ARM Confirms That The Nintendo Switch's Chipset Is Very Close To Tegra X1 Spec

Cue the freak outs.

Its still good for what it is kids.

Well that's a shame.

Finally some confirmation.

Now where are the games?

Shame. But we've already seen that their optimisation (and custom hardware I assume) is doing wonders! I'm really proud of the technology on show in this console

Did ARM have anything to say about Arms?

very close because it's more powerful or less powerful?

A bit gutting that they've not gone with the cutting edge, but so long as they provide the games, and 3rd parties are able to bring their games over, I see no problem. From what I've seen of the Switch so far, the graphics and general performance is pretty darn good.

So will it at least look XBone level or will it be PS360 like?

too bad. the pascal range is very power efficient. more so than maxwell, from what i've read/seen. not surprising as new technology to nintendo is like garlic to a vampyre.

@kamikazilucas I thought it was supposed to be less powerful. It's been underclocked quite considerably both when docked and undocked, at least that's what I understood. Think may have been this site where I read it too.

Dead in the water.

I remember reading the rumours that they couldn't wait for the X2 to be mass producable and in a way I understand. Still, it's going to haunt them big time. And it's not just about power that the X2 chip has benefits.

I'm sure it will do the job, and as we have seen 1080p at 60FPS looks lovely. Let's be honest, why do you need more than that? I wager roughly 1% of folk have 4KTVs at home - and of that 1% I bet hardly any have them set up to even see the quality difference properly.

As long as we can get modern games, I don't care. And given we got several Xbox 360/One and PS3/4 ports/co-launches on Wii U with no issue when thought was put into them, I'm sure it'll work out.

Due to the portable nature of the console, didn't Digital Foundry say the processors are underclocked in comparison to the original Shield?

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Here's a medal. Obviously everyone will go cancel their orders now right.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Thank you Miss Cleo.

If only Nintendo were privy to your unsurpassed wisdom and foresight... they might have stood a chance /s

@AG_Awesome Probably somewhere in between.

No doubt we'll be seeing 200+ comments here with the usual crowd calling it dead on arrival.While it wasn't confirmed up till now,it's been pretty clear for a while it was based it around the Maxwell chip rather than the Pascal.We've seen the games coming,Arms,Splatoon 2 and Mario all look fantastic.Do they suddenly look not so fantastic now that we know for sure it's X1 based?Of course not.

Ok honestly I dont care about specs teraflops or any of that other nonsense I dont care what is on the inside of a PS4, XBox1, or the Switch just give me quality games to play

Oh and the people who say the graphics will suck are the same people who played Shovel Knight and fell in love with it like come on graphics arent everything

@FragRed probably yeah

I'll be honest. I don't know nor really care much for this tech jargon. As long as it's portable, not too expensive for me(by video game standards) and can play games like BotW, I think I'll be fine.

It's interesting to know and I'm sure it matters to some people, but it won't affect my decision too much.

@JaxonH @BLP_Software Should I screengrab your nonsense for a later date when I can tell you, I told you so? Nintendo are their own worst enemy. I've been right all throughout Nintendo's history whether their product will be successful or not. Right now, the Switch is on the path to failure.

This doesn't surprise me at all. Nintendo is well known for selling hardware at a profit and I don't recall them releasing anything cutting edge since the N64. So far I'm very impressed with the graphics and the portable nature of the console. If it runs games fine at 1080p 60 on a tv then in portable more it should be just fine and that's probably how I'll spend 75% or more of my time with the system.

Oookkeeeyyy...
Let's the complaints and disappointments begin!!
again...

So that's what makes the new zelda game look bofas out amazing?

actually it is still powerful! This won't affect the hype.

@th3r3ds0x you got that right!

inb4 mass REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Knock yourself out.

"I've been right throughout Nintendo's history"

I don't know what's more amusing, the fact you think a console is dead in the water simply for using a slightly less powerful chip, or that you actually believe you're foresight is anything more than a lucky guess.

I suppose you predicted the SNES would sell 40m, the N64 32m, the GameCube 20m, and I'm sure you were here telling everyone how the Wii was going to do 100m before it launched, yes. And 3DS, when everyone was saying how dead it was, I know you were here telling everyone otherwise because you knew it would turn around...

Gtfo lol

I don't think that was a bad specs.
As long the games sold in huge numbers, the internal specs doesn't really matter at all.
For me, the HD image for Mario Odysey was more than enough.

Most machines I play on are powered by a power cord or a battery.
Switch has both, double the power!

Still don't care, it's the games I care about.

Considering that the Xbox One runs 8 cores at 1.75 ghz, that's actually what i expected: approximately half the power of the Xbox One, and i honestly am pretty happy with that.

Edit: there is a large possibility that the customization is in the GPU portion of the chipset rather than the CPU.

It will just give Nintendo a reason to offer an enhanced model in 3 years. When sales start to level off bam, here's the New Switch! 😉

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Its called having an alternative opinion on the outcome of something we have no data for yet. It's called optimism. Screengrab this rare concept.

You've been right all throughout their history as to the their success? Well Ive been right all throughout history about when 3am is. Want a reward for that? What makes it special?

Here's my thing: Optimism isn't hard. I'm clinically depressed and I can pull that off at least. Is it going to sell well? I have no damn idea. As a person with interest in the system for reasons I won't disclose here at this time, I hope it does well. But do I know it will, or it will not? No. Know why? Because everything has a chance of success. Even in the most ungodly odds, it can happen and should not be discounted.

@JaxonH Bro, me and ye know this, its a lost battle here. Time to get drunk wooooo! Ive missed this /s my liver hurts

As for the 3DS? I think the guy was Colin Moriarty. Said something about the Vita selling well because more powerful or something...because that historically has guaranteed success....all of one time called the PS4.

But what do I know, data can mean anything you want it to right?

@JaxonH Right, games sell systems and pretty much everybody has been wowed by Zelda then just wait till Mario comes out then they can Wow again. Nintendo has to keep the big games coming though. More of the wow and less of the 1/2 Switch.

@th3r3ds0x You don't count the Gamecube as cutting edge?

@Spoony_Tech Oh God I hope Nintendo don't actually name is the "New Switch"

@DiscoGentleman
I laughed pretty hard at your comment, well done.

Needz moar powaah!

Hmmm... It could be the P1 processor still, since ARM doesn't produce the Denver cores, just the Cortex cores. They use the same instruction set, but nVidia would make those cores. It's a possibility that ARM is only focusing on the hardware they themselves make.

Kind of a long shot, so don't get your hopes up.

@BLP_Software
Yeah, +1, Optimism and patience will always be the key!!

@SakuraHaruka Its not hard to be optimistic. And that's my unmedicated smiley self saying that.

Then again being a Nintendo fan online isn't what I'd call easy.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE just play mate Chipset makes no difference does it.Im very proud of what Switch and Nivdia and nintendo did.It's one of a kind.They have far more 3RD party Developers on board,and most importantly I haven't heard 1 developer say anything bad about Switch's spec's.So if there fine with it so should you.

Nintendo and any fans who are purchasing this should be way more concerned about CONTENT FIRST!! We know Nintendo will blow us away, how about some more 3rd party offerings?? I personally believe it will get there sometime around the fall of this year we should see more 3rd party support.

Oh, so its only going to be around as powerful as the Wii U? What a huge surprise! If only id have stated this earlier so i can be smug, oh wait...
Not going to complain or praise this news. But i am going to be smug.

Meaning that soon we'll see something akin to how a specifically game-geared (no pun intended) cousin of Shield 2 - and IIRC that was the 2015 model, - can perform without having to carry an Android on its back. Wait, we already have seen it on several occasions.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Teach me your ways, master of clairvoyance and foresight. Show me how...to see...the futureeeee...

So as usual these days, Nintendo puts out ancient tech and charges top dollar for it. A 720p screen, a two year old processor that is more powerful than the XBOX 360 but way, way less powerful than the XBOX One and PS4. And incredibly expensive controllers sporting new gimmicks (e.g. HD Rumble) that developers almost certainly won't utilize much if at all. The Wii-U all over again.

@AG_Awesome A little above WiiU level

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Screengrabbed!

