How Powerful Is The Nintendo Switch 2, According To Leaks?
January 2, 2025
Somehow, new Nintendo Switch 2 leaks continue to pop up every week. It's genuinely incredible how much we've come to learn about the console, despite the lack of an official reveal. With a fanbase as dedicated as Nintendo's, private information just doesn't stay private for long.
The latest leaks have to do with the Switch 2's motherboard. Somehow, a few images of the motherboard made their way online. I use the term 'somehow' very lightly, as the leaks seem very intentional. Upon review, the images seem fairly credible. For the most part, the specifications line up perfectly with previous rumors.
All the tech talk can be pretty hard to decipher, though. There are also a lot of uneducated guesses going around which doesn't help at all. So, how strong is the Nintendo Switch 2? It's stronger than you might think. For a handheld.
How Modern Is The Switch 2's Hardware? — Modern Enough
Video game consoles always tend to fall in line with the contemporary technology. You can never really know when it comes to Nintendo, though. The company always tries to sell their consoles at a profit, meaning that they prioritize cost efficiency over power. That's not a bad philosophy at all. It just seems to really bother a select group of people.
Based on the motherboard leaks, a few things about the Switch 2 can be definitively confirmed. First of all, the Switch 2 will have 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. That's more RAM than the Xbox Series S has. LPDDR5X is also a relatively new technology, debuting in consumer devices in late 2022. It's nice to see it in the Switch 2.
Now, where things get a bit complicated is with the Tegra T239 SoC. Off initial analysis, it seemed that the Switch 2's chip was built on Samsung 8nm. But by piecing together some older leaks, it actually seems more likely that the Switch 2's chip will be built on Samsung 5nm. For those who aren't tech-savvy, this all just sounds like gibberish, so let's break it down quickly.
The advantage of a 5nm chip over a 8nm chip is, theoretically, very significant. There are two main reasons why a 5nm chip would be preferred: better power efficiency and better performance. The former is actually more important in the Switch 2's case. Better power efficiency means less heat. Less heat means that the console can run closer to full power without needing to be underclocked for safety reasons. All in all, the Switch 2 would much prefer a 5nm chip. Even if it is built on Samsung 8nm, though, that should provide a perfectly fine experience.
Comparable Power To The Switch 2
Knowing about the specifics of the hardware is cool and all, but how exactly will the Nintendo Switch 2 perform in practice? It's hard to really calculate because the newer hardware will likely provide certain advantages over the consoles of the last generation, even if the power output is expected to be worse. For example, the PlayStation 4 Pro has been a popular point of comparison for the Switch 2. In no way will the Switch 2 be able to beat it in pure power. That being said, the Switch 2 has some tricks up its sleeve that can make it better. In theory.
In terms of pure hardware power, the Nintendo Switch 2 is conceptually somewhere around the base PS4. Because of its more modern hardware, though, the Switch 2 would see better performance from the games of that era. As for how the Switch 2 plans to run more modern AAA games, that's going to come down to the use of DLSS. And when it comes to that...the sky is the limit.
Nintendo will still need to sacrifice graphical fidelity to get recent releases on the system, but, at the very least, DLSS should make particularly intensive games look more respectable. A game may be ran natively at 540p on the Switch 2, but DLSS will be able to upscale it to a fairly convincing 1080p. DLSS technology is also presumably how some games will be able to run at 4K resolution. It's a really convenient solution.
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The Nintendo Switch 2 is not a console to be underestimated. We know enough about it to say that with confidence. Still, though, it'll take an official reveal to really get a good understanding of the console's potential. For example, will the Switch 2 be able to use ray tracing to good effect? That's something we'll only be able to know with actual footage. It would also be nice to finally get an update on the Nintendo Switch 2's release date.
