As we all know, the Nintendo Switch and Nvidia Shield TV share the same chipset – the Tegra X1. Nvidia leveraged its knowledge of mobile chipsets to held Nintendo create its hybrid console, and as a result, hasn't refreshed its own Shield line in what feels like forever. That appears to be changing this year.
Evidence has been discovered within the Google Play Developer Console’s Device Catalogue that strongly suggests that Nvidia is producing a new Shield TV console. The previous model's codename was "darcy", and a new entry has appeared with the codename "mdarcy".
Developers working on the Tegra kernel have told XDA Developers that they believe the refreshed CPU and GPU combo – called "t210b01" at this stage, but still believed to be part of the Tegra X1 family – will boast “better power usage” and a “higher maximum GPU clock”, the latter of which will provide a noticeable boost in performance.
This ties in with discoveries made a few months ago, when a custom ROM developer dug inside Nvidia’s public source code release and found references to “stormbreaker” and “friday” – the former a new joypad controller and the latter a remote.
An Nvidia spokesperson responded to the findings by saying: “We can’t comment on which codenames refer to product concepts that are active vs which ones are inactive, as it can be fluid. However, I can confirm that none of the codenames refer to products that have launched publicly.”
This news links in rather neatly with the rumours that Nintendo is working on an "upgraded" Switch console, which will be released alongside a more cost-focused edition of the system. It would make sense for Nvidia to produce an updated Shield TV system if it's already working on a refreshed X1 for Nintendo.
Nintendo has yet to confirm that any new Switch SKUs are in development, but its recent shift of production has added more weight to these reports.
[source xda-developers.com]
Comments 81
Could? If such sweeping statements are to be made then shouldn't this be classified as a rumour? This especially so as it is a rumour of a rumour.
If the site's desperate for clicks, we could use another "bargain guide" with those irresistible affiliate link deals.
EDIT: The article has since been categorised as a rumour. Cheers, NL.
mdarcy vs darcy to me sounds like Mobile darcy, therefore a switch ripp off as well as upgrade
"could [...] upgraded Switch"
That's a lot of rumour in a just a few words.
"could"? We don't even know if we will get a new Switch at all. Heck, even if we will get one, we don't know if this will be an "updgraded" Switch. At this point this is all rumours
I'm tired of hearing about these new switch rumors
just reveal the damn thing already!
@Silly_G
"Check out the new Nintendo Life guide to the best micro SD cards on Amazon"
The important part of NS is NOT it's chipset but Nintendo being on board. The new Shield TV could be a powerhouse of CPU and RAM, means next to nothing without strong software support.
@Silly_G The possible 2025 Switch successor could be made entirely of cotton candy and run on dreams. It can't be disproven at this time
So much of this now it's clearly happening and gaming press have been give behind closed door sight, I imagine more broadly run through the full plan at e3.
So question is now do Nintendo release this financial year, or wait for next holiday season and go up against 2 next gen consoles? Smart moves this year in that context.
Edit: the nvidia contract could mean having to wait for the nvidia reveal of the new chip.
Terga sounds cool, but is alas a typo
@Pazuzu666 Not if you use it as a plug and play option with loads of suped up emulators. The current Nvidia can run Dreamcast and Gamecube titles with relative ease, a more powerful set of doodads under the hood could make them flawless
@ConanLives Yeah, I'm excited to have a New Nintendo Switch XL that runs games more smoothly, but I don't want to see it launch right when mega 4K boxes launch. A year ahead of them would be better.
@Silly_G honestly, I only use this site because of the active comments section - if Nintendo Soup had more active comments I wouldn't even use NL.
@60frames-please Yep, unless Nintendo are pitching a proper switch 2, next holiday season will crowd them out.
@KennyBania "again!"
New Nintendo Switchmodels WILL be released this year.
@ConanLives Thanks for giving a rare reasoned comment and restoring my faith in humanity a little
@ConanLives
NOTHING is happening, besides bullcrap rumors from bullcrap analysts and journalists. I mean, Nintendo should have released those rumored consoles since before the launch of the original Switch, but where are they? It was said, Nintendo will show it at E3, but did they? NO.
There is no upgraded Switch, and Nintendo would be fools to release one.
