Nintendo Switch 3 specs teased before we even have Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t even on store shelves yet, and yet we might already know exactly what kind of tech is going to power the Nintendo Switch 3.

Alright, strap in folks, because this article is about to get complicated.

According to a report by KeyBanc analyst John Vin (per wccftech's Rohail Saleem), Nintendo may have already decided who they're going to partner up with for the development of the Nintendo Switch 3.

So, quick heads up, KeyBanc is a subsidiary of KeyCorp, a financial holding company. KeyBanc’s whole deal is that they offer investment advice. Just putting that out there so you know that the source on this one is a little bit different from the usual kinda we’d use.

Now, Vin’s report is primarily chock-full of investment waffle, but there was one incredibly juicy bit of info buried in it: “We believe INTC [Intel] has won the GPU gaming socket for the Nintendo Switch 3 on 18A.”

Let’s break that down in terms that regular people can understand.

Intel manufacture computer components. GPU stands for “graphics processing unit” (they make graphics render fast, to put it in the most basic terms).

18A is the tricky bit, though. The “18” in 18A refers to a measurement: 1.8 millimetres. Basically, Intel are working towards designing smaller chips for use in computers (and computer-adjacent products, like video game consoles).

From what I understand, this is a big deal. And, it makes sense that Nintendo would be interested in using smaller, better components for a handheld device.

However, there is a little bit of a wrinkle in all this. The Nintendo Switch 2 is going to feature a "custom processor made by NVIDIA", one of Intel's competitors. The OG Nintendo Switch also used an NVIDIA custom Tegra processor.

So why would Nintendo suddenly switch (hah) to a different manufacturer so early in the game? The Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t even out yet, yet this report would imply that they already think a different company can offer them something better.

Well… that might have something to do with the reports of a recent (although not yet finalised) partnership between Intel and NVIDIA.

We’ll have to see how this one plays out before we can say anything for certain, but given the information we currently have, it does all seem pretty feasible.