendo has added additional performance modes to be used at the developer’s behest.

At default, the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is set to 307.2MHz. With the inclusion of the boost mode, handheld performance can go up to 384MHz.

Even with the 25-percent bump, it won’t amount to drastically better visuals while in mobile mode. Assuming a developer decides to run a game at full performance when on the go, things may look slightly crisper, but it would be hard to tell on a 6.2-inch 720p screen.

Beyond clock-speed leaks, Chinese website Taobao was able to tear apart the Nintendo Switch to reveal its innards. What it showed was a cleanly designed system with a good chunk of the inside taken up by the 4,310mAh, 16Whr battery. Interestingly, some of the parts are not soldered on, but are instead held in by screws. For example, the 32GB of eMMC NAND storage is on its own mini-daughterboard. This could allow Nintendo to easily release a “pro” or “elite” version of the Switch in the future with more hard drive space by simply swapping out the part.

Taobao

The Nintendo Switch is set to launch on March 3 for $299.

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