Following its launch in 2016, the Nintendo Switch has proven to be a formidable contender in the console market today. The hybrid, on-to-go console has gained so much popularity that more game developers have started porting their huge game titles into the Switch. It would not be surprising to see Nintendo further improving the Switch features to keep up with the growing demands from players. In fact, the latest reports suggest that a major hardware upgrade of the Nintendo Switch is happening soon.

The latest scoop regarding the Nintendo Switch teases that a hardware upgrade is now underway, as dataminers have digged some interesting information from the recently released Switch firmware update 5.0.0. The experts had spent a few days to decode the messages in the firmware codes, and finally, it was revealed on Restera forum that a next-gen Nintendo Switch may arrive sooner rather than later.

Dataminers noted the new encrypted folders in the firmware 5.0.0 update, which could imply that these are intended to support a so-called "Mariko" hardware. It was assumed that So far, the expected improvements on the current Nintendo Switch hardware include a bump in processor speed and RAM capacity. 

Specifically, the Mariko hardware that the Nintendi Switch firmware 5.0.0 update is pertaining to might actually be the next-gen console, or the Switch 2.0. Further investigation into the firmware folders spills that a Tegre 214 processor could be used in the next hardware upgrade. The current Switch uses the Tegra 210 model, and unlike the rumored Tegra 214 chip, hackers can easily break into the processor's system and take advantage of the exploit.

Another possible upgrade in the next-gen Nintendo Switch is a bigger RAM capacity. From 4GB, it is speculated that the updated Switch will boast 8GB of RAM. Likewise, dataminers have noted that a revised devkit version of the Nintendo Switch could also become available in the near future.

In spite of the Nintendo Switch 2.0 rumors that have recently surfaced, the Japanese gaming company has remained firm that the current build of the Switch console will remain for a long time. Looking into Nintendo's previous console versions, the company does not actually release an iterative update of its hardware akin to Sony's PlayStation series. If there will ever be a RAM and processor bump, this will not be enough to warrant a next-gen Switch 2,0, according to Value Walk.