Latest news with #RichardLeadbetter
Android Authority
14-05-2025
- Android Authority
No more secrets: Nintendo Switch 2 report answers the mystery behind the processor
Nintendo TL;DR New details have emerged about the Nintendo Switch 2's technical specifications. These details answer lingering questions about the console's processor. The system also uses a file decompression engine to make loading games faster and more power-efficient. The arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2 is almost upon us, with only a few more weeks left to wait. The console maker has already shared a spec sheet, detailing the hardware packed inside. However, Nintendo has been vague about the processor sitting inside the hybrid console, only stating that it's a 'custom processor made by NVIDIA.' A new report has now shed some light on this lingering question. Richard Leadbetter of Digital Foundry has shared new details about the Switch 2's SoC. This information dives deep into the technical makeup of the processor. In addition to the chip, this report also reveals a few details in other areas that have not previously been mentioned. Starting with the CPU, Leadbetter writes that it features a ARM Cortex A78C, which runs on an ARMv8 64-bit instruction set. There's also 64K of L1 instruction cache and 64K of L1 data cache. Meanwhile, all eight cores of the L2 have 256K and can share 4MB of L3 cache. Six of the eight cores in the ARM Cortex A78C are available to developers, and the remaining two are reserved for running the OS. Something peculiar Leadbetter found is that the CPU runs at 1100MHz in handheld mode, while shifting down to 998MHz in its performance mode. It's speculated that memory bandwidth drops in handheld mode may have something to do with why the system's CPU runs faster in that mode. Finally, it's mentioned that the maximum clock speed for the CPU is 1.7GHz. Nintendo Switch 2 Dimensions 166mm x 272mm x 13.9mm (with Joy-Con 2 attached) Weight 401g (534g with controllers attached) Display 7.9-inch LCD Resolution 4K 60FPS (when docked) 1080p 120FPS (handheld mode) HDR10 support VRR up to 120 Hz CPU Custom processor made by NVIDIA 8x ARM Cortex A78C 998MHz (docked) 1101MHz (mobile) Max 1.7GHz 2 cores (6 available to developers) GPU Ampere 1007MHz (docked) 561MHz (mobile) Max 1.4GHz Memory 256GB (UFS) microSD Express (up to 2TB) Audio Linear PCM 5.1ch Surround sound effect (requires system update) Microphone (noise cancellation / echo cancellation / auto gain control) Headphone jack (4 pole stereo 3.5mm mini plug) Battery 5,220 mAh lithium ion battery ~ 6.5 hours of battery life ~ 3 hours of changing time Ports 2 USB-C Communication Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi 6) Bluetooth Sensors Accelerometer, gyroscope, and mouse sensor As for the GPU, Nintendo has switched from the NVIDIA Maxwell architecture used in the GTX 900 series to the Ampere architecture used in the RTX 30 series. This GPU features 1536 CUDA cores with clock speeds of 561MHz (handheld mode) and 1,007MHz (docked). For the maximum clock speed, we're looking at 1.4GHz. The rest of the report mostly covers details that were already confirmed by the spec sheet Nintendo Japan released last month. However, there are a few details we haven't heard about until now. One such detail is the inclusion of a file decompression engine (FDE). File loading and decompression can usually be handled by the CPU, but the Switch 2's CPU can hand off that responsibility to the FDE, making load times faster and more power efficient. Another aspect of the Switch 2 that hasn't been talked about is multi-touch. Like the original Switch, the Switch 2 will also feature a 10-point multi-touch capacitive touchscreen. The Nintendo Switch 2 launches in the US on June 5. It will be available for $450, with the price going up to $500 for the Mario Kart World bundle. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Gizmodo
14-05-2025
- Gizmodo
Switch 2 Specs Fully Leak, and Here's Why You Shouldn't Care
