What the “OLED Model” means for the future of Nintendo Switch

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  A labeled mock-up of the new model shows where everything goes. [credit: Nintendo ]

Where is my 4K “Switch Pro” upgrade?

The most surprising thing about the Switch's newly announced "OLED Model" might just be what it's missing. Namely, it's missing a new chipset that bumps up the processing power above what's available on existing Switch hardware.

That lack of improved internals is surprising mainly because of a number of reports that promised the next Switch would support a bump to "4K graphics when paired with TVs," as Bloomberg phrased it is as recently as March. Bloomberg's reporters tend to be reliable when it comes to this kind of insider Nintendo reporting, including an early 2019 report that predicted a "lower-priced" Nintendo Switch Lite months ahead of its announcement. Bloomberg also got the other details right about the OLED Model, including the 7" OLED screen that maintains the original Switch's 720p resolution and the general timing of when manufacturing would begin.

Maybe Bloomberg's reporters just got ahead of themselves on this one detail and assumed 4K support that was never really in the cards. More likely, though, is that Nintendo just changed its plans for a processing-power boost at some point after Bloomberg's sources first leaked the information.

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