nintendo switch 2

Nvidia confirms the Switch 2 supports DLSS, G-Sync, and ray tracing

Ampere, dlss, gaming, GeForce, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, nintendo switch 2, NVIDIA, Tech / Kelly Newman / April 4, 2025

In the wake of the Switch 2 reveal, neither Nintendo nor Nvidia has gone into any detail at all about the exact chip inside the upcoming handheld—technically, we are still not sure what Arm CPU architecture or what GPU architecture it uses, how much RAM we can expect it to have, how fast that memory will be, or exactly how many graphics cores we’re looking at.

But interviews with Nintendo executives and a blog post from Nvidia did at least confirm several of the new chip’s capabilities. The “custom Nvidia processor” has a GPU “with dedicated [Ray-Tracing] Cores and Tensor Cores for stunning visuals and AI-driven enhancements,” writes Nvidia Software Engineering VP Muni Anda.

This means that, as rumored, the Switch 2 will support Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) upscaling technology, which helps to upscale a lower-resolution image into a higher-resolution image with less of a performance impact than native rendering and less loss of quality than traditional upscaling methods. For the Switch games that can render at 4K or at 120 FPS 1080p, DLSS will likely be responsible for making it possible.

The other major Nvidia technology supported by the new Switch is G-Sync, which prevents screen tearing when games are running at variable frame rates. Nvidia notes that G-Sync is only supported in handheld mode and not in docked mode, which could be a limitation of the Switch dock’s HDMI port.

Nvidia confirms the Switch 2 supports DLSS, G-Sync, and ray tracing Read More »

What is “MicroSD Express,” and why is it mandatory for the Nintendo Switch 2?

gaming, microSD, microsd express, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, nintendo switch 2, Tech / Beth Washington / April 3, 2025

Among the changes mentioned in yesterday’s Nintendo Switch 2 presentation was a note that the new console doesn’t just support MicroSD Express cards for augmenting the device’s 256GB of internal storage, but it requires MicroSD Express. Whatever plentiful, cheap microSD card you’re using in your current Switch, including Sandisk’s Nintendo-branded ones, can’t migrate over to your Switch 2 alongside all your Switch 1 games.

MicroSD Express, explained

Why is regular-old MicroSD no longer good enough? It all comes down to speed.

Most run-of-the-mill SD and microSD cards you can buy today are using some version of the Ultra High Speed (UHS) standard. Designed to augment the default speed (12.5MB/s) and high speed (25MB/s) from the earliest versions of the SD card standard, the three UHS versions enable data transfers of up to 624MB/s.

But most commodity microSD cards, including pricier models like Samsung’s Pro Ultimate series, use UHS-I, which has a maximum data transfer speed of 104MB/s. The original Switch uses a UHS-I microSD card slot for storage expansion.

Why have newer and faster versions of the standard—UHS-II, UHS-III, and SD Express—failed to achieve critical mass? Because for most consumer applications, it turns out that 100-ish megabytes per second is plenty. The SD Association itself says that 90MB per second is good enough to record an 8K video stream at up to 120 frames per second. Recording pictures and video is the most demanding thing most SD cards are called upon to do—give or take a Raspberry Pi-based computer—and you don’t need to overspend to get extra speed you’re not going to use.

All of that said, there is a small but measurable increase in launch and loading times when loading games from the original Switch’s microSD card instead of from internal storage. And for games with chronic performance issues like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, one of the community-suggested fixes was to move the game from your microSD card to your Switch’s internal storage to alleviate one of the system’s plentiful performance bottlenecks.

What is “MicroSD Express,” and why is it mandatory for the Nintendo Switch 2? Read More »

First-party Switch 2 games—including re-releases—all run either $70 or $80

gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, nintendo switch 2 / Shannon Garcia / April 3, 2025

Not all game releases will follow Nintendo’s pricing formula. The Switch 2 release of Street Fighter 6 Year 1-2 Fighters Edition retails for $60, and Square Enix’s remastered Bravely Default is going for $40, the exact same price the 3DS version launched for over a decade ago.

Game-Key cards have clearly labeled cases to tell you that the cards don’t actually hold game content. Credit: Nintendo/Square Enix

One possible complicating factor for those games? While they’re physical releases, they use Nintendo’s new Game-Key Card format, which attempts to split the difference between true physical copies of a game and download codes. Each cartridge includes a key for the game, but no actual game content—the game itself is downloaded to your system at first launch. But despite holding no game content, the key card must be inserted each time you launch the game, just like any other physical cartridge.

