We’ve heard lots of rumors about a Nintendo Switch Pro over the years, but so far nothing has ever come to fruition. But that doesn’t stop rumors from surfacing from time to time, as has just happened thanks to a Nvidia employee supposedly confirming the kind of chip that will allegedly power the device.
This leak comes from the Gaming Leaks and Rumors subreddit, with a leaked email from a Nvidia employee seemingly confirming the existence of the Tegra239 SoC (system on chip) — complete with an 8-core CPU.
The Tegra239 has been rumored since last June, with Twitter leaker kopite7kimi claiming that the next Switch would feature a “customized” Tegra234 SoC. However, that leak claimed there would be 12 cores in the CPU, which the latest one seemingly refutes. And that's the problem with leaks and rumors; you never can be sure what’s accurate or trustworthy.
TechRadar notes that a separate leak from March made reference to the Tegra239 chip, along with references to “NVN2” — suspected to be a follow-up to the Switch’s NVN graphics API. The Reddit thread also mentions that the API contains references to Nvidia’s upscaling tech, DLSS 2.2, and raytracing support.
While there’s still no confirmation that a more powerful Switch is on the way, the various Tegra239 leaks would suggest something is coming. When it might arrive isn’t clear, and there’s no telling what sort of performance we should expect. Reddit has concluded that the Tegra239 is about as powerful as a PS4.
That may seem disappointing, but we should all remain skeptical and open-minded until Nintendo makes the Switch Pro’s specs official.
It’s been five and a half years since the launch of the original Switch, and it already seemed underpowered for its time. We’re now getting to the stage where some games, like the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, would greatly benefit from a more powerful console.
Unfortunately, Nintendo has already announced there won’t be any new Switch hardware this fiscal year, which ends in April 2023 — roughly a month after the Switch’s sixth birthday. Last November Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa even went so far as to say that the Switch is currently in the middle of its lifecycle. Which I hope means there’s still another five-or-so years of life in the console, and not that there won’t be any upgraded hardware until then.
It’s easy to see hardware leaks and get excited, and I do hope there’s a new Switch Pro the way in the near future. But the past few years have involved countless rumors and leaks about an upgraded Switch that never panned out. Instead we ended up with the Nintendo Switch OLED, which barely qualified as an upgrade.
So watch this space, because something could happen. Just don’t get your hopes up that it will be happening anytime soon.
