Switch 2 Speculation

Personally I'm a little skeptical about their 8 Gen 2 claim. Do they say the $299 model will have a 8g2? Cuz they could have different SoC for different prices, and 8g2 is for the higher end ones.
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Apparently the base model will be 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD. That seems really cheap but I might just be conditioned for Apple ripoff pricing 😂
 
Another VGC source claimed that Nintendo showcased Epic’s impressive The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 tech demo – originally released to showcase the power of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in 2021 – running on target specs for its next console.

The demo is said to have been running using Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology, with advanced ray tracing enabled and visuals comparable to Sony‘s and Microsoft’s current-gen consoles.

 
The demo is said to have been running using Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology, with advanced ray tracing enabled and visuals comparable to Sony‘s and Microsoft’s current-gen consoles.
Well, to me it makes sense to scale up that far. Nintendo has an entire generation of Switch kids which are now teens and may demand more realism?
Sounds a bit too good to be true, but would be nice if so...
 
Well, to me it makes sense to scale up that far. Nintendo has an entire generation of Switch kids which are now teens and may demand more realism?
Sounds a bit too good to be true, but would be nice if so...
it's less about the playing audience and more about having every available feature for developers to work with. Nintendo's games aren't changing
 
Well, to me it makes sense to scale up that far. Nintendo has an entire generation of Switch kids which are now teens and may demand more realism?
Sounds a bit too good to be true, but would be nice if so...
I dont think Nintendo themselves want a target too high, even ignoring hardware pricing issues. Cuz it just makes game development that much more difficult, time consuming and expensive, which also makes it more risky as well. Obviously developers dont have a gun to their head in having to push the hardware to its limits, but still, expectations will form. And Nintendo has a lot of studios that only switched from developing for 3DS not that long ago, so this would be a truly massive leap in a relatively short period of time for those folks to deal with.
 
12 GB? Super nice. I fully expected 8 GB.

Seems like Nintendo really wants to ensure Switch 2 ability to handle current gen games for years to come. If its now a 12 core CPU instead of 8 core, then they might actually be competitive again. What a time to be alive
 
If its now a 12 core CPU instead of 8 core, then they might actually be competitive again.
Old rumors pointed to Tegra T239, and that's a 8-core ARM chip with Ampere GPU. I don't expect any wild changes from that. And Nintendo does not aim to be "competitive", by now they most likely want a smooth transition and good dev platform.

More than 8GB of RAM would be a welcome news, that will make life easier for devs that need to port hundreds of high profile games that skipped first Switch.
 
I'm guessing they're going for Serie S level of graphic and use DLSS 3.5 frame génération to keep frame rate acceptable
 
I'm guessing they're going for Serie S level of graphic and use DLSS 3.5 frame génération to keep frame rate acceptable

Unfortunately frame generation, even from 30 to 60, is just way too artifacty, let alone to 30.

The "DLSS!!!" reports make me think Nvidia fanboi BS, they love holding that up as a weird magic totem. On the other hand if the demo was actually run by an Epic or Nvidia rep I can believe they might've mentioned that.

Either way, sure Matrix demo at 30fps 720p (upscaled) mobile and 1080p (upscaled) plugged in, I can see it. 12gb is also not surprising, 96 bit bus? Why not, GDDR is pretty cheap now. Also it'd be hilarious to see Switch 2 with more ram than the Series S.
 
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I think LPDDR5 (x?) is more likely than GDDR for power reasons. And I still think they’ll go with a 64bit bus and a larger LLC, but I’m obviously just guessing.
 
I think LPDDR5 (x?) is more likely than GDDR for power reasons. And I still think they’ll go with a 64bit bus and a larger LLC, but I’m obviously just guessing.

GDDR is surprisingly power efficient, it looks like GDDR6 is available @1.1v, same as LPDDR5(x). That being said price is definitely a consideration, though Switch 2 definitely isn't running any Matrix demo with LPDDR5x
 
Either way, sure Matrix demo at 30fps 720p (upscaled) mobile and 1080p (upscaled) plugged in, I can see it. 12gb is also not surprising, 96 bit bus? Why not, GDDR is pretty cheap now. Also it'd be hilarious to see Switch 2 with more ram than the Series S.
According to DF's original analysis, the S version dropped below 533p at times, so it doesn't seem like there is much room for the Switch 2 to slot in.
 
