Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware Chip Was Potentially Finalised As Early As 2021
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo LifeWith the Nintendo Switch 2 entering development as early as 2019, it might not come as a surprise that the hardware chip may have been finalised as early as 2021.
And according to a teardown of a supposed Switch 2 motherboard, that's exactly what it's come down to.
Digital Foundry has summarised findings by Geekerwan and Kurnal, who have acquired a Switch 2 motherboard (from an online retailer in China) and performed a complete analysis of the tech.
And the pair have suggested that the hardware was finalised four years ago.
If that's true, that means Nintendo has been holding onto the chip since then.
While the T239 shares similarities with Nvidia's T234, there are a number of key differences.
Apparently, the chip is potentially running on an 8nm processor with features that potentially stretch up to a 10nm.
The chip is also over 40mm2 larger than the chip in the Steam CDDeck's launch model, coming in at 207mm2.
The chip is the core reason the Switch 2 is much bigger than the original Switch, since it's over 75% larger than the current console's own chip and twice the area bigger of the chips in the Lite and revised models.
Does this mean the Switch 2 could have been revealed as early as 2022? Maybe.
Digital Foundry notes something interesting, however — that the potential work on the chip (throughout 2020) lines up with when rumours of the Nintendo Switch Pro started circling around, though the chip wasn't named until June 2021.
Even if the hardware itself was ready — DF points out that "silicon" often arrives around a year before a console is launched — the team suspect that one of the reasons Switch 2 wasn't unveiled earlier is because, simply, Nintendo didn't need to.
The Switch was, and still is, widely popular, and back in 2021, it was only a four-year-old console with plenty of new software launching.
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube812k
Given that it can take years to develop a chip, Switch 2 plans starting in 2019 really does line up with the rest of the info we have.
Realistically, it's a mix of all of the above and of plans changing .
We're only weeks away from the console at this point, so we're excited to see the hardware in action.
You can check out Digital Foundry's chat about the processor in this week's DF Direct, above.
Last week, Nintendo shared its Q4 fiscal year 2025 financial report and revealed that it expects the Switch 2 to sell 15 million units this financial year.
Analysts are also expecting the new console to have a record-breaking launch.
That's a lot of T239s in people's hands.
Let us know your thoughts on the processor for the Switch 2 in the comments below.
Your complete guide to Switch 2 - release date, price, hardware, games
2 takes
[source youtu.be, via eurogamer.net]
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Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second.
She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories.
She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate.
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Source: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/05/nintendo-switch-2-hardware-chip-was-potentially-finalised-as-early-as-2021" style="color: #0066cc;">https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/05/nintendo-switch-2-hardware-chip-was-potentially-finalised-as-early-as-2021
#nintendo #switch #hardware #chip #was #potentially #finalised #early
Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware Chip Was Potentially Finalised As Early As 2021
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo LifeWith the Nintendo Switch 2 entering development as early as 2019, it might not come as a surprise that the hardware chip may have been finalised as early as 2021.
And according to a teardown of a supposed Switch 2 motherboard, that's exactly what it's come down to.
Digital Foundry has summarised findings by Geekerwan and Kurnal, who have acquired a Switch 2 motherboard (from an online retailer in China) and performed a complete analysis of the tech.
And the pair have suggested that the hardware was finalised four years ago.
If that's true, that means Nintendo has been holding onto the chip since then.
While the T239 shares similarities with Nvidia's T234, there are a number of key differences.
Apparently, the chip is potentially running on an 8nm processor with features that potentially stretch up to a 10nm.
The chip is also over 40mm2 larger than the chip in the Steam CDDeck's launch model, coming in at 207mm2.
The chip is the core reason the Switch 2 is much bigger than the original Switch, since it's over 75% larger than the current console's own chip and twice the area bigger of the chips in the Lite and revised models.
Does this mean the Switch 2 could have been revealed as early as 2022? Maybe.
Digital Foundry notes something interesting, however — that the potential work on the chip (throughout 2020) lines up with when rumours of the Nintendo Switch Pro started circling around, though the chip wasn't named until June 2021.
Even if the hardware itself was ready — DF points out that "silicon" often arrives around a year before a console is launched — the team suspect that one of the reasons Switch 2 wasn't unveiled earlier is because, simply, Nintendo didn't need to.
The Switch was, and still is, widely popular, and back in 2021, it was only a four-year-old console with plenty of new software launching.
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube812k
Given that it can take years to develop a chip, Switch 2 plans starting in 2019 really does line up with the rest of the info we have.
Realistically, it's a mix of all of the above and of plans changing .
We're only weeks away from the console at this point, so we're excited to see the hardware in action.
You can check out Digital Foundry's chat about the processor in this week's DF Direct, above.
Last week, Nintendo shared its Q4 fiscal year 2025 financial report and revealed that it expects the Switch 2 to sell 15 million units this financial year.
Analysts are also expecting the new console to have a record-breaking launch.
That's a lot of T239s in people's hands.
Let us know your thoughts on the processor for the Switch 2 in the comments below.
Your complete guide to Switch 2 - release date, price, hardware, games
2 takes
[source youtu.be, via eurogamer.net]
See Also
Share:0
0
Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second.
She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories.
She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate.
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...
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PSA: My Nintendo Store Switch 2 Invites Are Starting To Roll Out
Refresh that inbox
Nintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Switch 2 Games
And original Switch, of course
Xbox Branded Handheld Photos Leak, And It's Not Quite As Slick As The Switch 2
Those fingerprints don't help
Nintendo Shares More Footage Of Zelda: Wind Waker On Switch 2
Available via Nintendo Switch Online
Former Rockstar Dev Throws Shade At Mario Kart World, Says New GTA Will Be Worth The Price
"You think Mario Kart competes with a game like this"
Source: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/05/nintendo-switch-2-hardware-chip-was-potentially-finalised-as-early-as-2021
#nintendo #switch #hardware #chip #was #potentially #finalised #early
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