Nintendo Switch 2 Game Sizes Revealed, and It Looks Like the 256 GB Internal Storage Will Keep Most Players Going for a While

So, how is the Nintendo Switch 2 able to get away with relatively small game sizes while offering up to 4K resolution?

In January, the internet spotted a Nintendo patent, filed July 2023 but published for the first time earlier this year, that described AI image upscaling technology that would help keep video game download sizes small enough to fit on a physical game cartridge while offering up to 4K textures. It was thought at the time that this applied to the Nintendo Switch 2, and could relate to Nvidia DLSS graphics technology.

Nvidia DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is an AI-powered technology that uses machine learning to upscale lower-resolution images in real-time, enhancing both performance and image quality in games.

This week, in the wake of the Nintendo Direct, Nintendo and Nvidia confirmed the Switch 2’s custom GPU enables AI upscaling via DLSS and ray tracing.

Nvidia described it as a “custom Nvidia processor featuring an Nvidia GPU with dedicated RT Cores and Tensor Cores for stunning visuals and AI-driven enhancements.”

Those upgrades include up to 4K gaming in TV mode and up to 120 FPS at 1080p in handheld mode. Nintendo Switch 2 also supports HDR, and AI upscaling “to sharpen visuals and smooth gameplay.”

The new RT Cores bring real-time ray tracing, delivering “lifelike lighting, reflections and shadows for more immersive worlds,” Nvidia continued.

Tensor Cores, meanwhile, power AI-driven features like DLSS, “boosting resolution for sharper details without sacrificing image quality.”

Details are thin on the ground, however. In a hardware-focused roundtable Q&A in New York this week, attended by IGN, Nintendo representatives confirmed the Switch 2 uses DLSS, but did not specify which version of the tech, or whether it had been customized for Switch 2. It was a similarly vague response when Nintendo confirmed the Switch 2’s GPU is capable of ray tracing.

And what about the GPU itself? Tetsuya Sasaki, General Manager at Nintendo’s Technology Development Division, and Senior Director at its Technology Development Department, chimed in to say Nintendo prefers not to get in the weeds on things like the GPU.

“Nintendo doesn’t share too much on the hardware spec,” he said. “What we really like to focus on is the value that we can provide to our consumers. But I do believe that our partner Nvidia will be sharing some information.”

For more, check out everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, and what the experts have to say about the Switch 2 price and Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.