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[Lunatic_Gamer]

Further evidence has suggested that the Nintendo Switch OLED model’s updated dock can support 4K/60fps, even though the Switch hardware currently doesn’t.

Last week it was reported that the updated Switch hardware comes with a new HDMI 2.0 cable (compared to the original’s 1.4 lead), which means it could theoretically transfer a 4K signal at 60 frames per second with HDR applied.

Now content creator KawlunDram has gone a step further and opened up the Switch OLED dock, to discover that it seemingly has a new Realtek chip inside, one which advertises itself as a “4K UHD multimedia SoC”.

The discovery would suggest that the Switch OLED dock definitely has new hardware inside to support HDMI 2.0 and upward. “It should also be noted that the Tegra X1 featured in the Switch does in fact support 4K60fps output over HDMI2.0,” Kawlun notes.

Curiously, Nintendo has also recently added an “update dock firmware” function specifically for the OLED dock. This could potentially indicate that Nintendo could decide to add a 4K option in future, similarly to how it recently added Bluetooth audio support via an update.

More evidence suggests Switch OLED’s dock can support 4K | VGC

Switch could even theoretically be updated to output a higher resolution…

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Oh boy. Another round of false hope for the fanboys that there's a mystical 4k switch coming.

 

[Sleepwalker]

I am going with what modernvintagegamer said about this: It's probably purely an availability thing for nintendo, these chips are probably more common nowadays and easier to acquire than the ones in the OG switch.

 

[Little Mac]

Probably a case of Nintendo being dragged to more present day tech by part manufacturers.

 

[Rob_27]

I was intrigued by the update option of the dock. Why would this need to be updated? So its not just a pass through..?

 

[jshackles]

Oh boy. Another round of false hope for the fanboys that there's a mystical 4k switch coming.

Like some J jeff_rigby level shit

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Like some J jeff_rigby level shit

 

[jshackles]

Get ready to learn some GAF lore

Opinion: The PS4 will support 4K blu-ray

UHD Game Consoles shipped in 2013 but won't be firmware updated to support it till 2016.. There is a second paper naming both the XB1 and PS4 as UHD game consoles. or http://www.eceee.org/static/media/uploads/site-2/ecodesign/products/ecomultimedia/games-consoles-va-letter-to-stakeholders.pdf...

www.neogaf.com

Dude comes in with shit like that in 2015 saying base PS4 models would be able to play UHD Blu Ray discs. (Keep in mind, this was a year before PS4 Pro was a thing even) Lots of rambling technical jargon. Obviously fun to read in hindsight, even though we all knew at the time that the dude was completely full of shit.

 

[Lognor]

So you're telling me there's a chance?

 

[Rat Rage]

Nothing but clickbait. The article is downright idiotic.

However, there’s reportedly nothing in the Switch firmware currently to suggest that 4K or HDR is coming and it’s almost certain that such functionality would be impossible for native game support, given the aging hardware.

The dock itself doesn’t have the ability to upscale 1080p to 4K either, and so the 4K output would need to be handled by the Switch itself, either with increased power or a DLSS-style upscaling feature, neither of which the OLED has.

It’s possible that the dock may have been ‘future-proofed’ so a potential future Switch model that does support 4K could work with it.

Why the fuck would Nintendo implement a 4K video output capable chip in the Switch OLED dock, eventhough the Switch OLED can't use it? Because they want to make sure that another revision - let's say a Switch 4K - could be compatible with the Switch OLED's dock? But wait! Wouldn't a "Switch 4K" ship with its own 4K capable dock already? So even people who'd be willing to upgrade their OLED Switch and buy another one would get a 4K ready dock already. But what if a 4K Switch launched without a dock, so that people would "only" need to buy the 4K Switch itself and could continue using their existing OLED docks? This is so stupid, it's not even a possibility.

So it's absolutely not "possible that the dock may have been "future-proofed" so a potential future Switch model that does support 4K could work with it".

It's way more likely that this 4k video output chip (with support for HDMI 2.0) was easier/cheaper to get a hold of, probably because pure 1080p, hdmi 1.4 video output chips are getting more and more outdated and harder to find.

