Why That Brief Look at Mario Kart 9 Suggests Nintendo Switch 2 Is 'Significantly More Powerful' Than the Original — According to a Developer

An indie game developer with extensive experience creating games for the original Nintendo Switch has offered compelling reasons why the brief glimpse of Mario Kart 9 hints at a significantly more powerful Switch 2. While Nintendo has unveiled the console's design and new Joy-Cons, details about its processing power remain scarce.

However, analysis of the Mario Kart 9 footage from the reveal trailer suggests substantial upgrades. Jerrel Dulay of Sungrand Studios, in a recent YouTube video (via GamesRadar), points to several key graphical elements as evidence.

Mario Kart 9 - A Closer Look

25 Images

Dulay highlights the use of physically-based shaders, impacting reflections and lighting on the karts and environment. These shaders were resource-intensive on the original Switch, often impacting frame rates. The trailer also showcases detailed ground textures and numerous unique textures, demanding significant RAM. The Switch 2 is rumored to boast 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM (compared to the original's 4GB), potentially running at significantly higher speeds (7500MHz vs. 1600MHz). This increased RAM and speed would greatly improve texture loading times and overall performance.

Furthermore, Dulay notes the presence of volumetric lighting and far-distance shadows, both computationally expensive graphical features. The original Switch often required compromises in shadow detail and distance. The smooth rendering of these effects in the Mario Kart 9 footage strongly suggests a significant power increase. The high polygon count of characters and real-time cloth physics on flags further support this conclusion.

Reports suggest the Switch 2 utilizes an Nvidia T239 chip with 1536 CUDA cores, a considerable jump from the original Switch's Tegra X1 with 256 CUDA cores. This, combined with the RAM upgrades, points to a substantial leap in processing power.

Dulay's analysis provides a compelling technical perspective on the Switch 2's capabilities, suggesting a significant graphical upgrade. While we await further official information from Nintendo's April Direct, this detailed examination offers valuable insight into the potential of the new console.

What do you think of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal?

I love it and am absolutely buying that consoleIt was a little tame but I'll still buy the Switch 2I liked it but need to see more before I make a decisionIt was a little underwhelming so I'm not really botheredThe reveal was pretty iffy and I don't care for the console eitherSomething else!AnswerSee Results