Thursday, January 2nd 2025
Nintendo Switch 2 PCB Leak Reveals an NVIDIA Tegra T239 Chip Optically Shrunk to 5nm
Nintendo Switch 2 promises to be this year's big (well small) gaming platform launch. It goes up against a growing ecosystem of handhelds based on x86-64 mobile processors running Windows, its main play would have to be offering a similar or better gameplay experience, but with better battery life, given that all of its hardware is purpose-built for a handheld console, and runs a highly optimized software stack; and the SoC forms a big part of this. Nintendo turned to NVIDIA for the job, given its graphics IP leadership, and its ability to integrate it with Arm CPU IP in a semi-custom chip. Someone with access to a Switch 2 prototype, likely an ISV, took the device apart, revealing the chip, a die-shrunk version of the Tegra T239 from 2023.
It's important to note that prototype consoles physically appear nothing like the final product, they're just designed so ISVs and game developers can validate them, and together with PC-based "official" emulation, set up the ability to develop or port games to the new platform. The Switch 2 looks very similar to the original Switch, it is a large tablet-like device, with detachable controllers. The largest chip on the mainboard is the NVIDIA Tegra T239. Nintendo Prime shared more details about the chip.
NVIDIA originally built the T239 on Samsung 8 nm DUV foundry node, but the semi-custom chip powering the Switch 2 is very likely built on the Samsung 5 nm EUV node. This node offers a 70% transistor density increase over 8 nm, and Nintendo Prime calculates that the chip in the picture is roughly that much smaller than the 341 mm² die area of what the NVIDIA Orin would be with 2/3rd its CPU core and iGPU SM count. The chip in the pictures is estimated to has a die size of roughly 200 mm².
The T239 features a 3-tiered hybrid CPU consisting of one Arm Cortex X1 HP-core, three Cortex A78 P-cores, and four Cortex A55 E-cores, with Arm DynamIQ, a hardware-based scheduler. The iGPU of the T239 is based on the "Ampere" graphics architecture, with 12 streaming multiprocessors worth 1,536 CUDA cores. On the Switch 2, this chip drives 12 GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory. The console uses a UFS 3.1 based 256 GB flash storage solution.
As for the device itself, the Switch 2 prototype measures 270 mm x 116 mm x 14 mm (WxDxH), which is noticeably larger than the 242 mm x 102 mm x 13.9 mm of the Switch OLED. Its display is larger, too, measuring 8-inch, compared to 7-inch of its predecessor. Nintendo likely took the opportunity to update the communications feature-set of the Switch 2.
Sources:
MHN1994 (Reddit), Nintendo Prime (Twitter), VideoCardz
It's important to note that prototype consoles physically appear nothing like the final product, they're just designed so ISVs and game developers can validate them, and together with PC-based "official" emulation, set up the ability to develop or port games to the new platform. The Switch 2 looks very similar to the original Switch, it is a large tablet-like device, with detachable controllers. The largest chip on the mainboard is the NVIDIA Tegra T239. Nintendo Prime shared more details about the chip.
The T239 features a 3-tiered hybrid CPU consisting of one Arm Cortex X1 HP-core, three Cortex A78 P-cores, and four Cortex A55 E-cores, with Arm DynamIQ, a hardware-based scheduler. The iGPU of the T239 is based on the "Ampere" graphics architecture, with 12 streaming multiprocessors worth 1,536 CUDA cores. On the Switch 2, this chip drives 12 GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory. The console uses a UFS 3.1 based 256 GB flash storage solution.
As for the device itself, the Switch 2 prototype measures 270 mm x 116 mm x 14 mm (WxDxH), which is noticeably larger than the 242 mm x 102 mm x 13.9 mm of the Switch OLED. Its display is larger, too, measuring 8-inch, compared to 7-inch of its predecessor. Nintendo likely took the opportunity to update the communications feature-set of the Switch 2.
50 Comments on Nintendo Switch 2 PCB Leak Reveals an NVIDIA Tegra T239 Chip Optically Shrunk to 5nm
its a miracle that company isn't hated more considering their behaviour towards fans of the ip.