According to DF's original analysis, the S version dropped below 533p at times, so it doesn't seem like there is much room for the Switch 2 to slot in.

UE5 is more performant now than at release and Ampere is better at ray tracing than RDNA2, so there's that at play.

(Or its just made up source article fluffing, since we'll never see it)
 
Unfortunately frame generation, even from 30 to 60, is just way too artifacty, let alone to 30.

The "DLSS!!!" reports make me think Nvidia fanboi BS, they love holding that up as a weird magic totem. On the other hand if the demo was actually run by an Epic or Nvidia rep I can believe they might've mentioned that.

Either way, sure Matrix demo at 30fps 720p (upscaled) mobile and 1080p (upscaled) plugged in, I can see it. 12gb is also not surprising, 96 bit bus? Why not, GDDR is pretty cheap now. Also it'd be hilarious to see Switch 2 with more ram than the Series S.
If it's Nvidia powered, it'd be very strange for it not to have DLSS2 capabilities. It's the best real-time upsampler in the world, and works especially well versus competition when using lower base resolutions. It would be a monumental dropped ball(Toney, that you?) if they didn't have a DLSS-capable machine. You dont have to be any kind of Nvidia fanboy to understand that.
GDDR is surprisingly power efficient, it looks like GDDR6 is available @1.1v, same as LPDDR5(x). That being said price is definitely a consideration, though Switch 2 definitely isn't running any Matrix demo with LPDDR5x
What about density? Cant you get more RAM in a smaller package with LPDDR?
 
I think LPDDR5 (x?) is more likely than GDDR for power reasons. And I still think they’ll go with a 64bit bus and a larger LLC, but I’m obviously just guessing.
Now that we can pretty much be 100% certain the SoC is T239, it's granted it's LPDDR5 (with a slight possibility of it being LPDDR5X)
But yeah, the latest rumors are really painting a nice picture of this new Switch:

Pretty much confirmed:
- T239 SoC: powerfull, efficient and modern. Still waiting on the process node and actual frequencies, but those don't really matter that much now that we know it can run a good rendition of the Matrix demo
- 12GB of RAM: pretty much ideal considering the power of the SoC. Should be enough to run all modern games
- Still hybrid
- New "joycons" with hall effect sticks

Other interesting rumors:
- 8-inch 1080p LCD screen: well, hope it's not too large for some. And modern LCD is just fine. Plus if the console is a bit bigger, it will also likely pack a bigger battery and better cooling :)
- Coming H2 2024 at the latest, Nintendo trying to get it earlier.

All of this sounds really really good to any Nintendo fan. I'd say it sounds good to any portable gamer.

My only real worry worry about this machine now is: will the new cards be large and fast enough?
Not too worried on the speed thing. I'm sure whatever protocol they use will be modern, and thus, fast enough.
But the size... I fear a furute where most AAA physical games come with half the game on the card, and the rest to be downloaded :'( I don't want that to happen.
So I really hope Nintendo found a way to get the price of cards down so 32GB games are possible, but AAA 64GB game are the norm, and AAA 128GB games are still possible (even if sold at a higher price).
 
If it's Nvidia powered, it'd be very strange for it not to have DLSS2 capabilities. It's the best real-time upsampler in the world, and works especially well versus competition when using lower base resolutions. It would be a monumental dropped ball(Toney, that you?) if they didn't have a DLSS-capable machine. You dont have to be any kind of Nvidia fanboy to understand that.

What about density? Cant you get more RAM in a smaller package with LPDDR?
Yeah, it's confirmed it has the same DLSS hardware as Ampere cards (RTX30 series). So it can have whatever DLSS version is compatible with RTX30 cards. Which includes DLSS 3.5 minus the frame generation thing. What versions will actually be available is up to NVidia/Nintendo to decide. At this point, we can be confident they will port whatever is deemed to add value.

Also, the lack of frame generation really is not a pb since this feature works best when your native FPS is already high enough. Using elecricity to turn a good output into a better output on a power constrained device does not sound like a good idea. I'll take a VRR display over this any time.
 
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