A new patent has appeared which seems to show that Nintendo is working on upscaling their technology for Switch models! This is great news for players, especially with the OLED Switch just around the corner.
Since its release, Nintendo‘s portable console has come under scrutiny for its technical aspects. Even in the company’s own triple-A titles, there are some frequent issues like frame rate drops and low fps. Let’s not include ports that have made their way to the system, as some have been deemed almost unplayable due to performance issues!
This ‘new’ patent was originally filed in early 2020, but it has only just been published. Titled “Systems And Methods For Machine-Learned Image Conversion”, the patent seems to show a form of intelligence technology that will allegedly upscale the resolution of video games after running it through a matrix to detect pixels, while games are being played. There is thought that this would only be usable during charged play, as battery-powered playing already suffers a little with some Switch titles (we’re looking at you, Korok Forest). The patent seems to focus on upscaling 540p resolution to 1080p across the board.
The patent goes on to mention that upscaling to 4K may even be possible, as well as use within cloud gaming services. Players should note that this patent does not mean it will be used – it is an idea so far, and may not work. The patent is a hold on a theoretical thing, not confirmation of it existing. So far, it is not approved yet, either. Though, this information does add to the endless rumours of a 4K ‘pro’ Switch model being created.
Nintendo would not be the first to do this; other companies such as Nvidia with their DLSS, have already done it. Within the patent, they add: “it will be appreciated that new and improved techniques, systems, and processes are continually sought after in these areas of technology”, showing they are attempting to keep up with the market and other competitors. However, despite most games running at 30fps, fans are so far happy with the performance of the vast majority of games, though readily admit that 60fps pushes the system to its’ limits.
Nintendo really seems to be ramping up its service for fans – with a new Switch on the way, they have dropped the price of the original model. Ideally, the patent will grant fans with a new Switch (or Nintendo’s next-generation portable console), that performs at a higher resolution while not needing a massive power output. However, players will have to hold tight and wait it out!
The Nintendo Switch OLED releases on October 8th.
