Nintendo showed off a little bit more of their upcoming Switch 2 handheld during their livestreamed Nintendo Switch 2 Direct event tonight. The biggest changes from the previous generation of handhelds are the bigger built-in screen than the first one, at 7.9 inches. It also has a higher resolution panel that can do 1080p resolution, a jump from the 720p panel of the first one.
Unfortunately, the screen is still using LCD tech, though people who want higher framerates and resolution can enjoy 4K 120FPS when the handheld is docked, which points to much powerful hardware this time around.
The Joy-Con 2 controllers are magnetically attached to the handheld and can be easily removed by simply pressing a switch on the back. There’s also a built-in, noise-cancelling microphone, and there’s mouse control support for the controllers, which opens up a new vantage for gameplay using the two controllers.
While Nintendo only said that the Switch 2 will use a “custom processor made by Nvidia”, previous rumors point to an Nvidia Tegra T239, which is expected to have an ARM A78C CPU that’s bundled with a custom GPU derived from Nvidia’s RTX 30-series Ampere architecture. The said CPU will likely have 1,536 CUDA cores, a 128-bit memory interface paired with LPDDR5 RAM, and a max memory bandwidth of 102GB/s.
The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, with Nintendo claiming improved speeds for reading and writing data. Also new to the Switch 2 is an internal fan to keep things cool, along with a Pro controller that adds two new buttons at the back, a new C button on the front, and a headphone jack.
There will be backwards compatibility with Switch games and several GameCube games coming via Nintendo’s Switch Online + Expansion Pack, where the games will be playable at a higher resolution. Speaking of the GameCube, a GameCube controller is also in the works for the Switch 2.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5 and will also be available as a bundle with Mario Kart World Tour. It is priced at $449.99 or around Php 26k when converted, or $499.99(~Php 29k) with Mario Kart World Tour.
