Charles Tremblay, CD Projekt RED's Technology Vice President, has been fielding questions from members of the press—regarding the forthcoming Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition. Large portions of the company's Polish and North American/Canadian teams are concentrating on next-gen projects (respectively, Witcher 4 and "Cyberpunk 2"), but a smaller group has worked on porting a current sci-fi title onto Nintendo's NVIDIA Custom SoC-powered hybrid console. Despite arriving almost five years ago, Cyberpunk 2077 has remained a firm favorite—especially as a gauge of hardware capabilities, across PC and home console platforms. Since then, the developer's in-house REDengine has been dropped from primary activities. Epic's ubiquitous Unreal Engine 5 will serve as the technological foundation for future CD Projekt RED IPs.

In an interview conducted by IGN, Tremblay outlined the challenges his team faced when dealing with REDengine 4 and Switch 2: "we have very key people in here that know exactly how to make Cyberpunk run. Cyberpunk is built for x86 with old PC architecture. So, from the beginning this was completely different. Lots of changes had to be done at the engine level, all the shaders (are in a) different language. We had to convert everything, some HLSL to GLSL. (The Switch 2 utilizes) a very, very different architecture." In another Q&A session (with NintendoLife), the Tech VP mentioned a roping in of external assistance (from Hungary and Japan): "all development is being done in-house, with support from Yigsoft when it comes to incorporating the Nintendo Switch 2 specific features, and support from Nintendo when it comes to overcoming all the fun challenges that come with creating for new hardware."

It looks as though the uphill battle that is the Nintendo Switch 2 launch is not over yet. While backwards compatibility with the original Switch game library, consisting of 122 first-party games and over 15,000 third-party games, was a major highlight for those eager for a Switch 2, it seems as though it isn't as cut-and-dry as simply loading the games onto the Switch 2. Nintendo has been testing the entire game library in order to inform Switch 2 buyers what they'll be able to play at launch. According to a recently updated Nintendo support article, the Switch 2 will ditch support for video streaming sites Crunchyroll, Hulu, Niconico, and Abema, as well as manga and comic reader, InkyPen, and the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04 VR Kit.

While a number of other titles Nintendo tested seemingly won't work immediately like Fortnite, for which there is a Switch 2 version planned, Nintendo is drawing a line between apps that won't work at launch but will be fixed at a later date, and apps that will not work on the Switch 2. As for the aforementioned video streaming apps, Nintendo says that they "Cannot be used on Nintendo Switch 2," while the Labo VR Kit will likely need a physical design revision for the Switch 2, since the original kit was designed for hardware compatibility with the first-gen Switch. It's unclear if video streaming and other media consumption apps, like Crunchyroll and Hulu, will be blocked from the Switch 2 entirely, or if the developers and publishers could work around the new Switch 2 hardware to publish updated versions. The hybrid console form factor of the Switch and Switch 2 theoretically make Nintendo's consoles uniquely suited to video streaming, since they can be docked, and consoles like the Sony PS5 and Xbox Series X|S are both capable of operating as standalone home theater systems. It only makes sense for Nintendo to compete in the same regard, but without the apps to support such use cases, the Switch 2 cannot do that. Currently, the Switch 2 is slated to become widely available on June 5, with pre-orders already available—and largely sold out—in some regions.

The Nintendo Switch 2 hybrid console is due to launch globally next Wednesday (June 4). The highly anticipated next-gen handheld is powered by a custom NVIDIA processor. To the surprise of many industry watchdogs, both parties have semi-recently disclosed a couple of technical details regarding their fruitful hardware collaboration. Historically, Nintendo has guarded many aspects of its past generation hardware. Throughout the 2020s, data miners and leakers have unearthed plenty of pre-release information—leading to theories about the Switch 2 chipset's origins. During the Switch 1 era, TSMC was the chosen manufacturing partner. NVIDIA's off-the-shelf Tegra X1 mobile SoC powered the first wave of Nintendo Switch (2017) devices, in 20 nm form. A 2019 revision resulted in Switch Lite and (refreshed) Switch models being equipped with a more efficient 16 nm solution, also present within 2023's premium OLED variant.

