NVIDIA's Custom Chip Powers Nintendo Switch 2: A Technological Leap in Mobile Gaming

Nintendo Switch 2 has 'the most advanced graphics ever in a mobile device' - Nvidia CEO hails custom chip efforts ahead of launch

Jensen Huang highlights "breakthroughs" that make the new console possible. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is touting the processor in the Nintendo Switch 2 ahead of the new console's launch on June 5, stating that it delivers "performance, intelligence, and beauty in the palm of your hand." He appeared in a "special edition" of Nintendo's "Creator's Voice" series. The appearance marks a rare discussion of technical specs and a rare inclusion of other partners in the discussion of Nintendo's hardware. Huang said that the new Nvidia chip "brings together three breakthroughs: the most advanced graphics ever in a mobile device, full hardware ray-tracing, high dynamic range for brighter highlights and deeper shadows, and an architecture that supports backward compatibility." Nintendo's hardware developers had already confirmed the use of DLSS, and Nvidia didn't delve too deeply into specs when discussing the chip in a blog post, focusing on RT cores and noting that the new chip offers "10x the graphics performance of the Nintendo Switch." Huang also said the Switch 2 features dedicated AI processors to "sharpen, animate, and enhance gameplay in real-time." In May, Digital Foundry reported the official specs, including eight ARM Cortex A78C cores featuring the ARMv8 64-bit instruction set, a GPU based on Nvidia's two-generation-old Ampere architecture, and a memory subsystem powered by two 6GB LPDDR5X memory modules (12GB total) operating on a 128-bit memory interface. The console also has 256GB of UFS storage and has a microSD Express card slot that supports additional storage up to 2TB. Much of the video is actually about Nvidia's part in building the original Switch and honoring Satoru Iwata, the fourth president of Nintendo, who oversaw the console's development but passed away before its launch. The Switch 2 is launching at $449.99 when it releases on Thursday (a bundle with Mario Kart World will cost $499.99 for a limited time). Pre-orders went quickly, though some brick-and-mortar stores may have stock on launch day.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sings praises of processor in Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo's Switch 2 launch is happening tomorrow evening, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a key supplier for the hybrid console, sang the praises of the machine and its main processor today. "For all of us at Nvidia, we've worked with Nintendo for more than a decade, drawn together by shared that technology should serve creativity and that joy is worth engineering for," said Huang. "I still remember the day Iwata san shared his dream with us." It's touching that Huang, whose company has moved on to great heights with the AI revolution, remembers Nvidia's roots in gaming. Huang said Satoru Iwata, the former CEO of Nintendo who passed away from cancer, wanted to create something no one had seen before, a console powerful enough for big, cinematic games, but small enough to take anywhere. "It sounded impossible, but that vision became the original Nintendo Switch. We lost Iwata San before the launch, but his clarity, his purpose -- it still inspires our work," Huang said. "Every day together, we poured everything into that system. The Nintendo Switch took over 500 engineer years at Nvidia. We rethought the entire stack, chip architecture, OS, APIs, game engines, so the magic could travel with you." Huang said the results speak for themselves. Over 150 million consoles sold. It was a global platform that brought families together, empowered indie creators and redefined what a console could be. "And now a bold new chapter begins the mission build a new console that takes the original vision further to make it so we had to reinvent everything," Huang said of the Switch 2. "The chip inside Nintendo Switch 2 is unlike anything we've built before." The Nintendo Switch 2 has a custom Nvidia processor, the T239, with an Ampere-based GPU. It features 1,536 CUDA cores, runs at 1GHz (docked), and 561MHz (mobile), with a memory interface of 128-bit LPDDR5. The GPU can deliver 3.07 TeraFLOPS in docked mode and 1.71 TeraFLOPS in portable use. The system's CPU has eight ARM Cortex-A78C cores, 12GB LPDDR5X (128-bit interface), memory bandwidth of 102 GB/s (docked), 68 GB/s (mobile) and storage of 256 GB UFS 3.1. It has RT Cores, Tensor Cores for AI-driven enhancements, DLSS support and 4K gaming in TV mode. He said it brings together multiple breakthroughs: the most advanced graphics ever in a mobile device, full hardware ray tracing, high dynamic range for brighter highlights and deeper shadows, and an architecture that supports backward compatibility, dedicated AI processors to sharpen animations and enhance gameplay in real time, and ultra low power. "We optimize the semiconductor process technology for high performance in a handheld device so we can go wherever you go," he said. "This chip is a technical marvel. It delivers performance, intelligence and beauty in the palm of your Switch 2 is more than a new console. It's a new chapter worthy of Iwata san's vision." He added, "To our friends at Nintendo, congratulations, we're honored to be on this journey with you. And to everyone who loves games, let the fun begin. This is a proud moment for all of us at Nvidia too."

NVIDIA's Jensen Huang explains the 'technical marvel' inside the Nintendo Switch 2

NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang has explained the custom processor powering the Nintendo Switch 2, and how it compares to the chip in the original Switch. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you. The launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 is only a matter of hours away, and Nintendo has shared a new video on its official YouTube channel that features NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang. In a surprise appearance, NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang, has briefly taken over the Nintendo of America YouTube channel, where he discussed the chip within the Nintendo Switch 2. What is surprising about this appearance is Nintendo isn't known to shine any light on the hardware within their consoles, but it seems like that has changed, perhaps it was after the NVIDIA-powered original Nintendo Switch sold 150 million units that the relationship between the two companies prospered to the point where Nintendo agreed to give NVIDIA a brief moment in the spotlight. Yes, that is right, NVIDIA designed the processor within the original Nintendo Switch, and if you didn't know that, don't worry, because no one did until the console was launched and cracked open by the public to see what was running under the hood. Additionally, Nintendo didn't publicly recognize that NVIDIA created and provided the chip for the immensely popular console, but now things have changed with the Switch 2. Huang explains that for both the original Switch and Switch 2, NVIDIA created a custom processor designed from the ground up. As for the Switch 2, the chip powering the new console is "unlike anything we [NVIDIA] have built before." Huang says the Switch 2 brings together three breakthroughs: Three Breakthroughs "The most advanced graphics ever in a mobile device: Full hardware raytracing, Highlight Dynamic Range (HDR) for brighter highlights and deeper shadows, and an architecture that supports backwards compatibility. Dedicated AI processors to sharpen, animate, and enhance gameplay in real-time. And it's ultra-low power. We optimized the semiconductor process technology for high-performance in a handheld device. So it can go wherever you go," said Huang