The successor console could take a huge leap forward in graphics

What chip could the next Nintendo console have?

Since the Switch was released five years ago, not much has changed in terms of onboard hardware. Unfortunately, this is also noticeable when playing games on Switch: when porting cross-platform titles, Nintendo fans have to accept many discounts and complex titles repeatedly stutter. As a result, the demand for stronger material is great. It could actually be just around the corner and get a powerful chip from graphics card maker Nvidia.

Nvidia chip adapted from the current generation

As wccftech reports, a resourceful person discovered an interesting note in the modding instructions for the Linux OS – which is also used in game development and therefore needs to offer support. This points to the existence of a processor previously suggested by an insider as a chip for the next Nintendo console. Previously, there were only hints of the so-called “Tegra T239” in an Nvidia document that became public due to a hack.

Here’s the insider’s tweet:

related to Twitter content

Orin eight-core chip: With the “Orin” generation, a new chip from Nvidia has been available since the beginning of 2022, which has it all. The most powerful variant is listed as “T234”, with lightened or specially adapted chips, it is then counted upwards. It is therefore not surprising that the operating system of the Tegra T239 mentions an eight-core processor and not 12 cores as in the T234.

This is what Orin offers compared to the original Switch

Even the currently known smallest variant of Nvidia Orin has five times more computing cores than the Nintendo Switch chip. Orin also uses Nvidia’s graphics architecture, which is only two years old, and supports many modern features, including RayTracing – a process that accurately simulates rays of light – and the scaling process. AI-assisted DLSS, which could enable higher resolutions in docked mode.

Then, a game like DOOM on a Nintendo handheld console could offer comparable or even better graphics quality than the versions for PS4 and Xbox One. Here is a comparison between fixed consoles and the Nintendo Switch: