Nintendo Switch Has a 720p Touchscreen, Says Report

Prod rock.

By Joe Skrebels

The Nintendo Switch screen will be 6.2" in size, 720p and, for the first time on a Nintendo console, feature a capacitive multi-touch input.

So say Eurogamer's sources, who previously correctly revealed the nature of the Switch as home/handheld console hybrid with detachable controllers and a TV dock well in advance of the official trailer.

Previous Nintendo touchscreens have all been single-touch resistive touchscreens, but this would bring the Switch more in line with modern tablets and phones.

A major point of contention here is that such a move would potentially fragment the games that could be played on the move from those played using the Switch in its TV dock. However, Eurogamer also reports that the right Joy-Con controller (the detachable controls on the side of the screen) features an infrared sensor, which could be used as a pointer on the TV (communicating with a sensor in the dock).

This wouldn't necessarily offer multi-touch options, but could smooth the differences between the two playstyles. Another possibility is the use of a separate piece of hardware - Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima today all but confirmed that there will be hardware "accessories" for the Switch that haven't yet been shown.

The presence of a touchscreen is one of many unanswered questions we had about the Switch, and was also suggested by some recent Nintendo patents. Those patents also indicate an interest in gesture controls - something supported by multi-touch inputs, if not in the same way as Nintendo's mooted IR camera motion tracking.

It's worth bearing in mind that Eurogamer's sources only say that the Switch handheld screen is 720p - no mention is made of what resolution the console outputs at using the TV dock.

The speculation - and perhaps the leaks - will go on until Nintendo holds its first Direct broadcast about the Switch on January 12, 2017.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's UK News Editor, and he hopes he gets to prod a whole Fire Emblem army simultaneously. Follow him on Twitter.

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