How to Enable Boost Mode on Your Nintendo Switch

There was a lot of commotion around the Nintendo Switch boost mode in 2019. The rumors of its addition started much earlier, but Nintendo officials never commented on them. Then, out of the blue, in April 2019, they released the boost mode secretly.

The boost mode was nowhere to be found in the official patch notes, but users slowly started noticing it. If you want to learn how to activate it on your Switch, here is some good news. You don’t have to do anything, the boost mode is already enabled, since the 8.0.0 Switch update.

Read on for more details on the topic.

When and How Did This Happen?

As mentioned before, Nintendo was very secretive about the whole thing. In April last year, they sneakily included the boost mode in the 8.0.0 firmware update for the Switch. The update officially improved data transfer, introduced software changes, and added the zoom-in feature.

However, home developers noticed that there was an additional charge, which Nintendo failed to list in the patch notes. In reality, there is no boost mode, but since everyone is calling it that, the name stuck.

Most importantly, this boost mode hugely increased the CPU performance of the Nintendo Switch. The regular CPU speed of the Switch is 1GHz. With the update, it jumped to 1.75 GHz on some occasions.

Note that this boost mode is not always enabled. It only works in some games, such as Super Mario Odyssey, and the latest installment of The Legend of Zelda. See, both of these titles are, in fact, Nintendo’s games.

It makes sense that Nintendo is working on improving the quality of their titles on their consoles. There were no official statements from the company, but the boost mode is already confirmed.

The increased performance was not only visible in Nintendo games for the Switch, though. Mortal Kombat 11 also had a GPU performance improvement by a whopping 20%.

Nintendo Switch and Numbers

Sorry to break it to all the Nintendo fans out there, but the Switch isn’t a premium-class console. Its hardware is lacking, much so compared to top-tier consoles like the PS4 Pro or the Xbox One S. Even the regular competitor consoles beat Switch’s performance by far.

The regular Nintendo Switch CPU clock speed is 1,020 MHz, and the GPU clock speed is 768 MHz when docked. If you are using Switch on the go, then the GPU clock falls to a measly 307 MHz. Try comparing those values to an average computer, and you will see that it’s severely lacking.

This outdated tech can hardly compete with the continually evolving next-gen consoles. Of course, the Switch is portable, and it has iconic game titles that make it very popular, despite the lacking hardware.

Honestly, the loading times on the Switch were not too bad previously. This boost mode has made things smoother, though.

What to Expect in the Future

To everyone’s disappointment, Nintendo did not promote their new consoles last year on the E3 convention. Nevertheless, the future of Nintendo is still very bright. Most likely, they will announce the new Switch model somewhere along the line.

Perhaps it will even make its debut by the end of 2020, who knows? The final quarter of 2020 looks promising for all console enthusiasts because the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will be released then. Nintendo is well aware of that, and they will most likely launch a new model towards the end of the year to remain active in the console wars.

Perhaps we will see the boost mode for the Switch brought up to a new, higher level? Otherwise, they might make an entirely different console with better hardware and graphics.

People are hoping for 1080p gameplay on the new console and even 4k support for the stationary mode. Hopefully, the new console also gets improved ergonomics and comfort.

Boost Mode Is Already On

Enjoy the free boost mode provided by Nintendo, while you anticipate the release of the new console. There are no official statements about the console’s release, but our best bet is late 2020.

It seems that everyone is hyped for all the upcoming consoles, and rightfully so. Console gaming was always lacking when compared to PC gaming. There’s a good chance that will change in the not so distant future.

Are you satisfied with your Nintendo Switch? Which features would you like added in the upcoming Nintendo console? Let us know in the comments section below.