These cards will presumably be freely shareable and sellable just like regular physical Switch releases, but because they hold no actual game data, they’re cheaper to manufacture. It’s possible that some of these savings are being passed on to the consumer, though we’ll need to see more examples to know for sure.

What about Switch 2 Edition upgrades?

The big question mark is how expensive the Switch 2 Edition game upgrades will be for Switch games you already own, and what the price gap (if any) will be between games like Metroid Prime 4 or Pokémon Legends: Z-A that are going to launch on both the original Switch and the Switch 2.

But we can infer from Mario Kart and Donkey Kong that the pricing for these Switch 2 upgrades will most likely be somewhere in the $10 to $20 range—the difference between the $60 price of most first-party Switch releases and the $70-to-$80 price for the Switch 2 Editions currently listed at Wal-Mart. Sony charges a similar $10 fee to upgrade from the PS4 to the PS5 editions of games that will run on both consoles. If you can find copies of the original Switch games for less than $60, that could mean saving a bit of money on the Switch 2 Edition, relative to Nintendo’s $70 and $80 retail prices.

Nintendo will also use some Switch 2 Edition upgrades as a carrot to entice people to the more expensive $50-per-year tier of the Nintendo Switch Online service. The company has already announced that the upgrade packs for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will be offered for free to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers. The list of extra benefits for that service now includes additional emulated consoles (Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, and now Gamecube) and paid DLC for both Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8.

This story was updated at 7: 30pm on April 2nd to add more pricing information from US retailers about other early Switch 2 games.

First-party Switch 2 games—including re-releases—all run either $70 or $80 Read More »

A look at the Switch 2’s initial games, both familiar and what-the-heck

gaming, Nintendo Switch, nintendo switch 2, switch 2, switch 2 launch titles / DJ Henderson / April 3, 2025

You can read a lot more about original Switch games’ compatibility on the Switch 2, “Editions,” and upgrade packs elsewhere in Ars’ Switch 2 launch coverage.

AAA games of recent vintage

Switch 2’s “Partner Spotlight,” Part 1

With the promise of new hardware capable of 1080p, 120 frames per second, HDR, and even mouse capabilities, the Switch 2 is getting attention from developers eager to make up for lost time—and stake out a place on a sequel to the system that sold more than 150 million hardware units.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, Yakuza 0, Hitman: World of Assassination, Cyberpunk 2077, Street Fighter 6, Hogwarts Legacy, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade stood out as games from the near-to-middle past slated to arrive on the Switch 2.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Street Fighter 6, Civilization 7, and Cyberpunk 2077 are due to arrive at launch on June 5, with the rest arriving in 2025.

Notable independents (most notably Silksong)

Proof of life. Credit: Nintendo/Team Cherry

The cruel games industry joke, ever since Silksong’s announcement in 2019, is that the game, originally intended as DLC for acclaimed platformer/Metroidvania Hollow Knight, is always due to be announced, never gets announced, and resumes torturing its expectant fans.

But there it was, for a blip of a moment in the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal: Silksong, coming in “2025.” That’s all that is known: it will, purportedly, arrive on this console in 2025. It was initially due to arrive on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox when it was announced, but that remains to be seen.

Another delayed indie gem, Deltarune, a kinda-sequel to Undertale, purports to land all four chapters of its parallel story on Switch 2 at the console’s launch.

Other notable games from across the studio-size spectrum:

Hades 2 (2025)
Split Fiction (at launch)
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster (at launch)
Enter the Gungeon 2 (“Coming soon”)
Two Point Museum (2025)
Human Fall Flat 2 (“Coming soon”)

The legally distinct game that sure looks like Bloodborne 2

The hero of this sanguine tale. FromSoftware

The next original game from FromSoftware, maker of beautifully realized finger-torture titles like Elden Ring and the Dark Souls series, is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods. The trailer, with its gore-etched hands, gothic churches, and eldritch/Victorian machinery, certainly stood out from the Kirby and Donkey Kong games around it. The game arrives sometime in 2026.

A look at the Switch 2’s initial games, both familiar and what-the-heck Read More »

What we’re expecting from Nintendo’s Switch 2 announcement Wednesday

c button, gaming, Mario Kart, metroid prime 4, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, nintendo switch 2, switch 2, switch 2 launch / Mike M. / April 2, 2025

Implausible: Long-suffering Earthbound fans have been hoping for a new game in the series (or even an official localization of the Japan-exclusive Mother 3) for literal decades now. Personally, though, I’m hoping for a surprise revisit to the Punch-Out series, following on its similar surprise return on the Wii in 2009.

