Nintendo Switch 2 CPU Will Address Critical Limitations, Japanese Developers Reveal
A recent interview published by AUTOMATON has shed new light on how the Nintendo Switch 2 will overcome two of the most significant hardware issues faced by developers on the original console. Japanese engineers who worked on Nintendo Switch ports spoke candidly about how the system’s limited CPU often ran at maximum capacity, making background loading nearly impossible without elaborate workarounds. They noted that either they had to time loading tasks during the rare moments when the CPU was less taxed, or accept drops in performance by forcing loading regardless. According to these engineers, the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2’s much more powerful CPU will eliminate this longstanding bottleneck, allowing developers to handle background tasks more seamlessly and avoid the performance dips seen on the original hardware.
Another key limitation that the Switch 2 reportedly addresses is the base model’s 4 GB of RAM, which proved challenging for studios porting games designed for other consoles like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, each of which has 8 GB of RAM. One developer who ported an open-world RPG described this process as a puzzle, compressing textures as much as possible to make everything fit—a strategy that, somewhat unexpectedly, also improved the game’s visual quality the more space they freed up. Nonetheless, such heavy optimization demanded considerable time and effort, a hurdle that will be less of a concern on the Switch 2 now that it’s expected to feature significantly more memory.
The developers interviewed all appear enthusiastic about the Switch 2’s enhanced hardware, especially those accustomed to working on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S projects. They cite urgent needs for stronger specs to keep parity with other modern platforms, making porting more feasible in an era of demanding 4K textures, complex physics, and broader open worlds. According to multiple sources, the next-generation Nintendo Switch should launch later this year, and analysts predict a price point around $399, though no official pricing has been announced by Nintendo. Most fans and industry observers agree that a more robust CPU and additional memory will be a welcome improvement for both game developers and Switch players.
Which improvement do you think will make the biggest difference for the Nintendo Switch 2—its more powerful CPU or the rumored increase in RAM? Share your thoughts below!