The Switch is a different kind of console. It has that new factor that Wii had where "good enough" graphics will suffice. I also hear it's fairly easy to port games to despite the downgrade.

The big question is whether 3rd parties are happy with it. Because if they are, and they generally seem to be so far, I'm happy. I just want Switch to have the games.

@Spoony_Tech I actually think we might not even need to wait as long as 3 years,I can see upgrades coming every 2 years.Going by recent comments by the higher ups,I think that's already the plan for it to evolve over time.If the more powerful tablet is sold separately for those of us who already have the dock and Joy-cons then it should be a pretty cheap upgrade.But just like with PS4 Pro,owners of the original model won't be be forced to buy it.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
when I grow up, I hope i can be as mad dope as this lad!
Geez, what an absolute Country singer!

@Smug43
I'm more concerned about content, and there are only two games I want this year on Switch (so far). I've accepted that the Switch will have a few great Nintendo games on it. If there are ports, they will be inferior and unless you must have them on the go, you will probably buy the PS4/XboxOne version.
And all the talk about Switch upgrading... it will still be years behind the other systems.

@OorWullie That's a good point and I never thought about it that way. Upgrade for about 150$ or worse 200$ but people will do it if that give us better graphics. That's also a good way to get a second system in the home too!

Good thing too. If it was the newer chip it would've cost us 400 pounds

The NES Mini has shown that power isn't everything. I'm not judging the Switch until it's out and in my hands.

Now for some positivity. Yes, the Switch will be to Wii U what the wii was to gamecube. A negligable increase in specs. However i AM excited for the switch. Being able to play full, top quality Wii U level looking games anyhere i want will be fantastic. Just imagine a portable Xenoblade chronicles X guys. That game is beautiful (one of the best worlds, monsters and mech design ive seen in a game) and it only ran at 720p. Now imagine a small upgrade, upping the res to 1080p and increasing the draw distance. This, i believe would be more than doable on the switch. Now imagine being able to take it out and play it anywhere. A game of that quality, portable!
THAT folks is where the worth of the switch is.

@AG_Awesome not quite Xbox one but better than 360. More like 360 2.0

@UK-Nintendo That's also what I was thinking. New chips don't come cheap and we have to pay for that. 400$ Switch next to the other consoles doesn't look good at all.

So I guess breath of the wild and Mario odyssey look bad now that we know the specs? Man, I got my hopes up for nothing. What will I tell little Johnny who's been saving his money up specifically for the switch? He'll be heartbroken.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Actually, the way things are going.... It looks like the SWITCH will be a huge success!

Isn't that great news?

The weak stumble and fall. A helpful hand is a friend indeed when faced with a bridge over troubled waters

@AirElephant ... but with fantastic software......

@Marshi
I agree that portability and Nintendo games are the reason to buy Switch.
Great for those who play on the go a lot. Some...like me... don't care about portability. I want to play Zelda on my big TV. I might take it out of the house a couple times a year. I'm pretty much paying $300 for a new WiiU so I can play a few Nintendo games.

@Spoony_Tech it really doesn't. Hopefully the price will dive down next year

@WOLF1313 Yep. Finally someone who gets it!

@Ras I thought it said ARMS at first when I read the title haha

Misleading, the article used as the source is a rumor article. ARM's social media guy dun goofed.
Sadly, that means we still don't know what CPU the Switch uses.
Edit: Here's the article: https://www.androidpit.com/nintendo-switch-review
It uses the Eurogamer "X1 leak" and treats it like it's confirmed.

@cfgk24 You can't tell yet if Switch will be a success. In fairness, I can't say for certain that it will be a failure. As a console, it's dead. As a portable, now that's another story. A Pokemon game announced could do amazing numbers. I think overall it'll be a divided audience. In Japan it'll do well. It needs a price drop though to have mass market appeal.

No way am I paying €350 for a weak "console", because that's what I care about. I have to suffer because this thing has to be a portable as well. I didn't ask for that. There's a tonne more I want to say but am tired, maybe tomorrow. Probably not as most won't appreciate it.

Original article reads as follows:

Under the hood, it is likely (Nintendo has not officially communicated) to have an Nvidia Tegra X1 chip, the same as on the Nvidia Shield, but this one customized by Nintendo. Several sources confirmed to Digital Foundry that the Switch's GPU will run at two different clock speeds, depending on whether it is in its dock or is detached - and the difference between the two is huge.

When it is docked, the Switch GPU operates at a frequency of 768 MHz (this is already less than the 1 GHz of the Nvidia Shield). When used as a handheld console, the Switch is underclocked to the tune of 307.2 MHz.

However, while the performance of the GPU is variable, the other technical characteristics of the Switch are not. The four ARM A57 cores of its processor are expected to operate at 1020 MHz regardless of whether the console is on its dock or not.

https://www.androidpit.com/nintendo-switch-review

I can't see confirmed here; sounds like an educated punt (likely, expected).

Regardless, I don't care. I've seen the games, I want the games and I want the console that plays them.

Edit: Finally tracked down the real source, which was a Facebook post by ARM since removed that did confirm the specs. Makes little difference to me. I know it's underpowered compared to Xbox/PS4/PC. It's plenty good enough for what it is and will offer unique experiences.

@WOLF1313 maybe I'm too old. If I game outside how can I get work done. As it is already in the uk. Working hours is generally going up. Only game on the couch with a cuppa and lucky if I get 2 hours

Portability is great but other than kids or people who commute long distances to work. I can't see much people taking it out especially uk

When it comes to the virtual console service, if it's powerful enough to emulate dreamcast and GameCube libraries then that's a step in the right retro direction!! Now Nintendo just has to make it happen!! Far as retail it sounds powerful enough to at least keep pace with PS4 and xone but the flow of quality games should be the focus for now. Future Third party releases on all 3 systems will tell that tale when the inevitable comparisons are made. All this being said, it's about the gameplay & tight controls not the graphics as always! I can still power up my Atari 2600 now and then and still have a good gaming session even today!! Or any other retro system for that matter!! Lastly, this doesn't change my opinion that the Switch launch lineup is weak!! Terrible job by Nintendo on that!

I want people here to understand why this is a problem. The less powerful a console is, the harder to develop for it is. You can't just say, port over Fallout 4 to the system. You'd have to completely redo textures and make changes to lighting and shadows as well as view distance in order to compensate for the lack of power. That's a lot of work to do. Now take that, and apply it to every game out on the PS4 and XBOX ONE.

@UK-Nintendo
I get it. I have games I haven't even played. I will find time for certain games like big Nintendo titles.
The only time I'll take the Switch out of my home is on plane trips. And then the battery lasts 2.5 hrs for big titles... so that may discourage even that. I don't want to haul it around just so it dies mid flight.

In summary, i really feel the switch, due to its much improved marketing campaign and general feeling in the air, will sell at least better than the Wii U. Perhaps even the 40 million sales Nintendo execs are hoping for could be achievable. Just dont expect games on the technical level of Mass Effect Andromeda, Final Fantasy XV and Callnof Duty to appear on the system. If you are happy with whats been announced for the system so far then im sure the switch will live up to your expectations. If you are wanting one system to play all third party games that are available on ps4 and xbox one, then this really wont be the system for you.
There, job done. No need for any more arguments now right? Right??

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
"As a console, it's dead. As a portable, now that's another story." This statement makes no sense at all. If a game on switch sells good as a portable game then guess what? It still sells good as a home console game. They're one in the same. There must be some straws around you cause you are doing a lot of grasping with that "statement".

@Marshi It cannot be a success without necessary third party support. The demagraphic this best appeals to are adults who have a busy life. These adults also most likely don't have a disposable imcome and can only afford one system. No one wants a system that only gives great Nintendo styled games. They want a system that gives them great games of every style and genre.

@Tarvaax
I want a system that only gives great nintendo styled games.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Lol - I hope you feel better tomorrow... But you don't have to suffer the SWITCH.. Everyone will be enjoying it and you are invited also!

