Nintendo Switch 2 Power Targets Revealed: Performance Comparable to PS4 and Xbox One

With each passing day, the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 is revealing more information. The power targets for this future gaming device have recently come to light thanks to recent revelations from court filings in the ongoing FTC vs. Microsoft case.

The most recent details come from a The Verge story that examines correspondence between Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. The court records contain references to attachments, one of which is a file with the name "NG Switch Draft.pdf," probably referring to Nintendo's upcoming device, the Nintendo Switch 2. The Verge teases an intriguing reference of "Gen8" systems, which normally alludes to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, even though a large portion of the file is still redacted. In the document, it says:

Given our prior offerings on PS4 and Xbox One and the closer performance alignment to Gen8 platforms, it is reasonable to expect that we could create something interesting for the NG Switch as well. Gaining early access to hardware prototypes for development and demonstrating that quickly would be beneficial.

This indicates that gamers may anticipate the Nintendo Switch 2 to have performance on par with that of the Xbox One or PS4. The email's date, December 14, 2022, is significant since it suggests that other important development partners might have obtained early information about the Nintendo Switch 2 around the same time.

After Gamescom 2023, when multiple stories claimed to have seen hardware demonstrations, including The Legend of Zelda running in 4K and The Matrix Awakens tech demo displaying targeted hardware with DLSS compatibility, the rumours surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 gathered steam.

More informational leaks indicate that the Nvidia Ampere architecture, which also powers the RTX 30-series of graphics cards, will power the Nintendo Switch 2. The Switch 2's System-on-Chip (SOC), which is largely assumed to be the Nvidia T239, will reportedly have 1280 CUDA cores, which is roughly similar to the well-known GTX 1060 but on a more sophisticated processing node. The RTX 3050 features 2560 CUDA cores for desktop PC hardware comparison.

Several rumours have surfaced regarding the Nintendo Switch 2's alleged use of the T254 chip, which is said to be based on Nvidia's upcoming Blackwell architecture. The T239 will be the foundation for the new hardware, according to a dependable Nvidia leaker named Kopite7Kimi. This suggests that Nintendo and Nvidia likely worked together on the chip for several years prior to its release, much like they did for the Tegra X1 integration in the current-generation console.

What can we so anticipate from the Nintendo Switch 2? According to recent leaks, it should have performance on par with the PS4 or Xbox One. If claims are to be believed, it may also make use of Nvidia DLSS technology, enabling the console to produce and render games at 4K quality.

The system is expected to launch in 2024, while Nintendo has not yet made any official announcements about it. More information about this much-awaited gaming device is keenly awaited by gamers and aficionados.