Nintendo Switch will blow us away, says NVIDIA

Given Nintendo's new handheld-and-console Switch hybrid is powered by NVIDIA's custom Tegra chip, it stands to reason the company would hype the product up, but it looks like NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang is genuinely impressed by Nintendo's new hardware.

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In a recent interview with VentureBeat, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang once again affirmed that the Nintendo Switch will blow us away. While Huang didn't reveal any specs or answer the Switch's million dollar question (Tegra X1 or Pascal Tegra?), he did make a comment that's consistent with his standing about the device.

"Nintendo Switch is a game console. It's very Nintendo. That entire experience is going to be very Nintendo," the NVIDIA CEO said during the interview.

"The beauty of that company, the craft of that company, the philosophy of that company-they're myopically, singularly focused on making sure that the gaming experience is amazing, surprising, and safe for young people, for children.

"Their dedication to their craft, that singular dedication, is quite admirable. When you guys all see Switch, I believe people are going to be blown away, quite frankly. It's really delightful. But it has nothing to do with AI."

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This isn't the first time that the esteemed NVIDIA CEO discussed the Nintendo Switch favorably.

In a recent NVIDIA earnings call, Huang said that the Switch will amaze gamers because it will be unlike anything they've ever played before.

And that's actually true: the Switch represents the unions of today's most accessible gaming worlds: mobile, handheld, and console gaming. The Switch will merge these different worlds into a mixed dual form factor device that allows anyone to seamlessly switch between an on-the-go tablet and a centralized docked console for living room play.

"And so that's a real advantage and we're really proud of them. I guess you could also say that Nintendo contributed a fair amount to that growth. And over the next - as you know, the Nintendo architecture and the company tends to stick with an architecture for a very long time. And so we've worked with them now for almost two years. Several hundred engineering years have gone into the development of this incredible game console," Huand said during the call.

"I really believe when everybody sees it and enjoy it, they're going be amazed by it. It's really like nothing they've ever played with before. And of course, the brand, their franchise and their game content is incredible. And so I think this is a relationship that will likely last two decades and I'm super excited about it."

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Expected Nintendo Switch specs and performance

(Note: most of this information has not been officially confirmed)

Console Mode

• Chip type: highly-customized, revamped Tegra, possbily 20nm Maxwell or 16nm Pascal
• Power: USB Type-C, charged docked
• Video out: HDMI
• GPU clock: 768MHz (max, could be variable based on game/app/program, won't always hit max perf)
• CPU clock: 1020MHz (consistent perf)
• System RAM: 4GB unified memory (unified VRAM and DRAM)
• Resolution output: native 1080p switched over from handheld's 720p resolution
• Unreal Engine 4 GFX display settings: High

Handheld Mode

• Chip type: highly-customized, revamped Tegra, possbily 20nm Maxwell or 16nm Pascal
• Power: USB Type-C, external charger
• Video out: N/A
• GPU clock: downclocked to 302MHz (maximum based on game/app/program, won't always hit max perf)
• CPU clock: 1020MHz (consistent perf)
• System RAM: 4GB unified memory (unified VRAM and DRAM)
• Battery Life: ~3 Hours?
• Resolution output: 720p resolution in 6.2-inch tablet handheld
• Unreal Engine 4 GFX display settings: Medium

Question: Since you expanded the Shield TV with all these new features, do you have a border with the Nintendo Switch? Is there anything you're not going to do, like more tablet work? Is there some way that the Switch fits in with the Shield TV ecosystem?

"Nintendo Switch is a game console. It's very Nintendo. That entire experience is going to be very Nintendo. The beauty of that company, the craft of that company, the philosophy of that company-they're myopically, singularly focused on making sure that the gaming experience is amazing, surprising, and safe for young people, for children.

"Their dedication to their craft, that singular dedication, is quite admirable. When you guys all see Switch, I believe people are going to be blown away, quite frankly. It's really delightful. But it has nothing to do with AI."

At TweakTown we've extensively covered all Switch reports and news, and you can find a full catalog of our content here. You can also scroll down below for a bullet list of all the pertinent details.

The Nintendo Switch launches in March 2017, possibly at a $249 and $299 price point, with a major reveal including full specs, launch lineup and more being held on January 13-15, 2017. Check below for everything we know about the Nintendo Switch so far, including confirmed details, analyses, rumors, specs and more.

Everything we know about Nintendo Switch so far:

• What if Nintendo Switch has its own game rental service?
• New Zelda will reportedly be Nintendo Switch launch game

• Nintendo Switch listed for 399 Euros on GameStop
• Nintendo Switch to launch March 17, according to leaks
• Nintendo Switch launch games lineup leaked
• Nintendo Switch and Wii U third party partners compared
• Nintendo Switch to get 'lots' of Unreal Engine 4 games
• Nintendo Switch adverts go up, delay unlikely
• EA only bringing a 'game or two' to Nintendo Switch

• Nintendo Switch certified for Vulkan and OpenGL 4.5
• Nintendo Switch portable GPU speeds halved to 302MHz, docked GPU speeds only hit 768MHz max
• Nintendo Switch has higher GPU, CPU perf while docked?
• Nintendo Switch may support head-tracking mobile VR
• Nintendo Switch switches to full 1080p while docked
• Nintendo Switch to have Gamecube Virtual Console games
• Nintendo Switch listed at $245, to release March 17?
• Porting games over to Nintendo Switch might be easy
• Nintendo Switch to get full HD Pokemon Sun and Moon port
• Nintendo Switch price to start at $249, deluxe at $299
• Nintendo Switch launch games teased, 2017 will be huge
• Nintendo Switch to let you play modded Skyrim on-the-go
• Zelda Breath of the Wild may not be a Switch launch game
• Nintendo Switch may have 4GB unified memory pool
• Nintendo Switch handheld delivers console-quality gaming
• 3DS won't be cannibalized by new Switch console, Nintendo President confirms
• Nintendo Switch to have wide array of hardware add-ons
• Nintendo Switch may use USB Type-C for power
• Nintendo Switch has 6-inch 720p display with 10-point capacitive multi-touch
• Nintendo investors hate the Switch hybrid
• Everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo's new transforming handheld console hybrid
• Nintendo to reveal Switch pricing, specs, launch games and more on January 12, 2017
• 3DS won't be cannibalized by Switch, says Nintendo
• Nintendo Switch gameplay graphics and features are subject to change
• Nintendo Switch is single-screen only, says Nintendo
• Nintendo Switch to launch only as complete bundle
• Nintendo expect 2 million Switch console sales at launch
• Nintendo Switch may have extra power while docked
• Nintendo Switch isn't backward compatible with Wii U games
• Nintendo Switch's battery may only last 3 hours?
• Nintendo won't reveal full Switch console specs until 2017
• Nintendo Switch gets a much-needed splash of color
• Nintendo's new Switch console powered by NVIDIA Tegra
• Nintendo Switch may sport dedicated game video recording
• Skyrim hasn't yet been confirmed for the Nintendo Switch