@MrBlacky Let's have this conversation in a few months.
I'm tired of these rumours, so i bought Switch last week for exclusives. I'm buying all third parties on Xbox One X and PC.
I owned 2 x NVIDIA Shield TV's since 2015, so i'm buying easily the new one of that.
The new Shield TV is probably for 8K/60 streaming etc.
Just hoping any new Switch model launches before October 31st.
I get the feeling we may not have to wait too much longer for the Mini to be announced. Reminder that the annual shareholder meeting is next thursday.
@sleepinglion GC runs genuinely flawless/native on a modded Wii which can be picked up for £20. As for Saturn. Yes. Honestly however I find it's library of games either dated or it's arcade ports now available elsewhere better.
@Damo I agree - let’s have this conversation in a few months. Now is certainly not the time for it, as there is nothing of substance to say.
My money is on no new Switch versions this year. But I’m not going to speculate for the hell of it.
I want them to reveal a dock that pushes the switch to PS4-ps4 pro lvl and a pro that can be pushed even further
The faster they will do it, if they will do it, the better the install base will be and the switch will get suddenly tones of support, even if some game will run well only when docked
At the moment my Switch has been very well used, has a crack in the back, a missing bar over the air duct, and quite a few screen scratches.
If a new upgraded model came out 3 full years after the first one, I’d be happy to get one with no regrets about the couple thousand hours fun I’ve had with my current model.
This sounds pretty realistic. Any improvement in power level will have to come with better power usage. It's why people are better to keep their expectations intact regarding what any ‘Pro’ version can do.
@Pazuzu666 I never modded my Wii, but I did jailbreak it. It runs Gamecube titles flawlessly from SD cards as well. All the games, whereas emulation still gets confused by the Rogue Squadron sequels. Point is, the Shield is a nice little unit easier to lug around and plug in to TVs for most emulation needs already. One with more oomph could be a hoot
@Bunkerneath mdarcy probably stands for "Mr. Darcy" the formal reference to the Jane Austen character the first codename was based on.
@Damo Thank you for appearing in the comments with something positive to say, most of your replies are defensive. Maybe you can help lead by example. 😁 I still miss James. 😢
Since we're here talking about the Shield, you think there's any chance down the road for a Switch TV? I know Nintendo is kind of out of the home console biz, but I'd buy a reasonably priced Switch TV and let my kid take ours off to college. Should be fairly cheap, no screen, battery, dock, joycon tech, just a box and a Pro. It may not sound like the best idea, but neither does $99 Wii Mini with no internet bundled with MK8 or a 2DS with no 3D or clamshell design.
Who doesn't want another hockey Puck hooked up to their TV?
@sleepinglion : Do you read palms too? Because this rash on my palm is predicting 10,000 new Pokémon to be introduced in Sword/Shield, but I need an expert opinion.
Even without the unconfirmed business reports thus far, the Switch is such a first generation model, given the numerous widespread niggles with the device and it’s not quite small enough footprint, that all present an array of perfectly good reasons to upgrade and even create a range of models.
It doesn’t take an expert to know when a device has upgrade potential and most of the time it happens if sales are good. Hell, the PlayStation don’t go nowhere and they’ve ALL gotten smaller versions!
@Pazuzu666 but it too could have downscaled $60 ports of 5 year old games!
I find it unlikely that Nintendo would use this minor upgrade. I am expecting a tegra x2 model to be announced in the next year or so. Probably new console by March 2021.
@rjejr I won't deny that staff replies are often defensive, but honestly, it's because many users are complete jerks spouting nonsense and insults at them. I don't always agree with some of the stuff that is posted, and I'll occasionally poke fun, but there is certainly a right and a wrong way to voice discontent. Unfortunately, most people typically choose the wrong way.
That said, I personally love your idea of a Switch TV, despite having no interest in it. I've been a proponent for multiple SKUs, although it could admittedly cause some confusion. I'd love to see a cheaper home console only version, portable only version (Still compatible with dock sold separately), and a new "Pro" model.
I'd buy both the rumoured revisions if the rumours are true. Little one for traveling and powerful one for round the home.
