Ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal tomorrow, the console specs and performance have reportedly leaked online. We have known for a while now that the Switch 2 will come with a custom NVIDIA Tegra chip and lean on DLSS to upscale games to higher resolutions depending on if you’re playing in docked mode or handheld. But what performance can we expect from the GPU has remained a mystery, until now.
According to a new report that stems from a datamine, the Switch 2 is best compared to the PS4 Pro power when you look at the leaked performance. Before diving into the technical jargon, the best comparison would be to say that the Switch 2 is 11.5 times more powerful than the original Nintendo Switch.
A report from Famiboards claims that the console’s portable CPU performance is clocked at 1100.8MHz and the GPU performance is 561MHz. Memory frequency while in portable mode is 4266MHz with a memory bandwidth of 68.256GB/s.
When docked, the Nintendo Switch 2 then gets a boost in performance. The CPU performance is clocked at 998.4MHz and the GPU at 1007.25MHz. Memory frequency while in docked mode is 6400MHz and memory bandwidth jumps to 102.4GB/s.
You’ll see that the CPU clock speed actually dips when the console is docked. This is likely due to the increased power consumption on the GPU side and the reliance on DLSS. However, the dip isn’t remotely drastic.
Comparing these specs with other hardware would make it easier to understand where the console sits. The Switch 2 will operate at 1.72 TFLOPS in portable mode and 3.09 TFLOPS in docked mode. The original Switch operated at 0.15 TFLOPS in portable mode and 0.39 TFLOPS in docked mode.
It isn’t fair to compare the consoles to one another, nor does a TFLOP comparison make sense. The Switch 2 has new RAM, new MicroSD Express speed, and of course, DLSS. But technically speaking, the performance on the Switch 2 roughly sits between the PS4 and PS4 Pro on paper without factoring in the “better” RAM and storage speeds. It also doesn’t take into account DLSS, which will upscale games and improve frame rates.
It is difficult to say “x is better than y” in this case because of the different factors involved in the Switch 2 hardware. But we’ll likely see the Switch 2 run games and upscaled 4K in docked mode. Of course, more graphically intense games will result in 30FPS scenarios, where 60FPS games will mean lower resolution docked playback.
DLSS will be a big focus for the Switch 2 as it will not only boost performance in docked mode but also increase battery life in portable mode.
We’ll have to see how all this plays out when the reveal takes place. Again, I don’t expect Nintendo to announce any detailed specs during the reveal. Nintendo is set to announce the Nintendo Switch 2 tomorrow.
Source: Famiboards