Screen

Likely: While a 720p screen was pretty nice in a 2017 gaming handheld, a full 1080p display is much more standard in today’s high-end gaming portables. We expect Nintendo will follow this trend for what looks to be a nearly 8-inch screen on the Switch 2.

Possible: While a brighter OLED screen would be nice as a standard feature on the Switch 2, we expect Nintendo will follow the precedent of the Switch generation and offer this as a pricier upgrade at some point in the future.

Implausible: The Switch 2 would be the perfect time for Nintendo to revisit the glasses-free stereoscopic 3D that we all thought was such a revelation on the 3DS all those years ago.

C Button

Close-up of the — C-ing is believing. Credit: Nintendo

Likely: The mysterious new button labeled “C” on the Switch 2’s right Joy-Con could serve as a handy way to “connect” to other players, perhaps through a new Miiverse-style social network.

Possible: Recent rumors suggest the C button could be used to connect to a second Switch console (or the TV-connected dock) for a true dual-screen experience. That would be especially fun and useful for Wii U/DS emulation and remasters.

Implausible: The C stands for Chibi-Robo! and launches a system-level mini-game focused on the miniature robot.

New features

Switch 2, with joycons slightly off the central unit/screen. — Credit: Nintendo

Likely: After forcing players to use a wonky smartphone app for voice chat on the Switch, we wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo finally implements full on-device voice chat for online games on the Switch 2—at least between confirmed “friends” on the system.

Possible: Some sort of system-level achievement tracking would bring Nintendo’s new console in line with a feature that the competition from Sony and Microsoft has had for decades now.

Implausible: After killing it off for the Switch generation, we’d love it if Nintendo brought back the Virtual Console as a way to buy permanent downloadable copies of emulated classics that will carry over across generations. Failing that, how about a revival of the 3DS’s StreetPass passive social network for Switch 2 gamers on the go?

What we’re expecting from Nintendo’s Switch 2 announcement Wednesday Read More »

Nintendo patent explains Switch 2 Joy-Cons’ “mouse operation” mode

gaming, Joy-Cons, nintendo switch 2 / DJ Henderson / February 7, 2025

It’s been a month since we first heard rumors that the Switch 2’s new Joy-Cons could be slid across a flat surface to function like a computer mouse. Now, a newly published patent filed by Nintendo seems to confirm that feature and describes how it will work.

The international patent was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization in January 2023, but it was only published on WIPO’s website on Thursday. The Japanese-language patent—whose illustrations match what we’ve seen of Switch 2 Joy-Con precisely—features an English abstract describing “a sensor for mouse operation” that can “detect reflected light from a detected surface, the light changing by moving over the detected surface…” much like any number of optical computer mice. Schematic drawings in the patent show how the light source and light sensor are squeezed inside the Joy-Con, with a built-in lens for directing the light to and from each.

A schematic diagram of the Switch 2’s Joy-Con light sensor Credit: Nintendo / WIPO

A machine translation of the full text of the patent describes the controller as “a novel input device that can be used as a mouse and other than a mouse.” In mouse mode, as described in the patent, the user cradles the outer edge of the controller with their palm and places the inner edge “on, for example, a desk or the like.”

In this configuration, the user’s thumb can still access the analog stick (which is now pointing horizontally) while the index and middle fingers are positioned so the two shoulder buttons “can be operated as, for example, a right-click button and a left-click button,” according to the patent. The patent describes this configuration as “easy to hold” or “easy to grip.” It also goes to great lengths to explain how the shoulder buttons wrap around the curved top corner of the controller and thus are “easy to press” by pushing either downward or closer to horizontally with a finger.

Nintendo patent explains Switch 2 Joy-Cons’ “mouse operation” mode Read More »

Switch 2 sports ~7.9-inch screen, 33% bigger tablet surface—Ars video analysis

gaming, nintendo switch 2 / Shannon Garcia / January 17, 2025

A scaled comparison between the Switch 2 and the Steam Deck OLED shows Nintendo’s system has a larger screen despite being narrower. Credit: Nintendo / Valve / Ars Technica

This measurement method requires some judgment calls to decide where the edges of certain Switch 2 elements begin and end in the relevant frames. Issues of distortion associated with the camera lens (or video editing on Nintendo’s part) might also affect the precision of the measurements. Still, the results of this calculation should be close enough for a first-order estimate.

