A patent filed by Nintendo in the United States in July 2023 shows that the company has been working on an image upscaling technology similar to Nvidia’s DLSS. A U.S. patent published Tuesday details a computer technique for “converting images by using a trained neural network,” in which the source image is enhanced with contextual data. Nintendo’s patent suggests that the successor to the Nintendo Switch may feature artificial intelligence upscaling technology for better image quality in games. There were previous rumors that Nintendo Switch 2 would support a DLSS-style upgrade function.
Nintendo patents artificial intelligence upgrade function
The patent, discovered by VGC, says the technology will use machine learning to upconvert images from one resolution to a higher resolution.
“The source image is divided into blocks, and contextual data is added to each pixel block. The context blocks are divided into channels, and each channel from the same context block is added to the same activation matrix. The action matrix is then performed against the trained neural network to generate an altered activation matrix. The altered activation matrix is then used to generate the transformed image,” the patent abstract reads.
Nvidia’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) utilizes AI upscaling technology to improve image quality in video games, producing better image resolution and higher frame rates. Most modern PC games support upgrade technologies such as Nvidia’s DLSS, AMD’s FSR, and Intel’s XeSS for better performance on older hardware.
Artificial intelligence upgrade technology is also making its way into gaming consoles. The recently launched PlayStation 5 Pro comes with PlayStation Spectral Super-Resolution (PSSR), Sony’s new AI upgrade feature that uses machine learning-based technology to add more detail to images.
The timing of the patent suggests Nintendo may be preparing its own AI upgrade feature for the Nintendo Switch 2, which launches this year. Previous reports have also claimed that the Switch 2 will utilize DLSS-style technology to improve performance.
Nintendo said that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be launched before the end of March. The company also confirmed that the hybrid console will be backwards compatible with Switch games. A recent report claimed that the Switch 2 will be released on March 28th.