The eye test looks pretty damn good for the Switch.. and remember a LOT of these games are late gen ports.. What exactly do you expect, PS4 Pro level of fidelity? We know what we are getting with Nintendo and honestly this thing STOMPS all over the Wii U. Shinen already doing 4 player split screen 60FPS at 1080p (except for super infrequent dynamic resolution scaling) Wii U couldn't DREAM of doing this.. This hybrid console is a LOT more powerful than Wii U. When winter rolls around you will see a lot more recent 3rd party ports.. Just have a little patience as I think Nintendo didn't get dev kits into their hands fast enough possibly because of NDA's etc..

@BigWhoady No they're not the same. Which is why I believe the Switch will ultimately fail. People expect home console games to look much better than a portable but that won't be possible on Switch because it has to to perform both tasks and is therefore limited.

@Tarvaax Which is why i said perhaps...

@BigWhoady So did people who bought the Wii U. That is the type of failure you get from a console that only offers things to Nintendo fanboys. If you ask me, Nintendo fanboys need to expand their horizons and be open minded to different games made by other devs.

@FragRed it may have been and I actually did think of it when writing that comment but I think the PS2 received a lot more attention in that generation. One of the things that held GameCube back was the limited storage compared to the competition. At the same time I think it was GameCube when Nintendo decided to march by the beat of their own drum. I'm fine with that. I love Nintendo. The Wii was my least favorite of all their consoles. I've been a gamer since i got my first console, the Atari 2600 in 1982. I think I've loved just about every console I've played, just didn't dig the motion controls on the Wii. Not everyone digs that and being forced to play a game like Skyward Sword with motion controls, I found to be frustrating at best. Anyway, I'm done rambling, I'm extremely excited for the Switch. Can't wait to dig into Breath of the Wild!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
But you said as a home console it's dead but as a portable, that's another story. It can't be dead as 1 and not the other because any game made for it can be played both ways. In summary, it can't both fail and succeed because both play styles are offered, not just one over the other.

@Tarvaax
I had lots of fun with my wii u and if I had to do it all over again knowing what I know now I'd still buy it day one. I can't tell you how many hours I sunk into the games I had for it, and at the end of the day isn't that all that matters? But you know, you can keep calling us "fanboys" if that makes you feel better.

@Tarvaax
People do understand that. But there's more to it than that. Power only becomes a considerable hindrance when it's exceedingly significant. When it's kind of in the lower end ballpark, it's not a problem. Just look at the difference between low to medium to high to ultra high settings on PC. And with Switch, it's more like going from high to medium settings. Not enough to prohibit a game from running, not nearly. And as PS3 makes evident, it's more than just power, it's about the technical side of things and how easy the architecture accommodates ports. Easy to port architecture could even widen the allowable gap.

And sure, all systems need 3rd party support (although it should be noted that Nintendo is more resilient to this than any other platform, as evidenced by the nearly 14 million Wii U sales with virtually no 3rd party support, even on a clunky, unappealing console at that).

But really, nobody needs 3rd party support, they just need lots of good games with no droughts, and people automatically assume that means 3rd parties cause how else will they achieve such a thing? By funneling the majority of software resources into a hybrid, they can increase 1st party output by a significant margin, making the platform even more independent. It will still need 3rd party games, sure, but in no way must they be Western, or AAA, or anything more than being appealing games, and enough to keep away droughts.

Especially for the multiconsole gamer such as myself. I will happily buy any 3rd party game on Switch over my PS4 Pro or Xbox One or even my Gaming PC, thanks to portability. But more than that, I just want games, particularly games that I can't already buy on my other 3 platforms (who buys a console just for games they already have access to). Granted, I want as many as possible because I want the portability (like for Skyrim and Sonic Mania and Yooka Laylee and Disgaea 5), but as long as the system has great games, and enough of them, I don't care what kind they are.

@UK-Nintendo
Well, my plan is to play during breaks at work. I work in a metrology lab, and usually bring my 3DS to work to play, usually get 30-60 minutes game time in on any given day (just take one long break at 1pm til 2pm). Now I can have Mario Kart tourneys with my coworkers. And anywhere I go, really. For example, the week after next I'm being sent to Hexagon for Polyworks training for 2-3 days. Perfect for in the hotel.

But, even if I didn't ever use it portable, even just as a console, it's probably the most appealing Nintendo console I've seen since GameCube came to market back in 2001. The split controllers, the HD rumble, the versatility in control options and modern motion technology to add diversity to the library with games like Arms (and Pikmin 3, hopefully, which I can't stand with analog), and using motion in Zelda to aim. It's just a nice console, graphics look good, even just being able to keep gaming around the house is nice.

btw, if Zelda can get 3 hrs I'm sure that's bare minimum. Keep a charger in the case, and what I'm doing is getting a portable battery charger... just in case I game for more than 3-6 hrs away from an outlet.

@_Tech
Well, that and battery life.

I learned from GPD Win, which only got 2-2.25 hrs battery life tops, that the higher the resolution, the more power it has, the bigger the drain on the battery.

Not only would the next revision of chip add cost, it would also mean a sub-2 hour battery life, which would be unacceptable, and force their hand to use a more expensive battery to counter, which adds even more cost, more size (component size is incredibly important in portable devices), and ultimately a guaranteed $350 retail price, and probably make less profit per unit at that.

And for what... games that ever so marginally look better? Cost simply outweighs benefits.

@BigWhoady I see what you're saying. I mean it'll attract handheld gamers but not console gamers. As a mainly console gamer, I'm hugely disappointed in the Switch. It's just a guess but if it's lucky Switch will do 30 million units over its lifetime.

And now, the Facebook post has been removed since it wasn't accurate. Can someone on the staff please correct the article so people realize this is just the Eurogamer leak all over again? The longer you don't correct the article, the more people will assume that it has actually been confirmed that the Switch uses 4 A57s.

About Tegra X1 performance for certain, then. That was to be expected. It's a 2015 SoC, and Nintendo isn't exactly known for using cutting edge hardware... However, it's actually a big improvement over the Wii and Wii U. Those two both used hardware that was effectively updated versions of several years old hardware. Using 2 year old hardware is actually more akin to what Nintendo used to do, so there's no downside to this.

The Tegra X1 is superior to the Wii U's IBM Espresso CPU and AMD Radeon Evergreen GPU combo. It's a worthy piece of kit for a hybrid mobile device, so I have no qualms with it being the brain of the NS. And I'm sure Nintendo can update new SKU's with a Tegra X2 a few years down the line.

It's not really worth comparing the NS to the PS4Pro or XBScorpio, since those are not going to receive exclusive titles, they're only going to offer improvements for base PS4 and XBone titles, as well as VR. The Tegra X1 falls just short of the base PS4, but compares favorably to the base XBone.

With modern API support and Vulcan, we won't have to worry about power being an issue. The real issue is if Nintendo can build on their current momentum, and hold out until more blockbusters are released. In 2017, I don't think they'll fare too well in 2nd quarter, but they may pick up in 3rd quarter, and of course 4th quarter will be absolutely crucial.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
I can respect that. I actually don't have any intentions of taking the switch on the go with me either but I probably will buy an extra dock and set it up at my in-law's house since I take my wife over there a lot and I can game while she speaks Spanish so fast with her mom speedy Gonzalez couldn't even keep up.

of course here come all the freak outs. From what I have read though the difference between X1 and X2 isn't as big as some might think

Why are they linking to an android blog referencing Digital Foundry.

The fact the Facebook post has since been deleted and it was just going by what Eurogamer had already said in the past makes this whole article and comments section pointless.It even says in the image above "coming in a couple months",other than the bad grammar it's out of date and can't be taken seriously,let alone as "confirmation".

Uh oh! It's now time to pull out that Nintendoom crystal ball!

Tegra X1 is pretty good for what it is: a high-end portable system that can make console-like games and can connect to a TV.

The article in question uses EuroGamer's info, and the Facebook post has been deleted. Whoever runs ARM's social media probably knows little more than you or I. This doesn't prove anything.

Never cared much for specs these days. It's the software that sells hardware.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the software that will make Mii buy this hardware.

@BigWhoady Yes he's wrong, but he's also in a way not wrong too. It's down to marketing. if they pitch it to the developers and the buyers (plus media) that it's a console you can carry that will look bad. If they pitch it as a handheld you can jack into a TV for added performance (1080p) then it's on the level of the best handheld to date on the market (outside of free standing android and ios devices.)

