The much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 is rumored to feature efficiency improvements similar to those found in the RTX 40 series. Internal sources suggest that although Nintendo has had the system-on-chip (SoC) and software ready for a considerable time, they have delayed the launch to guarantee a strong lineup of games and sufficient console inventory.
Speculation has been rife about the specifications of the Tegra T239 chip that is said to power the Nintendo Switch 2. According to industry reports, the Tegra T239 chip may house 8 ARM A78C cores, yield a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, and support 8-12 GB of RAM through a 128-bit wide memory bus.
What’s intriguing is that the GPU in the Tegra T239, despite being based on the Ampere architecture, is rumored to incorporate certain Lovelace technologies. It’s been hinted that Nintendo had choices regarding the Switch 2 SoC, including a variant based on the Lovelace architecture. However, they have reportedly chosen a cost-effective version of the Orin architecture, which still borrows some efficiency optimizations from Lovelace.
The reported inclusion of an 8th-generation NvEnc Media Block and enhanced clock gating in the Tegra T239 are Lovelace-based technologies, potentially giving the Nintendo Switch 2 an edge in power efficiency and media encoding performance.
Furthermore, there is word that a fierce bidding war took place between NVIDIA and AMD for the Switch 2 project. Given the original Switch’s sales volumes of approximately 139 million units, it’s clear why securing the Switch 2 would be a significant win for NVIDIA.
In summary, the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to feature a custom Tegra T239 chip with an ARM CPU and a GPU incorporating some of the latest technologies from the Lovelace series. However, it’s important to approach these leaked details cautiously, as they have yet to be officially confirmed by Nintendo.
Regardless, the potential technological advancements suggest that the Nintendo Switch 2 could be a significant upgrade from its predecessor, potentially offering improved efficiency and performance, promising exciting future prospects for gamers worldwide.
