Nintendo has confirmed that it will offer a “closer look at Switch 2” on April 2 during this year’s first Nintendo Direct. With just over 10 days left until the launch, the successor to one of the most successful handheld consoles in the world is confirmed to feature AI upscaling capabilities, similar to most modern GPUs and gaming consoles.
According to a leaked patent application filed by Nintendo, the upcoming Switch 2 will incorporate an AI-powered upscaling technique that can transform a natively rendered 540p image into an upscaled 1080p image.
This will not only reduce the load on the processor but also help the console output a sharper, higher-resolution image. Additionally, this suggests that the Switch 2 might be capable of delivering up to 1080p resolution even when mirrored to an external monitor.
The patent application states: “A computer system is provided for converting images through the use of a trained neural network. A source image is divided into blocks, and context data is added to each pixel block. The context blocks are split into channels, and each channel from the same context block is added to the same activation matrix. The activation matrix is then executed against a trained neural network to produce a modified activation matrix. The modified activation matrix is then used to generate a converted image.”
Compared to the original Switch’s 7-inch 720p screen, the Switch 2 is said to feature an 8-inch display with a 1080p resolution, offering slightly more screen real estate and a higher pixel density. This will not only enhance the gaming experience for Switch 2-exclusive titles but is also expected to significantly improve performance when playing backwards-compatible games from the original Switch.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/