It's all about branding, name recognition, not confusing people, and having the right tools (stupid easy to use/port to) and a cheap price of entry for people to bother making stuff for it as well. If the risk is minimal and the messaging is on point you can do fine.

What we have here is basically an indeterminately souped up X1 Tegra tablet architecture with customizations applied to it and not the up and coming X2 setup with the added bits. That's not so say this custom device can not use various Pascal instructions or other various tricks that could carry over given the customization allows it. In that respect it would make for some lower half of middling device between the stock X1 and X2 to come shield console/tablets. And really, for the price point, and on a dedicated device that's actually pretty good.

To the sunshine and rainbow crowd, the reason that this is disconcerting news to me, and presumably to @SLIGEACH_EIRE, is not because it represents an immediate loss of power. We've seen what the Switch can do irrespective of specs now confirmed. The reason why it's disastrous is that it shows that Nintendo DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF HARDWARE NEAR-PARITY IN DEVELOPMENT. Nintendo does not have the install base or industry clout to coax broad third party support for a platform that will be antiquated a year into its lifecycle. They have built in an expiration date that is catastrophic for broad third-party support and thus longevity. We're already hearing rumblings from EA that it's essentially forced to build a separate version of FIFA for release on the Switch, and which will come out later than for other systems. This is precisely the same thing that happened to the Wii U and it doomed the console.

'But it's great for a portable!'

Nintendo's portable install base is haemorrhaging, (look at generational transition from DS to 3DS despite having no meaningful competition, and software attachment rates as well), and has been for a long time. It can't afford to cater only its handheld business. By abandoning the traditional console hardware and opting for product category consolidation, its signalling a set of product attributes that it clearly will not be able to meet on a forward basis.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE And comments like this are why people don't always listen to you. You boast about how accurate you are and call others ridiculous. You can voice dissenting opinions without acting high and mighty. Jeez.

I really don't care.

I just want s switch because I can play the same game at home or on the go. And that game is Zelda. I barely use my PS4 and having it be portable too wouldn't bother me. I just want Nintendo games. Maybe we will get a few good AAA games like bayonetta, dues ex, batsman, assassins, cod, wait, Wii U is a great system too

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Are you a game developer?

@PlywoodStick
If switch gets a new SKU in the future with better techology and lots of exclusive games, -being that nintendo doesn't have a portable only line of consoles anymore or at least for the moment- I'll probably switch (lol) to PC =/

@Tarvaax Your not wrong. Nintendo fanboys should expand their tastes and become more open minded towards the competition. I know that this is a Nintendo-Centered site, but proclaiming that Nintendo are the only ones that make good games is just ignorance.

The PS4 and xbox1 were not necessary the xbox360 and PS3 still get the same games the Wii U was slightly better in the graphics department than ps3 or xbox360, the Switch is definitely more powerful than Wii U in graphics department -this is all a load of BS games all look the same these days there really and I stress really no big difference I mean everyone's a winner . These stories like this article just thrive on getting people going over nothing .LoL The Nintendo Switch is very capable from all that I've seen and the thing is I want a Switch because it does what the Wii U could not it is truly portable and has a HD screen not only that it's also a multi touch HD screen and is the console Nintendo is supporting the icing on the cake for me is it is also a sleek looking piece of tech., the Wii U as much as I liked it, looks like a fisher price toy next to Switch .

@JohnGrey Except nothing has been confirmed yet,the Facebook post has since been deleted and it was only going by the same news Eurogamer reported 2 months ago.Even that Eurogamer article,it ended with them saying there is a lot they don't know yet.So basically this whole article and comments section is a waste of time . it'll likely still turn out to be the case that it's based on X1 but that Facebook post was certainly no confirmation of anything.Also as someone more knowledgable on these things than me pointed out above,ARM don't even make the Denver2 cores that are in the Pascal chipset,Nvidia do.

Well they're only Nintendo if they use mostly old tech anyway. At least it's still SOMEWHAT viable, unlike the Wii U and 3DS whose various tech parts were way over 4 years old by the time it released.

So yeah, at least this time Nintendo is only using 2 year old tech instead of 4++++ year old.
And remember friends, the Tegra X2 DOES NOT EXIST.

It could still be possible, albeit unlikely, that the Switch is using the X2.
The Denver 2 cores are designed by Nvidia while the A57 cores are designed by ARM.
Maybe ARM just wanted to focus on their specs rather than Nvidia's so that it seemed more like their work.

@idork99 I completely agree and that has been proven time and time again.

@zip Cry some more, waaaah waaaaah

@OorWullie Its removal almost certainly confirms that it's accurate. ARM knows better than anyone what the Switch's chipset is, it's based on their spec. Someone got loose-lipped and likely broke an NDA in the process, but the information is corroborative of everything that had been leaked or confirmed thus far, especially when looking at the battery performance. It's a X1, probably with an extended instruction set for optimisation to offset the near-certainty that it will be underclocked versus the nominal performance.

People moaning about the specs and comparing it to Xbox One need to realise this is a handheld console so it is very powerful. Nintendo are just putting a lot of their home console games on it. Nintendo has pulled out of the home console business unless they release a successor to the wii u who knows as this is the 3DS successor.

I predict 15 million Nintendo Switches sold the first year

@kotag I doubt any new NS SKU would have much (if anything) in the way of exclusives, much like the PS4Pro and XBScorpio reportedly aren't getting any.

Well Apple has survived on older tech in the past by marketing as a luxury brand, maybe that's what Nintendo will aim for.

Judging by the fact that a Handheld can support a game as ambitious as BOTW I think the X1 is more than enough. I am excited to see what Nintendo can pull off with this bad boy in the future!

@Captain_Toad I believe the Nintendoom crystal ball looks more like a spherical version of this...

@DiscoGentleman
Oh ya, I know Mitatoyo. We've got all kinds of Mitotoyo equipment, and not just in the lab but in the shop too. Heck, half our mics and calipers are Mitatoyo, the other half Starrett or other brand.

@JaxonH Compared to PC, I would say the base models for NS, PS4, and Xbone are all operating at or around Medium settings. NS will just have some settings toned down when portable.

At the end of the day, I really don't care what's in it. If its a 386, then damn Nintendo did a great job because the games look great and I honestly can't wait to play them. I know some people really need to base their opinions on specs, but whatever is inside the switch seems powerful enough to run the games I want to play so I'm excited for march 3rd.

@Tarvaax Well said. Why can't Nintendo spent like 25 bucks more and have a better machine? It just boggles my mind!

To the people saying that developers are gonna port their games to the Switch I ask you: which games? 5 years-old game like Skyrim? What seems like a watered FIFA game, again!?

I'm really impressed that Unreal Engine is supported.. but so it was in the iphone 4 (6 years ago!).

Still, it will be a great portable. Just lacking any good, AAA third party game!

@Moonbeam
Exactly. I'm looking at the fun factor.

@NIN10DOXD That's not true. They keep upgrading their processors and graphics on their iPhones every single year. Any game for the IOS will look better on an iPad mini (like 2k) than on the Switch (720p).

@maceng UE4 is a fairly recent and scalable API. It wasn't widely available until 2014, and was only first really showcased in GDC 2012. So the 2011 iPhone reference is just a little bit of hyperbole.

@JohnGrey
I have said it before, and I repeat, it is true that in the face of a competition of "super graphics and power", it is necessary to play with "the same cards" to go ahead; But, at this point, being with super power is a double-edged arm, if you sell well, it is necessary to sell super mega well, if not, not worth for profits; Unless you have as a second option plan: DLC, season pass, more free to play games and online pay with prizes in the form of rent, and yes, Nintendo are already playing with some of these points, And only with power level of PS3 and 360, however, with sales of their games outnumber those of many in the market.
Almost all we saw the path of Game Cube, a console with almost same power that it competition, have many exclusives and well sold, but never achieved the level of its competition (yes, the use of unique hardware (mini DVD) and the great variety of games with the competition gave the point for that), What do I mean?, that with all this, Nintendo have a big challenge If they want to return to the direct competition of power, and there is no guarantee of success, but if it guarantees a very strong financial damage for a minimum error.

