Hints for a Nintendo Switch 2 system or Nintendo Switch Pro console may have surfaced in the aftermath of a massive NVIDIA DLSS source code leak.
Nintendo has been tight-lipped about anything related to a supposed Nintendo Switch successor. Though the Switch OLED just came out in 2021, it came with a better resolution for handheld mode rather than a substantial upgrade to the base hardware.
But a leak from NVIDIA, published on Techpower, may have given a glimpse of the developer’s future offering, mainly by showing us some programs that could be used to run the console.
The information includes C++ files and other items that could hint at software for a Switch sequel system.
Nintendo Switch 2 system hints
NVIDIA DLSS Source Code Leaked https://t.co/5n2yJ7q9ic pic.twitter.com/X8m0p8s4uN
— TechPowerUp (@TechPowerUp) March 1, 2022
The NVIDIA leak is giving way to the possibility of a Switch 2, seeing as there are entries for an ‘NVN2,’ an apparent continuation of the ‘NVN’ API used for Switch games.
The list of details is scarce. But some people are connecting the dots and surmising that NVIDIA could be working with Nintendo on DLSS (deep learning super sampling) for 4K, which would need a beefier system than the current Switch to operate.
NVIDIA’s DLSS allows for an uptick in framerates using AI learning, giving an image rendered in 1080p to be upscaled at a consistent, sharper 4K resolution.
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We can see entries for an ‘NVNDLSS’ driver as well as ‘nvn2’ files linked to an API folder tree as well as separate render tests. Since the current hardware isn’t capable of handling DLSS, there’s reason to believe this is for a different, unannounced system.
Stirring the Switch 2 pot, even more, is reputable NVIDIA leaker ‘kopite7kimi,’ who previously claimed that a custom T239 chip was rumored to be an integral part of the next Switch system. Kopite7kimi suggests they have seen files in the new leak that directly reference the T239.
There are some files about T239 in this leaking case.
— kopite7kimi (@kopite7kimi) March 1, 2022
Nintendo Switch 4K Pro
Previous reports suggested that a supposed Nintendo Switch Pro would have 4K capabilities, and the latest leak seems to align with that notion.
It’s unclear if this means there will be a Switch Pro with 4K capabilities or if the leak is instead pointing to a much more ambitious Switch 2.
Nintendo have yet to confirm their plans for a follow-up console, and definitive details remain to be seen.