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Nintendo recently updated the Nintendo Switch to firmware version 10.0.0. The update brought with it much-requested features such as remappable buttons. Since its release however, users have been data mining the firmware, and have discovered that the latest Switch update has added preliminary support for a new hardware model, suggesting that more Switches could be on the way.
Through data mining the firmware, a new hardware model has been discovered. Model number “nx-abcd” has been referenced in the firmware. This model number currently does not coincide with any currently released hardware by the company. Furthermore, the letters ‘abcd’ seem to suggest that this new hardware could be an entirely new form factor.
Currently, two main Switch form factors exist, a handheld only, and a hybrid handheld-docked system. Previous data mining has also shown that a theoretical TV-only Switch would take the model number ‘nx-abcb’, meaning that this model, whatever it may be, is unlikely to be TV-only.
Of course, Nintendo is no stranger to updating older consoles with new form factors. The Game Boy Advance received a new ‘SP’ revision later in its life, which gave the handheld a clamshell design. The Nintendo DS received multiple iterations too. Currently it is unknown what form this new data mined model would take, though some who have looked into the code claim that it could include a secondary display, similar to the DS and 3DS.
It is worth noting that all hardware manufacturers experiment with many prototypes, most of which never make it to market. Still, the fact that support for the new model arrived in a public firmware update, suggests that perhaps we may see a new Switch model sooner than expected.
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KitGuru says: Do you think Nintnedo is likely to release a new Switch model any time soon? What new features would you like to see added if that were the case? Do you currently own a Switch, and if not, why not? Let us know down below.