The Nintendo Switch 2 is twice the console as the original Switch, not just in size but in hardware specifications as well. We finally have a full idea of what's going on under the hood of the $450 handheld set to launch on June 5. The long and short of it is that the Switch 2 is good enough to play today's games. So long as it hits 4K when docked and gives us unique games with beautiful visuals, 'good enough' is all it ever needed to be. A report from Eurogamer alongside Digital Foundry's latest video on the Switch 2 effectively confirm all the pre-reveal leaks we had about the handheld's processor and other hardware specs. The original Switch ran on a custom Nvidia chip based on the Tegra X1 with just four ARM Cortex A57 cores. That system on a chip (SoC) was relatively low-powered, even back in 2017 when Nintendo brought us its first dockable handheld console. Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter got his information off of shipping manifests and some other leaks, and collated with Nintendo's official specs page, they help establish a better picture of the Switch 2's hardware. The new CPU on the Switch 2 is the Nvidia T239 with ARM Cortex A78C cores. There are eight cores in total with a 'theoretical' max clock speed of 1.7GHz (actually clock speeds in docked and mobile modes are far lower). Two of those CPU cores are reserved for the system software while developers get to play with the other six. The GPU is similarly updated to Ampere architecture with 1,536 CUDA cores (essentially processing units inside the GPU). That's six times the number of CUDA as the original Switch. The system is running on 12GB of RAM, of which 3GB is reserved for the system itself. That plus the CPU makes it seem like Nintendo is dedicating a hefty chunk of processing for the system itself, but considering what sort of under-the-hood software the Switch 2 is promising, it starts to make more sense. Nintendo has held up its GameChat feature as one of its handheld's standout capabilities. This feature will let up to four players at a time use voice chat online with the console's built-in speaker. A separate camera accessory also lets you host video chats as well, though videos suggest it will be at a very low frame rate with dubious visual quality. Any system, let alone something as compact as the Switch 2, would struggle to support four simultaneous streams while running any voice and video modulation software in the background—all while running games as well. 'Information we discovered suggests [GameChat] has a significant impact on system resources, to the point Nintendo provides developers with a GameChat testing tool,' Digital Foundry claimed, though without citing a specific source. These specs imply Nintendo wants the Switch 2 to be a device that lasts for a long time, perhaps as long as the original Switch's eight-year lifespan. The upcoming device's secret sauce is its support for Nvidia's DLSS—the company's upscaling tech that takes each frame at a lower resolution and uses AI to bring it to a higher resolution. The device should also support DLAA, Nvidia's software dedicated to anti-aliasing. This digital trickery will support games like Cyberpunk 2077 to enable 60 fps at 1080p resolution. As much as the nerdiest of us love to geek out and speculate on tech specs, the Switch 2 isn't built to compete against an Xbox or a PlayStation 5. Nintendo is one of the few companies that realized aiming for the greatest graphical fidelity is a losing game for console makers and developers alike. Pushing the most realistic graphics mandates more expensive hardware and longer, more expensive game development. What changes in the minute-to-minute play experience when a game's running high-end ray tracing technology for ultra-realistic lighting? The Switch 2 may be able to handle some ray tracing scenarios, according to the Digital Foundry report. However, it will be up to developers to use that lighting tech within the bounds of Nintendo's hardware. Hogwarts Legacy Switch 1 vs Switch 2 — Switch 2 Stock Alerts (fan account) (@Switch2Stock) May 14, 2025 We've seen some games running on the Switch 2, and already it's proving itself powerful enough for today's games like Hogwarts Legacy—a game that notoriously looked horrible and ran poorly on the original Switch. Minuscule graphical touches aside, we expect most players will struggle to tell whether Street Fighter 6 is being played on a PS5 Pro versus a Switch 2, so long as it maintains a stable frame rate. If the first Switch proved anything, it's that developers can get some relatively complex games running on older hardware if they try. Now, they just have to try a little less and maybe remember that a strong visual style is far better than ultra-realistic lighting and HD textures.