Since then, Switch 2's alleged NVIDIA Tegra T239 SoC was linked to a Samsung 8 nm node process. Earlier this month, extremely brave Chinese leakers produced "full die shot" evidence of South Korean foundry origins. Bloomberg insider news articles have implied that Samsung Semi's mature 8 nm FinFET node is better suited—rather than an equivalent TSMC product—for the Switch 2's custom NVIDIA chipset. Unnamed sources have mentioned critical factors; namely stable production and process compatibility. Industry moles reckon that Samsung leadership is actively and aggressively pushing for a longer Switch 2 chipset production deal. Renewed terms could include a future die shrink; pre-launch analysis indicates a sizeable 207 mm² footprint. Beyond foundry biz negotiations, additional murmurs suggest company executives dangling an OLED panel supply agreement. Industry experts have viewed Samsung's key entry—into the gaming console chip market—as a seismic development. A DigiTimes article dives into a so-called "tripartite cooperation"—involving Nintendo, NVIDIA, and the South Korean semiconductor giant. The Samsung Foundry has floundered and struggled in recent times, but is keen to catch up with its arch rival. Fresh rumors have AMD and Sony considering Samsung's chip making channels; possibly with futuristic PlayStation hardware in mind.

Not long after Nintendo's comprehensive Switch 2 showcase, official product descriptions were edited. The removal of Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support for TVs (in docked mode) from official websites proved to be highly confusing. At the time (around mid-April), the company did not release any explanatory material. Industry watchdogs anticipated a future firmware update, that would eventually restore docked mode VRR capabilities (over HDMI). In the meantime, the hybrid console's surprisingly capable integrated display would provide the only gateway into VRR-elevated gaming experiences—courtesy of NVIDIA G-SYNC tech. Late last week, Nintendo Life shared an official update—sourced from a company spokesperson: "Nintendo Switch 2 supports VRR in handheld mode only. The incorrect information was initially published on the Nintendo Switch 2 website, and we apologize for the error."

It is not clear why it has taken over a month to provide clarification, but the online publication did send in a query. When asked about a possible post-release fix, the Nintendo representative replied with a curt answer: "we have nothing to announce on this topic." Last week, the Digital Foundry team surmised that the much-anticipated Switch successor would not launch with a previously advertised feature. Commenting on this missing spec point, Richard Leadbetter elaborated: "something that is important to clarify is that as far as Switch 2 developers are concerned, VRR is indeed a function of the internal display only and that there is no support at all right now for VRR over HDMI...The best theory we have for this is that the dock's DisplayPort to HDMI converter doesn't support standard HDMI VRR, but whatever is the cause, we would hope to see Nintendo provide some sort of solution in due course."

Nintendo's Switch 2 hybrid console is set to arrive early next month (June 5), complete with promised launch prices. Early last month, the company's basic cost of entry for next-gen access—$450 (US)—seemed to be on tenuous ground. Nintendo and its retail partners decided to postpone their opening of pre-orders—affecting excited customers in the United States, then (days later) in Canada. Thanks to political posturing, a number of big industry players had to restrategize. Late last week, Microsoft announced their implementation of global Xbox Series price increases. In April, Sony revealed similar changes for PlayStation 5; restricted to select market territories. Nintendo has allowed a re-opening of Switch 2 pre-orders; gamers can secure core hardware at original MSRPs. Unfortunately, a compromise was made—first-party Switch 2 accessories will be more expensive, on launch day and beyond.

