The Nintendo Switch 2 represents a pivotal moment for Nintendo’s console strategy, promising generational improvements while maintaining the core philosophy of hybrid gaming for both TV and handheld play. Going into this review, we had many questions: to what extent is a generational leap delivered? What are our general impressions on system performance? What are the characteristics of the hardware form factor and accompanying peripherals? The answers to these questions are generally positive but when it comes to LCD screen quality along with its signature VRR and HDR features – well, unfortunately, the drawbacks of Nintendo’s display choices far outweigh the benefits.
In terms of its core hardware specifications, Switch 2 uses a custom-built Nvidia processor based on what has been identified as a potential hybrid of Samsung’s 8nm and 10nm fabrication nodes – a step behind the 7nm and 6nm chips found in Steam Deck and its updated OLED model. It features eight ARM Cortex A78C CPU cores (six available to developers) that should represent a generational leap over Switch 1, though comparisons against current-gen consoles may prove less impressive based on Cyberpunk 2077 performance. Clock speeds run at 998MHz docked and – bizarrely – 1100MHz in handheld mode. There’s a theoretical 1.7GHz max.
For the GPU, T239 features 1,536 CUDA cores based on Nvidia’s Ampere architecture, as found in the RTX 30-series line of graphics cards, supporting machine learning and ray tracing. The GPU clocks at 561MHz in handheld mode, rising to 1007MHz in performance mode (typically for docked play). Constrained for thermal and battery life reasons, theoretically the GPU can max at 1.4GHz. 12GB of LPDDR5X memory runs at 6400MT/s while docked for 102GB/s of bandwidth in performance mode, which is downclocked to 4200MT/s in handheld play. Of the 12GB available, Nintendo has a system reservation of 3GB, leaving 9GB for use by developers.
Despite scepticism on the suitability of the older Samsung process, the system typically maxes at 22W (measured from the wall) during docked play, dropping to around 10 to 12W in handheld mode – though those figures will include the inefficiency of the power supply. The battery is 19.75Wh, so actual battery life is the arbiter of consumption. Nintendo cites a minimum of two hours of play, suggesting a 10W ceiling on power draw in handheld mode in the most demanding games. Our results verify this – a remarkable achievement for Nintendo, Nvidia and indeed the Samsung process. With games like Mario Kart World and No Man’s Sky, we successfully logged 2.5 hours of play, meaning an average power draw of just under 8W.