Nintendo Switch At FCC With New CPU And Storage Sparks A Little Hope

Nintendo has just announced the Switch Lite and while it wasn't exactly a surprise, it may not have been the announcement some gamers were waiting for. The Switch Lite rumors came along with a Switch Pro but rumors about the latter seem to have gone silent. Instead, what dropped by the FCC is almost the same Switch but the mere indication that it will have a different processor and memory type is enough to make Switch fans hope for better days.

The Nintendo Switch is a rather impressive device for what it can do but if you simply look at the specs, it can be pretty disappointing. It is powered by NVIDIA last ARM mobile processor, the Tegra X, that launched back in 2015. To some extent, it's rather impressive that the Switch could pull anything off at all, making it a testament both to NVIDIA's hardware as well as Nintendo's design.

Switch fans, however, want more after having tasted an appetizer. The handheld console sometimes can't even keep up with its own titles and games may have to limit their capabilities to avoid burning up the console or the battery. Their wishes may be fulfilled soon but they might not even know it.

An FCC filing from Nintendo requests for a change to the Nintendo Switch with only two notable changes. One is for a change of Soc type and another is for NAND memory type. Considering NVIDIA has been pretty silent about any major successor to the Tegra X1, it could mean anything or nothing.

Naturally, there is hope that these new Switches will exhibit fewer thermal and battery problems. There is also a chance, however, that they could fix that hardware exploit that has allowed so many hacks and mods to exist. Given Nintendo's practice, no one will know when and if those new Switches hit shelves unless someone pays close attention and opens one up.