It doesn't seem to be long until the Nintendo Switch 2 is announced. The vast majority of industry experts assume that this Thursday, that ismorningthe new hybrid handheld is officially unveiled.
Nevertheless, shortly before the reveal, there are still a few unclear details that an insider could have now uncovered - according to their own statements, the person is in possession of a so-calledSoftwareDevelopmentKits (SDK for short) has come for the Switch 2.
What is an SDK?
To put it simply, an SDK is a collection of tools that help developers build their games for a specific platform. This includes, for example, program libraries for communication with the device's graphics and sound interface as well as instructions on how the platform works on a code basis.
Leak suggests almost double the raw performance of the PS4 in docked mode
It should come as no surprise that Switch 2 software has been in development for some time. However, SDKs from systems such as PlayStation or Nintendo consoles are usually subject to strict secrecy and are associated with hefty fines.
Nevertheless, every now and then a few details leak out from anonymous sources, as is now the case with the Nintendo Switch 2. A well-known forum userFamiboardswould like to have the current software development kit for the next Nintendo console.
The person was able to discover the hardware parameters of the Switch 2.In handheld mode it comes up:
- Processor clock:1100,8 MHz
- Graphics rate:561 MHz
- RAM Rate:2133 MHz
- RAM bandwidth:68.26 GB/s
The Switch 2 hardware achieves 1.72 TFLOPS of raw power, i.e. 0.12 TFLOPS less than the base PS4 and around 0.1 TFLOPS more than that.
But there should be a lot of performance in TV mode, then a large part of the numbers increase again:
- Processor clock:998,4 MHz
- Graphics rate:1007,25 MHz
- RAM Rate:3200 MHz
- RAM bandwidth:102.40 GB/s
In the docking station, the Switch 2 would have 3.09 TFLOPS available, almost twice as much as the PS4 and 1 TFLOPS less than the PS4 Pro. The RAM clock also increases and increases the memory bandwidth a bit, providing more scope for higher resolutions and complex graphic effects.
What are TFLOPS anyway and how big is the difference to the first switch?
The Nintendo Switch 1 is quite a bit lower in terms of performance data. It came to just 0.23 TFLOPS in handheld and 0.39 TFLOPS in TV mode. If we assume this comparison, it would take 9 to 16 Switch 1 consoles to reach the level of Switch 2:
— Nintendo Prime (@NintyPrime)January 15, 2025
But what do TFLOPS actually say in practice?Unfortunately not that much. They merely indicate on a theoretical level how quickly the Switch 2 can process floating point calculations in order to calculate higher resolution and more precise light and shadow representations.
The number of TFLOPS is calculated using a simple formula (shader cores x clock speed x 2), but in reality countless factors such as memory bandwidth, the size of the extremely fast cache and the architecture of the hardware play a role in game performance crucial role.
We have summarized what this probably consists of here:
Are the numbers realistic?
The user is known in the Famiboards forum and is considered a trustworthy source, but as always we urge extreme caution with such rumors. However, it could well be that Nintendo will ultimately work with these performance profiles.
And even if TFLOPS won't be the deciding factor for much performance, they are an initial indicator that the Switch 2 delivers a huge graphics upgrade over the first Switch. We can't wait to see this in action!
As much power as a PS4 or even significantly more – does that sound good to you?
