During the much-anticipated reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo chose to keep the technical specifics about their new console under wraps, leaving fans curious. However, Nvidia, responsible for crafting the system’s custom chip, has broken the silence with some insights shared in a recent blog post.
At a developer roundtable, Tetsuya Sasaki, the Switch 2’s technical director, pointed out that Nintendo prefers to keep hardware specs under the radar. “Our main goal is to highlight the value we bring to our customers,” Sasaki remarked, focusing more on consumer experience than sheer technical data.
Nvidia is staying mum about the exact details like core counts and clock speeds. Nevertheless, they assert that this new chip boasts a staggering tenfold improvement in graphics performance over its predecessor, the Nintendo Switch.
The chip features Nvidia’s RT cores, introducing hardware-accelerated ray tracing which boosts lighting and reflections, while tensor cores facilitate DLSS upscaling. This allows for up to 4K resolution when docked and pushes up to a smooth 120 frames per second in handheld mode.
Additionally, these powerful tensor cores enable features such as AI-driven face tracking and background removal. This was showcased with the new social GameChat feature as well as in upcoming Switch 2 titles, including Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV. It’s yet to be clarified if these features are aligned with the Nvidia Broadcast technology used in PCs.
Furthermore, Nvidia has confirmed that the Switch 2’s variable refresh rate (VRR) is managed by G-Sync during handheld play, which promises to eliminate screen tearing issues.
For context, Nvidia also powered the original Switch using a tailored version of the Tegra X1 chip. Despite its age, this chip has stood the test of time remarkably well, supporting new game releases even eight years post-launch.
As we look forward to the Nintendo Switch 2’s release on June 5, priced at $449.99, it will be intriguing to see how developers leverage this new chip’s potential.
