New Nintendo Switch 2 leaks suggest it'll be based on Nvidia RTX 5090 architecture

The Nintendo Switch 2 rumors have been ramping up over the past few weeks, and a reliable source may have hinted at a shocking revelation. X (formerly Twitter) user kopite7kimi was asked about the rumored Tegra 254, and they suggested it was based on the Nvidia Blackwell architecture, For those not in the know, it is what drives the upcoming RTX 5000 series cards from Nvidia.

This comes after a previous leak suggesting that the next-gen Nintendo Switch will be utilizing the Tegra 254 and not the 239.

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Could the Nintendo Switch 2 actually feature an Nvidia Blackwell GPU?

A user asked kopite7kimi about what the latest leak entailed and how it suggested that the Tegra 239, while real, was intended for the Nintendo Switch Pro console. This device, unfortunately, never saw the light of day, and it is suggested that Nintendo dropped that chip in favor of the superior Tegra 254 at the behest of Nvidia.

This does complicate things quite a fair bit. The 254 was said to be canned by the last rumor and repurposed by Nvidia for Nintendo's use. But over the past few years, it is the Tegra 239 that has been touted to be inside the upcoming Nintendo system. This was alluded to by various unrelated leaks by different industry insiders, which revealed that the 239 is a real thing.

But assuming Nintendo has opted for the repurposed Tegra 254 in a change of plans, which is what the last leak suggests, this means it could be far more powerful than expected. At the same time, this throws the chronology of things into a frenzy.

The current chip is rumored to be in many third-party developers' hands, so it makes no sense that a chip whose consumer end cards are not coming until 2025 will be utilized in the Nintendo Switch 2. Furthermore, leaks from insiders, including Nvidia employees, make no mention of a Tegra 254. However, the currently rumored chip is also suggested to be inefficient, assuming it will be based on 8 nm.

It really remains to be seen how things turn out in the long run. Could this 254 be something different from what the leakers hint at? Or is it the 239, which sounds like a safe bet at this point? Perhaps something else entirely? Fans will need to wait for an official announcement to find out.

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Wondering how powerful the new portable console will be? Check out our speculative Nintendo Switch 2 piece to get an idea.