Yesterday, Nintendo drew quite the attention with the official reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2. Surprisingly, though, the team behind the hardware didn’t spill the beans on the processor powering the new console. Fortunately, Nvidia, the brains behind the custom chip, stepped up to share a few intriguing details in a recent blog post.
At a developer roundtable, Tetsuya Sasaki, the technical director for the Switch 2, mentioned, “Nintendo tends to be pretty reserved about sharing hardware specs. Our main focus is on the value we bring to our players.” This sentiment extends to Nvidia, which is also keeping the specifics, like core counts and clock speeds, under wraps. However, they did reveal that the new chip significantly boosts graphics performance, claiming it’s ten times as powerful as its predecessor, the Nintendo Switch.
A standout feature of this upgrade is Nvidia’s RT cores, designed to enhance hardware-driven ray tracing, lighting, and reflections. Moreover, the tensor cores introduce significant improvements with DLSS upscaling, likely pushing the console to 4K performance when docked and potentially reaching up to 120 frames per second in handheld mode.
Nvidia also shared that these tensor cores enable new capabilities such as AI-driven face tracking and background removal. These features shine in the new social GameChat application and games like Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, which we got a taste of. It’s still a bit uncertain if this tech mirrors Nvidia Broadcast from the PC world.
In addition, Nvidia confirmed the inclusion of G-Sync technology for the Switch 2’s variable refresh rate (VRR) display in handheld mode, which aims to eliminate screen tearing for a smoother gaming experience.
It’s worth remembering that Nvidia was also behind the original Nintendo Switch, utilizing a customized version of the Tegra X1 chip. Despite being slightly dated even at its launch, that chip powered the console through an impressive lifespan, seeing new game releases even eight years later.
As for what’s next, developers are itching to make the most of this new chip when the Switch 2 hits the shelves on June 5, carrying a price tag of $449.99. With all the buzz, it will be fascinating to see just how far they can push the limits of this updated hardware.
