Nintendo Switch 2 Review: Upgraded Internals Deliver Major Performance Boost

Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware

So, here’s how it goes with Tom’s Hardware. Our reviewers are like detectives but for gadgets. They spend ridiculous amounts of time figuring out what’s hot and what’s not, so you don’t have to stress about it. Learn more about our testing process!

In semiconductor land, it’s all about power, right? Build something with a tiny power need but huge performance and suddenly, you’ve got magic. Engineers can then whip up smaller, lighter gadgets that don’t die five minutes after you leave the house. It’s like, a whole new world.

Nintendo, the quirky genius that it is, flipped the script when everyone else was busy trying to cram more power into their chips. They grabbed Nvidia’s little Tegra X1 SoC and, boom, the first Switch was born. Fast forward 150 million units later, and here comes the Nintendo Switch 2. This time around, it’s packed with a beefier chip, a sparkly VRR display, larger Joy-Cons, another USB port, you name it. It’s pretty extra.

Now, I’m a PC gamer by nature, but my husband? He’s a die-hard Nintendo fan. Naturally, a Nintendo console is basically a piece of furniture in our living room. Gotta admit, I never dug the Switch as a portable device. But hey, love it or hate it, it knows how to dish out experiences you can’t find elsewhere. Remember the jaw-dropping first step into Hyrule in Breath of the Wild? Those kinds of moments just stick with you.

The tech wizards at Nintendo and their partners have been squeezing performance outta the first Switch for eight years, and now time’s caught up. I mean, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet got even the loyal fans grumbling. And Tears of the Kingdom? Felt like it was a game for hardware that didn’t even exist yet. Seriously, if you’ve played Fortnite on the Switch, you know the struggle. Finally, more powerful hardware to the rescue.

Looking at the Switch 2, it feels like a grown-up version of its older sibling. Yet, some design choices make me go, “What were they thinking?”

Digging into the Switch 2’s guts

Nintendo teamed up with Nvidia again for the Switch 2’s brains, but this time it’s a custom job. The tech-heads over at Digital Foundry got their hands on some inside info, and techies have been dissecting the silicon too. Turns out, the Switch 2’s processor is powered by eight Arm Cortex-A78C CPU cores, straight from 2020. It doesn’t have the horsepower of today’s iPhones or laptops, but it’s getting by.

The GPU? It’s packing 1,536 CUDA cores, supposedly. For comparison, the smallest PC version of Nvidia’s Ampere has two clusters, while this switch’s has one.

On memory, the Switch 2 sports 12GB of RAM— a big leap from the first Switch’s 4GB. But understanding raw power through specs only tells part of the story. How data shuffles around the system still baffles us. Plus, there’s no exact power rating for the SoC alone, just its 19 W in docked mode.

Guess what? We stuck it into a power meter and docked, the Switch 2 sips about 18-19 W. Portable, it’s about 11-12 W. Let’s see how this affects battery life, yeah?

Display tech

The new and shiny Switch 2 comes with a 7.9-inch, 1080p LCD screen that puts the old one to shame. Bigger, brighter, crisper. It’s like night and day! Text is clear, eye candy is on point. Although, move over Switch OLED users, you might not be as wowed.

Curious about HDR10 support? It’s like having the title without the full glory — a bit shouty but lacks real depth. The cities in Cyberpunk 2077 will still blind you at night though, thanks to pretty decent contrast and colors on this thing. Oh, and VRR on the built-in display? Thumbs up. But beware, VRR doesn’t work on TVs through the dock. Bummer.

Touchscreen for keyboard? Check. Tap-to-wake? Nope, gotta press a button for that.

Touring the Switch 2 from top to bottom

Check out the Switch 2 from the top — power button, volume, game card slot. Plus, they tossed in a top-edge USB-C port for charging and gaming comfortably. No more cord-in-the-lap intrusions.

Down below, speakers and another USB-C. But listen, the speakers are just there to get by. Music in Fortnite sounds kind of meh.

And speaking of meh improvements — let’s talk about the Joy-Cons. Bigger sticks but still kinda lame for precise gaming. It’s like adding cherries to a pie that’s still undercooked.

Performance and graphics

We can’t slap our usual benchmarks on this bad boy, but games run smoother for sure. Cyberpunk 2077’s looking good, even if it’s NVIDIA’s DLSS doing some upscaling magic. Streets feel a bit deserted compared to PC, but hey, it’s playable. Zelda: BotW shines — everything’s coming alive with its performance boost. Made me want to play forever.

Got Fortnite fans here? Good news. It’s way better than before, no more chugging framerates. Trust me, I beat Goku — it’s possible now.

Noise levels, thermals, and storage

Even when cranking Fortnite, the Switch 2 is whisper-silent. We’re talking hush-hush mode here. And it’s hardly warm to touch in portable mode. Yet, downloading games? Stock up on patience or go make a sandwich in the meantime.

Game storage remains limited — three games and you’re halfway outta space. Expanding storage isn’t cheap either. Fingers crossed those prices drop.

Peripheral and display compatibility

Using the Switch 2 feels liberating. My 4K monitor? Recognized. Wireless headset? Paired. Old Pro Controller? Works like a charm.

Bottom line

The Switch 2’s kind of got it all — power, portability, games we love, for a price. Few quirks, but it’s all about fun, right? Stay tuned for more gaming adventures and battery life tales.