Finally, more information regarding the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 was revealed at Nintendo Direct, and its supposed specs have us wondering if the impending console can finally put Nintendo viably in the market for fans of racing titles.
Historically speaking when it comes to the games home console market, there are only three major players in the 21st century: Microsoft with the Xbox, Sony with the PlayStation and finally, Nintendo with the likes of the GameCube, Wii and now the Switch. But whilst most major Triple A release titles are almost always on the former two, the equivalent Nintendo console's lineup tends to be made up of exclusives.
Whilst there is not a whole lot on offer for the Switch 2 that would appeal to the racing fan, perhaps the most prominent example is that of Mario Kart World. All Mario Kart games released previously have been the typical by the numbers arcade racing game with menus to go from course to course, but World has gone down the open world route by having one big map.
Of course, Mario Kart is not a game that we would cover on here for the most part. However, even gamers with a very minor understanding of hardware capabilities would be able to realise what a game like Mario Kart World with its large map might mean for the Switch 2.
Is the new Nintendo system going to be able to run more advanced games and what does that mean for us who play dedicated racing titles?
Having a glance at some of the more known racing titles available for the Switch that are on other platforms from major studios, they also include Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered, GRID Autosport, Wreckfest, a few TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge games, World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing, FIA European Truck Racing and potentially even the upcoming NASCAR 25 title.
The F1 Manager games by Frontier have come to Switch of course, but interestingly no indication that the core series titles will come to Switch. In fact, Codemasters and EA Sports with F1 25 are discontinuing the versions for PS4 and Xbox One. The last time a properly licenced core series F1 game released for a Nintendo home console (as opposed to handheld), it was F1 2009 on the Wii, which left something to be desired.
Nintendo's market is of course very lucrative for many platforms, but what has often held them back is their console's hardware specs. But with the Switch 2 being seemingly a huge upgrade, could that spell a large level of interest from more racing game developers?
The same goes for framerate, as the Switch and Switch OLED get up to 60 frames per second whilst the Switch 2 will double that to a maximum of 120FPS (depending on the game being played). Also for those who currently have a Switch or Switch OLED, you may have been frustrated at the abysmally small 32 gigabytes (64 for the OLED) of storage, but as standard with the Switch 2, that will shoot up to 256 GB and you can even get MicroSD cards (like with the first Switch), which can increase it by 2 terabytes.
How about RAM, an important factor for game performance? Currently, there is no confirmed number for the Switch 2, but rumours put it at around 12GB LPDDR5, triple that of the 4 GB LPDDR4 that the Switch and Switch OLED brought to the table. So where does that put it amongst its historically higher performing market rivals?
A regular PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X comes in at 16GB GDDR6, whilst the PS4 and Xbox One came in at 8GB GDDR5 (PS4) and DDR3 (Xbox), so if the figure for the RAM of the Switch 2 is to be believed, that puts it right in the middle. That bodes well for it to potentially have a few more prominent racing games, both in docked and handheld form.
Speaking of handheld, there is a product that can host PC games that way, and that is the SteamDeck. Valve's device has 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and its resolution is 1280x800 pixels. The OLED version of the SteamDeck features a screen that is capable of 90 Hz. While that is below the Switch 2's resolution, that does not necessarily mean the SteamDeck is worse, just different.
When it comes to processors, the Switch 2 will run with a Custom Nvidia Processor both for its CPU and GPU. All things considered, it seems like Nintendo's brand-new console may still trail behind their Xbox and PlayStation equivalents, but not by as much as it used to be - at least for the current generation.
When the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions released, they were considered a big improvement, so if the Switch 2 can operate in that middle ground between the PS4/Xbox One and PS5/Xbox Series X versions of the game, ACC could possibly feasibly work on the Switch 2. Next is Rennsport, which will be coming to consoles at some point following the early access title's full release this year.
Whilst Rennsport is still pretty light on content, it is expected to feature a lot more cars and tracks in the future so this maybe will be stretching the limits on the Switch 2's capabilities, but the bottleneck there might rather be Unreal Engine 5. When it comes to more sim-focused racing titles, that is the sum total of titles that have or will be on console, but there are also a couple of mainstream racing games that could.
Of course, F1 25 is an obvious choice to come to Switch 2, but also with a certain Xbox console exclusive game series now branching out onto PlayStation, Forza Horizon 5 would not be unthinkable. Gran Turismo 7 is probably not likely since it still remains on PlayStation only, which is perhaps why the Forza team thought it best to not port the Motorsport series over since it crosses over too much with the Gran Turismo crowd.
And while Assetto Corsa EVO is also planned to come to consoles, having Kunos Simulazioni's sim on Switch 2 - including its huge Eifel-based open world - seems like a bit too much of a stretch.
These are all of course hypotheticals and there are many elements to consider beyond what we have spoken about. But maybe Switch players might finally be able to get in on the racing fun. All that would be left is for Logitech, Thrustmaster, Fanatec and other hardware manufacturers to make a Switch-compatible steering wheel and pedals.
Or you could make do with this Mario Kart wheel by Hori?
Would you like to see some more racing games come to Nintendo Switch 2? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion on our forums!
Historically speaking when it comes to the games home console market, there are only three major players in the 21st century: Microsoft with the Xbox, Sony with the PlayStation and finally, Nintendo with the likes of the GameCube, Wii and now the Switch. But whilst most major Triple A release titles are almost always on the former two, the equivalent Nintendo console's lineup tends to be made up of exclusives.
