Switch 2 powered custom NVIDIA chip: What Nintendo didn’t reveal at the Direct event | Technology News
On Wednesday, Nintendo unveiled the Switch 2, showcasing many of its features, capabilities, and exclusive titles at the first Direct event of 2025. While Nintendo confirmed that the Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, the company did not provide much detail about the chip that powers the handheld. However, according to the official product specs sheet, the Switch 2 is powered a “custom processor made NVIDIA,” whereas its predecessor was based on the more widely available NVIDIA Tegra X1. This time, with a custom chip, the Switch 2 is capable of offering up to 4K resolution gameplay in TV mode.
A leak Eurogamer suggests that the NVIDIA chip powering the Switch 2 is internally known as the Tegra T239, possibly featuring 1,536 CUDA cores and likely based on Samsung’s 5nm fabrication process. This makes the Switch 2 as powerful as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the previous-generation full-sized consoles from Microsoft and Sony, respectively.
A recent patent filed Nintendo indicates that the console renders images at 540p resolution before upscaling them to 1080p, possibly using technologies such as Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). In TV mode, the resolution is further upscaled to 4K, supported a dock with an active cooling solution to manage temperatures.
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Nintendo has also confirmed that the Switch 2 ships with 12GB of RAM, which is likely to serve as both system memory and video memory. Additionally, the Switch 2 includes 256GB of UFS-based internal storage, similar to that found in smartphones, along with a microSD Express slot that supports storage expansion of up to 2TB.
Notably, the Switch 2 uses the latest high-performance microSD Express format cards and is not compatible with standard microSD cards. With higher read and write speeds, microSD Express cards will help reduce game load times.
Other key hardware specifications of the Switch 2 include a 7.9-inch FHD-resolution LCD screen with a 120Hz variable refresh rate and HDR10 support. While the console can deliver 120fps gaming at 1080p (FHD) and 1440p (2K) resolutions, performance is limited to 60fps at 2160p (4K) resolution. The Switch 2 supports Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and is equipped with a 5,220mAh battery, providing between two and six and a half hours of gameplay, depending on usage. The console takes approximately three hours to fully charge using its USB-C port.
The Joy-Con controllers support Bluetooth 3.0, with the right one featuring NFC connectivity. Each controller is equipped with a 500mAh battery, lasting up to 20 hours per charge, and takes approximately three and a half hours to fully recharge.Story continues below this ad
In the United States of America, the Switch 2 is priced at $449.9, and will be available for pre-order starting April 9, and the console will go on sale from June 5 in select countries.
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