Nintendo Switch 2 Allegedly Powered By Nvidia Tegra 239 SoC Based On Ampere

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Malik Usman

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly powered by Nvidia, like its predecessor. According to a recent GitHub update, the upcoming gaming handheld from Nintendo will feature Nvidia Ampere GPU architecture.

This discovery was made by @Kepler_L2, who has stumbled upon two new custom systems on chips in Nvidia’s GitHub “Open-GPU” section. The custom Nvidia SOCs in question are known as Tegra 234 and Tegra 239, based on the Ampere architecture in the GeForce RTX 3000 series.

https://t.co/T6COpFMFDa

— Kepler (@Kepler_L2) September 11, 2023

The Tegra 239 is a customized version of Tegra 234 designed to be used on handheld consoles and is expected to be as powerful as the Sony PlayStation 4.  Furthermore, the Tegra 239 SOC will be manufactured on Samsung’s 8nm process node, similar to other GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards.

Being a SOC designed on Ampere architecture, the Nvidia Tegra 239 will support Nvidia DLSS 3.5 upscaling and ray reconstruction technology. However, frame generation would be out of the question since the technology is limited to Ada Lovelace.

The Nvidia Tegra 239 SOC could provide a better ray tracing experience compared to the PS5 and Xbox Series S|X consoles, which are based on AMD hardware. However, the handheld form factor of the Nintendo Switch may lead to limitations with ray tracing.

Recently, rumors have claimed that Nintendo showcased the Nintendo Switch 2 at Gamescom 2023. The hardware was supposedly able to achieve 4k/60FPS in Zelda: Breath of the Wild with DLSS upscaling.

However, the base resolution of the game is still unknown.

Other rumors have pointed to the Matrix Unreal Engine 5 demo running on Nvidia DLSS 3.1, but nothing has been officially announced in regards to the new Nintendo console.

Nonetheless, the console should provide a noticeable step up over the current Nintendo Switch.

Malik Usman

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Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city’s aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity!

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