Nintendo Switch release date, news: Switch won't have the horsepower to match the PS4

Nintendo has been keeping things wrapped up until their Switch presentation next month, but some details may have been leaked if the rumors are true. VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi has reported that a couple of their sources told them the Switch would use Nvidia's last-generation Maxwell architecture for its Tegra chip instead of the newer Pascal architecture.

Apparently, the Pascal was not ready on time to make it into the custom Tegra chip that was going into the Switch. This means the console won't be as powerful as a basic PlayStation 4 (PS4). Well, that's kind of a letdown if it's true.

The report says Nintendo just couldn't wait because they felt that they needed to replace the Wii U as soon as possible and introduce the hybrid console before someone else introduces a better product. The company just does not want to risk delaying the Switch's release or it would suffer the same fate as the Wii U when it came out.

The Switch is believed to have one teraflop of computation power. For the sake of comparison, the PS4 has around 1.8 teraflops, while the Xbox Scorpio will allegedly have six teraflops of computation power. The Switch may not be as powerful as those consoles, but it should have no problem running Nintendo-style games.

While some insiders may say that Nintendo should have waited for the Pascal, analyst Jon Peddie does not seem to think that the company's strategy is risky at all.

"Too many pundits and fan boys and investors make a serious mistake when they try to compare and contrast Nintendo with Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo has a niche in the affordable, accessible product, and performance is never a leading criteria for them. It is gameplay and immersion. They are never a technology pioneer. Trying to compare Nintendo to Sony is like comparing a Volkswagen to a Corvette. It's a facetious and fallacious analogy and a discredit to fans who love Nintendo."