Also, Have to remember other things: the development of games is very expensive and take a lot of time, so is not "piece of cake" have a huge group of games in development and that guarantee profits, and, in addition, developing an AAA game at this point is Much more expensive than developing a console, so here, to what I have noticed, sales of a console may be high and benefic, but it is not "the big thing" if every game do not have that same result.

That is my point of view of why for me, what Nintendo does is "some" correct, but if need to improve in certain aspects if they want to keep large market as before.

I just want to see the IR motion camera put to good use. All the other tech will no doubt be used to its full potential, bUT what about the IR camera? Is it just for eating virtual sandwiches?

@PlywoodStick Not is not.

https://wiki.unrealengine.com/IOS_Device_Compatibility

It seems it is more powerful than Xbox One and almost like PS4. Sounds good. 4ks not necessary now.

@AVahne It's not used for gaming, true, but there is a Tegra X2 (Parker), and even an upcoming X3 (Xavier): http://wccftech.com/nvidia-tegra-parker-soc-hot-chips/

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-xavier-soc-tegra-volta-gpu-announced/

Well everyone's complaining about the price as it is.

http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/tegra-x1-all-but-confirmed.454923482/#post-512853065

Debunked

Honestly, this was not going to be a portable Scorpio. X1 is solid for what Switch is trying to be. As long as it is not tremendous effort to scale and port games it should be fine.

@maceng Ah, but that page doesn't factor in this:

https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Platforms/iOS/DeviceCompatibility/index.html

LDR, no Retina support. Basic Lighting, Full HDR, Full HDR w/ Sun, all unsupported. Have to upgrade to at least an iPhone 5S (which was released September 2013) to get full support of the latest version. Oh yeah, your page confirms that iPhone 4 was working on a previous version, but isn't necessarily working well with the latest version on the current tested devices list.

DOOOOOOMED.

BTW, while I personally think the Switch will most likely have the specs listed above, this report has been debunked as unofficial.

http://i.imgur.com/ZRiGuvB.png

Persona 5 should really come to the Switch

@westman98 You don't know anything about PR do you? Saying something is unofficial does not mean that it isn't true, it means that the entity in question is denying legal attribution, likely because there's an NDA in place for ARM, since any optimisation built into the Switch's chipset that was added in the partnership between nVidia and Nintendo had to be vetted through ARM to make certain that it wasn't infringing on any IP. ARM knows what's inside the switch, it just didn't have permission to specify what it was. Hence, the denial that it's an official statement.

People, stop your despair (well, at least the clairvoyant and the handful of negative Nancy's) and get informed:
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-tegra-x1&num=1

The X1 may not be entirely up to par, but it ain't no slouch either, and with the help of the custom software, NVN and Vulkan API, results on the Switch will be more than decent, I assure you.

And consider this: there's a reason why Nvidia themselves are also once again going with the X1 for their new iteration of the Shield...

@westman98 How about putting that up as a directly viewable picture instead?

EDIT:
Scratch that, your way is better, since the text can hardly be read when posted directly, my bad...

@ThanosReXXX

And consider this: there's a reason why Nvidia themselves are also once again going with the X1 for their new iteration of the Shield...

Because it's cheap and they don't want to have a niche product as a loss leader.

If they had gone with the cutting edge technology, they would have made it one of the major selling points.

@mikegamer @westman98 @ThanosReXXX Good catch! And here's the article link:

http://switchcore.net/2017/02/07/arm-cpu-not-confirmed-nintendo-switch/

Welp. Guess we really will have to wait for a post-launch teardown.

I can't see why people would be surprised; Nintendo has opted to pursue the handheld as its principal feature this gen. To offer PS4 Pro levels of power in a handheld device now would not be feasible for the average consumer. You know, the people hardest to sell new hardware to.

@JohnGrey No, that's not it, really. But I'll forgive you your ignorance...

Also great going picking that single thing out of my comment. Goes to show that you can't ever convince the "glass half-empty" prophets that things might not nearly be as bad as they seem to want it to be...

@joey302 Your Atari 2600 is still going strong? That's impressive. I've no idea what happened to mine, it got cast aside when I got my ZX Spectrum 128k +2a. I vaguely recall Pele's Soccer being the last game I played on it.

@JohnGrey Or it's because the current Tegra X2 (Parker) and X3 (Xavier) are being used for non-gaming applications, especially car AI...

@ThanosReXXX glad to see you in here setting the record straight.

If this thing can do 60fps @ 1080p @ medium pc resolution I'm happy.

@ThanosReXXX I can read it just fine. Copy/paste image location FTW.

@PlywoodStick The Switch is also non-retina. Also, tehy stated at the moment: "we believe is not going to run well on the iPhones 4 and 4s". Guess what, it did run well. Just take a look at games such as Epoch 2 and Infinity Blade 3.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
I am both Console and Handheld gamer.
Switch is definetely that I am looking for.
HD console ? Check.
HD handheld ? Check.
Is powerful than ps4 or xbox1 ? No, but Who Cares ?!
I will not lose my pride as a gamer just because Switch is underpowered than ps4 / xbox1. I don't care at all.

@ThanosReXXX Yep, people underestimate the importance of the NVN, Vulkan support and custom OS.

I still want one. I hope somebody goes ahead and cancels their preorder based on this info so I can get their preorder instead!

@PlywoodStick

Or it's because the current Tegra X2 (Parker) and X3 (Xavier) are being used for non-gaming applications, especially car AI...

If it were cost effective and beneficial to use a chip in something they would, it's that simple. nVidia caters to the PC gaming set first and foremost, and they know that a majority of western gamers are specs. If they intended the Shield TV to be a proper gaming platform, it's entirely in their interest to load it with the best tech they can whilst meeting their standard cost. It isn't because they don't. Like the Switch, it's a category consolidation oddity, an attempt to add gaming functionality as a differentiator to proper Android competitor to the Apple TV.

That Facebook post links to AndroidPit that linked to that Eurogamer speculation based article that says the Switch is using an underclock Tegra X1....It isn't an official confirmation at all.

@ThanosReXXX

No, that's not it, really. But I'll forgive you your ignorance...

Oh, thank you ever so much! /s

Also great going picking that single thing out of my comment. Goes to show that you can't ever convince the "glass half-empty" prophets that things might not nearly be as bad as they seem to want it to be...

It's interesting that you cast aspersions of negativity on anyone that doesn't share the 'ZOMG Switch Triumphs!' narrative. I don't want Nintendo to be in the situation that it's in, but I don't control reality any more than your attempts at asinine cheerleading or passive-aggressive quips will be able to.

@JohnGrey there would be no point putting a stronger SoC in the Nvidia Shield TV. It does everything it needs to do and appropriate high quality Android TV games are far and few between. Nvidia does a good job getting custom ports for the Shield Tv, their Gamestream tech is fantastic and their GeForce Now streaming works great

@maceng For version 4.9.1? I dunno...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GMAQ4ogWOM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWJiO8O6mNU

That iPhone 4 is really chugging and struggling to run Infinity Blade 3 by comparison... Several of the effects aren't as well rendered, either. I bet the difference is even more pronounced up close.

Internal hardware is just one of many factors that shape how a console plays out. Hardware is very important, but not everything.

So, will Damien update the page to reflect that it's not confirmed?

@Grez That's entirely my point. The X1 does what it needs to do for the Shield TV's intended service profile. You'll note that I said previously that it makes sense to include better tech if it's cost-efficient and beneficial. Including a more expensive SoC for a platform that will not utilise it is pointless, and I said as much. The other fellow intimated that it was because the X1 was still a powerhouse comparatively.

And you make another point for me: custom ports. Special hardware consideration, i.e. custom dev overhead, to the low side is a suicide pill for broad and continuing third party support over a platform's lifespan, and doubly so when the basis for it is already a generation behind. The game streaming may be brilliant for the Shield TV, but then that's predicated on your service bandwidth, the remote servers are doing all of the heaving lifting graphically.

We've seen what the system can do, regardless of its numbers.

