A patent filed by Nintendo shows scaling technology powered by artificial intelligence. This would allow the Switch 2 to offer a 4K display, while reducing the size of the games on the cartridges.
I promise, this time, it’s not a rumor. In a thread published on January 1, 2025 on Bluesky, journalist, consultant and author Laura Kate Dale shared the existence of a patent published by Nintendo, about AI scaling technology — that could use the Switch 2. A technology comparable to Nvidia’s DLSS or, more recently, Sony’s PSSR for the PS5 Pro.
As a reminder, DLSS, or “ Deep learning super sampling “, is an algorithm developed by Nvidia to produce a higher quality image from a lower definition. The idea is to save resources to improve performance, without degrading fidelity. The trained AI is then responsible for “guessing” the missing information to go, for example, from a 1080p image to a 4K image. On Switch 2, this could be a real game changer.
Du DLSS on Nintendo Switch 2?
We remind you that the Switch 2 will be based on an Nvidia architecture, which already helps to use a technology close to DLSS – while benefiting from all these years of development (unlike Sony, which is starting with PSSR). With this “intelligent” scaling, we could for example start from a 540p rendering and then “enlarge” it to 1080p on the console screen. Nintendo mentions the possibility of using this technology several times to achieve a 4K rendering, which corresponds to the standard of today’s televisions.
Note that this Nintendo version DLSS could be optional, probably in order to preserve autonomy (it would be activated automatically with the dock). “ In certain situations, the user will be able to manually enable scaling », Indicates Nintendo. This is what the mysterious new button on the right Joy-Con (the “C” button) could be used for. If Nintendo allows you to activate/deactivate DLSS in a flash, then it would be a real added value in terms of ergonomics (as was the case with 3D on 3DS).
The other benefit of this DLSS is to be found in the size of the games. With a lower definition, they will require less data. According to Nintendo, a 4K game weighs around 60 GB, compared to 20 GB for its 1080p equivalent. Today, a Switch cartridge caps at 32 GB and doubling this capacity would cost Nintendo a lot of money in terms of production. In short, everyone would be a winner.