@Bunkerneath The Nvidia Shield Tablet came first by three years so any kind of refresh wouldn't be a rip off of the Switch. Nvidia's Tablet and TV Box products also do things the Switch doesn't, like media box functions and multiple game streaming options, so they are distinct. An upgraded Nvidia tablet was even canceled because of the Switch due to not wanting to cannibalize sales of devices running the same chips.
The current Shield TV model, even if years old, is still the most powerful TV box on the market right now, aside from building yourself a media PC.
I own one, and run myself a Plex server on it. And it is not uncommon to have both my kids streaming from the server at the same time, while my wife uses it to watch Netflix. Sometimes I can even add myself to this, remotely copying stuff to an external HDD hooked up to it. And all this without the unit breaking a sweat. It is quite a powerhouse for such a small device.
Now if Nvidia releases an upgraded model, I would surely be interested in it.
But to link this into a new Switch model is.... like others are saying... a rumor based itself on a rumor... I mean, serioulsy guys? I think it is fairly safe, of course, to assume that Nintendo will release a new model of Switch eventually... maybe sooner than later who knows... but how this article tried to keep it linked to Nintendo felt forced. Sure, you can report on it, but you could simply leave speculations out of it and it'll be a lot better. Stop suggesting completely speculative links and ask questions instead. Your articles will end up much better.
Taken w/ handfuls of grains of salt
@rjejr I'd love a switch tv. Then I could afford to buy a bunch and create a Lan room for mario kart, splatoon in my basement.
@roadrunner343 Readership comments have certainly gone downhill, I've been commenting here 11 years now (well Sunday), but I'm not a big fan of "Do as I say, not as I do." While I don't read every comment, it really seems like over the past 5 or 6 years Damo only shows up when someone pricks his thin skin. If he's not going to be commenting on a regular basis saying good things, and only show up to ridicule people, then he shouldn't expect people to be nice here. Don't know if you were here long enough to know James but he seemed to comment 2 or 3 times in every article, always cracking jokes. TW certainly wasn't the most outgoing but he had the occasional nice thing to say. Alex is in here a bunch w/ a witty quip. Damo shows up once a week w/ a "if you don't like it, do better" retort. And that's how I see it, and I like the guy.
Internet comments suck. They just do. Facebook, twitter, instagram, the horrible people outnumber the nice people 9-1. Any good thing Ntinedo does will get a few dozen comments, a screw up gets 350. It's Lord of the Flies. I don't know what the solution is, but it was shocking, yes shocking, to see damo post a comment that wasn't defensive and derisive. Maybe if the people who work can get more involved and foster a nice community. Probably wouldn't work, people suck, but I wouldn't' mind seeing them try. Who knows, maybe even Id' post more nice comments, I'm as negative as they come. I'm just usually not mean about it.
Nice for me is not pointing out the obvious typo in the 2nd sentence of the article, he wrote "held" instead of "help":
"mobile chipsets to held Nintendo create". Had I told him that all good feeling would have been swept away. So I focused on the positive instead.
As for the SwitchTV - which I forgot about until I saw @sixrings post - I think there is a limited market for it. I think games like Zelda, Astral Chain, TW3, Doom and Bayonetta 3 are made for TV, even if people do play them handheld. I play ALL my Switch games on TV, w/ 5.1 surround sound, even though I've yet to play a Switch game which I feel makes good use of it, even the awesome XC2 soundtrack sounds like it's in mono. So my thinking is, take away the screen, the battery, the Joycon, the USB-C connection and just power it cheaper, the separate dock, that's gotta be a large chunk of the cost. You'd still raise it up a bit w/ the Pro so it wont' be $99, but $149 maybe. Nintendo should still make it work w/ Joycon via bluetooth. They really need a good Joycon charging solution, maybe sell Joycon pairs w/ the charging Grip. And since there's no battery to worry about, maybe squeeze a little more power out if. Make it 64GB rather than 32GB.
If Nintendo wants a Switch for every gamer, one way is to sell a dockless Switch or Switch mini as a 2nd Switch, which they'll almost certainly do by Christmas, but making a Switch TV makes that the home Switch, the kids can have the original, dock it in their bedrooms. For the right price it would sell in the US, not Japan. Nintneod probably wouldn't price it right so it would fail, but at least in theory it should sell. Maybe as a 2nd Switch in the bedroom, that's where I have my still useful second PS3.
