Nvidia Confirms AI and Ray Tracing Capabilities for Nintendo Switch 2, Keeps Detailed Specs Under Wraps

Yesterday, Nintendo captured everyone’s attention with the highly anticipated reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2. While excitement was in the air, the company’s tech team kept mum about the specifics of the chip driving this next-gen console. Fortunately, Nvidia, the brains behind the custom system on a chip, decided to shed some light in a recent blog post.

During a developer roundtable, Switch 2 technical director Tetsuya Sasaki explained, “Nintendo prefers to focus not on hardware specs, but on the value and experience we deliver to our users.” Following suit, Nvidia also kept things under wraps, like the number of cores and clock speeds, but they did make a bold claim: their new chip boasts graphics performance that’s ten times greater than the original Nintendo Switch.

Thanks to Nvidia’s RT cores, the new system supports hardware ray tracing, enabling more realistic lighting and reflections. Meanwhile, the tensor cores handle DLSS upscaling, likely pushing the system to 4K when docked. According to Nvidia, these advancements will help achieve up to 120 frames per second when playing in handheld mode.

Interestingly, the tensor cores have another trick up their sleeve—AI-enabled face tracking and background removal. These features were showcased with the fresh GameChat social tool and were demonstrated in our hands-on with Switch 2 games like Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV. It’s still uncertain if this mirrors any functionality from Nvidia Broadcast on the PC side.

On top of that, Nvidia confirmed that the Switch 2’s new variable refresh rate display is enhanced by G-Sync during handheld play, effectively eliminating the dreaded screen tearing.

It’s worth noting that Nvidia was also behind the original Nintendo Switch’s guts, which ran on a custom version of the Tegra X1 chip. Nintendo has a knack for getting the most out of hardware, as proven by the Switch’s enduring appeal even years after its launch.

As we look forward to the Switch 2’s release on June 5, priced at $449.99, it will be fascinating to see how developers tap into the potential of this new powerhouse. Stay tuned to discover how this latest chip will redefine our gaming adventures!