Why That Brief Look at Mario Kart 9 Suggests Nintendo Switch 2 Is 'Significantly More Powerful' Than the Original — According to a Developer

An indie game developer with extensive experience creating Switch titles has offered compelling evidence suggesting the Switch 2 boasts significantly enhanced processing power. This conclusion is drawn from a close analysis of the brief Mario Kart 9 footage showcased in the recent Switch 2 reveal.

Nintendo's official specifications remain undisclosed, leaving much to speculation. While upgrades like new Joy-Cons and a refined design are evident, the true extent of the Switch 2's capabilities remains a mystery.

Jerrel Dulay of Sungrand Studios, a prominent figure in the indie development scene and a veteran of Wii U and 3DS development, provides insightful commentary in a recent YouTube video (via GamesRadar).

Mario Kart 9: A Technical Deep Dive

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Dulay highlights several key graphical features in the Mario Kart 9 footage as indicators of the Switch 2's power. He points to the use of physically-based shaders, impacting reflections and lighting effects on the karts and environment. These shaders are computationally intensive, posing a significant challenge for the original Switch's hardware.

Reports from late 2023 (Digital Foundry) and motherboard leaks suggest the Switch 2 utilizes an Nvidia T239 ARM mobile chip with approximately 1536 CUDA cores. This represents a substantial increase from the original Switch's Tegra X1 chip with only 256 CUDA cores—a 500% jump.

Dulay emphasizes the high-resolution ground textures and the sheer number of unique textures employed, demanding significant RAM resources. The Switch 2 is rumored to have 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM (leaks indicate two 6GB modules), a significant upgrade from the original Switch's 4GB. The potential for higher RAM speeds (up to 7500MHz) further enhances performance.

The presence of volumetric lighting and far-reaching shadows in the Mario Kart footage is also cited by Dulay as strong evidence of enhanced processing power. These effects are computationally expensive, and their inclusion suggests a significant leap in graphical capabilities. The detailed character models and real-time cloth physics on the flags further support this assertion.

Dulay concludes that the combined improvements in CUDA core count, RAM capacity, and speed strongly indicate a substantial power increase in the Switch 2, enabling significantly improved visuals and performance compared to its predecessor. While further details are awaited, Dulay's analysis provides a compelling perspective on the Switch 2's potential. Nintendo's April Direct is expected to offer more concrete information.

What do you think of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal?

I love it and am absolutely buying that consoleIt was a little tame but I'll still buy the Switch 2I liked it but need to see more before I make a decisionIt was a little underwhelming so I'm not really botheredThe reveal was pretty iffy and I don't care for the console eitherSomething else!AnswerSee Results