Switch TV needs TV stuff though, Netflix, HBO Go, live TV services like YT and Hulu. It has to serve as a streaming device as well as a game console.
@roadrunner343
“ I won't deny that staff replies are often defensive, but honestly, it's because many users are complete jerks spouting nonsense and insults at them”
You’re not wrong. Look at Comments Number 1 and 6. Mocking a free-to-user website for using advertising to, you know, pay for itself.
@rjejr
That’s a really cool idea.
"Metroid Prime 4 plays best on Switch [Pro]."
Eventually, there’ll be a Shield TV version of the Switch for home play and interactivity between the current unit. Doubtful it’ll be this year, but “Switch TV unit” will be a thing and the hybrid circle will be complete.
@sleepinglion No offense, but if your Wii runs GameCube games from an SD card, then you actually did mod it. It's not a smart phone, so it isn't called jail-breaking but soft-modding.
If you used Letterbomb or any of the other methods to get the Homebrew Channel and a GameCube forwarder and/or loader (probably Nintendont) on there, then it's modded.
On a side note: if you're having trouble with certain GameCube titles on other hardware, then you're either using an old version of Dolphin, your settings aren't optimized, or something else is going on, because the latest version runs nearly all GameCube and Wii games flawlessly, and only some with minor issues, but all in all, each and every title is perfectly playable.
Well, depending on the hardware it's running on, obviously.
I don't need it to be portable so I'm happy to pay less for a system which doesn't need lots of the costly components. Just sell me the box and I'll provide my own pro controller or joy cons.
@electrolite77 That’s a really cool idea.
Cooler than this washed out hipster clothing ad.

FYI - That's the new Spielberg WSS remake. Which we are getting. We probably won't get the switch TV, too cool.
I'm nore interested in a revised Shield TV than an upgraded Switch.
A GPU boost could do wonders for emulation on the Shield
@Pazuzu666 Saturn Bomberman and Parodius are both excellent games. I'd like those to be released on Switch. They could even increase the resolution while maintaining 60fps. Those would be a couple of awesome releases.
The moon “could” be made of cheese
@rjejr
Looks like the fight scene in Anchorman just before they fired the Wardrobe Department
@rjejr
BTW you’re probably right on the pricing and the likelihood of Nintendo ruining it. The other flaw in an otherwise excellent plan (Portable + Home only + Hybrid) is if they really want multiple Switch systems in each household how will they handle Digital game sharing? Will they copy the competition or will they ‘Nintendo’ it?
That would be in line with what I'd expect from the "upgraded" Switch. Not a significant spec change, though it casually includes an upgraded GPU (doesn't help CPU bound games), and mostly boasts better power usage/battery life/cooler temperatures/more efficient cooling solution. Make sense.
Any other "upgrades" would probably be in ergonomics/materials/screen improvements, etc, as a hardware refresh more than a premium model.
@rjejr I'm not sure what is more depressing. That there is a WSS remake at all, that it's what Speilberg is wasting his career on, or the fact that the visuals from the veteran cinematographer look like a hybrid between Fallout 76 and a Merry Go Round ad from 1987.
@electrolite77 Digital game "sharing" already works the way the competition does it..... That happened in the October patch, though it mirrors PS (paid cloud saves) more than XBox (free cloud saves.)
It Should be noted that increased US tarriffs on China may play a role in Me nintendo's decision to move production...
@electrolite77 Admittedly there are a lot of issues w/ a Switch TV that need to be worked out. I never bothered trying b/c I figured they'd never make one.
I just remembered, as bad as a Switch TV pricing may be, it could not possibly be any worse than an Xbox 1 SAD that costs $249 but takes out the UHD blu ray disc drive, basically turning it into a $99 set top box that sells for $249. That actually does look worse to me than the Spielberg movie.
@NEStalgia I can't decide which of those is more depressing, but when you put them all together, as this movie does, it is most certainly depressing.
And besides, we already have the last remake anyone needs.
A new shield tablet would be sweet, it is still the most powerful Android tablet on the market for the price range.
