New leaks reveal details of Nintendos 2's increased performance - here's what we know

New leaks reveal details of Nintendos 2's increased performance - here's what we know

The news that the Nintendo Switch 2 was unveiled in a closed-door presentation to some developers at the recent Gamescom has sparked new rumors about the hardware.

In the latest Nate the Hate podcast, the host details what he knows about the Switch 2 presentation at Gamescom. And these details are pretty exciting. We've already reported that Nintendo used a new version of "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" to show off its latest hardware, but according to Nate, the demo ran at a frame rate of 60 fps at 4K resolution and had nearly instantaneous load times.

This is quite a significant upgrade compared to running games on the current Nintendo Switch. On the first-generation Switch, "Breath of the Wild" outputs at 900p while the console is in docked mode, dropping to 720p when played in handheld mode. The game's frame rate is 30 fps, and as anyone who has been to Korok Forest will tell you, this frame rate is far from stable. In addition, loading times can be as long as 30 seconds.

Several sources, including VGC, also claim that Nintendo used "The Matrix Awakens," an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo set in the world of a popular science fiction film, to further demonstrate the power of the Switch 2.

According to Nate, "The Matrix Awakens" looks the same on Nintendo's new hardware as it does on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, with even better ray-tracing capabilities. However, the source cautioned against this, suggesting that the demo was likely run on a developer kit with similar specs, rather than on native hardware.

Other claims made by Nate in this podcast include that Switch 2 will use Nvidia DLSS 3.5 technology and that March 2024 is the date discussed at gamescom. However, Nate is unsure if this date refers to the target launch date for the console or when Nintendo plans to reveal its next-generation hardware (previous rumors had the console launching in late 2024).

Unfortunately, Nate was unable to provide insight into Nintendo's plans for backwards compatibility in the Switch 2, so it remains a mystery for now whether the console will offer this important feature.

Despite the glut, it should be noted that these new details about the Switch 2 are unconfirmed at this time. Until we hear specific word from Nintendo itself, any details regarding the upcoming hardware should be classified as speculation. To date, Nintendo has yet to comment on the record regarding the Switch 2. It is not even clear yet if it will be called Switch 2.

But in the absence of official news, fresh Switch 2 rumors are flying around every day. And while we wait for them, we're thinking about the games we want Switch 2 to have at launch, as well as the features we want and those we don't.

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