An Nvidia employee just confirmed that the CPU that is rumored to be in the Nintendo Switch is in production.
On Linux.org’s website, the Nvidia employee dropped this comment, which shows up as part of an email thread.
“Subject: [Patch] cpufreq: tegra239: Add support for T239
Date: Mon, 5 Sep 2022 21:27:59 +0530 [thread overview]
Message-ID: ————————–@nvidia.com (raw)
Adding support for Tegra239 SoC which has eight cores in
a single cluster. Also, moving num_clusters to soc data
to avoid over-allocating memory for four clusters always.”
We removed the names and contact info on the comment here, but a cursory check of the name of the sender does reveal several names of people who work or worked at Nvidia. The person did also use an Nvidia email. More importantly, the content of the email indicates that development is already at work to make the said SoC work with Linux, one step forward to making it usable on a device like the Nintendo Switch.
The original rumor naming the Tegra239 as the Nintendo Switch Pro’s CPU dates all the way back from March, and it also leads credence to a separate rumor in June asserting that the Nintendo Switch Pro would be using a variant of the Tegra234.
So, what do we know about the Tegra239?
- It will be an 8-core CPU, the same way an Apple M1 Pro or newer Intel and AMD CPUs have eight cores.
- The GPU will be based on the last generation’s Ampere architecture, but it will have some features from the Lovelace architecture. Lovelace is the new architecture for the newest generation of Nvidia products that are being unveiled in this week’s Nvidia GTC.
- Finally, the Tegra239’s graphics API contains references to DLSS 2.2 and raytracing support.
If the rumors hold and we confirm that the Nintendo Switch Pro, or more likely, the successor console to the Nintendo Switch, will end up using the Tegra239, this will not be the most high-end CPU that mobile devices like the Nintendo Switch can have.
To put this in context, the Nintendo Switch OLED uses an Nvidia Tegra X1, featuring 4 A57 cores and 4 A53 cores, running between 1.02 to 2 GHz. The Steam Deck uses a customized Van Gogh APU, codenamed Aerith, featuring four cores, and eight threads running at 3.5 GHz. Outdoing both devices is the ONEXPLAYER Mini, using an Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1195G7 CPU, with a four-core, eight-thread CPU running at 5.0 GHz.
In plain English, both the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck are already obsolete, in comparison to newer devices being iterated with the latest mobile CPUs. This fact shouldn’t mislead you into thinking these devices must be weak. The five-year-old Tegra X1 has innovated for Nintendo, by providing the Switch console with a CPU that makes seemingly impossible ports of games like Doom Eternal, The Witcher 3, and the upcoming NieR: Automata: The End of YoRHa Edition, possible.
While Valve is more likely to chase power for future versions of the Steam Deck, Nintendo is more likely to stick to a relatively older CPU for the Nintendo Switch Pro. This new CPU will be significantly more powerful than what is on the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED now. In fact, it will be the most up-to-date technology Nvidia has developed today. However, it will definitely already be outdone by other handheld gaming device manufacturers upon its release, especially smaller companies that charge steep premiums for their devices, like AYN, AYANEO, GPD, and others. Of course, Nintendo will make other design and business decisions that will keep the console relevant for at least another five years.
What does the future hold for Nintendo and its portable consoles? If this is any indication, they could be ushering in a new generation of portable console gaming.
Source: NintendoLife
