Sources: Nintendo will use new Nvidia graphics chip in its 2021 Switch upgrade, helping the console deliver 4K on TVs via Nvidia's DLSS
- The Nvidia system-on-chip will also add memory and CPU upgrade — Nintendo's console refresh targeting year-end shopping season
Context & Ripple Effects
Nintendo’s reported 2021 refresh had already been framed as a higher-performance Switch with possible 4K output in earlier upgrade reporting. A subsequent report added a 7-inch OLED display and docked-TV 4K support; this report identifies Nvidia’s DLSS-capable chip as the proposed route to that output upgrade.
The significance is not merely a screen revision: Nintendo was reportedly pairing the display change with CPU and memory improvements, making the refresh a more substantive hardware step before the year-end sales period.
First-order effects
- Nintendo’s reported upgrade would move Nvidia deeper into the Switch hardware stack, with a new system-on-chip providing graphics, CPU, and memory improvements.
- DLSS would let the upgraded Switch target 4K output on TVs while retaining the portable-console form factor Nintendo had built around Switch.
Second-order effects
- The added component changes support the higher-priced positioning described in later pre-E3 upgrade reporting, which said Nintendo expected to charge more than the original $299 Switch.
- Game developers targeting the refreshed model would gain a distinct docked-TV performance target, while Nintendo would need to preserve compatibility across the existing Switch base.
Third-order effects
- Later disclosure that the Switch 2 uses a custom Nvidia processor with Tensor Cores and DLSS shows the same Nvidia-led graphics path continuing, making software-assisted rendering a durable part of Nintendo’s console roadmap.
- If Nintendo continues to separate portable rendering from docked TV output through upscaling, console performance competition shifts further toward custom silicon and rendering features rather than native-resolution gains alone.
The trend: Nintendo is increasingly using custom Nvidia silicon and DLSS-style upscaling to extend Switch-class hardware across portable and TV use cases.