Dataminers have discovered references to higher resolution output in the code for the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Switch remake.
As he posted @RibShark (Thank you @NintyPrime), the game apparently contains code designed to handle rendering at various resolutions, including 4K, which the current Switch doesn’t support.
With ‘Switch 2’ rumors coming thick and fast, and Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa’s confirmation of a new hardware announcement before the end of the fiscal year, one immediately thinks that this code may refer to the game’s ‘future-proofing’ for compatibility with the upcoming system that is capable of 4K output, either natively or using upscaling technology such as Nvidia’s DLSS solution. Rumors suggest that the new system could be backwards compatible with the Switch’s current library and have 4K capabilities.
So 4K ‘Switch 2’ confirmed? Hmm, not really. It’s also possible that this is part of an internal tool to render higher resolution screenshots for newskits or other purposes. Promo screenshots that far exceed the output of the console the games are running on are not uncommon. While it’s nice to see this reference appear in the Paper Mario codebase, at this stage it’s still a long way from confirming UHD or backwards compatibility for Nintendo’s Switch successor.
Interestingly, the chip inside the Switch OLED dock is capable of 4K output, although it is not enabled and the Switch OLED does not output at resolutions above 1080p. Modders have enabled 4K output on the current Switch via overclocking, though performance takes a predictably big hit.
As for the Thousand-Year Door, it’s out today and it is good. Check out our 9/10 review below if you’re interested but still undecided. Let us know below if you think 4K is a dead cert for Nintendo’s next system.
