Hardware Nintendo Life: Teardown Suggests The Switch OLED Dock Is 4K 60fps-Ready And 'Future Proof'

[Slash]

The dock which ships with the Switch OLED is capable of outputting 4K 60fps, it has been suggested.

The claim comes from YouTuber Nintendo Prime, who managed to get hold of a console ahead of its official release on Friday. When comparing the revised dock with the original one, it was found that not only does the dock itself have the HDMI 2.0 controller required for 4K output, but the cable it ships with is also 4K-ready.

By way of comparison, the HDMI controller inside the original dock adheres to the older HDMI 1.4 standard, as is the cable it ships with and is not capable of 4K 60fps.

Nintendo Prime also points out that while there's an ARM-based chip on the dock's motherboard, it does not have the power required to upscale a 1080p image to 4K, so any upscaling would need to be handled by a more powerful Switch console.

These findings could suggest that Nintendo has essentially future-proofed the dock ahead of another hardware iteration which could potentially introduce 4K 60fps. Late last month, 11 developers spoke anonymously to Bloomberg stating that they had 4K dev kits and were creating games to hit that resolution – a claim that was quickly and publicly denied by Nintendo.

Then, a day later, a patent was made public which suggests that Nintendo is working on its own upscaling technology similar to Nvidia's DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling).

All of this naturally fits in with rumours that Nintendo is working on a 'Switch Pro' system, a machine that insiders claim is expected to launch next year. Could it be that the Switch OLED was supposed to be the Switch Pro, and that the ongoing global chip shortage caused Nintendo to rethink its plans? Or perhaps the company always planned to release the OLED model as a way of refreshing the 'base' model of the console ahead of the more powerful Pro variant hitting the market?

Teardown Suggests The Switch OLED Dock Is 4K 60fps-Ready And 'Future Proof'

"At least" HDMI 2.0 on-board

www.nintendolife.com

 

[Skittzo]

Nintendo: "Pay no attention to the Dane behind the curtain!!"

 

[mazi]

HDMI 2 components are probably easier to get than HDMI 1. don't think it means anything.

edit:

 

[Skittzo]

HDMI 2 components are probably easier to get than HDMI 1. don't think it means anything.

edit:

They also did indicate the firmware in the dock is now capable of receiving updates. So the fact that it's not enabled right now means nothing.

 

[Pokemaniac]

HDMI 2 components are probably easier to get than HDMI 1. don't think it means anything.

edit:

I'm fairly certain the chip is a DP to HDMI converter. It doesn't have anything to do with the Ethernet port.

 

[Josh5890]

I'm going to need the Digital Foundry folks to advise further on this.

 

[mazi]

They also did indicate the firmware in the dock is now capable of receiving updates. So the fact that it's not enabled right now means nothing.

allowing firmware updates makes it possible so something like the ethernet adapter bug on the OG switch dock could be fixed via an update. i'm not saying it won't or can't be used to enable 4K, but i don't think it necessarily means it's there to future proof the dock.

 

[Ahmed]

I'm going to need the Digital Foundry folks to advise further on this.

Yep, this back and forth stuff is a bit confusing to me. I'll wait and see what DF finds out.

 

[Skittzo]

allowing firmware updates makes it possible so something like the ethernet adapter bug on the OG switch dock could be fixed via an update. i'm not saying it won't or can't be used to enable 4K, but i don't think it necessarily means it's there to future proof the dock.

True, but the tweet saying it's clearly not being used implies it simply won't be used for 4k.

 

[Brofield]

Oh that fills me with joy. Definitely a lot more confident now in ordering the OLED dock once it's finally available for sale on Nintendo's store.

 

[Sejes]

give it to meeeee

 

[Brofield]

Honestly if it allows 4K60 to be streamed to a TV, I hope it means we can eventually see Netflix/Disney+/Prime/Crave/whatever else make their way to Switch as part of its services offered. Games may not be UHD, but at least TV and movies can be.

(and theoretically also allow cloud games to be freely upgraded to 4K60 if you have a strong enough internet connection, such as, say...with an ethernet cable).

 

[ika]

That's very nice. I want to get a new Dock for my new home so if this one can potentially be forward compatible with Dane, I'll seriously consider to get it.

