What's Powering the Nintendo Switch 2?

Recently leaked clock speeds for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 hint that the system might be using an 8nm chip, according to tech experts. This would make sense, given that the clock speeds seem reasonable for a system like this. However, there are a few puzzling details. For instance, the handheld GPU clock speed looks a bit low, considering the system's cooling. Also, the CPU clock speeds are higher in portable mode than when docked, which is unusual. This could mean the system might be turning off some cores in portable mode to save battery, or it might have different CPU frequency modes for different situations.

One concern is the low memory bandwidth when the system is in portable mode. If the rumors are true and the Switch 2 uses a 1080p screen, this could be a problem. The reveal trailer didn't show if the screen has a higher resolution than the original Switch. The trailer also didn't show how the Switch 2 will use the T239's Ampere architecture. The Mario Kart footage looked aliased, like most Nintendo games, and there was no sign of features like NVIDIA DLSS. While the Switch 2 could use a new, heavier Transformer Model for DLSS, it's not clear if this is feasible for an older mobile system. Recent patents suggest a lighter version of DLSS might be used instead. The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to launch worldwide later this year. More details will be revealed in a dedicated Direct event in early April.

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