Digital Trends
14-05-2025
- Digital Trends
The Switch 2's official specs have dropped, and it's a huge upgrade
After much speculation, we finally know the exact hardware specs for the Nintendo Switch 2, and they offer a massive upgrade over its predecessor. Eurogamer revealed the specs, courtesy of Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter, and the numbers show a system significantly more powerful than the original Nintendo Switch, but one that still has certain limitations that developers will need to work around. First up, the Nintendo Switch 2 has double the cores of the original, sporting a total of eight with two reserved for system operations and six available to developers. It also features six times the number of CUDA cores, at 1536 compared to its predecessor's 256. Recommended Videos The Switch 2's listed CPU clock speed is actually lower than the Switch's, but the other hardware upgrades mean you won't feel a drop in performance. The differences are negligible, though, with a speed of 998MHz while docked versus the Switch's 1020MHz. The Switch 2 has a maximum clock speed of 1.7GHz, while the original had a maximum clock speed of 1.785GHz. Digital Foundry: Nintendo Switch 2 Confirmed Specs: CPU, GPU, Memory, System Reservation + More — Wario64 (@ 2025-05-14T14:03:55.247Z The GPU clock speed is nothing to scoff at, either, maxing out at 1.4GHz where the original maxed out at 921MHz. The system will have lower speeds while in handheld mode (as expected), but will still outperform the Switch in every measurable way. Beyond that, the Switch 2's memory is greatly improved at 128-bit DDR5 with four times the bandwidth while docked. That's 102GB per second compared to the original Switch's 25.6GB per second, and you will absolutely feel that difference in gameplay. Without an upgrade like this, the Switch wouldn't be able to scale games up 4K resolution. Finally, the system will reserve 3GB of memory for itself, leaving 9GB available for games. These are a lot of numbers (and you can get an even more technical deep dive by watching Digital Foundry's video), but it boils down this: the Nintendo Switch 2 presents a generational leap in power. Its final performance will come down to the individual games, however, and how the developers optimize the titles for this new platform. The Nintendo Switch 2 won't be on par with the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, but it's a lot closer than it was. The upgraded power is necessary, especially with the inclusion of Game Chat. Nintendo expects the service to have an impact on performance, and some of that has been visible in the teaser videos so far (the cameras had noticeable lag). That said, Nintendo has pulled off something of an engineering marvel with the Switch 2, packing the console full of high-end specs that make it a worthwhile competitor to other handhelds like the Steam Deck. Getting a look at the specs makes it clear how Nintendo was able to get demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 to not only run on the console but look good doing it, avoiding the issues that sprang up with ports like The Witcher 3 on the original Switch.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Why console hardware limitations could lock GTA 6 at 30 FPS
Image via Rockstar Games. Is GTA 6 capped at 30 FPS? That answer is yet to be explored. After a long wait, Rockstar Games is finally here with the highly anticipated Trailer 2 of the game. The game sorted out a lot of loose ends that were left unstranded in the first trailer, which was released in December 2023. Needless to say, epic speculations began after the release of the latest trailer. Operation Sindoor 'Did not want to...': Pak def min gives absurd excuse for army's failure to withstand Op Sindoor Blackouts, sirens & Pak's failed attacks: 10 things that happened in the last 36 hrs '1971 war was not remotely as terrifying': Residents of border areas shell-shocked Among all of these speculations and fan theories, the performance of GTA 6 is taking the majority of the share. So, will it be playable at 60 FPS? Or will it be capped at 30 FPS on consoles? GTA 6 might be capped at 30 FPS Even newer gen consoles might not be capable enough to run GTA 6 at 60 FPS. | Image via Rockstar Games. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo There is no doubt that GTA 6 is going to be the most realistic title the video gaming world has ever seen. From a huge intricate open-world to expansive simulations like AI-driven NPCs, dynamic weather systems, complex traffics, the game will have everything. However, all of these extremely realistic qualities might come at a price. According to the technology editor at Digital Foundry, Richard Leadbetter, it will be challenging for the game to hit 60 FPS. In an interview with IGN , Leadbetter reminded us that every previous GTA game has targeted the 30 FPS mark first. So, if the PS5 is slated to run GTA 6 at 30 FPS, then its upgraded model, the PS5 Pro, will find it tough to run the game at 60 FPS. Because as per him, 'This isn't a GPU problem, it's a CPU problem' and both the consoles run on the same CPU. Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2 Tech Breakdown - Incredible Realism, Impressive RT, Astonishing Detail Digital Foundry also gave a close look at the trailer , finding it was capped at 30 FPS. Although, the trailer was a mixture of gameplay and cutscenes, and the gameplay part was very less, but still the number raises concern as the whole footage for the trailer was captured on PS5. The Digital Foundry group also claimed that the trailer footage was running between 1080p and 1440p. So, that means we might have to sacrifice the framerate for better resolution in the name of graphical fidelity, just like Bethesda did with Starfield. Right now the game is only slated to be released on newer gen consoles only, but still their hardware specification might raise eyebrows about their capabilities to run a game like GTA 6 at 60 FPS. That might not be a problem on PC though, but we are still very far from a PC launch of GTA 6. However, keep in mind that these are all just mere speculations and nothing has been confirmed by Rockstar Games yet. Even Leadbetter has stated that all of these speculations will go in vain if Rockstar is actually targeting the 60 FPS sweet spot on the base PS5. But we haven't seen any sign of that. Read More: GTA 6 might melt your PC: Here's what you'll actually need to run Rockstar's next-gen beast
