Nvidia Confirms AI and Ray Tracing Features for Nintendo Switch 2 SoC, Official Specs Remain Unreleased

At Nintendo’s recent big reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, fans were buzzing with excitement, though the hardware experts at Nintendo played coy about the pack behind the screen. Luckily, Nvidia stepped in to spill some beans via a blog post, enlightening eager enthusiasts about the tech powering this new console.

During a developer roundtable, Tetsuya Sasaki, technical director for the Switch 2, mentioned, “Nintendo doesn’t really dive deep into hardware specifics. Our main focus is the value we can offer to players.” It seems Nvidia is sticking to this low-profile approach, keeping mum on details like core numbers and speeds. However, they do proudly assert that the new chip delivers ten times the graphic power of its predecessor, the original Nintendo Switch.

The secret sauce? Nvidia’s cutting-edge RT cores, which bring hardware ray tracing, sophisticated lighting, and sharp reflections to the gaming experience. Meanwhile, the tensor cores are the brains behind the DLSS upscaling, likely enabling up to 4K resolution when docked and aiming for a smooth 120 frames per second in portable mode.

On top of that, these tensor cores make face tracking and AI-driven background removal possible. These features stand out in the Switch 2’s fresh social tool, GameChat, and thrilling titles like “Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV.” There’s no clear indication yet if this is tied to the Nvidia Broadcast tech available for PC users.

Nvidia is also boosting the handheld’s display with a variable refresh rate (VRR) powered by G-Sync, designed to eliminate any pesky screen tearing.

For those who remember, Nvidia was also behind the original Switch, leveraging a custom version of their Tegra X1 chip. Despite its age at launch, Nintendo extracted impressive performance, continuing to churn out new games even after eight years.

Now all eyes are on developers to see what they’ll achieve with this next-gen hardware, set to make its mark when the Nintendo Switch 2 hits stores on June 5th for $449.99. Stay tuned—a new era of gaming is just around the corner.