Nintendo Switch FCC Filing Reveals More Details About The Hardware

With the Nintendo Switch just three months away from launch, and barely over two weeks from a full reveal, Nintendo have decided to file an FCC filing for the new device (via NeoGAF). This filing reveals some small, but important, details about the upcoming new system from Nintendo.

The most important thing here is that the Switch apparently supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wifi- 2.4GHz is an older standard, that allows connectivity over longer distances, but is relatively slower. It is the standard found in the PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and the original PS4 models. 5GHz Wifi has a lower range, but is incredibly fast by comparison- it is the Wifi that the PS4 Pro uses. Switch being a handheld system that will primarily connect to the internet wirelessly, it was important for Nintendo to not skimp out on supporting the latest Wifi standards. The good news is, they appear to be going with the latest.

We also learn that the Switch will apparently not support 4G/LTE, meaning if you want to play online, you will need to be connected to Wifi- although I suppose that could come from simply tethering to your smartphone as well. And, in some cool but inessential information, we learn that the Switch’s internal hardware identifier code is HAC (the system itself being HAC 001). Previous Nintendo systems have carried identifiers that were abbreviations of their codenames- the Wii had RVL, the Gamecube had DOL, the DS had NTR, and so on. But the Switch’s codename was NX- so what does HAC stand for? Who knows? A fun theory is that it stands for Handheld And Console, which does make sense, given the device’s form factor.

The Nintendo Switch is due to launch worldwide in March 2017; we will learn more about it on January 12 and January 13, when Nintendo will hold events worldwide detailing the capabilities of the system, its launch lineup, third party support, pricing, and launch date, among other things.