The next Nintendo console, tentatively dubbed the Switch 2, will pack more RAM than the Xbox Series S, according to a newly surfaced rumor. This claim adds to the already substantial number of Nintendo Switch 2 reports that have been ramping up since spring.
Nintendo hasn’t tried competing with its rivals on the hardware front since the sixth console generation. This has already become a notable problem for its latest console, which is very much showing its age nowadays, as underlined by the fact that even Nintendo’s recent first-party games like Tears of the Kingdom are playing it safe with the Switch’s hardware.
But its successor might end up being more future-proof than some might expect, with Universo Nintendo’s Felipe Lima now reporting that the Switch 2 will incorporate 12GB of RAM. The claim is attributed to an anonymous source who attended Nintendo’s alleged Switch 2 presentation at the 2023 Gamescom. For context, the Switch has 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, while the Xbox Series S boasts 10GB of significantly faster GDDR6 random-access memory. The Series X and PS5 both have 16GB of the same sixth-generation RAM.
The newly surfaced rumor does not specify what exact technology the Switch 2 is meant to use, although the GDDR5 RAM found in the PS4 and Xbox One seems like a plausible guess, as Nintendo has yet to skip a dynamic RAM generation. So, while having slightly more RAM than the Xbox Series S could provide the Switch 2 with limited advantages in some edge cases, the fact that its memory will likely be slower should still make Microsoft’s consoles more powerful in this respect. For context, GDDR6 RAM offers twice the data rates of its previous-generation counterpart—16Gbps vs 8Gbps—and is also more energy-efficient.
It was previously reported that the closed-door Gamescom exhibit saw Nintendo showcase The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 tech demo running on the Switch 2, with the main implication being that the new console will use Nvidia’s deep learning super sampling (DLSS) technology to boost frames and upscale graphics. The source of this RAM leak corroborated that claim, albeit noting that the demo used DLSS 3.1 instead of the latest, 3.5 version of the solution launched in early September.
The allegation that the Switch 2 will triple the RAM amount of its predecessor is not the first indication that Nintendo’s upcoming console will be significantly more future-proof than the company’s first hybrid device. One known leaker already suggested as much earlier this week, having hinted that the Switch 2 might have VR and AR capabilities.