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 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. Last week's unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 generated considerable excitement, yet Nintendo remains surprisingly tight-lipped about the console's technical capabilities. While upgrades like new Joy-Cons, a redesigned kickstand, and a larger form factor are evident, the Switch 2's raw processing power remains undisclosed.

However, the fleeting Mario Kart 9 footage shown in the reveal video may provide valuable clues. In a recent YouTube video (via GamesRadar), Jerrel Dulay of Sungrand Studios, a developer with a history of working on Wii U and 3DS titles, suggests the Switch 2 represents a substantial power increase over its predecessor.

Mario Kart 9 - First Look

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Dulay points to the use of "physically-based shaders" on the karts and environments as a key indicator. These shaders, affected by lighting and reflections, were computationally expensive on the original Switch, often impacting frame rates. The Mario Kart 9 footage, however, showcases extensive use of these shaders, along with detailed material reflections.

A late 2023 Digital Foundry report (and corroborated by Switch 2 motherboard leaks) suggested the console utilizes an Nvidia T239 ARM mobile chip, potentially boasting 1536 CUDA cores—a significant leap from the original Switch's Tegra X1 chip with only 256. This represents a 500% increase in CUDA core count alone.

Dulay highlights the high-resolution ground textures as another telling detail. High-resolution textures are memory-intensive, and the rumored 12GB of RAM in the Switch 2 (compared to the original's 4GB) is crucial for handling them. The leaked motherboard showed two 6GB SK Hynix LPDDR5 modules, potentially capable of significantly faster speeds (up to 7500MHz) than the original Switch's 1600MHz. This increased bandwidth would dramatically improve texture loading times. Dulay emphasizes not only the resolution but also the sheer number of unique textures used.

Furthermore, Dulay notes the presence of "true volumetric lighting," a computationally demanding feature that considers distance and density to create realistic light rays. The inclusion of this, along with high-quality shadows (also computationally expensive), strongly suggests a significant power boost. The ability to render these effects at a smooth 60 frames per second is a testament to the Switch 2's enhanced capabilities.

The high polygon count of the characters, coupled with real-time cloth physics on the flagpoles, adds further weight to Dulay's assessment. These features, demanding even on modern hardware, point towards a considerable leap in performance compared to the original Switch.

In conclusion, while awaiting further official details and footage, Dulay's analysis provides valuable insight into the potential graphical power of the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo's planned April Direct should offer more concrete information.