Nintendo's Switch 2 hybrid console is due to arrive at retail tomorrow (June 5), and pre-launch marketing campaigns are in full swing. The Japanese gaming giant has called in a high profile partner—Jensen Huang—to add some surprisingly technical heft during hype festivities. At this stage in time, NVIDIA's Tegra "T239" chipset is a well known quantity—thanks to years of leaked "internal info," and disabled examples turning up for close analysis in China. Industry experts did not anticipate Nintendo's fairly frank discussions that covered Switch 2's hardware capabilities. The Nintendo "Creator's Voice" video series has featured a number of high-profile third-party software development buddies (including CD Projekt RED), but yesterday's Team Green CEO contribution received widespread press attention.

Jensen paid tribute to Satoru Iwata, a former and much missed Nintendo president. Their collaboration started during the era of OG Switch development: "he wanted to create something no one had seen before. A console powerful enough for big, cinematic games—but small enough to take anywhere. It sounded impossible. But that vision became the original Nintendo Switch. We lost Iwata-san before the launch, but his clarity, his purpose, it still inspires our work every day. Together, we poured everything into that system." As mentioned back in April, NVIDIA dedicated significant resources into making their latest "technical marvel."Jensen outlined key features: "to take (that) original vision further, (we) had to reinvent everything...The chip inside Nintendo Switch 2 is unlike anything we've built before. The most advanced graphics ever in a mobile device. Full hardware ray tracing. High dynamic range (HDR) for brighter highlights and deeper shadows, and an architecture that supports backward compatibility. Dedicated AI processors to sharpen, animate and enhance gameplay in real time. (The chip) is ultra-low power; we optimized the semiconductor process technology for high performance in a handheld device, so we can go wherever you go...Switch 2 is more than a new console; it's a new chapter, worthy of Iwata-san's vision."

Nintendo's video description: "in this special edition of Creator's Voice, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang shares some insights into the creation of Nintendo Switch 2's custom processor."