Dataminers have discovered clues that a new Nintendo Switch is in the works, but it will likely take a while before Nintendo releases a hardware update for its hybrid console.
The Nintendo Switch was recently crowned the fastest-selling console in the United States over its first year. At this point, is a new model for the hybrid console really needed?
Dataminers Discover Clues To New Nintendo Switch
Nintendo recently launched the Nintendo Switch 5.0 update, bringing some minor changes and a few new features to the hybrid console. Among the new things on the Nintendo Switch are the Friend Suggestions feature, 24 new user icons, and more secure parental controls.
However, there is more to the firmware update than what it adds to the Nintendo Switch. Originally posted on the ResetEra forums by user Atheerio, dataminers at Switchbrew have discovered a mysterious folder in the version 5.0 update that points to a hardware update named Mariko.
The popular speculation is that Mariko will be a new Nintendo Switch model that will replace the current Tegra 210 chip to the Tegra 214, as the latter is supposedly less vulnerable against hacking activities. In addition, the Nintendo Switch hardware update is also expected to double the RAM and internal storage of the hybrid console, from 4 GB to 8 GB and from 32 GB to 64 GB, respectively.
New Nintendo Switch Coming Soon?
The appearance of Mariko in the Nintendo Switch 5.0 code may mean that the hardware update is coming soon. However, it is more likely that it will take a few years before a new Nintendo Switch model is released. This is because, as it is, the hybrid console is selling very well. There is no need for Nintendo to use up resources in creating a Nintendo Switch hardware update and have two versions of the hybrid console competing against each other.
Instead of looking forward to a Nintendo Switch hardware update, there are many other things coming to the hybrid console that should excite gamers. For example, Nintendo recently announced that the Super Smash Bros. franchise is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch. However, it remains unclear if the game will be a port of the Nintendo Wii U or Nintendo 3DS versions of the series or an entirely new game.
Other games coming soon to the Nintendo Switch include former PlayStation 4 exclusive Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy on July 10 and Square Enix RPG Octopath Traveler on July 13. Diablo III is also confirmed for the hybrid console, but Blizzard has not yet announced a release date.
