Nintendo's next-gen Switch 2 Handheld console could be utilizing NVIDIA Ampere GPU architecture within its SOC as spotted within recent GitHub updates.
NVIDIA Ampere GPU Architecture Might Power The Next-Gen Nintendo Switch 2 Handheld Console
Discovered by @Kepler_L2, it looks like NVIDIA has worked on at least two custom SOCs based on the Ampere GPU architecture which might possibly be integrated within the Nintendo Switch 2 handheld. These two SOCs include the T234 and T239 and were spotted within NVIDIA's GitHub "Open-GPU" section. The interesting part about these listings is that both SOCs are featured under the Ampere architecture so we are looking at GPU features that are on par with the GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards.
Now the listing of two SOCs may indicate a standard and a Pro variant but as per Tech_Reve, it is rumored that the NVIDIA T234 SKU was cancelled and the T239 SOC is scheduled for production on Samsung's 8nm process node. This is the same fabrication process used for the rest of the GeForce RTX 30 GPUs.
It seems like T234 has been canceled, and T239 is scheduled to be produced on Samsung Foundry's 8nm process for Switch 2.
— Revegnus (@Tech_Reve) September 12, 2023
Recently, we have been hearing a lot of rumors regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 handheld. These rumors basically come after Gamescom 2023 where the device was showcased to select media & behind closed doors. According to rumored details, the Nintendo Switch 2 handheld was running various games at 4K 60 FPS natively and is also said to offer full support for Ray Tracing & NVIDIA's DLSS technologies. The Switch 2 handheld was shown to run the Unreal Engine 5 Matrix Awakens demo with NVIDIA DLSS 3.1.
Just to point out that the NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction technology is supported across all RTX GPUs so it should also be compatible with the Ampere architecture featured on the Switch 2 handheld however, Frame Generation is something that might be missing from the handheld since that feature only works on the newer Ada Lovelace GPUs. In addition to the tech features, Nintendo is said to feature up to 12 GB of RAM on its Switch 2 handheld but the exact type isn't mentioned yet.
NVIDIA's hardware has had an edge over AMD in terms of ray tracing capabilities so the Nintendo Switch 2, despite being a handheld, is said to be very close to the Sony PS5 in terms of RT graphics performance. The Ampere architecture itself will be a massive leap over the older Maxwell GPUs that power the existing Nintendo Switch consoles yet we have seen some incredible visuals with games such as Zelda: Tears of The Lost Kingdom and even its predecessor, Breath of The Wild. So one can imagine what Nintendo devs would do once they get access to even more power for its handheld devices.
There's currently no official launch date announced yet for the Nintendo Switch 2 handheld but more information might come in the months ahead.
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