Nintendo is aiming to reduce system resource allocation on its upcoming console, the Switch 2, by around 50%, based on a new rumor.
Known insider MattAgain responded to a fellow Famiboards member who speculated that the best possible scenario for the future of operating system resource allocation on the Nintendo Switch 2 would be the availability of 2 to 2.4 GB of RAM to developers and no changes in the availability of CPU cores. In his response, Matt mentioned hearing from sources familiar with the matter that the console maker is looking to reduce system memory allocation to 2 GB and CPU allocation to 1 core, but he has idea when or if that will be accomplished.
The insider did mention, however, that more resources have been released since the earlier Nintendo Switch 2 development environment was made available to developers, and he expects this to continue.
This is a bit of a no-brainer, as all console makers, including Nintendo, have historically tried to reduce RAM allocation for system operations during the course of each console generation. The original Switch too received a 20% reduction in system memory allocation over the course of its lifespan. As such, it’s certain that its upcoming successor will also see similar improvements. The interesting bit here is that Nintendo is aiming to bring down the Switch 2 system’s CPU core allocation from the current 2 cores down to just 1. As Matt said, whether it will achieve this is anybody’s guess.
Either way, developers will welcome any freeing of resources from the Switch 2 operating system, as it would allow them to improve game performance in situations where the CPU and/or memory are a bottleneck.
In related news, a recent analysis of the Nintendo Switch 2 SoC offered a detailed benchmark of the upcoming console’s CPU and GPU, revealing a chip that is more advanced and larger in scale than initially expected.. Read about it here.
