Way back in June 2021, noted technology leaker kopite7kimi posted a detailed picture of Nvidia’s T234 processor, revealing for the first time that Nintendo would be receiving a customised variant, dubbed T239. In the two years that followed, a wealth of overwhelming evidence has essentially confirmed that they were right. The T239 is an advanced mobile processor, based on an octo-core ARM A78C CPU cluster, paired with a custom graphics unit based on Nvidia’s RTX 30-series Ampere architecture, combined with some backported elements from the latest Ada Lovelace GPUs – and with an all-new file decompression engine for fast engine. It also supports Nvidia’s console-specific graphics API, all but confirming that it’s destined for the next generation Switch.
In this piece, we’ll talk about the various evidence that links the T239 with Nintendo and we’ll also be taking a look at the closest equivalent mobile GPU in the graphics space, downclocking it to ultra-low frequencies in an attempt to get some kind of handle on what a low-power Ampere-based graphics core can offer, whether ray tracing is possible and just how important DLSS upscaling could be for a second generation Nintendo hybrid handheld/console. We’ll also see whether our analysis marries up with any of the sparse information gleaned from the Gamescom showing of Switch 2 to select developers.
But let’s kick off with a basic, fundamental question. Can we say for sure, with absolute 100 percent certainty that the T239 is indeed the Switch 2 chip? That’s a negative. However, we can definitely tie the T239 to a Nintendo project and there’s no evidence – and indeed, no need – for Nvidia to create this chip for anyone else. For its own endeavours in the automotive and robotics market, the firm already has the T234. And to understand the custom variant, it’s a really good idea to get to know what the T234 is and why Nintendo couldn’t use this chip to begin with.