Overall, the Switch’s expanded screen size would give it something of a leg up over portable PC competition like the Steam Deck (or Steam Deck OLED) and ROG Ally X. To get a significantly bigger screen on a gaming handheld, you have to look to the Lenovo Legion Go or monsters like the upcoming Acer Nitro Blaze 11. Yet despite the larger screen, the Switch 2 still comes in significantly narrower than competition like the Steam Deck (10.48-inch width with Joy-Cons for the Switch 2 versus 11.7 inches for the Steam Deck).

As for the new Joy-Cons, a lengthening of roughly 13 to 18 percent along either axis should make holding them a little less cramp-inducing for adult hands. And the additional surface area on the joysticks (~43 percent larger) and buttons (~60 percent larger) should make them significantly more comfortable under the thumbs.

We won’t really know how the comparative hardware battle will shake out, though, until we get crucial details from Nintendo about things like the Switch 2’s thickness, weight, screen resolution, and hardware power (not to mention the price, of course). For now, though, at least we can look at these images and measurements and imagine how the next Nintendo console will feel in our hands.

Switch 2 estimated dimensions

(As calculated by Ars Technica, based on freeze frames from the teaser trailer)

Google Docs embed

HTML table

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
	Switch 2 (approx.)		Switch			Switch OLED
	mm	in	mm	in	S2 % +	mm	in	S2 % +


Tablet width	196.1	7.72	173	6.81	13.35%	176	6.93	11.42%
w/ Joy-Cons	266.3	10.48	239	9.41	11.42%	242	9.53	10.04%
Tablet height	115.7	4.56	102	4.02	13.43%	102	4.02	13.43%

Tablet footprint area	22,689	35.17	17,054	26.43	33.04%	17,952	27.82	26.39%
w/ Joy-Cons	30,811	47.75	24,378	37.78	26.39%	24,684	38.26	24.82%


Screen width	175	6.89	137	5.39	27.74%	155	6.10	12.90%
Screen height	98.5	3.88	77	3.03	27.92%	87	3.43	13.22%
Screen diagonal	201	7.91	157.5	6.20	27.62%	177.8	7.00	13.05%

Screen area (^2)	17,237	26.72	10,549	16.35	63.40%	13,485	20.90	27.82%


Joy-Con height	116	4.57	102	4.02	13.73%
Joy-Con width	42.4	1.67	35.9	1.41	18.11%

Joy-Con footprint area (^2)	4918	7.62	3,662	5.68	34.32%

Joystick diameter	17.94	0.71	15	0.59	19.60%
Joystick surface area (^2)	253	0.39	177	0.27	43.04%

Face button diameter	9.15	0.36	7.24	0.29	26.38%
Face button surface area (^2)	66	0.10	41	0.06	59.73%

Switch 2 sports ~7.9-inch screen, 33% bigger tablet surface—Ars video analysis Read More »

Report: After many leaks, Switch 2 announcement could come “this week”

gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, nintendo switch 2, Switch, Tech / Beth Washington / January 13, 2025

Nintendo may be getting ready to make its Switch 2 console official. According to “industry whispers” collected by Eurogamer, as well as reporting from The Verge’s Tom Warren, the Switch 2 could be formally announced sometime this week. Eurogamer suggests the reveal is scheduled for this Thursday, January 16.

The reporting also suggests that the reveal will focus mostly on the console’s hardware design, with another game-centered announcement coming later. Eurogamer reports that the console won’t be ready to launch until April; this would be similar to Nintendo’s strategy for the original Switch, which was announced in mid-January 2017 but not launched until March.

Many things about the Switch 2’s physical hardware design have been thoroughly leaked at this point, thanks mostly to accessory makers who have been showing off their upcoming cases. Accessory maker Genki was at CES last week with a 3D-printed replica of the console based on the real thing, suggesting a much larger but still familiar-looking console with a design and button layout similar to the current Switch.

On the inside, the console is said to sport a new Nvidia-designed Arm processor with a much more powerful GPU and more RAM than the current Switch. Dubbed “T239,” Eurogamer reports that the chip includes 1,536 CUDA cores based on the Ampere architecture, the same used in 2020’s GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards on the PC.

Report: After many leaks, Switch 2 announcement could come “this week” Read More »