Mario Kart 9 Hints at Switch 2's Power Boost

Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 has generated buzz, but the true extent of its power remains shrouded in mystery. Recently, indie developer Jerrel Dulay of Sungrand Studios offered insights into the console's potential based on a brief look at the upcoming Mario Kart 9. Dulay, who has worked with Nintendo hardware for years, noticed advanced features like physically-based shaders and high-resolution textures in the Mario Kart 9 trailer. These elements suggest the Switch 2 could be significantly more powerful than its predecessor. The original Switch runs on the Tegra X1 chip with 256 CUDA cores, while rumors point to the Switch 2 having an Nvidia T239 ARM mobile chip with 1536 CUDA cores—a massive 500% increase. Dulay also highlighted the use of true volumetric lighting, which is resource-intensive and suggests the console could run games smoothly at 60 frames per second. The Switch 2 is also rumored to have 12GB of RAM, considerably more than the original's 4GB, allowing for faster texture loading and more complex gaming environments.