A new firmware update for the Nintendo Switch could hold the secret to a next-generation Switch 2 console, according to an observer known for ferreting about in console code.
Security researcher Mike Heskin believes the Nintendo Switch firmware update 10.0.0, launched this week, offers hints Nintendo could be considering a secondary display for any new Switch model.
The code reveals “preliminary support” for a new Switch model dubbed “nx-bcd” within the firmware update. That model name would tie into Nintendo’s naming conventions, suggesting something is indeed afoot. Heskin says there are 3 of 5 DRAM profiles are for the new hardware type.
As for the display, he says there’s “evidence of a secondary display of sorts being added exclusively on this model.”
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He doesn’t go into specifics on what this evidence here, so it’s very much a case of taking his word for it at this stage. It could be something as simple as making it possible to play on the Switch console and a TV at the same time.
Firmware 10.0.0 adds preliminary support for a new hardware model: "nx-abcd".
3 of the 5 new DRAM profiles are for this new hardware type and there's evidence of a secondary display of sorts being added exclusively on this model.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)— Mike Heskin (@hexkyz) April 14, 2020
However, it’s not as if Nintendo is a stranger to adding a secondary display to a handheld games console. After all, the Nintendo DS, DSi, 3DS, 2DS and their XL counterparts were massive hits for the company over the course of about fifteen years.
Such an addition to the Switch would surely resort to a similar clamshell design, but it’s hard to see where that display fits into the Switch’s proposition. It would be somewhat of a regression at this point, so we’re very much taking Heskin’s claim with a heavy pinch of salt at this stage, intriguing as it may be.
Away from clandestine hints of future consoles, firmware version 10.0.0 brought plenty of interesting news for owners of the current Switch.
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That included the ability to transport Switch games from the console to an SD card, whereas gamers have previously had to re-download their game in order to move it. It’s a pretty simple process to carry out too. The company has a new option within the Data Management Tab reading “Move Data Between System/microSD Card.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.