Topic: Switch Pro, Upgraded Dock, or Switch Mini?

How about a Switch that would be a mobile phone too. Would make the online more streamlined maybe.

@skywake I would agree with your last two points. I see no use nor feasibility in a Swrtch Mini. Nothing on the Switch could be made smaller, except maybe for the internals, when future technology will allow for putting more hardware on a smaller PCB, which would lean more towards your second point, the Switch Pro.

That was also basically what I was describing in my initial comment in this thread, where I summed up a Switch with more RAM, uncapped CPU and more internal storage, which for all intents and purposes would indeed be a Switch Pro, although I labeled it "The New" as in what Nintendo did with the 3DS, which was more or less the same.

And the hardware does need to remain compatible, if it is going to be a Switch, so it will need to stay Tegra-based. Nvidia will more than likely continue on from here, and not invent an entirely different chipset to use in any future Nintendo console. Unless that's not going to be a new Switch but something entirely different, something I've also already mentioned.

Completely agreed on the revised dock scenario, though. Putting extra hardware for more power in there, would make absolutely no sense, but upgrading the existing components for better visuals and so on definitely would make sense.

@Agriculture That could be possible, but a better chipset would amount to an improved Switch, not necessarily a Switch 2. A completely different iteration, hopefully backwards compatible, could have an even better chipset, but for that to happen, prices will need to go down first for all parties to be able to make a profit off of it, and all newer Tegra tech is, at the moment, still quite expensive, so that's not going to happen for some time to come, as in several years.

The Switch came out early 2017. Console cycles are hard to estimate nowadays, but if we look at Xbox 360 and PS3, they had 7-8 years. Do you think until 2024-2025 the prices have gone down enough?

It's weird, because for some reason consumers are willing to pay far less for game consoles compared to other electronics.

@Agriculture Yeah, that's true. In that respect, you could say that gaming, even though much more accepted than when I was young, is still a bit niche, or at least secondary to other luxuries.

In a way, it does make some sense, though: to be able to play games and watch movies in their ultimate form, you need a good TV and a good sound system, so obviously, a lot of cash will go in that direction for a lot of people.

But concerning the Switch or it's inevitable successor, it's not so much about what we as consumers would want to pay, but what Nintendo would want to pay for the components, or what kind of deal Nvidia would want to make with Nintendo. Obviously, Nintendo would want to pay the least to get the most, and both they and Nvidia need to be able to make a profit off of it, so considering that the estimated price of more advanced Tegra chipsets is now valued at anywhere between $300 - $500, based upon the going rate, that would mean that it will take quite a few years before that price comes down.

EDIT:
And mind you, for that price, you'd only have a chipset: no finished PCB, console casing, controllers and screen, so all in all, that would mean a $600 Switch Deluxe/Switch 2. Nobody in his or her right mind would pay that amount of money for a Nintendo console...

The most natural, and easy way for that to happen, would be when Nvidia comes out with a newer chipset to succeed the X2, making the X2 obsolete in its core target area, which would make it become available for a much lower price for another industry such as gaming.

Another, less organic scenario, is if Nintendo cooperates with Nvidia to make an entirely new, custom chipset that's completely tailored to their needs, but even though that could be a reasonably priced component in and of itself, the research and development of it would of course also not be for free, so either way, a lot of money would be involved.

But to answer your question: no, it won't take until 2024. Think more along the lines of the next 3-4 years. Like with consoles, once the current chipset is out, the next one will already be in development.

I could see them one day bringing out a 'Switch Pro' (or whatever) PLUS a Dock upgrade/expansion for the current Switch so that 'Switch Pro' games can be played on the old version in 'docked only' mode - that way, at least, nobody would get left behind...but, personally, I don't expect to see anything of the like before, say, 2020.

My guess is that, first of all, they'll release a budget version of the Switch to effectively replace the 3DS at the 'entry level' end of the market - then, perhaps after a couple of years, they might look to release an 'upgraded' version of the Switch (perhaps 1080p undocked/4K docked?) as well as a Dock upgrade for the current Switch so that 'New Switch' games can run on the old console in 'docked only' mode...the reason that I think that they've at least left such a possibility open is that the Switch Dock has an unused USB 3.0 connection in the back - and a huge 'wasted' cavity as well - which leads me to believe that they may be considering filling that cavity with something that can connect to the USB input at some point (?) tidily concealed away in the back of the Dock. It could be that that's just a design choice to leave various possibilities for the future open but, either way, I can't see an 'upgrade' coming any time soon - my feeling is that they'll look to make something to replace the 3DS first, then perhaps consider making something to keep them relatively close to whatever Sony/Microsoft have in the future...certainly interesting to think about either way! Good discussion!

