Last week, Nintendo released a new firmware update for its portable console, the Switch. However, the new version 8.0.0 description does not mention the new 'Boost Mode', which significantly overclocks the console's CPU, resulting in faster game load times.
As is known, the Nintendo Switch is built on the NVIDIA Tegra X1 SoC, featuring four ARM Cortex-A57 and four Cortex-A53 cores with a clock speed of only up to 1.02 GHz. Now, with firmware 8.0.0, the CPU frequency may increase by more than 70% in some cases, reaching up to 1.75 GHz. However, the processor does not operate at this frequency constantly.
Reports indicate that the frequency boost occurs during the loading of certain games. Once loading is completed, the clock speed drops back to the standard 1.02 GHz and remains at that speed during gameplay. Currently, Boost Mode is available only in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild version 1.6.0 and Super Mario Odyssey version 1.3.0. It's worth noting that these new game versions were released by Nintendo just a few days ago.
Oh my. The update DID improve Shrine loading times, pog!
— Alexis de Champris (@Pikastroff)
With automatic overclocking, game load times are significantly reduced. One user compared loading times in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before and after the console and game firmware update. The loading speed increased by 30–42%.
Unfortunately, it is currently unknown whether the Boost mode will be utilized further in the Switch console. It remains a mystery which other games will receive support for accelerated loading with this new mode, as it cannot be activated without developer intervention.
Source: 3dnews.ru