 

[ILikeFeet]

Yep, this back and forth stuff is a bit confusing to me. I'll wait and see what DF finds out.

the simple answer is that the cable and dock are all capable, but it's probably more for "it's what they can buy" rather than it's being future-proofed. of course, the latter doesn't hurt since they'll have to procure such hardware anyway

 

[MinionZero]

the simple answer is that the cable and dock are all capable, but it's probably more for "it's what they can buy" rather than it's being future-proofed. of course, the latter doesn't hurt since they'll have to procure such hardware anyway

That sounds about right. I think Nintendo have had to make hardware revisions or underclock some underlying tech before because they couldn't get what they wanted anymore.

It does make the transition into a 4K output device easier, though. Maybe not this dock but the next one?

 

[Brawlz]

I mean, its obvious Nintendo is going to release another variation of the Switch. People saying a new Switch isn't happening haven't been paying attention to Nintendo portables.

 

[ILikeFeet]

It does make the transition into a 4K output device easier, though. Maybe not this dock but the next one?

well this dock does have upgradable firmware. unlocking higher resolutions won't be a problem

 

[MinionZero]

well this dock does have upgradable firmware. unlocking higher resolutions won't be a problem

And Nintendo would be crazy to have that firmware for higher resolutions available from the get-go. It'd be like releasing a 3DS XL case before announcing the 3DS XL.

 

[GamerJM]

Couldn't this just lead credence to the theory that it was originally meant to be a Pro but isn't because of the chip shortage?

 

[ILikeFeet]

Couldn't this just lead credence to the theory that it was originally meant to be a Pro but isn't because of the chip shortage?

nah. this could also just be a case of their supplier saying "we don't make 1.4b products anymore, you have to buy 2.0 or 2.1"

 

[Jersh]

And Nintendo would be crazy to have that firmware for higher resolutions available from the get-go. It'd be like releasing a 3DS XL case before announcing the 3DS XL.

There would be tangible benefits to allowing the current Switch models to output at 4K right now.

allowing firmware updates makes it possible so something like the ethernet adapter bug on the OG switch dock could be fixed via an update. i'm not saying it won't or can't be used to enable 4K, but i don't think it necessarily means it's there to future proof the dock.

I'm pretty sure that was an issue with the Switch itself, not the dock. I suppose one could leave an Erista Switch in the LAN dock and find out.

 

[mentok15]

There would be tangible benefits to allowing the current Switch models to output at 4K right now.

What would they be? If it's just upscaling the Switches 1080p output to 4k, tvs are already doing that.

 

[Jersh]

What would they be? If it's just upscaling the Switches 1080p output to 4k, tvs are already doing that.

Right, and that 1080p output is itself often scaled from 900p or 720p or anywhere in between - or lower. Scaling twice can introduce further artifacts and blurriness; eliminating one scaling point can only help the final image, even if it's just a minor cleanup.

TVs also aren't generally known to have quality scaling or many scaling options, and generally aren't designed with text and UI elements in mind. Moving all scaling to the Switch gives Nintendo all the control on how to scale it.

 

[mentok15]

Right, and that 1080p output is itself often scaled from 900p or 720p or anywhere in between - or lower. Scaling twice can introduce further artifacts and blurriness; eliminating one scaling point can only help the final image, even if it's just a minor cleanup.

TVs also aren't generally known to have quality scaling or many scaling options, and generally aren't designed with text and UI elements in mind. Moving all scaling to the Switch gives Nintendo all the control on how to scale it.

True, a good point.
Internally rendering at 1080p or below but having a 4K framebuffer requires more video ram, yea?

 

[Jersh]

True, a good point.
Internally rendering at 1080p or below but having a 4K framebuffer requires more video ram, yea?

Hmmm - that I'm not sure on. But if the framebuffer is part of the memory pool reserved for the OS (which seems reasonable), Nintendo should have enough control there to make it work.

If you weren't aware and are curious about why I'm talking about OS RAM, in consoles (and SOCs in general) there is no dedicated video memory; it's a shared pool with the main system memory.

 

[Ahmed]

the simple answer is that the cable and dock are all capable, but it's probably more for "it's what they can buy" rather than it's being future-proofed. of course, the latter doesn't hurt since they'll have to procure such hardware anyway

Yeah, this seems logical. It seems more of a case of "this is just cheaper to use" or the only available part.

