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Report: Nintendo Switch 2 DLSS Might Not Be as Powerful as It Sounds

Draugoth

Gold Member
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Transcript via IGN

Sources have reportedly told Digital Foundry that the custom Nvidia T239 chip rumored to be in the next iteration of the Nintendo Switch does not include deep learning accelerator (DLA) capability, which may have a big impact on its DLSS upscaling capabilities. With DLA, DLSS upscaling would effectively be "free," or at least require quite a bit less CPU power. Without it, the Switch 2 may be limited to 1080p, or "possibly 1440p if you're lucky, depending on the game."

These estimations are based on broadly equivalent hardware and remains far from confirmed. However, it potentially puts a dent in the Switch 2's capabilities, which have been rumored to be in the range of the Xbox Series S.

DLSS (which stands for Deep Learning Super Sampling) has been at the center of the rumors swirling around a potential Switch 2 for over a year now, with the first references to DLSS and the Tegra 239 graphics chip as potential Switch 2 features popping up in the massive NVIDIA hack that occurred in March 2022. Earlier this month, Digital Foundry published a detailed deep dive into the rumored custom processor and its likely capabilities.

Woopah Woopah is right. You guys are talking about DLA without even knowing what it is. DLSS runs on the Tensor Cores (which the T239 for Switch 2 has (48 of them to be precise)). DLA is a fixed-function hardware that is only present on the Orin/Xavier SoC's Nvidia has for automotive/AI edge/Robotics etc. It's not present on Nvidia GPUs for desktop or mobile...

Someone wrongly told Rich that Nvidia kept the DLA hardware from the Orin SoC (and thus why he cited the DLA possibility on his video testing PC specs for switch 2), but we know that the T239 is a very customized SoC, with many blocks from the Orin SoC (T234) being removed, and we already knew for a long time now that the DLA block wasn't present.

So, just to be clear, DLSS runs on Tensor Cores, which the Switch 2 will have, and normal nvidia GPUs don't even have DLA hardware. Also, there's absolutely no evidence that DLA could even help with DLSS. Maybe it could, we just don't know.

With all that said, with switch 2 having 48 Tensor Cores, there probably will be compromises. DLSS isn't free. But for that we can only wait and see.
 
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Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
Anyone expecting a Nintendo platform to have any semblance of cutting-edge technology is likely to be disappointed. I’m hopeful that the T239 is a serious enough chip to feel like a generational upgrade, but there’s no way it’s gonna blow people away.
 

Azelover

Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was.
I think we might be focused on the wrong things. We don't know what it's gonna look like. What if the horsepower is similar to a Switch 1's? Maybe they will bring something else to the table. We really don't know..
 
People expecting a very powerful Nintendo console are going to be sorely disappointed. Sure, it will be considerably more powerful than the Switch, but I feel it will be on par with the XBOX One or PS4 power-wise. I’m keeping my expectations in check.
 
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CS Lurker

Member
I don't remember any of the main rumours mentioning DLA. Just that it will have DLSS.

There is no DLSS without tensor cores/ai hardware acceleration.

DLSS is an algorithm that runs in specialized hardware on Nvidia’s chips. Without the hardware, no DLSS.

Woopah Woopah is right. You guys are talking about DLA without even knowing what it is. DLSS runs on the Tensor Cores (which the T239 for Switch 2 has (48 of them to be precise)). DLA is a fixed-function hardware that is only present on the Orin/Xavier SoC's Nvidia has for automotive/AI edge/Robotics etc. It's not present on Nvidia GPUs for desktop or mobile...

Someone wrongly told Rich that Nvidia kept the DLA hardware from the Orin SoC (and thus why he cited the DLA possibility on his video testing PC specs for switch 2), but we know that the T239 is a very customized SoC, with many blocks from the Orin SoC (T234) being removed, and we already knew for a long time now that the DLA block wasn't present.

So, just to be clear, DLSS runs on Tensor Cores, which the Switch 2 will have, and normal nvidia GPUs don't even have DLA hardware. Also, there's absolutely no evidence that DLA could even help with DLSS. Maybe it could, we just don't know.

With all that said, with switch 2 having 48 Tensor Cores, there probably will be compromises. DLSS isn't free. But for that we can only wait and see.
 
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Mister Wolf

Gold Member
DLSS on the Super Switch will be better than any other temporal upscaler available on consoles including FSR, Insomniac's Temporal Injection, and Unreal's TSR. Monolith Soft already use temporal upscaling in Xenoblade 3 so I already know they will be all over DLSS.
 

Robb

Gold Member
Sure, not sure what people are expecting. I’m personally just happy that Nintendo is seemingly adapting DLSS at all.
 

StueyDuck

Member
While we'll only really actually know anything when the console is announced.

Those who were expecting mini PS5s playing the RT matrix awakens demo at 60 were always way off base.

Temper expectations as one always should, anything stronger than current switch is a big upgrade and that's how we should all be viewing it
 
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Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
I mean, if it comes next year can people really expect it to be so much better than say, the Steam Deck (1) yet cost less? Gotta temper those expectations folks, true next gen games will probably still have "miracle ports" with huge concessions if at all, but games made primarily for it will look great.
 
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