Nintendo Switch 2 tech specs officially revealed

Nintendo has officially announced the technical specifications of the Switch 2. The handheld gaming console uses a custom SoC powered by Nvidia's Ampere architecture.

The Switch 2 features a GPU that has 1536 CUDA Cores, and is clocked 561MHz in regular mode, and 1007MHz when docked. It is capable of delivering Full HD 1080p, 1440p 2K, 2160p 4K TV Output via HDMI. The octa-core CPU is an ARM Cortex A78C, which is clocked at 1101MHz in handheld mode, and 998MHz when docked. It has 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a MicroSD Express card.

Nintendo's SDK supports NVDIA DLSS upscaling technology, and will be used in Cyberpunk 2077 and other games. The console is said to use DLAA to render games in native resolution. It also supports DLSS 1x, 2x and 3x, which are reportedly similar to performance, balanced and quality modes on PC games.

Nintendo says that a portion of the device's storage, memory, and processor will be reserved for the operating system. According to Eurogamer, the Switch 2 reserves 2 CPU cores, 3GB of RAM, while the rest of the resources, i.e. 6 CPU cores and 9GB of RAM are available for developers. Nintendo claims that the Switch 2's 5220mAh battery can last up to 6.5 hours, depending on the game that is played.

Nintendo Switch 2 tech specs

• Display: 7.9-inches LCD, 1080p, HDR10, 120Hz variable refresh rate
• Storage: 256GB UFS + up to 2TB MicroSD Express card
• CPU: Octa-core ARM Cortex A78C, 1101MHz, 998MHz (docked)
• GPU: NVIDIA T239 Ampere, 1536 CUDA Cores, 561MHz, 1007MHz (docked), 1080p, 1440p, 2160p 4K TV Output (HDMI)
• Audio: Built-in microphone, Speakers, Linear PCM output 5.1ch
• Ports: 2 USB-C Ports, 3.5mm headphone jack,
• Memory: 12GB LPDDR5 128-bit, 68GB/s, 102GB/s (docked)
• Sensors: Accelerometer, gyroscope, and mouse sensor located in Joy-Con 2 controllers, Brightness sensor located in console
• Connectivity: Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth
• Battery: 5220 mAh Lithium-ion, Approx. 2 – 6.5 hours, Approximately 3 hours charging time in sleep mode
• Size: 4.5 x 10.7 x 0.55 inches (length, width, thickness with controllers)
• Weight: Approximately .88 lbs, 1.18 lbs with controllers

The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to be released on June 5 starting at $449, though many fans around the world are concerned about its price, and the rising cost of video games.