A new Nintendo Switch 2 rumor has surfaced claiming that the next-generation hybrid console could actually arrive with more memory than a powerful rival like the Microsoft Xbox Series S. The same source has also offered an update in regard to the Switch 2’s potential DLSS support and ray-tracing capabilities.
Nintendo having hardware with some oomph? Bullshit. Their thing is making cheap consoles that appeal to anyone who isn’t an edgy teenager. Dlss, Ray tracing, etc is still too new for them.
Having more RAM than the series S doesn’t translate to “having hardware with some oomph”. The series S is memory starved. 10GB was a small amount even when it launched.
The Steam Deck already has +6GB more RAM.
I mean the Xbox Series S will be a 4 year old non-high-end console by the time the Switch 2 will be released. I can definitely see them go in that direction.
Maybe it will have more RAM, but it will most likely have slower/cheaper RAM. LPDDR5 or LPDDR5X instead of GDDR6. Should also be more power efficient.
Ram is easy to believe, but imo raytracing and dlss are still too new. That said, something I hadn’t thought about is that with the OG Switch using Nvidia’s tegra, it’s entirely possible that Nvidia pushed them to adopt a next-gen version that includes dlss and rtx support.
Neither are too new. Both features are technically available for volta gpus or newer. The switch was maxwell, and unless you fully believe the switch 2 will use pascal (2016), then it is at the very minimum, using volta, which means it can use rtx/dlss (but i dont expwct it to ACTUALLY use rtx)
Raytracing, no chance just from a performance standpoint even if it “supports” it, but DLSS is a given. If anything, I’m worried they’ll end up relying on DLSS to get games “playable”, just like what’s happening on PC.
It’ll definitely be DLSS 2, though. No chance they get DLSS 3.
I bet the Switch 2’s SoC will include a GPU based on Ampere or newer, which means RTX 3000 series capabilities which. Nvidia Tegra Orin from 2019 already included that much.
Of course it will be very likely more limited than even a 3060 mobile chip, but it could include both RT and DLSS 3.5 if they wanted to. I doubt they use RT but DLSS would make a lot of sense.
It just needs to be a Steam Deck w/nVidia hardware instead.
Why not? The N64 and GameCube were both more powerful than their era’s PlayStation.
While that is true, the Wii, Wii U, and Switch have all been less powerful than their Microsoft and Sony counterparts.
Good hardware sold bad, bad hardware sold good. Easy choice really
And yet their third party support sucks. hmm wonder why
Stable internet servers, to me, is probably the single most important thing.
The lack of those is the primary reason all of their online league attempts are failing, despite the games themselves being perfect for leagues.
More importantly too battery draining. I can’t imagine them making a much bulkier switch but it could be that DLSS and Raytracing is docked only or optional with battery warnings if used undocked.
Nintendo never really did complicated. Can’t imagine them doing a battery warning with features you can turn on/off.
I mean ram means fairly little in terms of raw power
DLSS or the AMD knock-off would actually be pretty good for them.
RT is kind of pointless in low end hardware though.
Be interesting to see if they support VRR since they control what screen goes into it. A lot more PC users accepting 40fps since Steam Deck. Forcing everything into 30 or 60 is kind of limiting.
Here we go again with the rumors 🙃 the worst part of the Nintendo console lifecycle
That being said, DLSS would be awesome on something like the switch
I just wonder whether they want to use DLSS for more FPS on the handheld or whether it’s simply their future way to upscale from the native handheld resolution to 4K when docked.
Surely DLSS would be very taxing on the battery life, but it would be great to improve the docked experience which is often rather bad (stuttering, etc.) with the old Switch.
Personally, I only want it in the dock. Handheld doesn’t have to be that high res but it would be really nice to have in TV mode
Why should it be very taxing for the battery? Docked or not it ultimately decreases the amount of work the gpu has to do.
I don’t remember how the rumours of the Switch OLED were… but I guess some were funny.
I doubt the rumors are true, but DLAA sounds cool (AI-driven anti-aliasing).
A Nintendo console with anti-aliasing in first party games would be revolutionary lol
I mean Pikmin 4 has AA
Pikmin 4 is built on Unreal Engine, so it’s already something of a unicorn in Nintendo’s library.
