Nintendo Reportedly Demoed Switch 2 to Select Developers at Gamescom

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Nintendo reportedly showcased the Switch 2 behind closed doors at Gamescom last month. As per Eurogamer, select game developers got an early peek at the Switch successor, alongside tech demos highlighting its improved performance. One such demo is described to have shown an improved version of 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, targeting a higher framerate and resolution when compared to the original's 30fps. That said, it's unclear whether the game will be re-released for the new console, which is eyeing a launch in the second half of 2024. Back in August, Nintendo also sent development kits to certain studios for testing, with a promise of a portable mode.

Following Eurogamer's initial report, VGChttps://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sources-nintendo-showed-switch-2-demos-at-gamescom/ corroborated the claim by adding that Nintendo also secretly presented Epic Games' The Matrix Awakens tech demo, at the event. The real-time experience was released in 2021 to showcase the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X, in addition to showing the high-quality renders made possible by Unreal Engine 5. VGC's sources suggest that the demo was making use of Nvidia's DLSS upscaling technology with ray-tracing enabled.

Could this mean Nintendo and Nvidia are working together on a chip? Regardless, it is worth noting that ray-tracing shouldn't be taken as a sign that the Switch 2's raw power is anywhere near the current-gen consoles. The Switch 2 still needs to be portable and conserve battery power, whereas the PlayStation and Xbox consoles draw power directly from an outlet.

Earlier reports claimed that the Switch 2 will come with an LCD screen instead of the premium OLEDs as a cost-cutting measure, in addition to a