There was a point a year or so ago when it seemed like every day brought a new ‘Switch Pro’ rumor, though things have calmed down on that front recently. However, an Nvidia employee has confirmed – apparently by accident – that a chip, the Tegra239, has been rumored to exist since 2021 and is supposed to power the mysterious new Nintendo hardware we’ve all been waiting for.
This information was shared on Twitter @centralics After picking up GamingLeaks and Rumors Share by subreddit and u/followmeinblue. Nvidia is currently hosting a three-day event to promote many of its new products, including its next-generation graphics cards — many of which details were leaked in March of this year.
The employee comment on Tegra239 – which can be seen below and was found as part of a message thread – is the first official confirmation we have of this particular system-on-a-chip (SoC). You can access full details on linux.orgHowever, here is an excerpt from the subreddit:
This, of course, still doesn’t confirm the existence of a ‘Switch Pro’ or ‘Switch 2’, but it is consistent with leaks from March @NWPlayer123 Those who found references to “T234/T239”. Speculation on the subreddit linked above puts the possible output for a hypothetical console using this chip in the PS4 performance-wise ballpark.
Current Switch models run on Nvidia’s ‘Marico’ revision of the Tegra X1 SoC, although rumors last year suggested that Nvidia was discontinuing production of that aging chip.
In recent comments, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that “things are only clear for the next fiscal year” in terms of console production, while former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has his own thoughts on how Nintendo can prepare for the Switch. Successors – whenever we get one!
What do you think of this chip? Is the Switch Pro all-but guaranteed? Will we get it next year? Will it be backwards compatible? Let us know!
