Nintendo Switch 2 Tech Analysis: Is 4K Actually Realistic?

The Nintendo Switch 2 has yet been revealed, and portion it brings a immense betterment implicit the archetypal console, it doesn’t beryllium successful the aforesaid vacuum that the archetypal handheld did. With the instauration of devices similar the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X, determination are a ton of handheld gaming systems retired determination that tin play AAA PC games connected the go.

So, portion the Switch 2 volition automatically person a niche carved retired for being a strategy that plays, well, Nintendo games similar Mario Kart World, anyone that’s buying a Switch 2 to play multiplatform games volition person to reckon with devices similar the Steam Deck – particularly with the Switch 2’s $449 terms tag.

Luckily, present that Nintendo has fixed a sneak peek into the hardware that’s moving its caller console, we tin instrumentality a look astatine however precisely it volition run, and whether oregon not its 4K promises are much than bare words.

Nvidia’s Custom Chip

The SoC (System connected a Chip) that runs the Nintendo Switch 2 is astir apt the astir important portion of the console, but it’s the happening we cognize the slightest about. We bash cognize that it’s a “custom Nvidia processor” that supports DLSS and ray tracing, but beyond that, neither Nintendo nor Nvidia person revealed immoderate specifics. Luckily, determination are a ton of leaks that suggest the Nintendo Switch 2 is utilizing the aging Ampere graphics architecture down the RTX 3080.

Going each the mode backmost to 2023, determination were leaks suggesting that the Nintendo Switch 2 would beryllium utilizing the Nvidia Tegra T239 SoC. This APU uses 8 ARM A78C cores, combined with an Nvidia Ampere GPU with 1,536 CUDA cores. Napkin mathematics puts that astatine 12 Streaming Multiprocessors, which would beryllium importantly smaller than adjacent the smallest Ampere GPU – the RTX 3050 for laptops. However, assuming Nvidia didn’t nerf the Ampere SMs successful the T239, each SM would person 4 Tensor Cores and an RT core, making for a full of 48 and 12, respectively.

To beryllium fair, the Steam Deck is utilizing a customized AMD APU that’s built connected 8 AMD RDNA 2 GPU cores, which is smaller than what Nintendo is offering here. But, you person to support successful caput that the Steam Deck has a little solution display, and pumps much powerfulness into it. Plus, AMD Z2 processors are coming retired implicit the adjacent year, with the Z2 Extreme featuring 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, which volition beryllium a immense upgrade. Though, systems with that chipset are going to beryllium much much costly than the Switch 2.

That tiny of a GPU fundamentally makes 4K gaming an impossibility natively, but due to the fact that the Tensor Cores are there, DLSS is going to beryllium a large origin successful however the Nintendo Switch performs erstwhile docked – assuming this is the SoC that’s really successful the system. However, with truthful fewer Tensor Cores, adjacent upscaling to 4K is going to beryllium a agelong successful everything but the astir lightweight games.

Instead, astir games are apt going to people 1080p, adjacent if they don’t natively render astatine that resolution. There are games similar Donkey Kong Bananza that bash look to beryllium rendering astatine a autochthonal 1080p resolution, according to Digital Foundry’s hands-on demos. However, third-party games similar Cyberpunk 2077 look to beryllium relying heavy connected upscaling, with autochthonal resolutions arsenic debased arsenic 540p. I wouldn’t expect the Nintendo Switch 2 to ever beryllium capable to grip Cyberpunk 2077 astatine 4K, adjacent with DLSS, though Nintendo volition decidedly person amended luck with immoderate crippled it tin get moving natively astatine 1080p.

The Ampere cores successful the rumored T239 besides person RT cores, which should theoretically let for ray grooming successful Nintendo Switch 2 games. Though, again, this volition beryllium heavy constrained by the processor’s 12 RT cores. Ray tracing volition beryllium possible, but don’t expect immoderate jaw-dropping implementations of the technology, and particularly don’t expect it successful games similar Cyberpunk 2077.

Even with RT cores, ray tracing is an highly costly workload for the GPU, and the T239 is constricted by much than conscionable its tiny SM number – powerfulness is simply a immense limiting factor, too. I spoke with Richard Leadbetter implicit astatine Digital Foundry, who told maine that the full strategy apt consumes arsenic small arsenic 10W, including the display, the SoC and the mainboard. We won’t cognize precisely what the T239’s existent TDP (thermal plan power) is until idiosyncratic finds a mode to measurement it, but it apt leaves lone 5-6W for the SoC itself – a 3rd of the powerfulness of the Steam Deck’s AMD APU.

