Longstanding reports of DLSS AI upscaling technology for the Nintendo Switch 2 have been confirmed, hinting at the potential for major graphical leaps for the next-gen console.
Details regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 having some sort of AI upscaling tech have been known for some time. Though Nintendo has been extremely dodgy regarding any news on the console, that hasn’t stopped hackers. The massive 2022 Nvidia cyberattack spilled loads of details on the Nintendo Switch 2, including the console utilizing some sort of DLSS-style upscaling technology.
Though Nintendo hasn’t officially announced anything, the company filed for a patent confirming this tech’s existence in its upcoming console. Here’s what we know, and what this actually means for Nintendo Switch players.
Nintendo patent confirms Switch 2 AI upscaling tech
A patent from Nintendo outlined plans for graphical technology in gaming hardware.
Nintendo filed patent US-12,182,966-B2 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office outlining plans for these features. As is typical of patent filings, the details are full of technobabble and vaguery regarding what this actually means. The abstract reads that the filing relates to “a computer system is provided for converting images through use of a trained neural network” with details regarding how this is done.
Cutting through this, the patent outlines a straightforward system for AI upscaling on gaming hardware. Nvidia created the DLSS system of AI upscaling and the Nintendo Switch 2 is set to use Nvidia graphics technology.
The system is particularly similar to Nvidia’s own deep-learning super sampling. This system allows gaming hardware to render games in a lower resolution while using software to improve the actual image quality. In theory, this would allow the Nintendo Switch 2 to render games at 1080p resolution while outputting 4K video.
Multiple games for the Nintendo Switch have included code related to 4K support. Given how the Nintendo Switch is incapable of outputting at 4K, and that Switch games are confirmed to be compatible with next-gen hardware, there’s no doubt that the Switch 2 will be capable of running games at 4K.
The Switch 2’s hardware has been confirmed to be somewhere between the PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro in terms of its strength. This has left many wondering how the console would be able to run games smoothly, when even the PlayStation 5 often struggles to do so. AI upscaling could be the bridge.
What is AI upscaling and DLSS on the Nintendo Switch 2?
AI upscaling is a graphics technology that uses AI to enhance image quality to improve resolution beyond simply increasing size. Several such technologies do this, with Nvidia developing DLSS, PlayStation creating PSSR for the PS5 Pro, and more.
AI upscaling effectively takes the individual pixels of a lower-resolution image, spaces them out across the larger-resolution space, and then uses AI to fill in the gaps between them. When executed effectively, this allows gaming hardware to run more efficiently while improving graphical quality.
Though even the most generous estimates regarding the Switch 2 suggest it won’t have particularly formidable specs, AI upscaling and Nintendo’s focused development could let the console over-perform when it comes to graphics.