This is another media outlet that desperately tries to get clicks with all of this stupid "4k Switch" talk, eventhough absolutely every single rumor of it has turned to be completely false and the respective "insiders" ridiculed.

Don't give them clicks.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Like some J jeff_rigby level shit

 

[Elbow Identity Shallow]

To be honest, it's incredibly likely that HDMI 2.0 controllers are just just the go to chips moving forward, HDMiI 1.4 compatible controllers have very much been superseded now and sooner or later they just won't be made any more as it's cheaper for companies to have a single production run rather than two separate production runs.
The only outlier at the moment is fully compliant HDMI 2.1 controllers as they are still more expensive to produce and not quite as easy to come by.
We're talking about a company that will likely buy millions of these chips moving forwards and quite possibly for their follow up console too. They could probably have used HDMiI 1.4 controllers in the OLED but that would have to have been updated pretty quickly so it would have been a questionable move to do so.
I honestly don't see it being any more than this. Believe me, I'd love for my Switch games to have improved image quality and more stable frame rates but it;s not going to be happening with this.

 

[Marty-McFly]

Oh boy. Another round of false hope for the fanboys that there's a mystical 4k switch coming.

x99news - Just another WordPress site

Just another WordPress site

x99news.com

 

[Boaty McBoatface]

I am going with what modernvintagegamer said about this: It's probably purely an availability thing for nintendo, these chips are probably more common nowadays and easier to acquire than the ones in the OG switch.

Also the cable being 4k capable means absolutely nothing.

 

[Coolwhhip]

Nintendo does 4p not 4k.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Get ready to learn some GAF lore

Opinion: The PS4 will support 4K blu-ray

UHD Game Consoles shipped in 2013 but won't be firmware updated to support it till 2016.. There is a second paper naming both the XB1 and PS4 as UHD game consoles. or http://www.eceee.org/static/media/uploads/site-2/ecodesign/products/ecomultimedia/games-consoles-va-letter-to-stakeholders.pdf...

www.neogaf.com

Dude comes in with shit like that in 2015 saying base PS4 models would be able to play UHD Blu Ray discs. (Keep in mind, this was a year before PS4 Pro was a thing even) Lots of rambling technical jargon. Obviously fun to read in hindsight, even though we all knew at the time that the dude was completely full of shit.

This is the literal personification of

 

[ethomaz]

Yes the HDMI chipset is 2.0.
But that has nothing to do with what the Tegra X1 inside Switch can render.

So no there is no 4k here unless you want a heavy upscalled output.

 

[jshackles]

But that has nothing to do with what the Tegra X1 inside Switch can render.

The Tegra X1 has plenty of horsepower to render in 4K. Just... not games.

If Nintendo released a Netflix or Amazon Video app those could probably output in 4K just fine on the Switch (if the Switch software was updated to support it, of course). My 2015 Nvidia Shield has a Tegra X1 and it still plays 4K content swimmingly.

But - this is Nintendo we're talking about here.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Probably cheaper chipset nowadays just for the simple fact that everyone and their mother output at 4K in the electronic world, so this chip is likely mass produced and thus cheaper.

 

[Kilau]

I am going with what modernvintagegamer said about this: It's probably purely an availability thing for nintendo, these chips are probably more common nowadays and easier to acquire than the ones in the OG switch.

Makes sense to me, like it probably would have cost more to try and source 32GB of flash storage instead of going up.

 

[ethomaz]

The Tegra X1 has plenty of horsepower to render in 4K. Just... not games.

If Nintendo released a Netflix or Amazon Video app those could probably output in 4K just fine on the Switch (if the Switch software was updated to support it, of course). My 2015 Nvidia Shield has a Tegra X1 and it still plays 4K content swimmingly.

But - this is Nintendo we're talking about here.

Makes sense for videos apps

 

[Marty-McFly]

It's only a matter of time before a 4K DLSS upgrade.

Games are so scalable these days third party support should be very strong.

