Switch 2 featured a next-generation tech showcase demoed with Unreal Engine 5.
Nintendo is said to have shown off tech demos for the Nintendo Switch successor behind closed doors at Gamescom.
This is according to VGC, who stated that chosen developers were shown examples of the Switch 2 behind closed doors. These talks reportedly included technical shows displaying how effectively the system would work. One of these seemed to be a 2021 tech demo for Epic Games’ The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5. This demo had originally been created to show what the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S were capable of, with the Switch 2 version reportedly also operating on Nintendo’s desired specifications.
Additionally, it appeared to be using advanced ray tracing and Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology, which is generally used for PC games. The visuals appeared to be on par with those of the PS5 and Xbox Series range.
According to Eurogamer, who also confirmed those claims, Nintendo additionally showed an improved version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that was created particularly to make use of the greater target specifications of the successor platform. Eurogamer did point out that this was only a tech demo and that there was no sign of a scheduled game re-release.
According to an earlier claim from VGC, the Switch 2 will most likely be introduced in late 2024, with the expectation that it will still be portable like the present edition. However, one rumored drawback is that it will debut with an LCD panel, which represents a slight step back from the OLED version that launched earlier in 2021.
Nintendo doesn’t have much else coming out this year, though it does have Super Mario Bros. Wonder coming out next week, which the company recently teased in a special Direct. It is, however, somewhat bittersweet because Charles Martinet, who has played the red-and-blue plumber for almost 30 years, will no longer be providing the voice of Mario.