Still makes me wonder what Nvidia's team was doing during those 500 man years of work on the Switch's hardware. I choose to believe the Foxconn leak, the guy nailed a lot of stuff. Hey games are all going to look great and if the Foxconn guy is right, even if it is the X1 chip they are also working on a device that will someday in the near future add power and ram to the basic Switch console. The hardware numbers do matter if you want the better developers 3rd party ports in 2018 and beyond.

@OorWullie Pele's soccer wow! Lol. Yup my 2600 still going strong with my library of 240+ games! Sits right beside my Atari 5200 and 7800...all hooked up and ready to go!! I can jump from Kaboom and pitfall to Battlefield 1 in a minute flat! But Ah the good old days! No hard drives or motorized disc trays to worry about failing on you nor worrying about internet speed connections or yearly membership and/or subscription rates lol. I miss them for sure!

@JohnGrey https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/27/tesla-motors-inc-is-using-nvidia-corporations-driv.aspx

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-drive-px2-pascal-gtc-2016/

Problem is, the current iteration of the next in line from the Tegra X1 costs as much or more as the NS is selling for. (And the full board setup it's being used on costs at least as much as a really good new PC rig.) The Tegra X2 smokes the base Xbone and can compete with the base PS4 eye for an eye, but it's got a price point to match. NVIDIA sees potential for that tech in cars right now, but hasn't yet deemed that a worthy risk for gaming. The NS will be the true testing ground for a potential Tegra X2 gaming edition in a few years hence.

@JohnGrey sorry, wasn't really arguing, just emphasizing why X1 in the new Shield TV's are more than appropriate.

So when it was confirmed that Nintendo was using a Tegra every bit of me got excited because I thought of the gamestream possibilities and how it would bring in more PC gamers to the Switch. The gamestream capabilities are streaming games from your PC(as long as you have an Nvidia graphics card) to the Tegra device, in this case the Switch. Imagine being able to stream PC games to a the Switch both docked and handheld mode. Yes you need good internet.

@Discostew He's too busy sleeping on the job.

@PlywoodStick I found it readable, but only barely, so having a link that pops out into a full size picture seems better to me, and that is what it originally was, hence my edit...

@PlywoodStick I know it has a hefty price tag, but it's a competition, however much Nintendo stamps its feet and tries to deny that it's running the same race as Sony and Microsoft. If they intend for console buyers to purchase the Switch, then that's precisely what they're doing, and in that particular race, they come out of the blocks all confounded. To make matters worse, by consolidating their console and handheld offerings, keeping with the metaphor, Nintendo has had, at its own request, hurdles set up in its lane. It's running two vastly different races at once, and it has to be perfect to have a prayer of competing.

Nintendo isn't in the position to play for the clock. Both their console and handheld install bases are cratering, generation over generation, and now they're consolidating them because they don't have the talent to support two devices and they know full well that the third-party support on a forward basis is not going to be there.

All this talk of specs has really lead people away from the point of video games. Now if a console doesn't have all the "HD's" and "4K's" and "1080p's" and "60fps" shoved into it then it's just a waste of time. But if that's the case, then why are we seeing such a renaissance in 8/16 bit gaming? The power race will continue to raise the price on consoles and games while producing diminishing returns from said power. If this keeps up we could be looking at another video game industry crash.

@JohnGrey Now why did I expect the kind of name calling reply from you that I did, hm?
I suppose you failed to notice the smiley, meaning me just poking a bit of fun at you, that's all. People are so quick to be insulted nowadays, especially online. It's sad, really.

I'll try and give you one honest response, hope you reply in kind or I will refrain from replying. And it seems you're more than capable of doing so, because you actually make a few good points in comment #164.

Contrary to how you so eloquently labeled me, I'm anything BUT a blind, rosy-colored spectacle wearing, eat up anything that Nintendo throws at me fanboy.

I just look at possibilities and solutions instead of problems.
It has been known for a LONG time already that the odds that the chipset were going to be X1 were far larger than X2, so why people continue to be so surprised and outraged by that, amazes me to no end.

And the reality you speak of, is in the link I posted, which actually paints quite a positive picture of the base X1 chipset, so my entire goal was to show people that it really isn't as bad as it looks.

Criticism is just fine by me, as long as it is constructive criticism and not whiney, "woe is me" stuff. And even if there are people that are blindly supporting Nintendo over here, what the hell did you expect on a Nintendo related site?

Like I have stated before, just give me your pre order spot if this is a deal breaker for you. Ill get my kids one because Breath of the Wild is coming to work with me =)

@BlueKnight07 You're welcome...

The only AAA western market games the Switch should try and keep are sports games. Have a football, soccer, basketball, and baseball from either 2k or EA. Most other AAA games won't see the light of day, but western games go by the same formula and most are stale. The Switch can gain a lot of third part support via original games, it just needs to sell well in the first year.

@PlywoodStick
I just rather not call them by fake names that some random people made up out of pure convenience.

First of all, Nintendo has sold over 60 million 3DS handhelds. Combine that with the 13 million Wii U consoles they sold, and those sales indicate that plenty of gamers still play Nintendo video games. The Switch will likely appeal to both the Nintendo handheld and home console market, so the consolidation of Nintendo's handheld and home console divisions is actually a sound business strategy.

And how did those devices do when compared historically? 3DS sold 61m, no doubt, but it did so as a 60% drop generationally (vs the 154m sales of the DS), despite having strong third party support and virtually no competition in the space, certainly not compared to the PSP which actually was more than a blip on the DS' radar. And the Wii U? Constituted an 87% drop generationally. Granted, that's coming off of the Wii, but the Wii's sales were between 70 and 75% non-core casuals. How can we know that? Simply by attachment rates. Despite being the hardware winner for that generation, it had the smallest overall library and the lowest software attachment rate. The software that did attach, aside from Mario Kart, Smash, and a 2D Mario, were entirely non-core IPs like Wii Sports, Wii Fitness and Just Dance. For instance, Wii Sports had an 82% attachment rate. The next nearest title was Mario Kart with a comparatively laughable 35%. That said, the performance of the Wii U was precisely in line with the install base attrition that has afflicted Nintendo since its very first console, when you factor out casuals from the Wii install base.

Let's assume that the entire Wii U and 3DS install base are unique buyers. They aren't, I'd estimate that some 35 - 40% of the 3DS population overlaps into the console category, but let's assume it anyway. Even the rosiest projections would allow 70% translation from both of those sources, which would put the Switch at somewhere near 50m lifetime sales, fairly strong until you realise that it represents a one-quarter decline in overall hardware sales versus when they had traditionally-defined console and handheld systems. That Nintendo, which has always made money on hardware where no other manufacturer has, has opted to produce one less device let's you know that they know precisely what the situation is, and it isn't a good one at all.

Second, in an important respect, Nintendo is not running the same race as Sony and Microsoft. They're not marketing their console to the same markets as Sony and Microsoft; they're not using the same business strategies; and they're not directly competing against Sony and Microsoft.

Nintendo doesn't get to decide the terms of the contest, mate. They're selling to same home console audience that Sony and Microsoft are, period. They may do it differently, and clearly don't do it as successfully, but its utterly disingenuous to cast it as being something other than what it is.

@JohnGrey
Sure, Nintendo by default competes with Sony and MS. Sure. But they're not going to do it very well unless they bring something different to the table, both in terms of hardware and software. They nailed the hardware. And seem to have a good line of games coming now too.

So, what's the problem again? You think they specifically need Western AAA? Nonsense. It'd be great to have, and I'm sure a handful will come (proving to everyone the 'it's too weak" argument is nonsense in light of modern architecture and PC settings gaps that far exceed the difference between rival consoles). They just need good games that sell to the audience who's buying the console. Basically, they just need games, doesn't matter what kind. It's a large world out there, and AAA western games aren't the be all end all of gaming.

And ya, Nintendo's been declining lately. And... that's their problem, not ours. Marketing, image, having an appealing console, no droughts... all things that can affect decline. And they can just as easily carry on fine by improving some or all of the above. 62 million 3DS (and it's not even done yet) ain't bad in the modern era smartphone age in light of GBA only doing 80. It'll probably hit 70 by the time it's a wrap. So oh well, they lost 10 mil to smartphones, they'll live.

But even if they consolidate, find a good 50-70 million base and keep it, so what? So it's less than it used to be... The market shifts all the time.