 

[Elbow Identity Shallow]

Not on the current hardware though, the current hardware doesn't have anything close to what can be done on Tensor cores. I would be surprised if it didn't happen at some point though, I'd be surprised if it was full Tensor support though as it will likely be a custom upscaling chip instead.
I'd very happy with that, Nintendo produce some wonderful games but things like anti aliasing, tearing and inconsistent frame rates really don't do their art team justice.

 

[daveonezero]

Display at 4K is not games running at 4K.

ir might be good though for displaying on 4K displays.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Get ready to learn some GAF lore

Opinion: The PS4 will support 4K blu-ray

UHD Game Consoles shipped in 2013 but won't be firmware updated to support it till 2016.. There is a second paper naming both the XB1 and PS4 as UHD game consoles. or http://www.eceee.org/static/media/uploads/site-2/ecodesign/products/ecomultimedia/games-consoles-va-letter-to-stakeholders.pdf...

www.neogaf.com

Dude comes in with shit like that in 2015 saying base PS4 models would be able to play UHD Blu Ray discs. (Keep in mind, this was a year before PS4 Pro was a thing even) Lots of rambling technical jargon. Obviously fun to read in hindsight, even though we all knew at the time that the dude was completely full of shit.

Holy crap that certainly reminds me of some individuals in the next gen speculation thread.

 

[ArtHands]

I agree with the post that this is some rubbish information without much research. Tegra X1 only advertise itself as “60fps 4K” for video, not gaming. And Switch OLED packing in HDMI 2.1 cable means nothing

 

[fersnake]

doesnt matter, same gfx at higher res? no thanks

 

[StateofMajora]

Yes the HDMI chipset is 2.0.
But that has nothing to do with what the Tegra X1 inside Switch can render.

So no there is no 4k here unless you want a heavy upscalled output.

For games that run at, for example 720p, a 4k output on the new switch would be superior vs. the current switch scaling that 720p to 1080p and then your 4k tv scaling the already non native 1080p to 4k. Eliminating double scaling would be a plus.

Although technically if you have a tv with really good scaling, i.e. (Bravia x1 ultimate) the best scaling for those 720p games would be for you to set you switch to output 720p then let the tv scale a single time. But it's impractical to change output settings for every game, and oddball resolutions would still need to be scaled twice unless the switch could output 4k, i.e. 900p, 540p.

TLDR : 4k output would help the scaling look better generally.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Incoming mass wave of 4K “cloud versions?”

 

[sinnergy]

It were the only chips left

 

[Outlier]

"CAN" means it most likely won't ever put out 4k games, that aren't slide shows.

 

[existensmaximum]

I'd be perfectly happy with a rock solid 1080p60 capable Switch

 

[M1chl]

So are you saying that they gave this dock to a wrong console? Or what is suppose to be this revelation? Also maybe, they are not even building older chips.

 

[Elbow Identity Shallow]

I wonder if the Dock will be forward compatible with Switch 2 whenever that releases. It is compatible with both home versions of the Switch and because of it only really being a Dock the new version wouldn't really need to be updated so they could well just sell people an iterative console that uses the OLED Dock or Nintendo Switch Dock (With LAN Port) which is the official name for it. It does look like it's the only type of dock on sale on Nintendo's store now.
I am actually tempted to buy the new Dock as the original always felt really cheap and like it was going to just fall apart and we don't really use it as anything but a console so it's really not worth us getting an OLED version but I am thinking about buying the Dock as does seem far more solid than the original.

 

[zombrex]

Would be interesting if Nintendo buying these is what actually started the 4k switch rumours.
Like others had said it is likely just parts availability.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

Next Switch with DLSS is gonna be insane. Hurry up Ninty.

 

[N30RYU]

Probably it's easier to get 4k parts nowadays than try an get/make new non4k ones...

 

[gamer82]

ooooooooooh, this 4k campaign is not letting up anytime soon

 

[gamer82]

so essentially they dont have to make a pro model but they could drop a bomb with new software updates that give a resolution and graphical bump lol

Christmas is not here yet .

