Last month, we talked a bit about the upgraded version of the Nintendo Switch that comes with more efficient battery life. But now as it turns out, the newer upgraded model of the Nintendo Switch also provides a considerable performance boost.
The newer upgraded Switch model comes equipped with an upgraded variation of the same with the NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor which not only provides a boost in performance but also makes it more power-efficient.
In their latest video, Digital Foundry talked a bit about the upgraded version of the Nintendo Switch. They also tested its battery life by running a number of games including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on both the original version and the new upgraded version of the Nintendo Switch.
It is important for us to note that Digital Foundry conducted the test on a Hong Kong imported version of the Nintendo Switch. Hong Kong was lucky enough to get their hands on the Nintendo Switch earlier this month with the console launching in the west on a later date.
During Digital Foundry’s battery-life test, they used The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and ran it continuously on 50% display brightness on both the upgraded version and the original version of the Nintendo Switch.
The upgraded version of the Nintendo Switch was able to run The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for 5 hours and 2 minutes (302 minutes). On the other hand, the older original version of the Nintendo Switch only managed about 3 hours and 4 minutes (184 minutes). The winner is the upgraded Nintendo Switch which provides a whopping +64% extra game time.
Thanks to this longer battery life, the new version of Nintendo Switch is now officially one of the longest-lasting portable gaming devices ever made. Take a look below:
- Nintendo Switch OG: 2.5 hours-to-6 hours
- Nintendo 3DS: 3 hours-to-5 hours
- New Nintendo 3DS: 3.5 hours-to-6 hours
- New Nintendo 3DS XL: 3.5 hours-to-7 hours
- PlayStation Vita: 3 hours-to-5 hours
- “New” Nintendo Switch: 4.5 hours-to-9 hours
- Switch lite: 3 hours-to-7 hours
But the question is, does this longer battery life sacrifice its performance? According to the frame rate tests conducted by Digital Foundry, it turns out that the upgraded Nintendo Switch yields out higher frame rates than the original version of the console. But the difference is nominal with only a few frames.
