Nintendo's next-generation console, the recently announced Nintendo Switch 2it looks like it will be much more powerful than its predecessor. Nintendo hasn't officially confirmed or denied anything about the Switch 2's technical specifications, but recent leaks have suggested that the console will be quite capable for a portable device of its size. Reports claim that the Switch 2 will have an octa-core processor, an Nvidia T239 Ampere chip, 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and around 256GB of internal storage. Compared to the original Switch, which only had 4GB of RAM and a quad-core ARM processor, this sounds like a major improvement.
Although the Nintendo Switch is incredibly popular, it has been difficult for developers to port their games to the system. Many major third-party titles, such as those from EA, Activision and Ubisoft, have regularly skipped the console because it is too weak. Since the Switch 2 appears to fix the Switch's biggest flaw, however, many industry experts believe it will get much better support from third-party developers, including those who were previously unable to run their games on Nintendo's consoles . However, whether the Switch 2 is indeed powerful enough to run graphically intensive games calls into question exactly how physical environments will be handled on the system.

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Switch 2 cartridges may not be large enough to store demanding AAA games
Switch cartridges have some major disadvantages compared to Blu-ray discs
Unlike the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the Nintendo Switch and its upcoming successor both use proprietary game cartridges instead of Blu-ray discs. This, of course, makes sense, given that the two handhelds are far too thin to have built-in DVD players. The cartridge format has some advantages over Blu-rays due to its small form factor, but it is problematic in a few ways. Due to their proprietary nature, Nintendo Switch game cartridges are considerably more expensive to produce compared to Blu-ray discs and are much more limited in terms of storage capacity.
The maximum file limit on Nintendo Switch cartridges can vary from card to card, but there is no console cartridge that can store more than 32GB. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X discs, in comparison, can hold up to 50-100GB. The limited storage capacity of Switch cartridges makes it a little harder for games with massive file sizes to come to the platform. The Switch itself already has very little internal storage, so it's almost a necessity for game data to be stored on external devices.
Rumor has it that AAA games coming to Switch 2 may not be complete on cartridge
Recent rumors claim that many major third-party games, including demanding titles such as Tekken 8, Red Dead Redemption 2and even Assassin's Creed Shadowscoming to Switch 2 sometime this year. While it would be great to play these titles on the go with a Nintendo console, you have to wonder how they'll even fit on a small cartridge. Tekken 8 and Red Dead Redemption 2for example, they're both 80-100+ GB each, so it's hard to imagine them being compatible with such a limited format like this. Even though Switch 2 ports of these games are rumored to likely have smaller file sizes compared to their PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S counterparts (due to lower-resolution textures), Nintendo will potentially need to produce cartridges with larger storage. .
Making 100GB Switch cartridges seems like an easy solution at first, but given the fact that this will make the production of physical media much more expensive for publishers and developers, this may not be the way to go Nintendo. Conversely, many AAA Switch 2 titles, at least some from third-party developers, may not include the full game on the cartridge. As a result, players may have to download the rest of the game in order to run it on their console. This can eventually lead to Nintendo Switch 2 to become a more digital platform in the future, but it's far too early to say for sure.

Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 is the successor to the Nintendo Switch, scheduled for release in 2025. Confirmed to be backwards compatible, it will play both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. A full disclosure is written for April 2, 2025.
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2025