Just sit back relax and enjoy the games and let them worry about all that stuff. We got a slick hybrid console to look forward to, years of great games... what's the beef

@PlywoodStick I stand corrected.

All reviews of users using iPhone 4 and 4s (supposedly not supported) stated that there is, yes, some minor lag, but still the game is pretty much playable (as the reviewer states and all the comments below).

Also, have you seen the videos of Skyrim on the Switch? It looks rather underwhelming: flat textures, no radiance of any kind (like when the dragon scorches the terrain). So we are having a iPhone 5's performance (a 4 year-old phone) on a new console, with less than half the resolution? It is just too many compromises.

@JaxonH Switch is dead in the water not because of this news, but because it will (amazingly) have worse 3rd party support than even the Wii U. The Wii U showed that Nintendo hardware cannot succeed on 1st party titles alone.

And save me the spiel about how Switch is "perfect for you". Your scenario is not commonly shared. The majority of gamers don't have the financials for every console on the market.

@Grez
Psst... don't forget The Sims 4.
Would be nice if The Sims 4 on Nintendo Switch. The only Western game that I Love.

This is an unfortunate reality when dealing with Nintendo hd rumble is marking up the price of the system rather than a superior chip set. You want Xbox one power parity no instead you can feel how many icecubes you're holding. Just an fyi Pascal x2 would have let you play the witcher Batman arkham knight overwatch just to name a few. I wish we can have a proper debate here at #Nintendolife to discuss the gimmicks vs power debate and Nintendo can see what they're fans want.
The best selling Games on wiiu didn't use the gamepad.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE i doubt that nvidea couldn't produce enough x2s for Nintendo This was a cost related decision and a stupid one at that. Not sure how much x2 would have cost but Im Pretty sure i would have preferred that over hd rumble

@gatorboi352
Worse 3rd parties ? Who said that ?
Super Bomberman R, Ultra SF II, Story of Seasons Switch, LEGO CITY Undercover, etc are some good 3rd parties. And what 3rd party are you looking for ? Adult Western AAA gameslike on pc or ps4 or xbox1 ? Sorry, no dice.

That rumor is 100% false.

"ARM has since deleted the post and seemingly unconfirmed that this ARM CPU is in the Nintendo Switch. It is yet to be seen whether this was merely a social media manager error linking unconfirmed rumors, or rather a post that was not yet ready for public consumption. If I personally had to guess, it would be the former. None the less, this is an interesting bit of information."

Source: Switch Core

@gatorboi352
Not buyin it. Sorry. I believe the system will actually have decent third-party support- not like you see on the other consoles with western games but with games that actually sell to the audience. And I believe that because I think it's going to catch on, not only because it's a slick system and it's got some really good games coming, but most importantly, because it's portable... which guarantees Japanese success, which guarantees Japanese games, which along with 1st party was more than enough to propel 3DS to success. And Switch is far, far more appealing than 3DS ever was. Nintendo has never had a portable device that didn't rock it, and this is the handheld of all handhelds here. The motherlode.

But even if you were right... honestly I just don't care. Anonymous people on the Internet saying a console is going to fail... I guess, find somebody who cares more? Not to sound like a but I mean you've said it like 10 times now and it just gets to a point where... find something else to talk about maybe? Or wait till it actually happens and then you can say you were right but, until then...

@gatorboi352 The overall line-up of retail games in it's first year is miles better than WiiU's retail games ALONE (considering Nintendo's first party efforts was pretty much the only ones carrying it's ship since all of the third-parties [that isn't making a physical box of an indie game] bailed through the reminder of it's life because of the Wiiu sales and aged tech) and considering the attention it's getting right now thanks to the improved marketing and news outlets. You seriously saying it's third party is gonna flop even harder than the WiiU?!

@JaxonH

[em]
Sure, Nintendo by default competes with Sony and MS. Sure. But they're not going to do it very well unless they bring something different to the table, both in terms of hardware and software. They nailed the hardware. And seem to have a good line of games coming now too.

So, what's the problem again? You think they specifically need Western AAA? Nonsense. It'd be great to have, and I'm sure a handful will come (proving to everyone the 'it's too weak" argument is nonsense in light of modern architecture and PC settings gaps that far exceed the difference between rival consoles). They just need good games that sell to the audience who's buying the console. Basically, they just need games, doesn't matter what kind. It's a large world out there, and AAA western games aren't the be all end all of gaming.

And ya, Nintendo's been declining lately. And... that's their problem, not ours. Marketing, image, having an appealing console, no droughts... all things that can affect decline. And they can just as easily carry on fine by improving some or all of the above. 62 million 3DS (and it's not even done yet) ain't bad in the modern era smartphone age in light of GBA only doing 80. It'll probably hit 70 by the time it's a wrap. So oh well, they lost 10 mil to smartphones, they'll live.
But even if they consolidate, find a good 50-70 million base and keep it, so what? So it's less than it used to be... The market shifts all the time.

Just sit back relax and enjoy the games and let them worry about all that stuff. We got a slick hybrid console to look forward to, years of great games... what's the beef
[/em]

You responded to my post with not a single figure or any sort of analysis. You're excited for the Switch, we know, just like we know others here aren't. Till you can actually back up any of what you're suggesting with numbers, hush whilst the adults are speaking 'ya'?

@BiasedSonyFan

He only talks alot. He'll likely get a Switch once Super Mario Odyssey is released, so he'll help the same company that he talks crap about so much to make a profit.

I'll thank you not to visit my intentions, ever. Do you understand me?

@JohnGrey
I don't hear any adults speaking here...

Just a bunch of babble about nothing

@BiasedSonyFan

So, for some reason, you're making this a comparison between today's Nintendo and the ghost of Nintendo's past. Why? Nintendo isn't competing against what they did decades ago, but the current competitors in the industry.

I'm doing so because there is a quantifiable and consistent decrease in the size of Nintendo's core audience over time. That's a fact.

Do you know how many other video game companies even bother selling a handheld and a home console? There's Sony, but the Vita has struggled to sell to the point that Sony doesn't care about it anymore. Does Microsoft even sell a handheld?

It's not just a handheld. It's a home console as well; it's being positioned as one both in its messaging (Nintendo itself calls it a home console and a successor to the Wii U), and in terms of its software lineup. Whether or not Sony or Microsoft make handheld is immaterial. What matters is that the Switch is positioned as a category consolidation, but the attributes of that consolidated product do not meet the standard notional language of either of those categories. It's a home console, but it's underpowered versus its competition in that space. It's a handheld, but its design language is contrary to the established winning formula (small, energy efficient, broad stable of games that geared to short, serial play sessions), and is positioned more as a successor to the Vita, which was a disaster.

@JaxonH Then feel free to ignore it.

It's amazing how an unofficial article linking an article linking rumored specs is actually sparking a "Nintendo is doomed" debate. I continue to be impresses by the Nintendolife community.

I personally think these rumored specs are pretty close to true, but again, that's MY opinion, not confirmed fact.

@JohnGrey
" It's a handheld, but its design language is contrary to the established winning formula (small, energy efficient, broad stable of games that geared to short, serial play sessions)..."

This "established winning formula" that you speak of has changed dramatically during the 3DS generation. Let's see:

-The best selling 3DS models post-2012 are the large 3DS XL/New 3DS XL models
-Both the Switch and 3DS have a similar battery life (2.5 to 6 hours for Switch, 3.5 to 5 hours for the 3DS)
-The majority of 3DS games easily match the scale and ambition of console games, with the 3DS's terrible screen resolution being the one major limiting factor. Moreover, just count the number of past home console games that have been ported to the 3DS.

In handheld terms, the Switch evolves what the has been progressing with the 3DS for the last 5-6 years. The era of people buying a Gameboy Mini to play Tetris or a DS Lite to play Nintendogs/Brain Age is over.

@westman98

I hear this same nonsense all of the time. Look at the software attachment rates on the 3DS for your so-called ambitious titles. They all have sub-2% attachments, and often sub-1% attachments. The only console-style game that made any sort of sales on the 3DS was OoT and, when taking into account the N64 install base, it sold one-quarter as well as the original title. Are there gamers on the 3DS that want those sorts of experiences. Certainly. Do they constitute the majority, or even a percentage meaningful enough to contribute materially to the Switch's success? Nope.

