Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly features DLSS and ray tracing, visuals comparable to PS5 and Xbox

The Nintendo Switch 2 rumor mill has been leakier than a broken faucet lately, and we have a brand new rumor joining the fray. The latest one concerns tech and performance, suggesting the next-gen console has hardware comparable to the current-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms. This was portrayed via tech demos that supposedly feature ray tracing and Nvidia DLSS tech.

This is remarkable for something that's virtually a handheld device, so here is everything you need to know about this rumored development.

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Nintendo Switch 2 demos shown to industry insiders at Gamescom 2023 suggest high-end console-quality visuals

As reported by Eurogamer, their sources suggest the new console hardware was secretly unveiled to developers during the recent Gamescom 2023 showcase. To highlight its capabilities, a couple of tech demos were said to have been highlighted, too. One of these is an enhanced rendition of The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Nintendo's universally acclaimed 2017 open-world game.

Whether or not this suggests a "remaster" for the beloved Nintendo Wii U and Switch title is coming is uncertain. But what was shown was a tech demo on all fronts. It is said to feature various graphical enhancements likely made possible by the more powerful hardware within the Nintendo Switch 2. However, it is the second demo that is the most surprising.

Touched upon by VGC, another showcase was reportedly The Matrix Awakens tech demo for Unreal Engine 5 that debuted on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles two years ago. This rendition seemingly flaunted high-end visuals, including ray tracing, similar to the version on those consoles. This graphical feature has become increasingly common in modern games.

This is thanks to its ability to render more realistic visuals with regard to lighting, shadows, and more. Some visually stunning examples of this on modern systems include Control Ultimate Edition and Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, among others. Since this technology is resource-heavy, the demo is said to use Nvidia's DLSS technology to upscale the game to higher resolutions while minimizing blur.

This last part is not surprising. The current Nintendo Switch uses the Nvidia Tegra X1 SoC, so it is almost a given that its successor would use a more advanced variant of mobile Nvidia hardware. In fact, the next-gen console from Nintendo has been long rumored to use a custom Nvidia Orin-based chipset. So, again, the inclusion of Nvidia's proprietary image reconstruction technique is a no-brainer.

All in all, this does seem to put the Nintendo Switch 2 in a similar ballpark to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S hardware. Interestingly, this behind-closed-doors showcase was first leaked a few days ago. Now, two more sources touching on the validity of this situation suggest there may be more than a grain of truth to it.