@NEStalgia
Oh does it? Excellent. I’ve never looked into it because my games are split over 4 different Accounts and I just figured if I ever have more than one I’ll divide the Accounts up but that will make it easier.
Re. The upgraded Switch I expect similar to you in it being a mild upgrade. Maybe a more power efficient GPU could free up a bit of juice to improve the CPU clocks permitted in handheld. But mainly I’d really like to see some QOL improvements. Bluetooth headphone support and an Ethernet port on the Dock would be top of my list. An extra SD Card slot along with bigger internal storage would be nice too. They could reduce the bezel and increase the screen size as well.
@rjejr
That SAD is bizarre. MS are making a lot of good decisions recently but that isn’t one. Well the idea is OK but the pricing is Mattrick-level stupid. I bet that’s very cheap by Black Friday.
@electrolite77 Yep, Jax and I were raving about that back in October in the Switch thread. I'd said I didn't think it was going to happen but was still holding out hope for the whole first year + until NSO launched that they'd do something for letting you play your games on other consoles logged in, but that I knew Nintendo would never support the "game sharing" type setup the other consoles do. But sure enough when they dropped the big patch, it did update it to work just like other consoles. I was having a "NINTENDO SIXTY FOOOURRR!!" moment for about 15 hours on the forums after that happened It's heavily influenced me to buy much more digitally than in the past, and I'm using the voucher program as a result.
And yeah, BT headphones was one key thing I've always been annoyed with. I was even going to list that in my post! Agreed on the ethernet port too, I forgot about that since I bought the adapters right away, but that's a huge oversight, especially with Sakurai |DIRECT|ly encouraging ethernet use for Smash.
Above all though I want to see a brighter screen. Nintendo handhelds (and Sony handhelds) have always had a problem with even indirect sunlight where phones don't. That's probably the biggest area other than battery life I'd love to see improved.
RE: SAD, yeah I fully expect it's priced for deep discounts at a future date.
Your move, Nintendo.
My take away is that there are a bunch of True Believers at Nvidia. I approve of this.
@electrolite77 X1SAD even at $199 would have seemed steep, but maybe, just maybe, you could have made an argument about the psychological difference between $299 and $199, if the X1S wasn;t' always on sale for $199. And it should have been half the size since the drive bay was removed. Make the argument it's for a college dorm room w/ limited space and no discs for $199. It almost makes the Netflix Red $99 Wii Mini w/o internet look good. Actually Id' take a $99 Wii Mini over a $249 SAD, so I rescind that.
It’s so weird that people are acting like this is impossible. Apple releases new A series chips every year. Intel... okay well they’re not releasing chips that often these days... but thenprocessor industry, especially related to ARM chips moves quite fast. Apple already had an A12X chip in the iPad Pro that’s been out for almost a year that’s about as powerful as an Xbox One S. Nvidea can’t be that far behind Apple. Nintendo would be wise to release a Switch with enough power to compare to an Xbox one or PS4. And frankly the chips should be getting pretty close power wise.
They could also release both a new Switch as well as a dock for at home that allows you to connect you Switch and play beefier games at higher graphic settings in the TV but still keep your switch for on the go.
Realistically I suspect they’ll do a Switch mini with a lower power and slightly beefier chip sooner. And then after the first year of the PS5 and Scarlett they can launch a backward compatible Switch 2.
They’ll probably go the same route as the other console vendors did last time where new games will run on both but look best on the newer one. That way nobody feels like they’re being forced to upgrade.
@rjejr - but but but you get 3 games with the xBox SAD........
I finally broke down and bought an xbox last Christmas Eve for the boys. $199 for a slim with a game. Stupid thing works half the time and because it's unreliable the boys spend most of the time on the Switch. Now I'm contemplating buying a 2nd Switch.......should have just done that instead of the xbox
@ThanosReXXX You're right! It is soft-modded
@sleepinglion Ha, you actually did have me wondering there, for a moment. It's been so long ago since I soft-modded my Wii, that I started to think that maybe there was now a new way to do it...
@Gerbwmu Xbox 1S for $199 is a fine investment, there's enough to do on it that you can't do on Switch to justify that price, Ultra HD Blu ray players still aren't too cheap, and they give away a lot of mo thly Gamepass for $1 offers - I had 1 for 6 months with no regrets, that I traded in for a Switch.
