Nvidia CEO Praises Custom Chip for Nintendo Switch 2: ‘Most Advanced Graphics on a Mobile Device’ Ahead of Launch

Alright, so picture this: Nvidia’s main guy, Jensen Huang, just casually dropping by to chat about the Nintendo Switch 2—apparently, it’s like cramming a Supercomputer in your pocket. Literally. The console’s hitting stores on June 5, and Huang says it’s all about “performance, intelligence, and beauty.” Sounds almost poetic, right? Anyway, he popped up on this Nintendo “Creator’s Voice” thing. Not gonna lie, I’m usually all about fireworks and superheroes, but this somehow hooked me.

And, oh, there’s a video too—one of those YouTube specials. Kinda feels like they’re trying to dive deep into tech specs this time. Which is rare. Like finding a unicorn rare.

So, what’s the deal with this new chip? Huang goes on about it having unreal graphics power, full-on ray-tracing, and some other wizardry that gives you better shadows and highlights. Also, backward compatibility. Thank heavens. Nobody wants to toss out old favorites just because new shiny things come out.

Nintendo’s tech crew already gave a nod towards DLSS—don’t ask me to explain. Nvidia’s blog kinda glossed over the nitty-gritty, but mentioned something about “RT cores” and a “10x graphics boost,” whatever that means. Huang also mentioned AI processors making games all crispy and animated on the fly. High-tech stuff, folks.

Digital Foundry dropped the specs bomb earlier. We’re talking eight ARM Cortex A78C cores. Can’t even pretend to know what that really means, but it sounds cool, right? Put that together with some Ampere GPU jazz, 12GB of memory, and a massive storage game with options to expand, and you’ve got quite the beast. Oh, and it’ll have room for a microSD too. Handy.

Then there’s this heartwarming bit in the video—sort of a nostalgic throwback to Nvidia’s role in making the original Switch. The part where they honor Satoru Iwata, who was like a tech legend but tragically passed away before the first console launched, really kinda hits you in the feels.

Price tag? The new console’s gonna set you back $449.99, with a Mario Kart bundle sneaking in at $499.99. Pre-orders? Blink and you missed them. But hey, some stores might still have them on launch day. Happy hunting!

And, as a parting note, they sneak in a plug for keeping up with Tom’s Hardware on Google News. I guess if you’re into keeping track of this tech rollercoaster, that’s the way to go.