It is not common, true but yoshis crafted world is another ue example. It might get more common
“8gb of DDR3!”
DDR3 rams are more expensive than other options at this point
don’t know where you got that idea, but 16gb of ddr3 can be gotten easily for $30, as where 16gb of ddr5 is going to run you $100 minimum (talking retail prices, obv)
Really? Where I live I can’t really get DDR3 rams anymore
Just looked up the cheapest new 16G options in Turkey
- Ddr3: 1195₺ ~ $44
- Ddr4: 837₺ ~ $31
- Ddr5: 1179₺ ~ $44
Ddr5 is cheaper than you think
More RAM doesn’t really mean anything in gaming performance. It helps, but a faster CPU and GPU with a good whack of VRAM is gonna help more.
arguably RAM matters the most
gpu and cpu you can just downgrade the quality, but at a certain point everything has to fit into memory
e.g., baldur’s gate 3 literally couldn’t be properly ported to the S because of a RAM limitation
Also, textures, usually they don’t really cost performance and absolutely change the visuals of a game, but can be massively limited by a lack of ram
Oh shit, really? Wasn’t even aware of that lol, I always had the generally recommended amount of RAM in my gaming rig so I never thought that would be a thing.
There is a point where more ram doesnt help and maybe that’s what you are thinking of. It’s more “must be this tall to ride” from my understanding
Consoles have shared RAM between CPU and GPU, more RAM is more VRAM
not even remotely true.
You are thinking from pc pov. PS3 is perhaps the last major home console that have dedicated ram and vram, maybe 3ds had it on the handheld front
Not sure about 3DS, but the PlayStation Vita had 128 MB of VRAM in addition to the 512 MB of system RAM.
Low bar. :) The Xbox One X has more RAM than the Xbox Series S.
So does the Steam Deck and some phones.
More shocking is the speed of the RAM involved.
Xbox Series S
8 GB running at 224 GB/s
2 GB at 56 GB/sBy comparison:
Xbox Series X
16 GB @ 560 GB/sPS5
16 GB @ 448 GB/sXbox One X
12 GB @ 326.4 GB/sSteam Deck
16 GB @ 88 GB/sSwitch
4 GB @ 25.6 GB/sThe Series X also has two speed tiers. 10 GB @ 560 GB/s, and 6 GB at 336 GB/s.
More shocking is the speed of the RAM involved.
Xbox Series S
8 GB running at 224 GB/s
2 GB at 56 GB/sBy comparison:
Xbox Series X
16 GB @ 560 GB/sPS5
16 GB @ 448 GB/sXbox One X
12 GB @ 326.4 GB/sSteam Deck
16 GB @ 88 GB/sSwitch
4 GB @ 25.6 GB/sYou’re highlighting the slower 2GB but in reality that’s not used by games in the first place. They’re relegated to the 8GB which is significantly faster.
The Steam Deck has essentially 2x the available memory but it’s much slower. The point being “having more RAM” isn’t some amazing feat. It really depends on all the involved specs. Even amount/bandwidth isn’t enough. GDDR has much higher bandwidth than DDR or LPDDR but it’s also higher latency. It’s tuned for graphics, not system RAM depending on the work load one can be faster than the other.
If it had 10 GB at the higher speed it would still be hamstrung, but not as badly as it is with 8 GB and 2 GB that’s essentially unusable except for maybe UI overlays.
The 2 is mostly used by the OS. Yes, it would be better if it was all faster but it still wouldn’t be used by the GPU as it’s segmented.
It’s all moot to my original point though. Having more RAM isn’t some miracle or a sign it will be faster.
in typical nintendo fashion the bar for hardware is on the floor
It really should, the Series S is already looking dead and we are only at the beginning of the console lifecycle.
One thing about the 12GB of RAM: it may be costly now, but it will become cheaper after three, four years into the cycle.
Second, there is also the bandwidth. The Steam Deck has 32x4GB LPDDR5. I believe they wanted 8GB but DLSS and ML (if they add them to the next SoC) require at least 4GB plus. Hence, 32x4GB (96 bits). If the Steam Deck can get away with slightly more, then why not slightly less.
So yes, I can see this device with 12GB of RAM to ensure DLSS and ML work without hitches.
