Development kits of the Nintendo Switch 2 console have been in the hands of game devs for a while now. However, 8% of developers at this year’s GDC conference have revealed they’re working with the next-gen handheld.
While Nintendo Switch 2 specs have yet to be officially released, most of the console’s details have been discovered. For examples the new Nvidia Nintendo Switch 2 processor has been found online, bringing DLSS and more to the portable.
Via VideoGamesChronicle, 8% of game developers at GDC revealed that they’re working on the new handheld. This means that 250 developers are currently creating games for Nintendo Switch 2, and that’s just developers who were comfortable discussing the new handheld.
The new Nintendo Switch 2 console was previously reported to be shown off at Gamescom 2023 in Cologne. At a private developer showing, the system was reportedly shown running an updated version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with increased performance and resolution.
Additionally, early tech demos of the new Nintendo Switch reportedly ran a version of Unreal Engine 5’s The Matrix Awakens. This tech demo showed off how the new engine performs on the handheld. Using DLSS image reconstruction, the tech demo was allegedly impressive for a portable system.
The new Nintendo console is speculated to be around the level of performance found in the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 4 Pro. With the prior system only slightly more powerful than the Wii U — albeit with support for modern rendering features — this isn’t surprising.
The Nintendo Switch 2 release date has been claimed as occurring this year. From SoC manufacturers to Microsoft court documents, multiple sources have outed the system’s release as happening in late 2024.
Nintendo has yet to officially announce the Nintendo Switch 2 at the time of writing.