Game Console: Samsung Offers Nintendo for the Switch 2 OLED on 56 comments
Image: Nintendo
The Switch 2 isn’t even on the market, and there are already rumors of a potential mid-cycle upgrade with OLED displays. According to this, Samsung is pushing Nintendo to use its own OLED panels when there’s a Switch 2 refresh. Samsung is also taking control of chip production for Nintendo.
Bloomberg reports on the cooperation between Samsung and Nintendo, citing several people familiar with the matter. The two companies have been longtime business partners, and Samsung is, according to the report, the main supplier of NAND and OLED displays for the first-generation Switch.
Samsung Pushes for Own OLED Panels
According to one of the sources, Samsung is pushing for its own OLED panels when Nintendo (doesn’t) plan a future game console refresh. Unlike the Switch OLED, Nintendo has reverted to an LC display for the Switch 2, as in the early days of the game console. Instead of 6.2 inches (LCD) or 7 inches (OLED), the Switch 2’s LC display is now 7.9 inches and displays 1080p instead of 720p.
The Switch 2 is scheduled for launch on June 5th, with a “Switch 2 OLED” expected to follow in a few years at the earliest. The gap between the Switch (March 2017) and the Switch OLED (October 2021) was four and a half years. Samsung manufactures the Nvidia T239 using the 8nm process
The news agency also supports a report published in South Korea’s Chosun Biz last week, which stated that Samsung is resuming production of the Switch 2’s NVIDIA T239. According to Bloomberg, Samsung is now working on a custom Nvidia chip for the Switch 2, which is manufactured using the 8nm process.
In terms of timing, however, this statement doesn’t match the launch of the game console market and the Switch 2 chips already in circulation, as analyzed, for example, in a May 13th Geekerwan video. If Samsung, as Bloomberg reports, has started production now, the chip would be ready for use next year. However, Geekerwan’s analysis confirmed that the T239 is already being used on Samsung’s 8nm process.
In the Chosun Biz report, everything seems much more conclusive than in Bloomberg. As a result, Nintendo chose Samsung’s 8nm process after considering alternatives such as Samsung’s 7nm and TSMC‘s processes. Samsung’s somewhat older node is said to have advantages in terms of yield (performance) and price. Furthermore, Samsung currently has more capacity because TSMC is in high demand.
Topics: Nintendo Switch gaming Nvidia OLED Samsung Game Consoles Source: Bloomberg
A lifelong video game enthusiast, Julien reviews the latest releases and explores the technologies transforming the gaming world.
