Nintendo Switch is getting upgraded display from Sharp, report says
That new Switch might come with a more durable IGZO display that'll offer higher resolution and more efficient battery consumption.
- She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Nintendo has two new Switch models coming out this summer.
The Nintendo Switch is reportedly getting a screen upgrade. The video game console will start using IGZO displays from Sharp, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. Sharp says its IGZO, or indium gallium zinc oxide, displays offer high resolution, low energy consumption and durability.
Nintendo plans to launch two new versions of the Switch this summer. This month, Nintendo will offer a new version of the console with up to nine hours of battery life, more than two hours longer than the current Switch's battery. The Nintendo Switch Lite, a handheld-only version of the console that costs $100 less than the original, is set to go on sale in September.
It's unclear which model might get the IGZO display, but the advantages Sharp cited would help the new standard Switch achieve its battery life, while the portable-only Lite would benefit from a higher-resolution screen, more efficient battery consumption and greater durability when you take it out of the house.
Sharp Executive Katsuaki Nomura reportedly told the Journal that it's suppling a video game client with "what we are most good at, IGZO."
The current Switch uses older amorphous silicon display technology, and Nintendo has a history of subtly improving its systems during their life cycles -- it upgraded the Game Boy Advance SP with a brighter screen in 2005, three years after the original model came out.
Sharp declined to comment. Nintendo didn't immediately respond to request for comment.
Originally published Aug. 7 at 2:38 p.m. PT.
Update Aug. 8 at 5:30 a.m. PT: Adds more detail. Update Aug. 12: Adds response from Sharp.
