The tech specs for the Switch 2 that Nintendo and Nvidia are not sharing

Switch 2's T239 chip's specs revealed through leaks, not official sources.

: Nintendo and Nvidia have not officially disclosed the technical specifications of the T239 processor in the Switch 2 console, but leaks and investigations from sources like kopite7kimi suggest the processor is based on the Nvidia T234 but features a reduced number of CUDA cores and a smaller memory interface. Notably, the processor, manufactured by Samsung, uses the Ampere architecture and experiences doubts about its performance compared to competitors like Steam Deck due to its 8nm technology. Yet, despite its seemingly outdated technology, the T239 leverages a blend of gaming features, such as DLSS and hardware-accelerated ray tracing, to enhance game performance and storage efficiency, albeit with some skepticism around clock speeds and DLSS support in games.

Nintendo has maintained its history of being reticent about the inner workings of its gaming consoles with the Switch 2, choosing not to officially release detailed specs on its core processor, the T239. The information that’s available largely comes from leaks and community-driven analyses, particularly from individuals like kopite7kimi, whose insights over time have painted a picture of a custom processor derived from the Nvidia T234 but with notable changes. For instance, the T239 processor reportedly uses Nvidia's Ampere architecture, known from their RTX 30-series, yet sacrifices some features with a reduction from 2048 to 1536 CUDA cores and a halved 128-bit memory interface.

Despite the T239 being carved from a legacy 8nm Samsung process, fueling debates over its competitive edge, the Switch 2 is poised to leverage several modern gaming improvements. Confirmations of machine learning capabilities give rise to DLSS utilization potential, enhancing graphical quality via upscaling, while it is also designed to support hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature bringing realistic reflections and shadows to gaming environments. However, absence of specific DLSS versions or rates in practical tests and showcases raises questions about real-world efficiency. Unlike other modern consoles or portable gaming systems fabricated on 7nm processes, the Switch 2’s choice of older technology might allow for better cost efficiencies, aligning with Nintendo's strategy to offer affordable, mass-market consoles.

Investigational endeavors, spearheaded by discussions on platforms such as Reddit and Famiboards, highlight how critical community engagement has been in plugging the information gap left by official silence. Leaks revealed that, in the manufacturing backdrop, the logistics between Nvidia and Nintendo involved the chip being confirmed repeatedly through shipping manifests. Unverified claims exist that the battery-saving features and specific bandwidth segmentation—dropping from 102GB/s docked to 68GB/s in handheld mode—mirror a similar strategy employed in the original Switch, although clock speeds for docked and mobile modes remain speculative.

The efficacy of the Switch 2, especially compared to devices like the Steam Deck, has been a topic of animated discussion. The handheld experience hovers under scrutiny due to benchmarks that allocate the Steam Deck a seemingly superior set of clocks at 1.6GHz GPU coupled with higher powers consumptions at over 20W. In contrast, the Switch 2 could be optimized for sessions aligned with a supposed 20Wh battery aiming to maintain a 10W threshold, maximizing efficiency potentially at the cost of direct raw power.

The broader gameplay landscape also brings an appreciation for Nintendo's design ethos, where the gaming experience, buoyed by exclusive titles and the flexibility in developing specifically for known hardware, retains a visceral joy for players. Attention has been on exploring how robust and demanding games, like Elden Ring, transpose to this new platform, underscoring both limitations and opportunities for enhancements via the integrated machine learning and, possibly, developer optimization in future firmware or variants such as the anticipated Switch 2 Lite.

Sources: Digital Foundry, Famiboards, Reddit

gamingconsolesmachine learning