Nintendo's next-gen Switch 2 will support all Unreal Engine 5 features, possibly MegaLights

Nintendo's next-generation Switch 2 handheld will reportedly support all of the features baked into Unreal Engine 5, and possibly even Epic Games' just-teased MegaLights technology.

We're finding out some new information from the folks at Digital Foundry, where during their usual weekly podcast the staffers replied to a fan question asking if the Nintendo Switch 2 would support the latest UE5 features, including tech like Lumen, Nanite, and Virtual Shadow Maps. We could even see Nintendo Switch 2-specific versions of these UE5 technologies, allowing them to run with decent performance on the handheld, with some major power tweaks of course.

There is a huge amount of third-party support behind Nintendo and the Switch, so the new Switch 2 would be a huge focus for Epic Games and getting Unreal Engine -- cough, Fortnite -- ready to rock and roll on Switch 2. There's also the handheld side of thigns, with the Digital Foundry folks talking about handheld mode with the Switch 2 and the performance differences between Nintendo's new console and the Valve Steam Deck.

Digital Foundry said that there won't be much of an impact, as the two handheld platforms offer hugely different experiences: the Steam Deck is bigger and clunkier to use (but gives you the insane base of PC games) where the Switch is far more portable and has those awesome Nintendo-exclusive games like Mario, Zelda, and more.

But seeing Unreal Engine 5 features on an upgraded Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be pretty killer in 2025.