So, if they really aren't using it when the Switch Pro or Switch Vita gets announced in the fall and launched this holiday, trade it in for one of those. 😁
@NEStalgia
Maybe I did see something about it but it just hasn’t registered 😳 Age is a terrible thing!
Great news though, pleased with Nintendo on this. I’m definitely buying more and more digital games on Switch just because of the convenience.
BT Headphones would be ideal. I’d even buy an updated Pro Controller with a headphone socket. Plugging some cans into the XBOX pad and running Spotify in the background while playing a game is great.
Totally agree on a brighter screen. Definitely.
@rjejr
You should send that to Phil Spencer.
“It’s so bad the Wii Mini looks better value”. It may be he first time anyone has ever said that.
I do think come the end of the year they’ll be giving them away. $99 with Gamepass Ultimate. They want people in their ecosystem before Scarlett.
@electrolite77 I've been mocking the Wii Mini on here for about 7 years now, it was a bad decision and a bad investment, but yeah, X1 SAD is worse. And I spent $200 on a 2nd PS3 Super Slim for my bedroom about 5 years ago mainly to use it as a streaming box, but I've also used it for games, DVDs and blurays. And it did come with the Marvel Disney Infinty toy set that was going for $80 at the time, gave that to my kids.
I don't understand how anyone at Xbox or MS could have ok'd that box for $249 w/o realizing it was a laughing stock. I think it would have got more negative media coverage if not for Stadia, another overpriced box that does nothing for the money.
If Sony doesn't screw up PS5 they're good to go.
That $99 Xbox would probably come with a month of Gold and Gamepass as they'd hope to make money on the rest. $249 and no disc drive, the mind reels.
@electrolite77 @NEStalgia What Switch needs is a gawd dum menu system. I've never had that many games before so I didn't care, but I bought 2 yesterday, Torna TGC and SMM2 and they're just sitting there. Can't mo e them, can't put them in folders. They're taking up space. It's a freaking joke. 2 years the hardware has been out and I can't make 2 rows or folders like the 3DS had 6 years ago? Or pin them where I want themike the Wii U had 5 years ago? It's like the system has no OS at all, you just put them in and play them, or hunt, hunt, hunt. I can't believe how bad it is and we only own about 2 dozen games. It's embarrassing. 😝
@rjejr Uh oh, he did it. He said folders. There goes the thread....
I'm pretty sure everyone except Nintendo management agrees with you
Then again, it took XBox 5 years to add folders......though theirs are better than Playstations now that they have them. Nintendos's got years to go in the catch-up game.
@NEStalgia "Nintendos's got years to go in the catch-up game."
Except they already caught up 5 years ago when 3DS and Wii U had folders, so this is just laziness and stupidity. Also play logs, which was good on the Wii, better on the Wii U, great on the 3DS, adn basically non-existent on Swtich. But I could live with that over no method of sorting allof our games.
It also suxx that XC2 has no bestiary or collectopedia or whatever you want tot call it. It's mostly the same monsters from the first game, should have taken them 5 minutes to put one together, also sloppy and lazy.
@rjejr " them 5 minutes to put one together, also sloppy and lazy"
Awesome, i didn't know you worked at Nintendo!
I think Nintendo has chosen to go for a more simplistic route with this system. IE they don't want to do folders.
@rjejr
I can’t see Sony screwing up PS5. MS are digging in though, buying developers and doing some very clever stuff re.Game Pass, BC etc. I don’t think they’ll be as far behind next time out.
@electrolite77 It does seem like it's shaping up to be a battle of quantity vs quality between the two. But much how like Nintendo home console sales had a steady decline from NES, SNES, N64 to GameCube I don't see MS having a compelling case to attract new customers from Sony and Nintendo. They won't screw up like Nintendo did with Wii U, but I don't see them growing. After this next Gen I can see them just focusing on PC games streamed to TVs.
Sony could screw up PS5 if it's $599 or they renege on BC or it's delayed too long, giving MS a big head start, but a $499 simultaneous release with bc and they're good to go.
"'Stormbreaker' and 'Friday,'" so now we know they saw Infinity War. Awesome.
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