Whilst there is not a whole lot on offer for the Switch 2 that would appeal to the racing fan, perhaps the most prominent example is that of Mario Kart World. All Mario Kart games released previously have been the typical by the numbers arcade racing game with menus to go from course to course, but World has gone down the open world route by having one big map.
Of course, Mario Kart is not a game that we would cover on here for the most part. However, even gamers with a very minor understanding of hardware capabilities would be able to realise what a game like Mario Kart World with its large map might mean for the Switch 2.
Is the new Nintendo system going to be able to run more advanced games and what does that mean for us who play dedicated racing titles?
History of Nintendo Racing Games
Immediately we must try to define racing game here, because while the Mario Kart series do of course count as a racing game, we are more referring to motorsport or real world car-aligned titles, such as F1 Manager 2024 - which of course is not even technically a racing game, come to think of it. Undeniably, the most prominent example of a racing game on the Switch are the MotoGP titles and a couple of KT Racing's WRC games.Having a glance at some of the more known racing titles available for the Switch that are on other platforms from major studios, they also include Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered, GRID Autosport, Wreckfest, a few TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge games, World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing, FIA European Truck Racing and potentially even the upcoming NASCAR 25 title.
The F1 Manager games by Frontier have come to Switch of course, but interestingly no indication that the core series titles will come to Switch. In fact, Codemasters and EA Sports with F1 25 are discontinuing the versions for PS4 and Xbox One. The last time a properly licenced core series F1 game released for a Nintendo home console (as opposed to handheld), it was F1 2009 on the Wii, which left something to be desired.
Nintendo's market is of course very lucrative for many platforms, but what has often held them back is their console's hardware specs. But with the Switch 2 being seemingly a huge upgrade, could that spell a large level of interest from more racing game developers?
Switch 2 Specifications
Comparing the Switch 2 to both the original Switch and the Switch OLED (which for all intents and purposes is the equivalent of a PS5 Pro to a PS5), the outputs are a huge step up. When in handheld mode, the resolution for the original and OLED is 720p but when docked for usage on a monitor, that goes up to 1080p. The Switch 2 though can do 1080p in handheld, and that shoots up to 4K HDR when docked.The same goes for framerate, as the Switch and Switch OLED get up to 60 frames per second whilst the Switch 2 will double that to a maximum of 120FPS (depending on the game being played). Also for those who currently have a Switch or Switch OLED, you may have been frustrated at the abysmally small 32 gigabytes (64 for the OLED) of storage, but as standard with the Switch 2, that will shoot up to 256 GB and you can even get MicroSD cards (like with the first Switch), which can increase it by 2 terabytes.
How about RAM, an important factor for game performance? Currently, there is no confirmed number for the Switch 2, but rumours put it at around 12GB LPDDR5, triple that of the 4 GB LPDDR4 that the Switch and Switch OLED brought to the table. So where does that put it amongst its historically higher performing market rivals?
A regular PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X comes in at 16GB GDDR6, whilst the PS4 and Xbox One came in at 8GB GDDR5 (PS4) and DDR3 (Xbox), so if the figure for the RAM of the Switch 2 is to be believed, that puts it right in the middle. That bodes well for it to potentially have a few more prominent racing games, both in docked and handheld form.
Speaking of handheld, there is a product that can host PC games that way, and that is the SteamDeck. Valve's device has 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and its resolution is 1280x800 pixels. The OLED version of the SteamDeck features a screen that is capable of 90 Hz. While that is below the Switch 2's resolution, that does not necessarily mean the SteamDeck is worse, just different.
When it comes to processors, the Switch 2 will run with a Custom Nvidia Processor both for its CPU and GPU. All things considered, it seems like Nintendo's brand-new console may still trail behind their Xbox and PlayStation equivalents, but not by as much as it used to be - at least for the current generation.
What Games Would Be Feasible?
Now we are not saying that the Switch 2 will be able to run iRacing, but we can perhaps consider the sim that has come to Gen 8 consoles, Assetto Corsa Competizione. The GT focused sim may have come to PS4 and Xbox One, but if the testimony of console racers on ACC can be believed, it is a mixed bag performance wise.When the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions released, they were considered a big improvement, so if the Switch 2 can operate in that middle ground between the PS4/Xbox One and PS5/Xbox Series X versions of the game, ACC could possibly feasibly work on the Switch 2. Next is Rennsport, which will be coming to consoles at some point following the early access title's full release this year.
Whilst Rennsport is still pretty light on content, it is expected to feature a lot more cars and tracks in the future so this maybe will be stretching the limits on the Switch 2's capabilities, but the bottleneck there might rather be Unreal Engine 5. When it comes to more sim-focused racing titles, that is the sum total of titles that have or will be on console, but there are also a couple of mainstream racing games that could.
Of course, F1 25 is an obvious choice to come to Switch 2, but also with a certain Xbox console exclusive game series now branching out onto PlayStation, Forza Horizon 5 would not be unthinkable. Gran Turismo 7 is probably not likely since it still remains on PlayStation only, which is perhaps why the Forza team thought it best to not port the Motorsport series over since it crosses over too much with the Gran Turismo crowd.
And while Assetto Corsa EVO is also planned to come to consoles, having Kunos Simulazioni's sim on Switch 2 - including its huge Eifel-based open world - seems like a bit too much of a stretch.
These are all of course hypotheticals and there are many elements to consider beyond what we have spoken about. But maybe Switch players might finally be able to get in on the racing fun. All that would be left is for Logitech, Thrustmaster, Fanatec and other hardware manufacturers to make a Switch-compatible steering wheel and pedals.
Or you could make do with this Mario Kart wheel by Hori?
Would you like to see some more racing games come to Nintendo Switch 2? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion on our forums!
