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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Laura Kate Dale: Nintendo Switch Dock Increases Performance, Not Via Extra Hardware

Miyamotoo on 06 December 2016

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CzAxNmzXgAQTxi1.jpg

 

We have recently learned through a source at Nintendo connected to the organisation of an upcoming hands on press event that the Nintendo Switch Dock does increase the performance of the handheld, but not due to any additional processing in the dock.

When the system is connected to the dock by USB-C, the system’s components will run at a higher clock speed to facilitate 1080p resolutions on the TV. Both video and power will be transfered over USB-C when docked. Plugging the system into the dock will also activate a small additional fan to help with cooling when run at that higher clock speed. This fan is in the rear of the dock, and there is a gap in the back of the dock to allow the system’s inbuilt fans to vent when docked.

The dock is incredibly light weight and, while it does play a part in increasing system performance on the TV, it is designed to be cheap to produce. The intention is that some time after launch additional docks will be sold to place in differing rooms if you have multiple TVs.

Nintendo’s January 13th 2017 reveal events will feature near retail level hardware. Each title will be locked to playing one game demo, but press will be free to take the systems to a separate area of the event to play on sofas rather than the TV. When returning to TVs, they will not be required to return the system to the same dock it started at.

http://letsplayvideogames.com/2016/12/report-nintendo-switch-dock-increases-performance-not-via-extra-hardware/

 

So like its already assumed, Laura says that Switch in docked mode has higher performances and that in dock mode run games in 1080p.



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Stefan.De.Machtige on 06 December 2016

This would explain why Nintendo is not intending to sell it without the dock.



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Jizz_Beard_thePirate on 06 December 2016

Hmm its interesting. I will remain skeptical, specially the performance boost of jumping from 720p to 1080p unless its not universal. It makes sense that the dock will increase the power but that much sounds a little too much... Her thing also suggests that there are multiple fans built into the switch and the dock itself will have another one. So like 2 fans in the Switch and 1 in the dock? I don't think I have ever seen a tablet with more than one fan.

But I am happy to be wrong once a while though.



                  

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Nuvendil on 06 December 2016

So it works like a laptop power supply but with a small fan? Which is what 99% of people assumed anyway :P



VGPolyglot on 06 December 2016

I just want to see the thing. January 12th can't come soon enough.



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Nuvendil on 06 December 2016
Captain_Yuri said:
Hmm its interesting. I will remain skeptical, specially the performance boost of jumping from 720p to 1080p. Her thing also suggests that there are multiple fans built into the switch and the dock itself will have another one. So like 2 fans in the Switch and 1 in the dock? I don't think I have ever seen a tablet with more than one fan.

But I am happy to be wrong once a while though.

I can think of not a single tablet with a fan period.  Mobile devices are designed around passive cooling, not active cooling.  There may be some odd ball exception I am unaware of, but to my knowledge there isn't .  And I could see it being a thing in the Switch.  The switch is notably thicker than a tablet and companies like Asus make some pretty thin laptops with fans.  Shoot, Asus has a pretty thin one that has 2 fans.  And the Switch seems nearly as thick as the base portion of said laptops.



Frogger on 06 December 2016
Nuvendil said:
So it works like a laptop power supply but with a small fan? Which is what 99% of people assumed anyway :P

Yup. Like I said, Switch is console gaming's analog to a laptop.



Frogger on 06 December 2016
Stefan.De.Machtige said:
This would explain why Nintendo is not intending to sell it without the dock.

I think they still will eventually. I'm still betting we'll see a sock with extra power as well. Switch gon' be interesting.



JEMC on 06 December 2016

Like Yuri, I'm skeptical about the claim that the dock will allow the games to be run at 1080p. 1080p has more than twice the pixels of 720p, way to much for a simple increase in the speed of the Switch processor.

It makes more sense that the game is upscaled to FullHD and the increased power that the dock could bring is used to add some extra effects and/or better AA to improve the image quality on the TV.

In any case, we'll know for sure in about a month (I hope!).



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Miyamotoo on 06 December 2016
Captain_Yuri said:

Hmm its interesting. I will remain skeptical, specially the performance boost of jumping from 720p to 1080p unless its not universal. It makes sense that the dock will increase the power but that much sounds a little too much...

Her thing also suggests that there are multiple fans built into the switch and the dock itself will have another one. So like 2 fans in the Switch and 1 in the dock? I don't think I have ever seen a tablet with more than one fan.

But I am happy to be wrong once a while though.

Actually it doesn't need to make boost performance from 720p to 1080p, Switch can native run games at 1080p but downscaling to 720p in handheld mode with lower clocs and less power required, but in dock mode running 1080p native at full clock without problem with power supply.

Maybe we could have one fan in Switch itself but I doubt, certainly will not be two fans in Switch itself.