You know, the concept of a switch mini doesn't really mean the thing needs to be a miniature size. I believe most of us that like the idea just use the term to call a cheaper version with permanent controllers and maybe a slightly different form factor. Basically a switch that's more immediately a handheld than a home console.

It doesn't need to be like 50% smaller or something like that.

It's just that including the controllers as a permanent part of the system, and thus not including the technology inside the regular joycon, could give space for a smaller form factor.

Specially if they reduce the size of the screen by an inch or so, maybe make it a little thicker to have things organized differently inside. The internals of the switch itself can be basically the same size.

@NaviAndMii That so-called wasted space in the backside of the dock isn't wasted space at all: it's the outlet of the heat duct. It's more or less meant both as insulation and as an outlet for the heat generated by the Switch operating in a higher gear when in docked mode. If you would stuff that with additional hardware, there wouldn't be sufficient room left for that purpose.

And from a technical/parity point of view, an upgraded dock would make even less sense, because the difference between docked and undocked would be too big, either making the undocked experience seriously inferior, or as I already mentioned in a previous comment, it wouldn't inspire developers to make use of those benefits at ALL, because of that very difference, so instead, they would just stick to making the most of the portable experience, and only adding minor benefits for docked play.

Long story short: a hardware upgraded dock is not going to happen. At most, it will be the upgraded versions of the components that are already in there, like @skywake already mentioned in his useful addition to this topic.

@Meowpheel If it's not supposed to be smaller, then why not call it a Switch Lite? Mini automatically makes people think of smaller, and the screen is already more than small enough, so naturally, most people would be against that...
EDIT:
I also don't see the "fused-to-the-console" controllers happen: the JoyCon are an intrinsic and important part of what makes the Switch the console that it is, so to take that away, would make no sense whatsoever. Another form factor could happen, but JoyCon glued to the system, not so much.

For reference, just look at the Wii Mini: completely different form factor, but the control methods were still very much the same as the original Wii.

So in short the most likely things happening are a Switch Pro with the Switch Mini and Upgraded Dock being the most unrealistic choices?

@ThanosReXXX because because? It sounds kinda cute.

It would end up being a bit smaller I guess.

Anyway, just having a switch with permanent built in control methods doesn't mean it would be incompatible with regular joycon. It just means you can't stick them on the system.

@iLikeUrAttitude All three are possible, just not in the way that some people seem to think:

The Switch Pro, as an updated/upgraded current model Switch is indeed the most likely, but a Switch Mini/Lite could also happen, as long as it sticks to the formula of what the Switch is, and lastly, the upgraded dock could also happen, only with the same components it already has, just more recent iterations of it, so faster HDMI, USB-C connectors and so on.

Anything other than that, will probably be kept for an entirely new model console, but not for the Switch as we know it.

@Meowpheel I think Nintendo should stay away from being perceived as cute, if they want to (continue to) be taken seriously by both gamers and the industry/the market. After all, "cute" is just a variation on "kiddy"...

Then again this is just us talking about silly things. Nintendo has nothing to do with the switch mini, nor the switch pro. They're just concepts we came up with.

Knowing them, if they do release a similar thing to our concept of a switch mini they'll call it something weird like "The Nintendo Switch Me"

@Meowpheel True, but it's undeniable that there's inevitably going to be either an upgrade or a full-blown successor. Nintendo's R&D department will by now already have been tinkering away for about a year or so...

And I doubt they will be using fan names for their console upgrades.

@Meowpheel Who said that they would? The terms "Mini", "Lite" and "The New" have all already been used by Nintendo themselves, so it isn't really all that far-fetched.

Personally, though, I'm leaning more towards a full-blown successor instead of an incremental upgrade, but I guess we'll find out eventually anyways...

@ThanosReXXX I disagree...if you look at the internal structure of the current Dock - and pay particular attention to the positioning of the unused USB-in port - it looks, to me, like they've deliberately left ample space there to at least give themselves an option to have something fairly sizeable permanently plugged in at the back of the Dock in the future.

On your second point (parity), the Dock upgrade would only be for the 'old' Switch - and would only be there to allow 'New Switch' games to play in 'docked only' mode (not handheld) for those that don't want to buy a mid-gen console upgrade...to me, it'd make a lot of sense - it'd be like when they made the 'New 3DS' but, on top, also providing an option for people to 'upgrade' their old 3DS - win/win.