During a recent call with investors, Nintendo's president—Shuntaro Furukawa—confirmed that their core hardware pricing is subject to change. Launch price tags are safe (for the moment); the company will need to radiate some goodwill during their next-gen design's salad days. Commenting on a shifting political landscape, Furukawa-san stated: "at this time, the top priority is to quickly popularize the Switch 2 hardware...If the assumptions regarding tariffs change significantly, we would like to consider what price adjustments we should make, and implement them after considering various factors." Industry analysis has produced a scary projection; worst case scenarios could send tech prices up by roughly 70%. Considering the vintage of Switch 2's alleged internals, gaming hardware enthusiasts have questioned the value offered by this $450 hybrid handheld.

Late last month, Kurnal (@Kurnalsalts) shared a partial die shot of a supposed Nintendo Switch 2 chipset—this teaser image seemed to verify previous leaked claims about the forthcoming next-gen hybrid gaming console being powered by a custom NVIDIA "T239" SoC design. Two weeks after the fact, Kurnal has boasted about delivering an alleged "world's first Nintendo Switch 2 die shot." Their social media post included a couple of key specification data points: "Samsung 8N (8 nm), eight Cortex-A78C cores, (shared) 4 MB L2 cache, and 1536 CUDA/6TPC 'Ampere' GPU." Another leaker—Geekerwan—said that they acquired a "Switch 2 motherboard" via Xianyu. This Chinese equivalent to eBay seems to be a veritable treasure trove of tech curiosities.

Earlier on in 2025, black market sellers were attempting to offload complete pre-launch Switch 2 packages for big money. As reported by VideoCardz, recent acquisitions only involved the securing of non-functional motherboard + SoC units—Kurnal disclosed a 1000 RMB (~$138 USD) price point. Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter is a very visible advocate of the Switch 2 chipset being based on a mature 8 nm Samsung node process. His personal belief was aimed at certain critics; these opposers predicted 5 nm manufacturing origins. Older leaks suggested a larger than expected die footprint—relative to Switch 1's internal setup; almost twice the size—leading to Leadbetter's conclusion. Comparison charts—produced by Kurnal and Geekerwan—propose an occupied area of 207 mm².

Throughout April, Nintendo has navigated choppy waters—not long after the much-anticipated Switch 2 hybrid console's big presentation. Potential customers in the US and Canada experienced an unfortunate delay of pre-order programs—thankfully resolved, as of late last week. The Japanese multinational gaming giant has raised Switch 2 accessory prices—in reaction to "Tariffgate"—but their core next-gen hardware will sell at originally intended levels (hopefully). Despite the company being a global force, a couple of Nintendo's regional distribution networks lack clout. Yesterday, a worrying news report emerged from Costa Rica. Teletica's article outlined a complete absence of Switch 2 and related products across Central American and Caribbean markets. According to insider sources, details were confirmed during: "a private meeting between Nintendo executives and official distributors in the region on Tuesday night (April 29)...The Japanese company announced that there will be no official distribution of consoles, games, or peripherals in these markets throughout 2025." This revelation adds insult to already prominent injuries—even in better-established South American market territories, gamers have voiced concerns about the spotty supply of first-gen Switch products.

An alleged partial close-up capture of the Nintendo Switch 2's chipset has leaked out; courtesy of Kurnal (@Kurnalsalts). This fresh leak is being hyped up as putting an end to all online debate regarding the upcoming hybrid console's technological underpinnings. Despite late 2024/early 2025 reports pointing to a custom NVIDIA "T239" SoC design, certain voices continued to produce conjecture about a more "cutting edge" solution. Surprisingly, Team Green's PR department did issue a statement about the Switch 2 being powered by: "a custom processor featuring an NVIDIA GPU with dedicated RT Cores and Tensor Cores for stunning visuals and AI-driven enhancements."

