Topic: The Nintendo Switch Rumor and Speculation Thread

@Ulysses
Worth noting that the Steam Deck is also ~2cm thick in the middle and ~5cm at the grips while here we're talking about something that's basically no thicker than the current Switch. Which honestly makes sense if it allows compatibility with the existing dock. Anyways, these dimensions would suggest a device that's about as tall as the Steam Deck, probably less wide given the Steam Deck goes horizontal to makes space for touchpads, a lot thinner and almost surely a lot lighter

The 2 biggest drawbacks of the Switch hardware were its CPU and memory bandwidth. That shipping website doesn't give any info about the CPU of the Switch success, but it does provide details about its memory configuration: 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM running at 7500T/s.

This puts the memory bandwidth of the Switch successor at ~120GB/s, a very significant jump from the ~25GB/s memory bandwidth of the current Switch.

It'll be called the 'Switch Moo' and be shaped like a cow.

@Uncle_Franklin or the Switch Roo and a smaller model, the Switch Joey. It’d positively be a Switch Zoo..

@NinChocolate

well now you're just being silly.

@Ulysses
i do like the coloured buttons on the mockup and its actually something i would love to see on the switch,2 keeping the europe/japan SNES colour scheme

i find buttons having colours can help when it comes to button presses too, things like QTEs in bayonetta or some of the special attacks in the stick of truth i find easier since i tend to notice the colours before the letters (using those games as an example as they were on 360 which also had colours and letters on its buttons)

I would love the colored buttons. If they are adding more buttons, make the traditional ones pop a little more.

@GrailUK
For me i definitely feel the switch fits in its own niche due to being a console where the others feel more like portable PC's, so will be curious to see what switch 2 is capable of with software specifically made for it, whether it be first or third party. (im hoping that "miracle port"s of games like FFVII remake/rebirth or the like are viable)

really in terms of a console the closest thing to what the switch did would be something like psp-GO which had an accessory which let you dock the system and play on the TV with a controller, though the system had its issues (such as no UMD slot) and the feature wasnt included in vita in favour of the pstv which iirc flopped even harder than the vita.

its one of the reasons im happy to hear that the next system is pretty much confirmed to be a "switch" since i feel the system had too much potential to be only used for one generation, so for me im defintely hoping its a kind of "super switch" with full backwards compatibility (though also hoping the new "joycons" have analogue triggers)

@FishyS It'd be neat if they did a sort of New 3DS type deal. One set could have fully-colored buttons, and another set could have the letters be colored. Best of both worlds, a set for people who want more color, and a set for people who want a more sleek look. Though I suppose that would open the question of "Which design do they go with when making new colored sets?" Still, would be neat to see something along those lines.

The color-button theory is something I hope is correct. I feel like this started when both Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario TTYD remakes had the button-color scheme in-game. If this theory is true, doesn’t that imply backwards compatibility? Because obviously TTYD and SMRPG are Switch games and the colored buttons aren’t really a Switch thing.

Honestly I don’t think I want a Switch Successor without backwards compatibility. We’d just get a bunch of $70 ports/remasters of Switch games. The Switch library is plentiful, so if we had to start from scratch I’d be demotivated to even getting it. That means we’d get even less new games and just expensive ports/remasters instead.

I don’t mind Nintendo bringing back games. I’m actually very supportive of Nintendo doing that, they’ve been choosing some really great games to remake/port/remaster. But if they’re new Switch games I don’t really see the point. Unlike the Wii U, most people getting the Switch Successor have already played the Nintendo Switch games. We don’t need to pay $70 to play each one again. I just want simple backwards compatibility that could potentially upgrade some games.

I don't think backward-compatibility is really much of a question at this point, although I do hope they emphasize the fact whenever the official reveal is so that there is zero confusion.

I am curious if there will be a short list of games (I'm looking at you Ring Fit) which aren't back-compatible for some reason or another, similar to how there are a couple dozen games which don't have cloud save amongst the thousands that do or the occasional game which doesn't support pro controller, etc.