 

[Elbow Identity Shallow]

As long as they also let you also download the additional hardware at the same time or I suppose they could just reduce the frame rate even more to allow a higher resolution output.
There are Switch games that already upscale but not as happen with DLSS but that can't happen without additional hardware. Any sort of of upscaling does require, in particular if you want to do it well and Mariko chip in the old and new versions of Switch isn't really known for it's upscaling ability which is why it happens so infrequently.
Not you in particular but I do wish that some people would at least attempt to understand that the Dock being able to pass through a 4K signal is no more relevant to the current generation of Switch consoles being able to output a 4K native/upscaled image than Nintendo just putting a HDMI cable that is 4K capable in the box. The cable like this Dock would be able to pass a 4K signal but both the controller and the cable are merely what are more readily available to companies at the moment in teh sort of numbers that Nintendo would require. I think you have to realise that last generation it was the PS4 Pro that was the first console that was capable of upscaling to 4K and to give peoplean idea of what was needed, the Pro contained double the GPU power of the PS4 as well as custom upscaling hardware that Mariko doesn't posses.
Of course, things have advanced over the years but all upscaling to 4K on Mariko is going to do reduce performance and performance that has far too often been an issue on the Switch as it is. The Switch 2 will surely benefit from some sort of custom DLSS based scaling but of course, it will have the required hardware to support that.

 

[Knightime_X]

Upscaled 4k and rendered 4k are 2 very different things.
Upscaled 4k is nowhere near as good as rendered 4k.

 

[Ezquimacore]

doesnt matter, same gfx at higher res? no thanks

Cemu and switch emulator at 4k looks amazing

 

[jufonuk]

so essentially they dont have to make a pro model but they could drop a bomb with new software updates that give a resolution and graphical bump lol

Christmas is not here yet .

Monkey paw works.
Switch is 4K, 30fps
or 2K, 60fps

Downside EA start making new games for the switch, while forgetting about the older classic games they had.
they go dead space 3 Star Wars bf 2 mtx

instead of dead space 1 and 2

 

[Bernkastel]

Get ready to learn some GAF lore

Opinion: The PS4 will support 4K blu-ray

UHD Game Consoles shipped in 2013 but won't be firmware updated to support it till 2016.. There is a second paper naming both the XB1 and PS4 as UHD game consoles. or http://www.eceee.org/static/media/uploads/site-2/ecodesign/products/ecomultimedia/games-consoles-va-letter-to-stakeholders.pdf...

www.neogaf.com

Dude comes in with shit like that in 2015 saying base PS4 models would be able to play UHD Blu Ray discs. (Keep in mind, this was a year before PS4 Pro was a thing even) Lots of rambling technical jargon. Obviously fun to read in hindsight, even though we all knew at the time that the dude was completely full of shit.

I found its predecessor

UHD Blu-ray Game Consoles shipped in 2013

UHD Blu-ray Game Consoles shipped in 2013 but won't be firmware updated to support it till 2016. There is a BDA Licence for UHD Blu-ray game consoles and Sony has a License for a UHD Movie player/Game Console/test player and a License for a UHD Blu-ray PC application. There is a second paper...

www.neogaf.com

 

[Calverz]

Like some J jeff_rigby level shit

The man, the myth, the legend

 

[p_xavier]

I found its predecessor

UHD Blu-ray Game Consoles shipped in 2013

UHD Blu-ray Game Consoles shipped in 2013 but won't be firmware updated to support it till 2016. There is a BDA Licence for UHD Blu-ray game consoles and Sony has a License for a UHD Movie player/Game Console/test player and a License for a UHD Blu-ray PC application. There is a second paper...

www.neogaf.com

The PS4 Pro not supporting UHD BD was pure BS from Sony though.

 

[Nikana]

Like some J jeff_rigby level shit

 

[fersnake]

Cemu and switch emulator at 4k looks amazing

i know, i tried some games on my C1 and

 

[Neo_Geo]

The only thing this tells me is that Nintendo now has no fucking excuse to not add the bullet point of:

"Roku Ultra" etc. to it's list of abilities.

I don't expect games to run at 4k60 with the current hardware, but it should at the very least do everything a Shield TV or Roku device does since it's now built in to the dock.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I mean, it could probably run Pac-Man in 4K.