As expected, Nintendo staffers remained guarded during recent press junkets—in-depth tech talk was deferred in NVIDIA's general direction. Kurnal's sharing of a speculative "T239" partial die shot does not provide any major new revelations or insights—as discussed on the Nintendo Switch 2 Subreddit, tech enthusiasts continue to rely on specification details from the big hack of NVIDIA repositories (three years ago). Newer speculation has focused on Nintendo's choice of foundry—Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter continues to express his personal belief that Nintendo has selected a Samsung 8 nm DUV foundry node. In opposition, certain critics have persisted with a 5 nm EUV node process theory.

Following last week's jam-packed Switch 2 presentation, Nintendo staffers engaged in conversation with media outlets. To the surprise of many, a high level member of the incoming console's design team was quite comfortable with his name-dropping of NVIDIA graphics technologies. Meanwhile, Team Green was tasked with the disclosing of Switch 2's "internal" workings. Attention has turned to the much anticipated-hybrid console's bundled-in detachable Joy-Cons—in the lead up to official unveilings, online debates swirled around potential next-gen controllers being upgraded with Hall Effect joystick modules. Many owners of first-gen Switch systems have expressed frustration regarding faulty Joy-Cons—eventually, Nintendo was coerced into offering free repairs for customers affected by dreaded "stick drift" issues. Unfortunately, it seems that the House of Mario has not opted to outfit its Gen 2.0 Joy-Cons with popular "anti-drift" tech.

As reported by Nintendo Life, Nate Bihldorff—senior vice president of product development and publishing at Nintendo of America—"outright confirmed the exclusion" of Hall Effect. Up until the publication of Nintendo Life's sit down interview, other company representatives have opined that Switch 2's default control system features very "durable feeling" sticks. When asked about the reason behind "new-gen modules (feeling) so different to the original Switch's analog stick," Bihldorff responded with: "well, the Joy-Con 2's controllers have been designed from the ground up. They're not Hall Effect sticks, but they feel really good. Did you experience both the Joy-Con and the Pro Controller?" The interviewer confirmed that they had prior experience with both new models. In response, Bihldorff continued: "so, I like both, but that Pro Controller, for some reason the first time I grabbed it, I was like, 'this feels like a GameCube controller.' I was a GameCube guy. Something about it felt so familiar, but the stick on that especially. I tried to spend a lot of time making sure that it was quiet. I don't know if you tried really whacking the stick around, but it really is (quiet)...(The Switch 2 Pro Controller) is one of the quietest controllers I've ever played." Nintendo will likely not discuss the "ins and outs" of its proprietary stick design, but inevitable independent teardowns of commercial hardware could verify the provenance of underlying mechanisms. Nowadays, hardcore game controller snobs prefer third-party solutions that sport Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) joysticks.

As expected, Nintendo's lengthy Switch 2 presentation contained very little technical information—the upcoming hybrid console's feature set, software library and user experience were showcased extensively. A series of leaks and plenty of online speculation—going back to earlier in the decade—pointed to the highly-anticipated Switch successor being based on an NVIDIA hardware foundation. A mysterious "Tegra 239" chipset emerged as the "logical" choice for Nintendo's next-gen system, but company representatives will likely not comment on the exact nature of internal components. Several months after the launch of Wii U, independent analysis (by Chipworks) of the host console's "Latte" GPU core verified a Radeon 4650/4670-class design. To the surprise of many industry watchdogs, a Nintendo employee has officially confirmed Switch 2's support of NVIDIA graphics technologies.

As disclosed to IGN—during a press junket—Takuhiro Dohta (senior director of the firm's Planning & Development Division) stated: "we use DLSS upscaling technology and that's something that we need to use as we develop games. And when it comes to the hardware, it is able to output to a TV at a maximum of 4K. Whether the software developer is going to use that as a native resolution, or get it to upscale is something that the software developer can choose. I think it opens up a lot of options for the software developer to choose from. Yes, the GPU does support ray tracing. As with DLSS, I believe this provides yet another option for the software developers to use and a tool for them." When pressed about the exact origins of the console's beating heart, Dohta deflected responsibility in the direction of Team Green: "Nintendo doesn't share too much on the hardware spec...What we really like to focus on is the value that we can provide to our consumers. But I do believe that our partner—NVIDIA—will be sharing some information." As pointed out by VideoCardz, Nintendo's hardware technical manager only mentioned options for the development side of things, not end user features. Yesterday's Metroid Prime 4: Beyond preview segment indicated that the title's Switch 2 Edition will arrive with four profiles; VideoCardz theorizes that DLSS will be used for differing levels—quality/performance—in handheld or docked operation.

