NVIDIA Proposes RTX 40-Based SoC for Switch 2, Nintendo Declines and Pushes for DLSS to Boost FPS in Games

With the advancements we have made in hardware, it is now possible to have a portable console with enough power to play even the video games that reach PS5 and Xbox Series X. A Steam Deck, which is not even the most powerful of all, can already do this, although it involves playing at low resolution, FSR, and low graphics. We expect no less from Nintendo’s next console if it truly wants to enter the current generation of games. According to the latest rumors, most games arriving on the Switch 2 will use DLSS, taking advantage of its Ampere GPU, and although NVIDIA offered a SoC with Lovelace, Nintendo opted for a less modern and economical one.

Nintendo has surprised gamers around the world several times, launching consoles that innovate in certain aspects and set them apart from the others. We remember how the Nintendo DS, with its dual screens and touch functions, launched with games that took full advantage of these features. Later on, a Wii came, which surprised many people with its use of an original control system that resembled no other console. With the Wii U, there was a mix between a home console and a controller with a screen that didn’t succeed in sales.

Nintendo could have chosen a Lovelace SoC for the Switch 2, but ultimately opted for an older chip

When Nintendo announced the Switch in 2017, it hit the mark and truly released a console that appealed to a majority of people. It was a portable console in format, with the addition of Joy-Con controllers that allowed us to play games by detaching them from the device. In addition, it included a dock to switch to a home console mode and increase performance. Many years have passed, and for some time now, the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to arrive with a significant performance boost.

It was leaked that this would use a Tegra T239 SoC with an Arm CPU and Ampere GPU (RTX 30), although according to Moore’s Law is Dead’s video, NVIDIA offered a Lovelace SoC (RTX 40) which Nintendo rejected. Instead of using a more modern, efficient, and powerful chip, the Japanese company opted for an older, cheaper-to-produce chip. This would use an 8 nm node, which is somewhat outdated today, and is expected to cost around $400.

Most Switch 2 games will use NVIDIA DLSS to achieve higher FPS

Considering that Nintendo prioritizes cost savings, it is expected that its console’s performance will be better than a Steam Deck but worse than an Xbox Series S. Depending on the frequency achieved by the Tegra Orin SoC, it will be closer to one of the two devices. However, Nintendo will undoubtedly take advantage of the biggest benefit of going with NVIDIA rather than AMD – its DLSS scaling.

Moore’s Law is Dead suggests that most Nintendo Switch 2 games will come with NVIDIA DLSS in order to achieve the best possible performance and FPS. This is a scaling technique exclusive to NVIDIA graphics cards, yielding much better results than traditional scaling and checkerboard rendering used in home consoles. It is also expected to be able to run Ray Tracing with decent performance, as rumors indicate it will have support for Ray Reconstruction, something already seen in Cyberpunk 2077.

In summary, NVIDIA offered an RTX 40 based SoC for the Switch 2, but Nintendo rejected it, forcing games to use DLSS to achieve higher FPS.