How The Switch 2 Could Do 4K@120fps

[JEMC]

Ck1x said:

JEMC said:

Nintendo is known for sticking with its hardware partners as long as possible (their jump to Nvidia was quite a surprise for a lot of people). Therefore, I actually believe that Nvidia's quote about partnering with Nintendo for 20 years isn't based on nothing and, while Nvidia can provide them with the right tools, Nintendo will keep using their products.

The best case scenario I can think of right now is one like what Boffer described, a Switch 2 using 8 Carmel cores with up to 512 GPU cores, at least Turing to be able to use DLS and VRR, and 8GB connected via a 128bit bus.

The only problem I see with this is that even Nvidia are off of the Carmel cores idea they just recently licensed out usage of Hercules, so that probably has the better chance of making it into Switch 2. When it comes to Nvidia we currently don't have a real world example of just how efficient their technology is on 7nm or lower, so it can be a little hard to imagine how many cores Nvidia could squeeze into a chip the size of Tegra X1 or slightly larger. 

All of the new gpu advancements that Nvidia are showing and proving work, couldn't benefit anyone more right now than Nintendo with their next system. I kind of get those GC reminiscent days of when that system was so well built and thought out that it was doing some graphical effects in hardware that the others just weren't set-up for. It completely allowed for some impossible looking games running on it, with also punching way above its status specs wise...

Correct me if I'm wrong (I know very little about AMR processors), but aren't those Hercules chips designed for security tasks? I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Nvidia has licensed them just to make their own SoC more safe.

As for the node and TDP of the SoC inside the Switch' successor, we should remember that we're not only talking about Nvidia, but also Nintendo. The Switch launched with original Tegra X1 chips made at a 20nm node (already dated) and, despite that chip being rated at 15W TDP, Nintendo lowered clocks to reduce heat and power consumption even more.

I don't think Nintendo will jump to 7, much less 5nm tech, and the chip will also have to use very little power to make it suitable for a handheld without burning the owners hands.