We knew that the Nintendo Switch 2 would be a significant step up from the Switch in terms of processing power, but we didn’t know exactly how much more powerful the new console would be. Nintendo rarely gets into the weeds regarding specifications, but on Thursday, Nvidia pulled back the curtain on the custom GPU that powers the Switch 2.
As with its predecessor, the Switch 2 has a custom NVIDIA processor. That processor features an Nvidia GPU with RT Cores that allow for real-time ray tracing and lifelike lighting, reflections, and shadows, as well as Tensor Cores for AI-driven features like face tracking and background removal in video chat and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). So yes, as the leaks hinted, Switch 2 will use DLSS to upscale the resolution of the games.
Nvidia also confirmed that Switch 2 has “10x the graphics performance of the Nintendo Switch.” Anyone who watched live gameplay from Nintendo’s stream on Thursday won’t be surprised to hear that. Games truly do look significantly better on the Switch 2. If you need proof, look at the difference between Breath of the Wild on Switch and Switch 2:
Finally, Nvidia noted that the console supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) in handheld mode, which means games should run smoothly even when you’re not playing on a TV. As impressive as the Switch was, games didn’t always look great on its dated display. That shouldn’t be nearly as big of a problem on the next-gen console.
“With 1,000 engineer-years of effort across every element — from system and chip design to a custom GPU, APIs and world-class development tools — the Nintendo Switch 2 brings major upgrades,” wrote Nvidia VP of software engineering Muni Anda.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be available on June 5 for $449.
