Nintendo Switch 2 rumors hint at killer feature & surprisingly close reveal

The Nintendo Switch 2 rumor mill is ablaze with leaks regarding a March reveal, backward compatibility claims, and a report that confirms that Nvidia is cooking something special up for the system.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is Nintendo’s hotly-anticipated next-gen console. With so many rumors surfacing about the console, we’ve gone through all of the latest leaks, rumors, and confirmations to let you know exactly what to expect from the unannounced console.

First up, the Nintendo Switch 2 is poised for a reveal in March, claims Nintendo insider Nate the Hate. In a podcast, the YouTuber claims that Nintendo will announce the Switch 2 to coincide with GDC 2024, which is poised to bring together tens of thousands of developers together. This was further corroborated by the Portuguese gaming website Nintendo Universo, which claimed that both companies and partners are preparing for the Switch 2’s imminent arrival. There is no current solid release date leak, however.

Secondly, Nintendo Universo claims that the Switch 2 will be fully backward compatible with the current Switch’s back catalog of games. In addition to this, developers will also allegedly be able to enhance existing Switch titles, and optimize them for the power of the Switch 2. This applies to both physical and digital libraries, implying that the Switch 2 will also make use of cartridges, as the original Switch does.

This could mean that your existing libraries could cross over, so you won’t have to re-purchase your copy of Smash or Mario Kart quite yet.

Report claims Nvidia custom chip is in the works

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A report from Reuters claims that the Switch 2 will be using an “Nvidia custom design” chip to power the Switch 2. Considering that we have previously heard that the Switch 2 will be able to use features like DLSS 2 super-resolution and DLSS 3.5 ray reconstruction, this isn’t much of a surprise, but more of a confirmation of what we have already heard before.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is likely to be running on an Ampere-based mobile chip with 1280 CUDA cores, which is around half of an RTX 3050, and based on Nvidia’s T239 chipset, which would include features like real-time ray tracing. This information has been backed up by reliable hardware leaker KopiteKimi, who claims that the hardware is codenamed DRAKE. The device will also use an 8-inch LCD screen.

With the rumored reveal of the next-gen console set for March, it’s looking more likely than ever that we’ll get a glimpse at Nintendo’s potential new console sooner rather than later.