 

[julian]

All this suggests to me is that the new dock is likely what will come with whatever a Switch 2 is. At worst, it will be compatible with a Switch 2. Not sure why people seem to be reading much more into it than that.

 

[Brofield]

Still can't buy the dock separately online, I wonder when it's gonna be made available on their store site. Even going back to Nintendo's original comments, it doesn't look like there was a timeline mentioned, just that it would be available only through online retail.

Is it a fool's hope to believe it'll be available by the end of the month, if not the end of the year?

 

[Pokemaniac]

allowing firmware updates makes it possible so something like the ethernet adapter bug on the OG switch dock could be fixed via an update. i'm not saying it won't or can't be used to enable 4K, but i don't think it necessarily means it's there to future proof the dock.

The Ethernet adapter thing wasn't a bug, it was fully intentional behavior to keep the system semi-awake when on the to dovk with an Ethernet connection. There is a toggle to disable it now, as of the 13.0.0 firmware update.

 

[Tangerine_Cookie]

Wonder if them upgrading to 40k60 capable parts isn't just a normal manufacturing and supply conditions thing more than an intended change. As in, for some reason acquiring the new chips is cheaper/easier than whatever the old dock had inside right now.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Wonder if them upgrading to 40k60 capable parts isn't just a normal manufacturing and supply conditions thing more than an intended change. As in, for some reason acquiring the new chips is cheaper/easier than whatever the old dock had inside right now.

It's definitely possible. The upgraded dock chips aren't really strong evidence by themselves that Nintendo is working on 4k capable hardware, but they are a potentially interesting detail with the context of the other rumors.

 

[ShadowFox08]

HDMI 2 components are probably easier to get than HDMI 1. don't think it means anything.

edit:

I don't know how I feel about the tweet regarding a chip doing DLSS (or whatever similar thing Nintendo is doing in the recently revealed patent) on the dock, IF that actually happens.

This would mean there wouldn't be a need for DLSS in the actual switch 2 hardware, which could free GPU space, but at the same time that means handheld can't use DLSS mode, so maintains some kind of performance parity with x series is less likely.

Second, DLSS has always been together as part of a Nvidia GPU chip. It would be weird to see a GPU with DLSS and additional processing power on the dock, unless they make a new chip that does scaling primarily only.

This piece of news is starting to sound like the scd patents from switch pre release/post release times.

 

[Vantell]

All this suggests to me is that the new dock is likely what will come with whatever a Switch 2 is. At worst, it will be compatible with a Switch 2. Not sure why people seem to be reading much more into it than that.

Because the infamous Switch Pro has been around in rumor land for a while. While I enjoy my Switch and it has great games it comes to no surprise that a stronger system would be welcomed. The fact that there has been a lot of smoke it just interesting.

Some insiders within the industry have been talking about it and I do trust them over a vague no from some companies. Which obviously will not say that they are right.

I think a Switch Pro was planned initially for this year. But due to COVID and the chip shortage didn't work out as planned. What does this mean for the Switch Pro? I could see one come out next year. I could also see it being revealed as the successor of the Switch. Or perhaps a new gen of Switch isnt something that we get anymore and they just make an iteration.

 

[ILikeFeet]

I don't know how I feel about the tweet regarding a chip doing DLSS (or whatever similar thing Nintendo is doing in the recently revealed patent) on the dock, IF that actually happens.

This would mean there wouldn't be a need for DLSS in the actual switch 2 hardware, which could free GPU space, but at the same time that means handheld can't use DLSS mode, so maintains some kind of performance parity with x series is less likely.

Second, DLSS has always been together as part of a Nvidia GPU chip. It would be weird to see a GPU with DLSS and additional processing power on the dock, unless they make a new chip that does scaling primarily only.

This piece of news is starting to sound like the scd patents from switch pre release/post release times.

DLSS has to be integrated into the render pipeline. it can't be put into a separate chip in the dock. the latency penalty would make playing a game impossible

 

[ShadowFox08]

DLSS has to be integrated into the render pipeline. it can't be put into a separate chip in the dock. the latency penalty would make playing a game impossible

Got it.