We may be more than two months away from additional official information about the Nintendo Switch, but the unofficial information is coming out at a rapid pace. The latest bit of information comes via Eurogamer, which has confirmed with “a number of sources” that the Switch tablet will have a 6.2-inch multi-touch display with a 720p resolution.
That screen size is close to the 6.5 inches we estimate based on a visual analysis of photos provided by Nintendo. The screen size and resolution also correspond to: alleged specifications of the Switch development kit that made the rounds earlier this month.
The screen size of 6.2″ would match that of the Wii U, whose GamePad has a much lower resolution of 480p. At about 240 pixels per inch, the Switch screen described would pack its pixels more tightly than the screen on the smaller ones. PlayStation Vita, but wouldn’t be as compact as the 300+ ppi displays on modern iPhones or the iPad Mini line, and just because the Switch games run at 720p on the tablet doesn’t mean the system isn’t powerful. would be enough to handle full 1080p output when paired with a TV.
More interesting are the notifications of a 10-point, capacitive multi-touch display on the Switch. A multi-touch display would be a big improvement over the pressure-based single-point touchscreens on the DS and Wii U. Nintendo emphatically didn’t show touchscreen functionality in the Switch debut trailer last week, and touch features wouldn’t even be available when the system is docked.
That said, reports suggest that an IR pointer embedded in one of the detachable controllers could serve as a stand-in for basic touch functions when the system is docked. And in any case, potential touch functions could be used as optional controls intended for menus and the like, rather than as an integral part of the system’s design.
We won’t know for sure if Eurogamer’s sources are correct until Nintendo reveals more details on January 12th. With the pace of things leaking, we might know practically everything about the Switch long before that.