Nintendo Switch Pro SoC Model Number Leaks Online; Processing Power More Powerful Than Tegra X1+

Amid rumors of an imminent launch this month, a new leak may have spilled the SoC (system on chip) model number of the Nintendo Switch Pro, giving fans an idea of its processing power.

A new set of details about the supposed upgraded version of the Switch recently surfaced online courtesy of reliable industry insider kopite7kimi. On Twitter, the insider shared a die shot of the Nvidia Tegra Orin chip. The tweet comes with the text, "Nintendo will use a customized one, T239."

A report from Notebookcheck noted that the tipster's information could mean the Nintendo Switch Pro would utilize the Ampere architecture from Nvidia and Hercules microarchitecture from ARM. It also claimed that the SoC model number leaked by the insider is associated with the Tegra Orin Chip. While the insider did not reveal the specs of the supposed T239 chip, it is still a more powerful chipset compared to what the Nintendo Switch houses.

Major features of the Tegra Orin processor include its GPU with 2,048 CUDA cores, Ampere architecture and a CPU component that has 12x ARM Cortex-A78AE cores. It also offers LPDDR5 memory support and a bandwidth of 200 GB per second. If the Nintendo Switch Pro would indeed use this SoC, users could enjoy a massive boost of 256-bit and 200 GB/s bandwidth, which is a major leap from the Switch Tegra X1's 64-bit bus and 25.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Last week, a post on ResetEra detailed the supposed specs of the Nintendo Switch Pro. The post, which originated in Taiwan, revealed that the GPU of the upgraded version of the Switch clocks at almost 1 GHz in docked mode and 768 MHz in handheld mode. This graphics power would reportedly enable the Switch Pro to reach 120 FPS at 720p in handheld mode.

Additionally, the post shared that Nintendo would optimize the Switch Pro's performance so it could feature a fixed 60 FPS, 720p resolution in handheld mode and 1,440p resolution in docked mode. The post also claimed that Nintendo would use the Nvidia DLSS on the Switch Pro but it would only be available on either docked mode or locked out at launch because of undisclosed reasons.

So far, Nintendo has not yet confirmed anything related to the rumored Switch Pro although the company is rumored to launch the Switch Pro before this year's E3 2021 event. In the absence of an official announcement, fans should take these recent leaks and rumors as highly speculative at this stage.