Digital Foundry: Switch 2 Technical Deep Dive & Analysis

The Switch 2 Technical Landscape

The Digital Foundry team conducts an in-depth analysis of the recent Switch 2 disclosures, evaluating the claims made by NVIDIA and examining the hardware's capabilities.

NVIDIA's Role and Performance Claims

• NVIDIA's recent blog confirms the use of Tensor Cores, Ray Tracing Cores, and support for DLSS.
• The controversial 10x performance claim is analyzed, suggesting it should be viewed as a generational leap rather than a simple compute multiplier; performance levels seem to be generally PS4-equivalent in docked mode.
• The team discusses the potential use of DLSS, noting that while technically feasible, its computational cost relative to frame time budgets makes it a challenging feature to implement in early titles.

Hardware Impressions

• The consensus is that the display is likely a high-quality LCD rather than a Mini-LED, though it maintains support for key features like 120Hz VRR.
• The GameShare feature is identified as a curated streaming system rather than a generic local play solution, limiting its support to specific, latency-tolerant game types.

Performance in Titles

"There is indeed quite a large gulf between the Switch 1 and Switch 2."

• Comparisons show massive improvements in titles like Metroid Prime 4 and Breath of the Wild (Switch 2 edition), highlighting higher resolutions, stable frame rates, and drastically reduced loading times.
• Third-party ports present a mixed bag; while some titles show impressive visual fidelity, others reveal limitations, with Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws being noted as a technically ambitious "impossible port."