Earlier this morning, The Big N officially announced the Nintendo Switch Lite, a new portable-only model of their popular system. Well, it seems the original Nintendo Switch may also be getting an under-the-hood update. According to US Federal Communications Commission filings, Nintendo has asked for permission to change a couple things about the system, specifically it’s SoC (aka its processor) and it’s NAND memory (its on-board storage).

　　While it hasn’t been officially confirmed by Nintendo (they never talk about the guts of their systems) it’s rumored the Switch Lite will be powered by a more modern version of the Nvidia Tegra mobile processor, that will deliver improved performance in handheld mode. If Nintendo is upgrading the original Switch processor, it’s not a huge leap to assume it’s also getting the new Tegra chip. If so, that means newer Switches could offer better performance and battery life, and less overheating.

　　Another interesting question arises – is this FCC filing actually for the higher-end “Switch Pro” that’s rumored to also be in the works? You never know, although it seems unlikely as Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has specifically said the Lite is the only new Switch model coming this year. No, it’s more likely this is just the usual internal tinkering console makers often do as their products age (the FCC filing even lists the original Switch’s model number).

　　So, if the original Switch gets a more powerful processor (which isn’t a guarantee) it will be interesting to see if Nintendo advertises the fact or lets developers take advantage of that power. At the very least, I could foresee a future where some games can’t be reasonably played in portable mode on an original Switch.

　　What are your thoughts on all the Switch update news? Will you be buying a Switch Lite? Will you upgrade your original Switch if it does indeed get the better processor? Or are you waiting for the Switch Pro?