A new Nintendo patent appears to back up claims that its Nintendo Switch successor will use DLSS-style upscaling technology.
A patent filed in July 2023, but published on Tuesday, describes a machine learning system that can convert images from one resolution to a higher resolution.
DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) or similar technologies work by using AI to improve the resolution of games, allowing developers to achieve higher graphics settings and better frame rates on weaker hardware.
Sony’s recently released PlayStation 5 Pro uses its own upscaling technology, PSSR, at the platform level, while AMD’s FSR is a popular solution on other consoles that is used on a game-by-game basis.
VGC and other outlets previously reported that Nintendo plans to use DLSS-style technology in its next system, which could provide a significant advantage considering the technical limitations that handheld devices face.
As noted by journalist Laura Kate Dale, the new patent mentions the use of upscaling technology to reduce the overall size of games and adapt a modern game to “lower capacity physical media,” for example, game cards.
“The example given is that a game with native 4K textures might need a 60GB download, but a native 1080 version might only need 20GB (which would allow it to fit on a 32GB Switch Cart, the current maximum size that Nintendo produces for Switch 1). . The idea is to make a 4X improvement on the device in real time.”
Nintendo previously published an AI enhancement patent in 2020, which described the process’s potential use in cloud gaming, in which cloud-based systems could send a low-resolution compressed image to the player’s device. , which would then be improved using AI to reduce latency. .
The latest patent was published on the same day that alleged images of the Switch 2’s internal hardware components appeared on Reddit. If accurate, the images appear to confirm previous rumors about hardware specifications that suggest the new console will once again be powered by Nvidia.
Nintendo has yet to officially reveal its Switch successor, but the company has confirmed plans to do so during its current fiscal year, which ends in March 2025.
Alleged images of the Nintendo Switch successor surfaced online in September, showing a design that’s not too different from the company’s current-gen console.
