Last week, the image above (sans Mario) popped up online and supposedly shows off what the Switch successor will look like. As many expected, it appears to be extremely similar to the current Switch. Of course, the real changes are to be found inside the system itself, as the hardware’s power will differ greatly from what the first iteration of Switch included.
Of course, with any leak, there was discussion as to whether or not the image is legit. Nintendo obviously isn’t saying anything, which leaves us to armchair analysts for commentary. Digital Foundry, some of the best tech-minded people in the gaming press, have examined the image and they believe it to be true. In an interview with IGN, they explain why the leaked image gets their stamp of approval.
It’s right to have a degree of skepticism about this leak because there’s nothing to stop someone 3D printing up a fake casing,” he said. “However, faking a convincing motherboard would require a degree of technical knowledge that I’d put beyond even the most elaborate hoax. It would be easier simply not to fake a board at all and to make the printed components look a lot more genuine.
Then there’s the fact that everything shown on that board is a match for the latest and most accurate leaks based on Taiwan shipping manifests, accumulated by the ardent sleuths on the Famiboards forum.
That leak also came with a rundown of tech specs, and if you missed those the first time out, you can find them below again.
- SoCl (CPU + GPU) model: GMLX30-R-A1.
- Memory model: MT62F768M64D4EK-026 (6GX2 dual channel, LPDDR5X, 7500 MT/s)
- Flash memory model: THGJFGT1E45BAILHW0 (256GB, UFS 3.1, manufactured by Kaixia, 2100 MB/s).
- Audio chip model: Ruiwu ALC5658-CG.
- NFC reader model: NXP IPN7160B1HN
- Built-in microphone model: CMB-MIC-X7.
- Dual cooling fans, model BSM0405HPJH9 and BSM0505HPJQC (copper gaming heat sink).
- Video signal conversion (DisplayPort to HDMI) must be chip model; Ruixian RTD2175N must be chip (support HDMI 2.1).
- Network chip model: Ruiming RTL8153B-VB-CG and Gigabit Ethernet chip (the base has a network cable interface).
- Microcontroller chip model: STMicroelectronics JSTM32G0OB0OCET6.
- Video game console protective case model: HGU1100 (size: 206 x 115 x 14mm, made of plastic).
- Speakers: MUSE BOX-L and MUSE BOX-R (two-channel stereo).
Again, there’s no definitive answer as to whether the leaked images and specs are genuine, but the Digital Foundry gang was more than willing to dive into the situation and share their thoughts. You can watch their entire discussion in the video below, or you can read a detailed breakdown here.
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