[Speculation] From 720p to 4K - Could Switch (games) do it all?

Based on current rumors:

• When un-docked, Switch runs in "portable mode" in 720p
• Once docked, Switch switches into "TV mode" and into 1080p

Here's the big thing: If this is true, this means that Switch is changing resolutions, universally, in a couple of seconds, across all of its games. This could be a very big thing.

Historically, consoles games have sucked at running in different resolutions. You could either need to your emulator to "fake" it (N64 emulation on the Wii and Xbox emulation on Xbox 360) or to port a game entirely on a new architecture (Rare Replay on Xbox One, or nearly any "HD" version of a game).

This is because old games were designed around a set resolution, and have no reliable way to suddenly accept a new one. This is why Playstation Vita 'n newer iPhones ran at "double" the resolution of the old models. By having two new pixels for every old pixel on the screen, you could run older software at its original resolution without it looking like a mess on the new screen. This is also why GBA games looked bad on DS games, which looked bad on 3DS. A combination of a slightly higher resolution and a bad scaler resulted in Nintendo's "dirty scaling". However, even resolution-doubling is a bandage fix to a deeper problems: console software doesn't intrinsically know when it can run at a higher resolution.

So let's say the rumors are all on point, and the Switch goes from 720p to 1080p once docked, and that the dock uses a combination of air and power to manage the extra horsepower needed. This means that the system is scalable, from the get-go. Nvidia's more than likely at the core of getting this type of system to work properly, reliably (can't have the system crash just because you docked and undocked a few times in a row) and quickly, and it's probably built into their tools and support of middleware like Unreal 'n Unity.

So who's to say it ends there? Yes, for all intents and purposes, Switch begins at 720p and ends at 1080p. But what does it look like in the SDK? Do third parties hard-code their games for those two resolutions? Or do they simply take a dock event, and accept the new resolution that the system tells it to run at? Are they running at arbitrary resolutions via system requests?

It's not important now, and it won't be important at launch. Switch will launch, and Switch games will run at Switch resolutions.

But let's go forward a bit. Let's say this system is a breakout success. Late's say it's arrives as a proper successor to the 3DS/DS, and by 2018 there's 20 million in homes across the country. Let's say Nintendo decides that they need a proper home console, disc drive, USB hard drive and all, and release a new system that's somewhere between Scorpio/PS4 Pro in power.

Let's say that this new system is still running on Nvidia hardware. 4x the CPU power, 4x the GPU power, and 4x the memory on Switch. And because of all that, it's completely backwards compatible. First off, avoiding customer confusion is easy: This new system has a BluRay drive, and Switch does not. BluRay games are only for the Switch's beefy big brother. However, plug your switch in, and all your Switch games will run, from day one, one the new system. Whatmore (drumroll), it runs them in 4K. 4X a current Tegra X1 system would basically land you at an underclocked GTX 1060, which is at a similar level, price-wise, to the GPU that was in the original PS4/XB1. It would make sense, if the Switch got a "proper" home console successor, that it would get a GPU at around that level, and a GTX 1060 has more than enough power to run what are basically portable games at 4K.

So at that point we'd have a system that would be the whole package, resolution-wise.

On its own 720p screen, games run at 720p. Docked onto a TV, you get 1080p capabilities via extra cooling and power. Plugged into its proper next-gen successor, you get proper native 4K. 4K across all the games you already own. No "enhanced for [home console name]", no "all games moving forward". Just your library. Pokémon, Breath of the Wild, etc.

It would be the easiest way to protect a new console release in its launch period. I mean, imagine for a moment, if the Wii U had worked this way. Every 3DS game you own in high definition; just plug your 3DS in and use it as a glorified cartridge slot. Once you're done, unplug it and take it with you without any of that "transfarring" or "save-syncing" nonsense.

It's just a thought, but it could potentially be one of the coolest unlisted features this thing could have. I honestly wouldn't even fathom the thought with Nintendo's track record, but with Nvidia at the helm on hardware, drivers, and APIs, it's possible.

Anyhoo, just my 2¢.

Bonus: I made some resolution diagrams, so you can see the "doubling" method taken by Apple/Sony, compared to the incremental increases Nintendo used: http://imgur.com/a/UVasm

Submitted by mennydrives | #Specialdealer Special Offer Online Shopping Store 2016