Could Nintendo have an updated version of the Nintendo Switch in the works? That’s what seems to be speculated, based on datamining activity done by the folks at Switchbrew (via ResetEra; via MobileSyrup) which uncovered a possible hardware update codenamed “Mariko”. This is based on the 5.0.0 firmware update that was released about a week ago.
Based on their findings, they are speculating that the Nintendo Switch’s CPU, which is the Tegra 210, could be swapped out for the Tegra 214. Apparently this is because the Tegra 210 is vulnerable to hacking, so swapping it to the Tegra 214 should help prevent that from happening, at least based on current known exploits.
It has also been speculated that the Switch’s hardware refresh could also bump the amount of RAM up from 4GB to 8GB, essentially doubling it in the process. An earlier report from IGN states that it is possible that the refresh could simply be in preparation of new peripherals that could be launched in the future, although if more RAM is needed for these alleged peripherals, this essentially leaves early adopters of the Switch out which is probably not the best idea.
It should be pointed out that Nintendo had previously denied claims that they are working on Switch 2.0, but maybe the company doesn’t see these slight upgrades worthy of a “2.0” moniker. Nintendo had also previously stated that they plan to support the Switch for more than the traditional 5-6 year cycle.
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