When someone is interested on the switch grapic card: www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/switch-gpu-20nm.c3104
If the specification for the switch 2 are correct this is definitely not potatoe hardware.
Can anyone please translate this to a nvidia gpu please? What does this compare to?Can someone compare this to a current snapdragon smartphone processor please?
Switch 1: 2SMM Maxwell 307-768MHz -> 157-393 GFLOPs
Switch 2: 12SM Ampere 307-768MHz -> 943-2359 GFLOPs
That's 6x more GFLOPs and that's with the same clocks, which likely will be higher.
The rest actually received much smaller increase.
The CPU part has the same number of cores, they are only more performant and possibly clocked higher.
RAM saw only 3x increase in size, Storage only 4x increase.
So why are you laughing at the GPU? Doesn't make any sense.
If I have to criticize anything about the GPU is that It's Ampere and not Ada, which is a more efficient architecture.
What would be more reasonable, is to easen the deady morgul grasp, and sell their games, though other stores, like Steam/EGS, or handheld makers. One-time purchase, or as a renting service. Even if it will be hardware locked to the particular console, like OEM licence, or by a special chip. They would still sell millions more copies, even considering the handheld console market alone. That's excluding the massive increase of Nintendo public image. A lot more would buy.
I hardly doubt that all portable pc-consoles from PC makers like Asus, Valve, etc, together, has sold more than 5 million units. There are no public data, because would be shame data. I own a Steam Deck and I'm happy with it, but please, get out of the pc-bubble. Switch it's a very big success and Nintendo it's not a fool, it's going to repeat the same formula. Good handheld console, good TV console, good games available with stable frame rates. Turn on, play and get fun. That's Nintendo.
PC games are not built for that and you can play the same games on PC, laptop or PC-consoles.
I as a laptop owner have no need to buy a PC-console when It will provide me a worse gaming experience than my laptop.
PC-consoles are a niche market, It's stupid to compare It to Switch in my opinion.Nintendo Switch OLED with Joy-con: 420g
102mm x 242mm x 13.9mm (with Joy-Con controllers attached)
Please note: 28.4mm at the thickest, from the tips of the analogue sticks to the ZL/ZR Button protrusions.
Asus ROG Ally X: 678 g
280x111x247~369 mm
It doesn't weight twice as much, but yeah, It's almost 2x thicker.
BTW, did you even consider why the other consoles are thicker or weight more? Because they have much faster SoC, which is more power hungry.Switch 1 has 8 cores and from that 4x A-53 are disabled.
Switch 2 has 8 cores.
We don't know If the 4x A-55 will be disabled or not.1. Nintendo is also significantly increasing performance with Switch 2, It's basically on the level of PC-handhelds with reduced TDP.
2. The rest of the handhelds are basically PC-handhelds, you have to increase performance there, because PC games are not done primarily for them but standard PC or are a console port. Nintendo games are done(optimized) for Switch's weak hardware.
3. The only reason we can't find those games on PC is because Nintendo doesn't want to port It, so their Switch console keeps selling.
Your comment how It's good we don't have those games on PC is pretty ridiculous because It means Nintendo "forced" you to buy their console so you can play those exquisite games.
And last but not least will this chip find its way to nvidia shield.
Switch sold more than all whatever generations and revisions of PSP combined including Vita, beat PS4 and XBOne. Wii definitely had garbage hardware(essentially an updated gamecube), but thanks to immense game library and new motion-based stuf it outsold PS3 and XB360.
The only reason why Switch 2 may fail is by becoming a victim of its success. Before switch the market for portable consoles was pretty much dead (I'm not even gonna mention Smach Z fiasco) and smartphone gaming looked more and more grimm and unattractive as years went by. And after Switch we got a ton of new portable devices that can run existing Steam libraries and much more, so Nintendo now actually has to compete against the competition they themselves helped to create.
And RDR2 too, I think?- to an at least playable performance and quality.Still have the cart for Skyrim; It actually ran fine. Lack of modding support - including the unofficial patches - is a pity.
New hardware is interesting. More interesting is probably whether this new hardware would do anything helpful with existing games (They do still support Switch 1 carts and games, right? Haven't been following the news lately.)