Nintendo says it has “no plans” to release a 4K Nintendo Switch after Bloomberg claimed multiple developers are working on games for such a device.
The publication reported that at least 11 companies had been provided with the tools to make 4K titles for the Switch, including some studios that have never made a console game before.
With the launch of the OLED Switch fast approaching, however, Nintendo has publicly quashed those reports and denied it has been supplying studios with development kits for the elusive 4K Switch.
“A news report on Sept. 30, 2021 falsely claims that Nintendo is supplying tools to drive game development for a Nintendo Switch with 4K support. To ensure correct understanding among our investors and customers, we want to clarify that this report is not true,” said the company on social media.
“We also want to restate that, as we announced in July, we have no plans for any new model other than Nintendo Switch — OLED Model, which will launch on October 8, 2021.”
Although Nintendo’s carefully worded statement indicates the long-rumored 4K Switch is a pipe dream, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard the company is working on more powerful hardware.
Before the OLED Switch was formally unveiled, we heard multiple reports that suggested Nintendo was working on a Switch featuring AI-driven rendering technology, Nvidia Deep Learning Super Sampling, 4K support, and a larger OLED display.
While the improved display was the only one of those features confirmed for the new OLED Switch, a person familiar with Nintendo’s hardware plans told Bloomberg the company decided to shelve 4K support due to ongoing component shortages.
Since Bloomberg published its article, Zynga, which was one of the studios named in the report, has formally denied it’s in possession of a 4K development kit.
Bloomberg noted that Nintendo responded to a number of questions by simply describing its reporting as “inaccurate,” although the console maker apparently didn’t specify which parts of the story it was referring to.