Many people were surprised to learn that Nintendo Co.¡¯s new video game console is missing a common feature of rival systems: support for high-fidelity, 4K graphics. Perhaps most perplexed were the numerous developers who were working on 4K games using a software toolkit provided by Nintendo.

Employees at 11 game companies said their teams were in possession of Nintendo¡¯s 4K development kit for the Switch. The companies span the globe, ranging from large publishers to small studios and include at least one that has never made a console game before, Zynga Inc., according to the employees, who asked not to be identified because they weren¡¯t authorized to discuss their projects publicly.

The latest model of the best-selling Nintendo Switch is set to go on sale Oct. 8. It will sport a larger screen than the current versions, use OLED technology for better color and contrast and, at ?37,980, cost more than its predecessors.