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Digital Foundry, the YouTube channel known for their in depth analysis videos on performance and gaming across all kinds hardware, has finally fully tested the new Nintendo Switch unit to see what has changed in a practical sense. To recap, the new unit basically has new processor that is more power efficient, which claims to yield better battery life overall when compared to the older Switch units.
The video is worth the watch, but to summarize:
1. The New Processor is indeed much more power efficient than the older models, by around 40-50%. (Tested by checking the power draw from the wall socket)
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2. The New Switch model gets approximately 5.03 hours, while the Old Switch model gets approximately 3.06 hours when playing Zelda BoTW. (Tested by simulating joycon drift on both systems; an adequate test as the Switch has to keep rendering the scenes constantly)
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3. There seems to be a weird red tint on the New Switch model's display, at least with the unit (HK model) Digital Foundry received.
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According to @Scarlet, this is an issue with even old Switch units, so take this with a grain of salt.
4. Thermals are almost identical, the newer model just is about 2 or 3 degrees cooler, which is around the margin of error.
5. Surprisingly, there is a very slight performance upgrade on the newer model, though Nintendo denied any such performance upgrade. Consistently tested, it was ever so slightly smoother than the original Switch, though arguably, in real world application, undetectable. However, when tested in the infamous Korok Forest, the new Switch model indeed is noticeably better, as it sticks to 30fps more so than the older model, which dips to 20fps. So that is very much "detectable" in this case.
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In conclusion, it is not recommended to spend $300 plus possible taxes or shipping to get the newer model, though if you have the money, there are a few points here that can persuade you for an upgrade. If you don't have a Switch and either doubt there would be Pro model in the future, or don't feel like waiting for one, the newer Mariko model is a no brainer to go for. Just note that this Switch model is currently not "hackable" for the general public as of writing.
Last edited by Jiehfeng,
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