However, portion the Nintendo Switch 2 mightiness not beryllium capable to nutrient the aforesaid magnitude of powerfulness arsenic a handheld gaming PC similar the Asus ROG Ally X, that doesn’t mean determination won’t beryllium gorgeous games moving connected the system. After all, games similar Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza look stunning, and goes to amusement however clever Nintendo developers are astatine getting the astir retired of the hardware successful the Switch.

After all, the archetypal Nintendo Switch was powered by the Nvidia Tegra X1, which was built connected the now-ancient Maxwell graphics architecture and lone packed 256 CUDA cores. Ampere is orders of magnitude much businesslike than Maxwell adjacent connected its champion days, and determination are six times much cores successful the Switch 2’s GPU. The Nintendo Switch 2 should beryllium way faster than the archetypal console, which bodes good for cross-generation ports similar The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Battery Life

While a full strategy powerfulness fund of 10W means the strategy isn’t rather arsenic accelerated arsenic it could be, it does mean the artillery volition person a overmuch amended clip keeping up. Nintendo has travel retired and said it should past astir 2 hours astatine a minimum. That’s little than was quoted for the archetypal Switch, but that shouldn’t beryllium excessively surprising, owed to its higher-resolution show and much almighty processor.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 5,220mAh battery, a ample measurement up from the 4,310mAh artillery successful the archetypal console. That’s a sizable jump, and if its artillery has the aforesaid voltage of the archetypal Switch, that would equate to astir 19Whr. That’s a smaller artillery than the Steam Deck, which is astir apt wherefore Nintendo quotes a akin artillery beingness to the Steam Deck, contempt its little power-hungry processor.

Nintendo astir apt could person enactment a much almighty artillery successful the Switch 2, but its determination apt came down to size constraints. There’s lone truthful overmuch artillery that’ll acceptable portion retaining the aforesaid thickness arsenic the archetypal Nintendo Switch, aft all.

The Display

The astir striking quality astatine archetypal glimpse betwixt the Switch and Switch 2 is astir apt going to beryllium the display. While it doesn’t person the OLED surface that made the Switch OLED specified a marvel, the show is bigger and has a higher resolution. The Nintendo Switch 2 sports a 7.9-inch LCD show with a solution of 1,920 x 1,080 with HDR 10 support. The show is besides fast, supporting adaptable refresh complaint up to 120Hz. That’s honestly a spot overkill, considering the silicon powering the thing, but it does mean that older games oregon indie titles volition consciousness highly creaseless – assuming they person unlocked framework rates. 120Hz is besides a utile refresh complaint for games that people 40 fps, since that makes for a cleanable ratio that won’t effect successful excessive stuttering.

Nintendo hasn’t released immoderate accusation astir the brightness of the display, but the HDR 10 certification means it needs to at least person a highest brightness of 1,000 nits, truthful it’s going to beryllium a agleam screen. We don’t cognize precisely however colour show volition crook retired either, but Nintendo does assertion that it supports WCG, oregon Wide Color Gamut.

The show is astir apt going to beryllium the happening that lifts the Nintendo Switch 2 supra its competitors. After all, the Steam Deck LCD has an 800p show with a highest brightness of 400 nits, and it doesn’t enactment WCG. The Steam Deck OLED does connection a overmuch nicer display, but it’s inactive an 800p display. The Nintendo Switch 2 surface is besides a immense upgrade implicit the original, which had a 6.2-inch, 720p LCD display.

Is the Nintendo Switch 2 A Worthy Upgrade?

In a vacuum, the Nintendo Switch 2 is massively amended than the archetypal Nintendo Switch. It’s leagues faster, has a surface that’s bigger, brighter and sharper, and has Joy-Cons that you don’t person to wrestle with to disconnect. The lone occupation is that the Switch doesn’t beryllium successful a vacuum immoderate more.

There are a ton of handheld gaming systems retired determination now, and portion astir of them are much costly than the $449 Nintendo Switch 2, they apt connection a amended gameplay acquisition successful multi-platform games. The existent entreaty of the Switch 2 is going to beryllium Nintendo’s catalog of first-party games, conscionable similar with the archetypal console. Nintendo is known for making large games that marque the astir of its – comparatively – anemic hardware. If you’re the benignant of gamer that falls successful emotion with Nintendo games, past the Nintendo Switch 2 makes a batch of sense. However, if you’re conscionable going to get this happening to play Cyberpunk oregon Elden Ring connected the train, determination are amended gaming handheld options retired there.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor astatine IGN and the PC components queen. You tin travel her @Jackiecobra