Nintendo finally revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 in an official reveal trailer. We all predicted it. The Nintendo Switch 2 leaks showcasing the design, specs, and hardware had been floating on the internet for the past few months on websites like Notebook Check, including shipping manifests of the Switch 2 on Reset Era. These details pretty much disclosed the motherboard details, showcasing a “somewhat” newer Nvidia SoC (CPU+GPU). So, here’s the definitive guide to everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2. We’ll keep this post updated with any new info that pops up, so stay tuned!
Nintendo Switch 2 Design & Exterior
While the Nintendo Switch 2 showcased some eye candy 3D renders of the upcoming portable handheld, there’s more to the trailer than meets the eye. So, let’s break down everything we could figure out about the Nintendo Switch 2. The Nintendo Switch 2 “switches” things up a notch with a simpler naming scheme. The Switch 2’s form factor has been sized up, making it similar to the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go and the Asus ROG Ally.
The matte black finish of the Switch 2 packs subtle Nintendo charm along with a few refinements, which were much needed for the OG Nintendo Switch. We get a new kickstand that bends all the way to 120 degrees or more–a big upgrade over the flimsy kickstand of the OG Switch 1. In addition, we now get two USB-C ports on opposite ends of the console.
That’s pretty convenient, since we’ll get better ergonomics for plug-and-play situations, and using accessories without the need of dongles. And yes, Nintendo managed to retain the headphone jack on the Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch 2 Joycons Get A Sizeable Upgrade and New Features
Being adults and all, the older Joycons of the original Nintendo Switch were a bit small to use. The child-size joycons were a bit awkward to work with, especially playing co-op Smash Bros. or Mario Party in handheld mode.
Now for the good stuff, the Joycons for the Switch 2 are substantially larger and pack new goodies and features. What features exactly? The Switch 2 Joycons feature Infrared sensors this time around. There’s also speculation that the inner rail of the Joycon, featuring what appears to be an optical sensor, will be used for navigation and mouse functionality. That means, easier UI navigation, similar to a WiiMote!
The sliding rail mechanism wasn’t a big hit for me on the Switch 1 Joycons. Personally, the Switch 2 Joycons have gone a step above by introducing the magnetic snap-on system, which seems a lot less finicky.
Another interesting add-on is the mysterious C-Button on the right Joycon of the Switch 2, which is missing on the left one. From previous Nintendo controllers, we could assume that the C-button could be relegated to some sort of Camera functionality, Chat, Capture, or Screen Recording.
Nintendo Switch 2 Features Backwards Compatibility For Switch 1 Games
I’m glad that Nintendo went the route of preserving OG Switch games by allowing backwards compatibility. So what does this exactly mean? You can use the same physical Nintendo Switch 1 Game Cartridges or SD cards with the Nintendo Switch 2, along with digital backwards compatibility. There might be a few exceptions, such as games that required additional physical add-ons. Still, we get access to a huge library of Switch 1 games. This is good news because many OG Nintendo Switch games didn’t perform all that well.
That’s where the new hardware comes into play, allowing Switch 2 users to play older titles at higher frame rates and better resolutions. Consistent frame rates are a big YES in our book. But there are still a few questions left unanswered. Will older titles receive next-gen updates for the Nintendo Switch 2? If they do, will they be free or paid upgrades? Worst case scenario could be Nintendo pay-walling the games behind a full-priced 70 USD remaster.
Nintendo Switch 2 Specs
While most leaks should be taken with a grain of salt, the surprising amount of leaks turned out to be true. That could also mean that the Switch 2 specs leaks could be accurate. Still, take this information with one grain of salt.
Nintendo Switch 2 SoC
The processor of the Nintendo Switch 2 is dubbed the GMLX30-R-A1. It’s an SoC of a System on a Chip. This means that the SoC contains the CPU, GPU, Memory Controller, and I/O. Rumors suggest that the Nintendo Switch 2 is a revamped Nvidia Tegra T239 SoC shrunken down to 5 nm. This means 8 Tiered Arm Cores; 1x Cortex X1 HP-Core, 3x Cortex A78 P-Cores, and 4x Cortex A55 E-Cores along with an Arm DynamIQ hardware-based scheduler.
This is a massive leap from the Nvidia Tegra X1 process which features 4x ARM Cortex A57 cores. While it featured 8 cores, 4 were disabled by default. 1 Arm core was dedicated for the Operating System while only 3 Arm cores were meant for running games.
Nintendo Switch 2 T239 GPU and Memory
Now, let’s move onto the Nintendo Switch 2 GPU. The Switch 2 will use the Nvidia T239 GPU based on the Ampere Architecture (found in the RTX 3000 Series Cards). It will run at 1.5-1.6 GHz and a 128-bit memory bus. Getting into the minute details, we get 1 Graphics Processing Cluster or GPC, 12 SMs or Streaming Multiprocessors, 6 TPC or Texture Processing Clusters.
We left the good bits for the last– 48 Gen 3 Tensor Cores, 2 RTX ray-tracing cores, 1536 CUDA cores, and 256 Shader Cores. So, what about RAM? The Nintendo Switch 2 will pack 12 GB of LPDDR5X memory clocked at 7500 MT/s and a memory bandwidth of 102 GB/s. That’s a big upgrade from the 4 GB of LPDDR4X SDRAM on the original Nintendo Switch, clocked at just 1600 MT/s and a memory bandwidth of 21.3-25.6 GB/s
Nintendo Switch 2 Will Feature Ray Tracing, DLSS 3.5 Upscaling & DLSS Frame Generation
Yes, we’re getting Ray Tracing on the Nintendo Switch 2–which seems a bit too much for a handheld. On the plus side, we still get DLSS 3.5 which will make a world of a difference at upscaling lower resolutions with AI. The rumors do get a bit juicer. The T239 will also feature an optical flow accelerator. In layman’s terms, we’ll be getting DLSS 3 Frame Generation too.
Nintendo Switch 2 Storage Capacity + Storage Expansion
Let’s talk about the Nintendo Switch 2 storage capacity, shall we? The Nintendo Switch 2 will get 256 GB of UFS-3.1 Flash Storage with transfer speeds of 2100 MB/s. Aside from baked-in storage capacity, Nintendo Switch 2 users can opt to expand their storage by using Micro SD Express. Again, it’s a big upgrade from the miniscule 32 GB of onboard storage found on the original Nintendo Switch.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Is As Powerful As The Base PS4 And Xbox One (Without DLSS & Frame Generation)
So, how does the Nintendo Switch 2 stand against its console counterparts like the Xbox and PlayStation? Well, it isn’t all that impressive, but considering we’re getting this kind of performance on a handheld, it’s safe to say that the future seems bright for the Nintendo Switch 2.
Speculations and predictions state that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be on par with the base PS4 and Xbox One in terms of Rasterization Performance. But DLSS 3.5 and Frame Generation will go a long way. Expect to see some older AAA titles making a handheld return to the Nintendo Switch 2. But, you’ll have to end up paying full price!
Nintendo Switch 2 Launch Titles?
From what we’ve seen so far and rumors circulating on the internet, it’s confirmed that we’ll be getting a new Mario Kart with support for around 24 players on just ONE track! Other titles confirmed for the Nintendo Switch are Bestario, My Time at Evershine, and Yooka-Replaylee.
Ofcourse, the new Pokémon Legends Z and Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition will also be greenlit for the Nintendo Switch 2. Now, we can speculate, so take this with a grain of salt. We might get to see Metroid Prime 4 Beyond later this year, along with a new Super Mario game for the Switch 2.
