- Nintendo Switch 2 will use Nvidia’s DLSS AI-driven upscaling for its games for better performance and image quality
- So far, handheld games -PCs have only AMD’s FSR and Intels Xess
- Switch 2 could see themselves competing with other handhelds thanks to DLSS
The Nintendo Switch 2 was finally fully revealed on April 2, confirming that the handheld console will use a custom NVIDIA processor -and although the device may not exceed handheld games -PCs, it can have a significant bonus over them.
As highlighted in a blog post, NVIDIA confirmed that its DLSS AI-driven upscaling method will be present on the Nintendo Switch 2 along with beam tracking thanks to its custom chip. This allows game developers to implement DLSS into games where needed, creating space for better performance through scaling and at the same time maintaining image quality.
It is not exactly clear which version of DLSS this will be: its latest version, DLSS 4, uses a new transformer model to further improve image quality, especially with performance mode – which has been shown to surpass the previous Model’s quality mode in DLSS 3.
However, handheld games -PCs have only been able to use either AMD’s FSR or Intels Xess, as Nvidia has not made an APU (a processor with CPU and GPU on the same matrix) for any of the devices like Asus Rog Ally or MSI Claw 8 AI+. Both of these rival upscaling methods have not yet matched DLSS, and if DLSS 4 is used by Switch 2, it can challenge more powerful handheld games -PCs when it comes to graphics and performance.
It does not beat handheld games -PCs but it is on the verge of competing
Don’t get me wrong, handheld games -PCs like Asus Rog Ally, MSI Claw 8 AI+, and Lenovo Legion Go is all still an easy choice over Switch 2 as they still have more powerful hardware (as we don’t know the exact specifications of Nvidia’s chip yet).
However, if Nintendo’s new console uses DLSS 4, it can be a literal game switch that places Switch 2 in pole position to compete against other handhelds thanks to the new transformer model. It takes up the upscale image quality to another level as I have previously highlighted and have already been a massive advantage for all GeForce RTX GPU users: Image quality on the CNN model’s performance state was blurred and contained ghosting when moving and the transformer model solves this.
Despite the light performance loss in play with this new model (due to its more intensive treatment of nature for greater image quality), it is not important enough not to recommend DLSS 4 – and it is better than Intels Xess 2 and AMD’s FSR 4, as it maintains much better details on objects, especially on the longer terms.
I have asked Nvidia to make an APU for handheld games -PCs to use DLSS, and this gives me hope that Switch 2 will make it possible.
We will have to wait and see how DLSS will work (especially in docked mode in a 4K resolution), but if Switch 2 starts a new generation of PC game handheld with Nvidia hardware, then I will be extremely happy.
