NVIDIA Tegra chips will power the upcoming Nintendo Switch. It is also the key that will make it possible for outside games to be ported to the Switch.
NVIDIA CEO Confirms Game Portability
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said that the Tegra chip has basically the same design with that of the Windows PC, Xbox One and PS4. Basically, this means that any game in the various platforms can also be played in the Switch after a few adjustments from the developers.
There will still be differences in terms of design and processing power among the various game platforms, according to Huang. Tegra is also based on the ARM design while the Xbox and PlayStation are based X86 architecture. All of them however, share the same "architectural language", according to NVIDIA blog.
Nintendo Switch And Third Party Games
The Nintendo Switch video reveal last October showed various third party games that were not available even for the Wii U console. Most notable of those games is Bethesda's "Skyrim" which was shown being played in the Switch's console and mobile mode. Neither Nintendo nor Bethesda had made any comments about "Skyrim's" inclusion as Switch game title. There rumors however, that a "Skyrim" Switch version will also be included on the March 2017 launch date.
Nintendo has its own game titles such as "Super Mario" and "Zelda" and there is a number of third party game developers supporting the Japanese company's various game platforms. Nintendo players however, have only limited games to choose from in contrast to Xbox One and PS4 players.
Nintendo Switch - More Processing Power
Nintendo consoles such as the Wii U are also at a disadvantage when it comes to processing power. This time however, that would change with the Switch. It's still underpowered compared to the current gen game platforms but the customized and latest gen Tegra chip will enable it to play many of the popular third party games.
