The Nintendo Change 2 could have an AI characteristic you did not see coming

A brand new AI-based upscaling system has been patented by Nintendo, as spotted by business insider Laura Kate Dale on BlueSky (via Kotaku). Reportedly, this patent was first filed again on July 13, 2023, however has solely simply been revealed in a public method as of December 31, 2024.

Filed within the US below the doc titled ‘Systems and Methods for Machine Learned Image Conversion,’ the patent particulars using neural networks to routinely improve software program visuals utilizing AI algorithms.

AI online game upscalers have grown well-liked in recent times, as they’re capable of generate further frames of element and determination with out the necessity to closely tax the system’s graphics processing unit (GPU). Sony’s PS5 Pro comes with its personal proprietary PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) tech, and Microsoft’s Auto Super Resolution gives an identical answer for the Xbox.

It is fascinating to see Nintendo flirting with the prospect of using AI on this vogue. The flexibility to upscale visuals with out the necessity for brute pressure processing is definitely compelling, as is the potential to make use of the tech to maintain recreation file sizes compact and straightforward to suit on (dear) flash recreation playing cards.

“Maybe essentially the most fascinating piece of this, after a prolonged learn, is that one instance use case given is explicitly to cut back general recreation sizes, to suit a contemporary recreation onto ‘smaller capability bodily media,’ e.g. Change carts, which get exponentially costlier for bigger cart capacities,” says Dale in a current BlueSky thread.

Elsewhere, Nintendo has been extra conservative in its method to machine studying than a few of its friends, notably in regard to generative AI. In reality, the corporate has explicitly come out in opposition to the tech getting used for sure recreation growth functions.

Your modifications have been saved

Nintendo Change

Nintendo’s flagship two-in-one hybrid recreation console, the Change includes a large catalog of first-party, third-party, and indie recreation titles, all in a handy and novel type issue.

With the Change successor console nearing launch, Nintendo has its work reduce out for it

The Nintendo Change has confirmed a convincing success, however it’s unclear whether or not the corporate can catch lightning in a bottle but once more

In hindsight, Nintendo’s resolution to consolidate each its handheld and its house console gaming divisions below one roof was a stroke of genius. The corporate has been capable of double down on crafting a single, unified leisure platform, and lifetime sales metrics converse for themselves.

With the successor to the Nintendo Change, the Japanese gaming big definitely has its work reduce out for it. Not like with the unique Change, the corporate not has a big again catalog of underappreciated Wii U titles to make use of as padding throughout content material droughts. What Nintendo does have this time round, nonetheless, is a pre-established on-line storefront within the type of the digital eShop.

With a view to preserve costs at a palatable stage, in addition to to keep up a considerably affordable battery life metric, I count on the Change 2 to ship with comparatively modest technical specs. Reportedly, the NvidiaTegra 239 system on a chip (SoC) will function the brains of the operation, which might put the console’s energy output someplace within the ballpark of Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro.

As a compromise, it makes all of the sense on the planet for Nintendo to show to AI-based upscaling tech to boost its next-gen gaming expertise. The corporate has been working intently with Nvidia for a few years now, and so it would not be stunning to see a Change 2 with, say, Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) assist out of the field.

It is unclear whether or not this explicit AI upscaling patent is a completely in-house Nintendo know-how, or whether or not it will ever come to fruition in a transport product. In any case, new particulars will probably be revealed when the Nintendo Change successor console is formally introduced before the end of March 2025.

Associated

Nintendo just confirmed one of the first features for the Switch 2

Nintendo has introduced that Change video games will work on its new console coming subsequent 12 months.