The Nintendo Switch reportedly uses the older Maxwell Tegra chips, rather than the Pascal chips that power Nvidia’s new 10 series of graphics cards.
Nintendo has been very quiet on info regarding its new Switch console, but the folks over at Venture Beat reportedly have the scoop on one of the most important details: the specifications. The big news is that the Switch apparently uses the older Maxwell Tegra chips, rather than the more powerful Pascal ones that were released this year. This means that the machine won’t even be as powerful as the vanilla PS4.
Nvidia’s Pascal architecture powers the 10 series of graphics cards. If you’ve been following the graphics card scene you’ll know that they represent a tremendous leap in efficiency and power. So why wouldn’t Nintendo use them? Venture Beat’s source says the company is in such a rush that it can’t wait for the Pascal version of the Tegra. That’s both because the publisher wants to replace the failing Wii U and because it wants to strike quickly with its hybrid concept before a competitor can introduce a better product.
We previously learned that the Switch’s tablet screen will only boast 720p resolution, which means that the slower internals wouldn’t really make that much of a difference, unless you were using the device with a 1080p or higher monitor.
We’ve reached out to Nintendo for comment but we expect that they will not divulge any further details on the Switch until its January event.
Source: Venture Beat
