The rumoured SoC for the Nintendo Switch 2 turns out to be real after all, but there’s still no indication of a 2023 release.
Even though Nintendo has routinely denied the existence of a more powerful Nintendo Switch model or successor, that hasn’t stopped people from believing it exists.
At some point there must be a Switch 2 though and a new piece of information that fans have latched onto concerns the announcement of what could be the new console’s system on a chip (SoC).
To the less tech savvy, an SoC is basically the chip that contains all the necessary components to get a system working. The Switch, for example, uses one called a Tegra X1.
It was previously claimed that Nintendo would be using a customised Tegra239 (or T239) model for a future console, be it a new Switch model or successor.
At the time, such a chip didn’t exist. Or at least wasn’t public knowledge. Recently, however, a Linux employee confirmed its existence via the company’s mailing list.
This was spotted and shared by Reddit user followmeinblue. While there’s obviously no mention of Nintendo or the Switch, it does seem to further corroborate the claims made by Nvidia leaker kopite7kimi from over a year ago.
The T239 was also mentioned in an Nvidia leak from earlier this year, which contained information that suggests a Switch 2 could offer ray-tracing support.
It seems like a safe bet to assume that whatever Nintendo’s next console is, it will be more powerful than the current hardware and allow for more graphically demanding games.
However, we’ve seen rumours and speculation of a new Nintendo console releasing soon over the past two or so years, and it hasn’t happened yet. Although most of that was concerned with the mythical Switch Pro and not an entirely new console.
Nintendo insists that the Switch is halfway through its lifecycle. Since it launched in 2017, that suggests that there are no plans for a new console until 2027. But while that’s the official line it seems very unlikely.
The only real hint Nintendo has offered about a Switch successor is that it will at least be backwards compatible, so they have admitted one is in the design phase.
The company’s not in any rush to release new hardware right now though. The Switch is still selling extremely well and is expected to become the third-best selling console of all time.
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