Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Nintendo Switch has access to extra processing power on the go

Imad Khan
By

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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!
Privacy Policy

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
Taobao

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

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Imad Khan
Imad Khan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Imad has been a gamer all his life. He started blogging about games in college and quickly started moving up to various…
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble is as fun to watch as it is to play
Monkeys race one another in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble.

I couldn’t tell you what the last Super Monkey Ball game I played was, but I can still talk your ear off about the series. That’s thanks to the speedrunning community that has formed around the franchise, making it into the most exciting game to watch when it's played at a high level. After spending close to a decade watching old games turned inside and out, I’m ready to finally dig into a new entry for myself.

Thankfully, I’m getting that chance on June 25 when Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble launches on Nintendo Switch. The latest entry in Sega’s precise platforming series comes loaded with content, from an adventure mode with 200 stages to multiple 16-player multiplayer modes. That’s all exciting, but my attention was on one question when I sat down to demo all of that last week: How fun will it be to watch players master it?

Read more
How to unlock the Invoker in Remnant 2
Invoker

Remnant 2's second DLC, The Forgotten King, is jam-packed with fun new stuff to find for those willing to thoroughly explore. Among its many additions is the Invoker archetype, which allows you to harness the power of nature using the nature spirits of Yaesha. Below, we'll detail how you can unlock this exciting new class for yourself.

Read more
PlayStation 6: release date speculation, price, specs, and more
sony reveals customizable ps5 dualsense edge controller front and back

In a recent quote, Sony Senior Vice President Naomi Matsuoka said: "Looking ahead, PS5 will enter the latter stage of its life cycle." Many in the industry took that to mean that we may be hearing about the next PlayStation console sooner rather than later.

Considering Sony has yet to break its naming convention, it feels safe to assume whatever future home console we get will be called the PlayStation 6. But not only has the name not been officially confirmed, but neither has the idea of a next-generation PlayStation console or even a PS5 Pro. It's almost a guarantee, but technically nothing is set in stone. Rumors and potential leaks have already started stirring up excitement, so let's see what the future of PlayStation may look like according to the rumors.
Release date speculation

Read more