Nintendo is looking to add VR functionality to its new Switch console (Nintendo Switch will launch on March 3 for $300 / €300). Nintendo president, Tatsumi Kimishima, recently stated that VR could be added to the upcoming home and portable console once the company has solved specific VR issues which enable users to ‘play for hours without issues’.
The new console is both a home system and a handheld in one transforming device. The use of Nvidia’s Tegra X1 is only a modest jump in performance above Nintendo’s current Wii U console, and is no match for Sony’s VR-capable PS4 (Nintendo Switch Less Powerful than PlayStation 4). The performance can certainly be compared to the current high-end smartphones that run good-quality mobile VR, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Google’s Pixel.
According to Digital Foundry’s spec analysis, the SoC only runs at 40% of the full clock speed when in the handheld mode, which limits the prospect of good VR performance. Whilst Nintendo does not mention the LCD technology of the 6.2 inch, 720p screen, Digital Foundry believes it to be an IPS panel, not the preferred-for-VR OLED. Unfortunately, a 1280×720 panel – a lower resolution than the Oculus DK1 – is hardly appropriate for VR, nor would it be capable of low persistence (significant motion blur reduction) if it is indeed IPS.