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Available exclusively from crkd.gg and for a limited time only, the new collectible controller collection is the collaboration ewe never knew you needed, and hooves that CRKD is delivering what gamers are bleating for. Easily the most popular goat-based video game released in modern times, Goat Simulator is a worldwide phenomenon hailing from the genius minds at Coffee Stain North. Celebrating ten years of farm-based fun, Goat Simulator 3 recently enjoyed a physical release on Nintendo Switch, ideal for pairing with one of CRKD's award-winning collectible controllers!

As expected, Nintendo has kept quiet about the upcoming Switch 2 hybrid console's feature set and internal makeup. The next-gen portable gaming system's debut presentation served as a mostly surface-level teaser. News outlets have relied heavily on leaks for "insider" reportage, going back to the early 2020s—starting off with kopite7kimi's discovery of a mysterious NVIDIA "T239" chipset. As reported last week, Famiboards—a Nintendo-centric online forum—has served as a somewhat reliable source of inside track information. Earlier in the year, one member started to share NDA-busting details about Switch 2's display technology: "I've heard that the screen supports 120 Hz and VRR, which should help a lot in handheld." Weeks later, SecretBoy elaborated on the benefits of this setup: "developers can optimize the handheld profiles of their games with VRR and 40 FPS in mind."

The GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit views SecretBoy's leaks as being fairly accurate/legitimate: "(they) called out the GPU performance before the clock speeds were leaked; 10 days later back in January (3 TFLOPS docked, 1.4/1.5 TFLOPS handheld)." Earlier today, the tipster's latest musings were compiled into a Reddit summary—another set of quotes reads as follows (in condensed form): "I will reiterate that the screen is 120 Hz with HDR and VRR support. That's what I'm personally most excited for...No idea about the actual quality of the screen, but I think OLED was always going to be too expensive for this feature set, which they needed to get into the first iteration of the hardware so that developers could optimize their games around it (speculation)." Screen technology connoisseurs have expressed much disappointment about Nintendo's alleged selection of an "inferior" panel—many will point out that Valve was inspired by the Switch OLED model (2021); their Steam Deck handheld was famously upgraded/refreshed in 2023 with a fancier screen. Invited guests will get to experience Switch 2's "hugely revelatory" LCD tech at various Nintendo-hosted international preview events in April.

Yesterday, Nintendo officially unveiled its Switch 2 handheld via a first look video presentation. Featured content did not come as a surprise to many gaming enthusiasts—a steady flow of leaks have already revealed outer and inner workings. Earlier today, the Digital Foundry team has offered their collective opinion on Nintendo's formal announcement. Their roundtable discussion first focused on the Switch 2's physical appearance—mainly a showcased physical increase in size, when lined up against the preceding (standard) model. Conversation quickly moved onto technical matters—a topic that Nintendo normally avoids discussing. The video presentation included in-game footage of a next-gen Mario Kart title—Oliver Mackenzie (a contributing DF video producer/writer) was not impressed by this short demo's visual fidelity. He noted an absence of DLSS image enhancement—surprising, given that the rumored NVIDIA Tegra T239 SoC is capable of deploying this graphics technology.

