A lot of the times it's hard to gauge the power of a console based of the hardware specifications. Taking a look under the hood of either the PS4 or Xbox One and you'll find graphics hardware that many would see as ancient in the PC gaming space. In terms of raw clock speeds and power though the leaked Nintendo Switch specifications that have popped up on Twitter and over at Digital Foundry point to a portable device that features hardware similar to Nividia's own Shield TV device. And one that falls short of base PS4 and Xbox One numbers.

But then again, as a pick up an play device, and a portable one too, we shouldn't be all that surprised. What is surprising though is that Nintendo has opted for the Nvidia's Tegra X1 chip featuring second generation Maxwell technology. As opposed to the more recent Pascal technology, which would have resulted in more power and most likely better battery performance. This adds considerable weight to the rumour that Nintendo had finalised the Switch hardware earlier this year, with the March 2017 release date having more to do with software being ready than anything on the hardware front.

The leaked specs also confirm the Switch screen as 6.2-inch IPS LCD 720p, with the unit itself able to out put at 1080p once docked. In terms of performance though the Nvidia Tegra X1 in the unit is said to be down-clocked in portable mode (significantly too) compared to Nvidia's own Shield device, with more speed available once the system is docked. As to what effect this will have on games remains to be seen, but it could potentially result in certain titles that will run natively in 1080p docked and then run and display in 720p in portable mode.

All in all the Nintendo Switch won't wow tech enthusiasts with its raw numbers, but as it stands the unit is expected to be more powerful than the Wii U. And if it has no problem running the latest Zelda title either on a TV or in the palm of your hand, we're still in for one hell of a new ride.

We'll have a lot more Switch content in the new year once Nintendo reveal the price point, software line-up, and we go hands on with real units.