Nintendo Switch (Photo : Twitter)
Nintendo has launched a new trailer for its home/portable console that was previously nicknamed "NX" but there are still many unanswered questions about the gaming system's details. That includes issues about the small console including its size, power, battery life, bundled accessories, add-ons, and price. The Japanese company will provide more details about Switch during the next half year but some suppositions can be made about the hybrid console based on reports and guesses.
Switch will use a custom Nvidia processor. The Tegra chip's name and specs have not been provided by the Silicon Valley company. It could be a "Tegra X2" or "Parker" but Nintendo developer kits are reportedly running Tegra X1 chips that are a little older.
Tegra chips have generally good performance. However, they run hot and the battery life is lower than other system on chips (SoC) including Qualcomm's Snapdragon. The chipmaker markets Tegra mainly for gaming tablets and car platforms.
In terms of Switch's GPU, Parker has 256 CUDA cores based on the company's Pascal architecture. The number of cores is much lower than other Pascal GPUs including the GeForce GTX 1080 with 10 times as many units.
In fact, the hybrid console's performance could be affected but there are other factors including the CPU speed and graphics application program interfaces (API). However, Switch's GPU will not perform as well as Sony's PlayStation 4 or Microsoft's Xbox One with fast RAM and bigger cooling systems.
The new Switch video also shows a vent at the top of the system for hot air to exit, according to Ars Technica. Fans are common for home consoles but portable consoles including Nintendo's 3DS usually lack them.
Switch's hardware is more powerful than most mobile chips on the market. Based on Tegra tablets' battery life and Nintendo's current systems, the new system will probably have a battery life of three to five hours like Wii U and 3DS.
In related news, Sony is a week from launching its PlayStation 4 Pro console about three years after PS4 hit the market. The tech giant unveiled the Pro system at a New York event last month.
Mark Cerny is the PS4 Pro's system architect. He explained that the console does not represent a new generation of gaming consoles, and uses the original PS4's architecture. Its upgrades include twice the GPU size, a 14 percent boost in frequency, and better rendering for the PlayStation VR headset, according to Gamasutra.