John, Rich and Oliver then moved onto discussing recently leaked clock speeds and performance figures (in handheld and docked modes)—overall, they reckon that these numbers seem fitting for a hybrid system. They noticed that the handheld GPU clock was lower than expected—based on their judgement of the Switch 2's fairly capable integrated cooling solution. In the past, Digital Foundry theorized that the NVIDIA-designed Tegra T239 will be an 8 nanometer part—rumored to be built on Samsung 8 nm DUV foundry node. Newer gaming community-generated proposals have suggested a shift to Samsung's 5 nm EUV node—mostly based on the chipset's physical footprint. In sharp contrast, the Digital Foundry guys are sticking with their 8 nm theory. Richard Leadbetter (DF's founder) has previously attempted to simulate Switch 2-esque performance on readily available Ampere-based hardware—he could revisit and perform tests on a laptop that sports Team Green's GeForce RTX 2050 mobile GPU. He believes that the leaked CPU and GPU clocks (across both modes) present plausible evidence of 8 nm-level performance, cross-referenced with his team's past analysis of the system's PCB. Debates will inevitably rage on, but Rich insists that the end result will be an example of "Occam's razor." The Tegra T239's four (long alleged) Cortex A78 cores appeared to be running at a higher frequency in portable mode than in docked—suggesting some unknown factors; perhaps a switching on or off of cores (situation dependent). Leadbetter and Co. will be looking forward to getting a proper hands-on experience at Nintendo's April to June launch events.

Nintendo has published its quarterly financial results for the period ending March 31 (2024)—the numbers indicate that their trusty Switch hybrid console has continued to sell surprisingly well, despite industry watchdogs anticipating a sharp decline in late 2023. A Bloomberg Japan report has extracted crucial information from an important corporate investor call—Shuntaro Furukawa, the current company president, announced another sales milestone. The Switch has reached 139.36 million units sold (as of 31st December 2023) since its original rollout back in March 2017—it has the potential to outsell Sony's classic PlayStation 2 home console. Nintendo's CEO adhered to his company's strict script and did not address the big red elephant in the (conference) room—the highly anticipated Switch successor is an industry open secret—instead focusing on the current iteration being their "main business" going into FY2024-2025.

Despite recent "better than expected" financial figures, the Nintendo Switch is on a sales decline (going back several years)—the gaming community expected improved hardware to arrive at some point before 2024, but the House of Mario is in no rush to take on current generation Sony and Microsoft home console models. Furukawa-san stated that Nintendo will discuss its plans for the financial future during a May earnings briefing—this is largely in line with past declarations, the "Switch 2" is not arriving before Spring 2024. The latest reports suggest that the next Nintendo Direct presentation is scheduled for next week—perhaps February 15. Microsoft's Phil Spencer has teased a major Xbox "business update" announcement within the same timeframe.

Earlier today Nintendo released its financial/earning reports for the fiscal year ending March 2023, and company president Shuntaro Furukawa has briefed investors about sales forecasts, according to a report published by Bloomberg. Furukawa-san predicts that the Switch gaming console will only sell 15 million units over the next fiscal year - sales have been slowing down for a while according to Nintendo's figures, with almost 18 million units purchased throughout 2022-23. The numbers are still very impressive when you consider that Nintendo's flagship gaming platform has been on the market for just over six years - across that span of time, total unit sales have hit the 125.62 million mark.

Furukawa also informed shareholders about the prospect of a Switch console successor arriving within the next fiscal period - Bloomberg's article brings the bad news at this point - it seems that Nintendo is not anticipating a new hardware launch within that time frame. Nintendo's software release schedule - especially in regards to first party titles - looks very threadbare for the rest of the year. The much anticipated Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrives on Friday (May 12) followed by Pikmin 4 in July, but things look to be quiet after that - unless Nintendo has a few surprises lined up for June's preview event season. Rumors of a next generation Switch have been doing the rounds since 2020, back then a "Pro" model was often touted - fans later found out that Nintendo had simply refreshed the system with an OLED panel, some tweaks to chipset efficiency, and updated the docking system to modern output standards - this premium model hit the market in late 2021.