@PikminMarioKirby I've been thinking that for a long time too. We've come so far in the Switch's life, we've seen so many milestones and so many incredible games (New, old, triple-a, indie, etc.) come to the system. The idea of simply starting all over again, regardless of whatever reason, isn't something I can get behind (And I've put up with a lot of Nintendo's shenanigans.) We live in the year 2024, with the successor due for seemingly 2025, there's no reason that backwards compatibility shouldn't be a thing. Nintendo have the money, and the Switch has a fanbase that has accumulated over the past 7+ years. If they can't/won't find a way to make backwards compatibility a thing, they need to. Thankfully, judging by the majority of leaks and seeing Nintendo's attitude towards the current Nintendo account system, it's seeming like a safe bet. And I should hope so, the Switch era was one of Nintendo's most successful. Simply throwing it to the curb just for the sake of doing it all again and making consumers pay again would draw the line for many people, and I wouldn't blame them. Not to mention, the idea of optimizing/revamping players' pre-existing libraries would be a great way of easing them over to next gen. It'd be a great way of establishing just how big a leap the hardware is, and it'd convince many players (Myself included) to talk about those game again, which in turn would generate more of an online conversation, and thus more sales.
@FishyS I could easily see some footage of Super Mario Bros. Wonder or Tears of the Kingdom interspliced in some sizzle-reel towards the end of the trailer. Would be a quick and concise way to get the point across. I was gonna say Smash and Mario Kart as examples, but I could see that just confusing people and having them debate over whether they're new titles or not. It was like that for MK8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2 in the initial Switch reveal.

@PikminMarioKirby
From what I can tell the general view amongst some of the more technically minded is that they could offer backwards compatibility via a GPU compatibility layer with the main source code running directly on the new CPU. But then additionally it would be possible to "update" existing games to enhance them in pretty much any way they want

How they charge (or don't charge) for this? That's less of a technical question that's a bit more up in the air. But my suspicion is that the basic backwards compatibility would be at no charge and just part of the new console. But for more substantial updates to some titles like a possible BotW update.... my gut feeling is for something like BotW it'd be small fee, maybe ~$10, that's waived if you have an active NSO subscription. With other developers possibly making different decisions

@skywake My worst fear is that they don't have those updates free or for a small fee, but instead tie them only to expansion pack. And of course make it so it goes away when you leave expansion pack. If it were normal NSO that would be fine, but that seems too un-greedy.

I mean do you really want to force your audience to have a backpack to use it as a handheld? Isn't that too limiting? Unless you're a student that plans on taking it to school (which... wouldn't be very wise) I don't think there's much utility for a backpack handheld in the first place.

Not quite the new IP I'd be excited for, but sure, why not?

Okay I would love this concept. The modular nature of the Switch has so much potential, if they can expand on it with new peripherals and ways to connect it with other devices that would be amazing.

Soo... you're saying Switch is useless? 🤔 You may be in the wrong forum then.

Obviously you don't need a backpack, you can use a large purse, a car, a bathroom counter, etc. Personally I carry it in a backpack on planes and trains mainly. But yeah, normal Switch definitely would not fit in almost any pocket so I don't really see the change with making it slightly larger for Switch 2. People seem to enjoy it as a handheld nonetheless.

...as a handheld. I almost always use it docked. It really needs to fit in your pocket to be a good handheld.

Thing is that carrying around a bag all of the time is pretty tedious so I'd prefer not to unless I'm carrying around a large load (say, something larger than a cereal box). A handheld console doesn't need to be that large, they can make it more compact. By you know, making it a clamshell like the DS and 3DS.

I don't really see why people are so okay with the Switch as a handheld TBH. Having to get a bag just to carry around your handheld feels like overkill, and especially is irritating when the last 20 years of handhelds before it have been designed to fit in your pocket (GB, GBC, GBA, DS, and 3DS could all fit in your pocket, why wasn't the Switch designed to as well?).

@Bolt_Strike In surveys, about half of people use Switch mainly docked and half use mainly handheld. So I guess it works for many people. For me, I do also play docked the majority of the time, but when I play handheld it is rarely outdoors, it's usually at my home or on a trip of some sort where carrying it is not an issue. Also, fun fact, most women's clothes don't even have pockets.

I'm not actually sure if I have ever tried to shove any handheld in a pocket. 🤔

@FishyS I've often carried my handhelds in situations where it needs to be carried, such as shopping trips. In those situations I would always keep it in my pocket. I would very much like to know where people would keep their Switch in a situation like that. Especially an adult man like myself, which is a demographic that doesn't typically have some sort of bag to carry around something large.

Women's clothing not having pockets is a problem (one that kind of goes beyond the topic of this thread), but even so, a more compact handheld that could allow them to fit more in their purse or possibly fit it in a smaller pocket would probably benefit them too. That can only be a good thing.

@FishyS in recent years I’ve come think of the undocked Switch (particularly the Oled) not as a handheld, but as portable mini TV. But perhaps that’s my 90’s brain’s way of looking at it. I suppose in present day we have tablets. So much like a tablet, the switch isn’t categorically a handheld, but it is a portable device. I think when Nintendo increases (and did increase) the size of the switch, they do so in the mindset of tablet technology and not with the philosophy that their DS series of devices were designed. The Switch Lite was definitely a concession in the direction of handheld gaming, and I’m hopeful they can get that even smaller to get back to having a pocket device, because I think there’s a market for truly compact display gaming.