Content creator SuperMetalDave64 has shared some interesting insights into the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch 2.
Before we go forward, of course, we do want to remind our readers that there is a necessary part of speculation to this analysis. That’s not only because SuperMetalDave64 is putting forward hypotheses of what the Switch 2 hardware is capable of, but because we’re still a few days out from when the public actually gets the Switch 2 in their hands. What has been leaked early so far may be true, but that hasn’t been proven yet.
SuperMetalDave64 shared two main insights on the Switch 2 in a new video that’s come out today. We’ll let him explain the finer details and skip to his conclusions.
First, he figured out that the Switch 2’s SOC components has higher IPCs (instructions per clock) compared to the PlayStation 5. Obviously, that does not mean that the Switch 2 is more powerful than the PlayStation 5. But what does this mean?
As explained in this video by Linus Tech Tips, IPCs are a measure of how efficient a CPU is, and that translates to performance. While most gamers focus on the clock speed, measured in GHz, as the best measure for a game console or computer’s power, it’s not always a reliable measure.
If you recently had to replace your computer, you may have had to learn this lesson the hard way. An older computer which boasts higher GHz may disappoint you with its less efficient performance compared to a newer computer with lower GHz. A custom PC you can build today with older parts can run games with high requirements, but you will find that it takes longer to power up or generally operate compared to a cheap and thin laptop, that happens to have newer parts.
This Linus Tech Tips video also explains another crucial point; which is that adding IPCs into the equation makes benchmarking different CPUs more complicated. That’s because different computing tasks have different instructions. Nvidia had a GPU line that was dedicated to video editing and 3D modeling, that was completely different to their gaming GPUs, because these are essentially different computing tasks.
The Switch 2’s faster IPCs may make it better at some things compared to the PlayStation 5, and worse than others. But it is possible that Nvidia supplied the Switch 2 with parts and technology specialized for its function as a handheld gaming device. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see what we actually find out about the console’s capabilities.
SuperMetalDave64’s second point should be easier to understand. He makes a comparison to an Nvidia GPU rendering a scene with native resolution, and upscaled with their DLSS technology. If you’ve been paying attention to PC gaming in the last decade, you would already know that the DLSS would win this argument every time. It’s a technology that is simultaneously more efficient and provides better results when it comes to graphics and particularly details.
AMD and Nvidia have worked hard to catch up to Nvidia, but DLSS was the innovator and market leader for upscaling technology. For this reason, it is possible to believe that a game running on a Switch 2 could match up vs. PlayStation and Xbox, which both use AMD’s FSR. There are certain metrics where DLSS could give Nintendo an edge over its peers.
Of course, all of that has been the subject of discourse of the past two months. We hope our readers at least understand the argument, if they don’t quite agree with it. And this too, is based on speculation, so we’re going to have to wait until when everyone gets to test the console to know for sure.
What’s really interesting about these hypotheses is what it means if they will prove to be true. Because we can already plainly see that the Switch 2 is getting ports of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S games. But did Nvidia give the Switch 2 enough capability to keep getting games for the next generation of PlayStation and Xbox, when they launch in the next five years? That will also be exciting to see a few years down the line.
You can watch SuperMetalDave64’s video below.
