Nintendo Switch 2 alleged motherboard leaks, patent confirms DLSS upscaling-like tech

[ad_1] Extremely anticipated: The tempo of leaks surrounding Nintendo's next-generation handheld has intensified in current weeks. Some are anticipating an imminent official unveiling of the Change 2 and new materials has reignited years-long hypothesis in regards to the gadget's efficiency and performance. Whereas leakers agree on sure particulars, any data indirectly from Nintendo must be taken with a grain of salt.

New pictures of an alleged Change 2 PCB emerged on Reddit on New 12 months's Eve. Across the identical time, the US Patent Workplace revealed a doc from the corporate describing machine learning-based upscaling performance much like Nvidia RTX graphics playing cards and the PlayStation 5 Professional.

Though the motherboard photos do not conclusively reveal {hardware} specs, they align with prior leaks and rumors relating to the upcoming handheld. In the meantime, the patent confirms that Nintendo has a minimum of explored enabling AI-assisted upscaling on the Nvidia chip powering the so-called Change 2 console.

The doc, filed in 2023 and revealed in late 2024, does not explicitly point out DLSS – Nvidia's upscaling know-how that has considerably improved over the previous few years and PC gaming efficiency together with it. Nevertheless, it does describe an analogous approach using Nvidia's tensor cores.

The performance would use neural networks to resample photos from 900 x 540 pixels to 1080p, from 1080p to 4K, or combos of resolutions in between. Nvidia's know-how has proven spectacular outcomes on PC over time however stays untested on moveable units with restricted energy budgets.

Apparently, the Nintendo patent additionally signifies that upscaling might scale back a sport's required set up measurement. A sport with property designed for 4K decision might theoretically use upscaling from 1080p to scale back its file measurement from 60 GB to twenty GB. Assuming the Change 2 makes use of proprietary sport playing cards like its predecessors, the approach might assist bigger titles keep away from substantial obtain necessities.

Nintendo has to this point confirmed solely two particulars about its upcoming {hardware}: the gadget shall be revealed earlier than April 1, and it is going to be backwards suitable with Change video games. Nevertheless, leakers have shared further particulars from sources throughout the manufacturing provide chain.

The gadget will seemingly characteristic 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, an 8-inch LCD display screen, and magnetic attachments for Pleasure-Con controllers. Moreover, current mockups of the Change 2's design are believed to carefully resemble the ultimate product.

Whereas the gadget is predicted to make the most of a chip primarily based on Nvidia's Ampere structure, exact efficiency metrics stay elusive. The brand new PCB pictures could elevate extra questions than they reply. Earlier data instructed the chip is predicated on Samsung's 8nm node, although a 6nm or 5nm SoC – providing improved efficiency and battery life – can also be a risk.