Nvidia says Switch 2 has 10x the performance of Switch, confirms DLSS and ray tracing

Nintendo has now essentially held two announcement ceremonies for the Switch 2. The latest generation hybrid console was originally unveiled to the public in January, and yesterday, a more complete look at the device finally arrived. While it did have details like game support, release date, pricing, and battery capacity, some features had been kept under wraps. Thankfully, more details are starting to come out.

Nintendo and Nvidia have now confirmed that the Switch 2 will have official support for Nvidia's popular Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) upscaling technology on the console for games to utilize. The Switch 2 has already been confirmed to run a custom processor made by Nvidia featuring dedicated RT Cores and Tensor Cores, which the company says can deliver "stunning visuals and AI-driven enhancements."

For those in the dark, the machine learning-powered techniques used by DLSS can upscale games running at lower resolutions while they are running. So far, it has only been seen on PCs with Nvidia graphics hardware. However, it's unclear what version of DLSS the device will support.

"With 1,000 engineer-years of effort across every element — from system and chip design to a custom GPU, APIs and world-class development tools — the Nintendo Switch 2 brings major upgrades," adds the company.

According to Nvidia, the new chip powering the Switch 2 delivers 10x the graphics performance of the original Switch as well.

Here are some feature highlights shared by the company today:

• Tensor Cores boost AI-powered graphics while keeping power consumption efficient.
• RT Cores enhance in-game realism with dynamic lighting and natural reflections.
• Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) via NVIDIA G-SYNC in handheld mode ensures ultra-smooth, tear-free gameplay.

The Nintendo Switch 2 also has a camera accessory that's being sold separately, letting players use video chat while in the game. Nvidia says it's the chip's Tensor Cores that are enabling the hybrid console to do face tracking and background removal on the fly during video chats with the power of AI.