The upcoming Nintendo Switch OLED model itself might not support upscaled 4K graphics, but it turns out its dock's HDMI cable can. Players have been hoping for a 4K-compatible Switch console for quite some time, and there have been several leaks and rumors that such Nintendo hardware is currently in the works.
However, Nintendo executives, like Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, have repeatedly denied the claims that this hypothetical 4K Nintendo Switch Pro exists. When the company unveiled the brand-new Nintendo Switch OLED model in July, support for 4K resolution was not among the new improvements included. Due to how suddenly this Nintendo Switch OLED model was announced, some believed that the new model was merely a stopgap release meant to give Nintendo more time before revealing the true Switch Pro update. This too has been denied by Nintendo, though.
However, it seems that while the Nintendo Switch OLED won't utilize upscaled 4K resolution when it launches later this week, the technology to do so might be hidden within its power dock. Gaming YouTuber Nintendo Prime recently took apart the Nintendo Switch OLED for a look under the hood and found that the console ships with an HDMI 2.0 that is ready to process 4K output. However, the Switch OLED dock's ARM-based motherboard chip doesn’t come with this capability and would require a more powerful console to render graphics in 4K.
As its name suggests, the primary change brought by the Nintendo Switch OLED is its larger and brighter touchscreen, but the new Switch model will also feature increased storage space and an additional LAN port to allow players to connect their console straight to a modem for a quick online round of Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Unfortunately, one noteworthy area that the new Switch OLED won't be improving upon is the Switch's Joy-Con controllers, which have brought Nintendo a great deal of legal trouble over the past couple of years due to a technical issue that can cause players to drift uncontrollably mid-game.
As Nintendo Prime himself notes, the Nintendo Switch OLED’s dock featuring a 4K-compatible HDMI 2.0 cable won’t amount to much due to the console’s motherboard lacking the power needed to process 4K graphics. Still, it’s notable that the console does, in fact, have the means to render true 4K (to a certain degree), and could be a sign of Nintendo possibly adding full 4K support in the future. In the meantime, the Nintendo Switch OLED is set to hit store shelves on October 8.
Source: Nintendo Prime/YouTube