None of us are all-seeing Oracles - and none of us know 'the plan' going forward ..personally, I think that they've deliberately left all options open to give them as much choice and flexibility in their approach going forward as possible - and I think that it's undeniable that they've at least left the 'Dock upgrade' option open, which is the smart thing to do (whether they use it or not) ...but, regarding the future, we're all just guessing - no guess is better or worse than any other at this point

@NaviAndMii If you mean plugged in externally, then I would agree, but you cannot disagree on facts that are known, and that the space and ducts in the dock are there for a certain purpose, and that is heat dissipation. There's no debating that.

And although I'm no oracle, what I actually DO know is hardware, and what its purpose is, how it's supposed to work, what it's limits are and I can make highly educated guesses, based upon my 20+ years of experience in IT-related sales & marketing. Hardware in consoles isn't really all that different, so the comparisons are fairly straight forward.

On your upgraded dock point: other than the New line of handhelds, I don't think that Nintendo is going to do the same with the Switch, so I just don't see an upgraded dock as something marketable or even profitable, so I'd estimate that chances of something like that are slim to none.

Of course, Nintendo will always do what ever it is that they will do, surprising or baffling us 9 out of 10 times, but purely based on what can be done with the hardware and so on, it isn't really all that hard to see what the possible options are with the existing systems.

For a completely new console, it's indeed basically anyone's guess.

@ThanosReXXX I think we’ve all (on this board) had the conversation about potential SKUs over and over again.

My position is pretty clear - as Switch matures Nintendo would be crazy not to release SKUs to target different niches in the market. However the limitations will be dictated by marketing considerations not just technical ones.

A cheap handheld only SKU that seemingly scraps core marketing bullets (“2DSwitch”), a more powerful Switch that divides the user base slightly (“Switch Pro”), a Switch that adds a tiny bit more power but more for system things than games (“New Switch”) and a dirt cheap but equally powerful home console only version without a screen (“Switch TV”) all seem very possible to me because they’d each fulfill a marketing role and allow Nintendo to pitch to slightly different groups.

I guess I’d see Apple as the good standard here. The iPhone the iPad and the Apple TV are all basically the same hardware line and almost identical software in different physical formats. It’s an ecosystem approach that Nintendo is hopefully copying (& based on comments from Iwata that is the plan). Copying that could mean the “Switch family” is still going strong long after 1st generation Switch units have stopped working.

The idea of a more powerful dock is crazy though. It’s technically possible I’m sure but there’s no marketing justification for it, no group who it would sell to who isn’t already going to buy into the ecosystem, and historically the takeup for even the best and most essential optional upgrades is really poor.

@ThanosReXXX ...but you talk as though I'm somehow lacking in knowledge?

There's a concealed USB port: if it were meant for something external, it wouldn't have been too difficult to make it an external port - but instead they concealed it away within a cavity inside the Dock - it wouldn't be there at all if they weren't at least giving themselves the option of being able to plug something in to it at some point...to me, either they have a plan for that USB port - or it's just there as some kind of 'future proofing' exercise to give themselves a bit of flexibility going forward - it was certainly a deliberate design choice, but whether or not they have a plan for it though (and what that plan may be) is anyone's guess

All I'm saying is that it could be that some kind of USB connected, performance boosting unit could get plugged in to it one day...I quite liked that the Expansion Pak accessory gave my N64 a bit of extra grunt towards the end of its lifecycle - and, because she's so attached to her pink 3DS XL, I have no doubt that my girlfriend would sooner buy an Expansion Pak (type thing) for her 3DS than buy a New 3DS to replace it - so I think that there would definitely be a market for such a thing on the Switch down the line (for people who don't want to upgrade to a 'New Switch', but would still want to play the 'New' games)

..and I don't think that such a thing is beyond the realms of possibility - the Switch is a pretty 'future proofed' gadget already (eg. 2TB MicroSD compatibility) and you could cram a lot of tech in to the back of the Dock if you so wished - but I'd be the first to admit that I could be proved way, way wrong in time! ..as you say, Nintendo do have this habit of doing the unexpected (long may it continue!) so for all we know they could be heading in an entirely unforeseen direction with the Switch altogether!

@NaviAndMii
You can plug the LAN adapter into that port or any number of potential dongles. I doubt its there for any reason other than that