@JohnGrey
I'm not just referring to ports of console games on 3DS, though that is a factor. I am talking about new games as well.

Look at Mario Kart 7. It is a fully featured Mario Kart game. If Mario Kart 7 was running on an HD game engine, many people would likely confuse Mario Kart 7 and 8 as one and the same.

Look at Mario 3D Land. It is a fully featured 3D Mario platformer. If Mario 3D Land was running on the HD game engine, many people would likely confuse Mario 3D Land and 3D World as one and the same.

Look at Smash Bros 3DS. Obviously, the game is not as good as Smash Bros Wii U, but the criticisms are mostly due to its awkward controls and (once again) inferior graphics, not because the game was too "handheld-like." Smash Bros was an established console franchise that received a very successful handheld outing.

Even Pokémon Sun/Moon struggles to run properly on the 3DS... almost as if that game was designed with a much powerful platform in mind. And coincidentally, the 3rd version of Pokémon Sun/Moon is heavily rumored to be Switch game, which means a staple of Nintendo's "established" portable gaming legacy is now going to become a Switch game.

In other words, the 3DS's biggest games are console quality games in 240p. I think the 3DS's terrible screen resolution was enough to make many people believe that 3DS games were "not ambitious", but if you just imagined the majority of 3DS's games in HD with better controls to accommodate the improved button layout...well, that will likely be the foundation for the Switch's game library.

Gone are the days where Tetris, Nintendogs, and Brain Age were the dominant forces in dedicated portable gaming. The lines between dedicated portable and home console gaming has been blurring during the 3DS era, and the Switch will continue that trend.

@ThanosReXXX

Now why did I expect the kind of name calling reply from you that I did, hm?

I didn't call you any names. I said that you were engaged in 'asinine cheerleading' and I stand by that statement.

I suppose you failed to notice the smiley, meaning me just poking a bit of fun at you, that's all. People are so quick to be insulted nowadays, especially online. It's sad, really.

No, they just don't appreciate being called ignorant then proferred a coy emoji to insist that the comment was just for laughs.

[em]I'll try and give you one honest response, hope you reply in kind or I will refrain from replying. And it seems you're more than capable of doing so, because you actually make a few good points in comment #164.
Contrary to how you so eloquently labeled me, I'm anything BUT a blind, rosy-colored spectacle wearing, eat up anything that Nintendo throws at me fanboy.
I just look at possibilities and solutions instead of problems.[/em]

That likes saying that cutting on one's hand is merely a new and exciting oppportunity to learn alternative methods of opening jars. The way to fix problems is not to suggest how those problems are solutions to other, less-pressing problems.

It has been known for a LONG time already that the odds that the chipset were going to be X1 were far larger than X2, so why people continue to be so surprised and outraged by that, amazes me to no end.

And it amazes me that for months before this every comment section on Nintendo Life was full of posters insisting that the SoC was the X2. Now that we have all but ironclad confirmation that it's the same X1 that the more pessimistic posters said it was, what is the response? The exact same rubbish we saw during the Wii U's lifetime. 'Graphics are meaningless', 'Nintendo isn't competing Sony and Microsoft', 'Switch has all the power it needs, it'll get loads of third-party support'. It's absurdity that would be laughable if it weren't so painful.

And the reality you speak of, is in the link I posted, which actually paints quite a positive picture of the base X1 chipset, so my entire goal was to show people that it really isn't as bad as it looks.

It's not right this moment, but then I said as much. The issue is its forward support. Wii U adopters got burned badly, and the platform's decline wasn't just abrupt and precipitous, it was very visible. Releasing another system that will have significant problems garnering third-party support as it matures is not the strategy to turn around a hardware business. Indeed, it's a proper way to kill it.

Criticism is just fine by me, as long as it is constructive criticism and not whiney, "woe is me" stuff. And even if there are people that are blindly supporting Nintendo over here, what the hell did you expect on a Nintendo related site?

I have no problem with hope, so long as its founded, just like I have no problem with people that find comfort and meaning in religion or spirirtuality during periods of trial like terminal disease; where I have a problem is when that person says that they've given up chemo and is now seeing a naturopath and expects to be well again very soon, and then looking very cross when I cover my eyes and sigh. Nintendo has very real problems, mortal problems if they aren't corrected, and shrugging one's shoulders and saying that it doesn't matter or could be worse helps no one, least of all Nintendo.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Never go full stupid

@JohnGrey
Kind of hard when I keep seeing you writing statements that defy reason.

Who are these people that were insisting it was the X2 chip? I can't recall anyone saying that. Perhaps there was, there's always one or two people on any site that are willing to say just about anything. Surely you're not letting one or two people represent some kind of majority on a site of thousands?

And graphics aren't meaningless. Not at all. What's meaningless is overreacting to a small gulf in power as if it's going to be some sort of insurmountable obstacle which will hinder the console greatly.

And again, yes Nintendo is competing with Sony and MS. Any levelheaded person will tell you that. But competing with them does not mean they have to compete in the same manner, with the same games, with the same tactics. Just looking at 3DS alone should be proof enough that an entire ecosystem of a platform can exist without a single game present on other consoles.

Idk if Switch has "all the power it needs" or not, but I imagine it's got enough to accomplish most of what it needs to. As long as it's capable of running games the developers want to bring... then it has what it needs. Maybe there will be a few games that won't end up coming strictly due to the power- don't doubt that. But I don't see it being widespread. The vast majority of games should be able to be ported just fine- if they don't come, it won't be because of the power, it will be because of the lack of demand.

As for "loads of 3rd party support"... doubtful. But it should get enough that when supplemented with their own increased output, there will be enough games to keep droughts away. 3DS didn't get loads of third-party support, not by any stretch of the imagination... but it did get enough. Switch doesn't need loads... it just needs enough. And the Japanese developers are where the bulk of it will come from.

But at the end of the day, even if you were right on every single count... does anyone care? It perplexes me that everything has to be so serious nowadays, the "oh my goodness, it's not powerful enough, it won't have 3rd party support, they're in decline, yada yada yada".... Ya? Well maybe you're right. But what difference does it make.

@marko I have no idea about costs either.Is a more powerful chip more expensive to implement than HD rumble is?Maybe HD rumble costs peanuts to add to the controllers,not including R&D costs,or maybe not.I have not a clue but I do know that even if they had gone with the Pascal X2 and it could run games like The Witcher 3 etc,those games would still sell poorly compared to the other consoles as they would still be gimped in some way.It's been this way for the majority of 3rd party games for the last 20 years.The Gamecube had a decent library but nowhere near as much as the competition and that was a fairly powerful machine at the time.From what i remember,many of the ones we did get sold poorly too.If the Wii U had been a more capable machine,3rd party would still have abandoned it too,maybe not as quickly but once they saw how poorly their games were selling they'd be off.

So instead of power Nintendo have gone with the unique approach again but the Switch is a far more easy sell to the public than the Wii U ever was.Probably even more than the 3DS was too, that was an antique power wise and had the confusing name and weak first year.The Switch will be unlike anything else on the market and other than power it's a modern and premium piece of kit,unlike the plastic toy consoles of the past.If Nintendo keep putting out quality titles consistently and build up a decent userbase,the 3rd party's will come with quality Switch exclusive titles just like they did on Wii.Those usually do better than watered down ports.Hopefully without the shovelware on top though

Doesnt surprise me at all. Luckily nintendo games dont need the latest specs. Still in this regard the pricing could be better

@Jamotello
Dont worry they will use pascal for the upgraded switch in a couple of years

Old, new, who cares. Does Nvidia really use the power behind these chips, other then mobile games and speeding up the devices? All I hear from their Shield brand is streaming....at least Nintendo is actually using it.

Calm down, this is still unconfirmed. Why? The link ARM used was (https://www.androidpit.com/nintendo-switch-review) that cited EuroGamer's SPECULATION on the Nintendo Switch. THEY DID NOT USE THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE LIKE NVIDIA DID. Basically, calm down and wait till somebody tears down the Switch.

Welp, they deleted the post. Time to move on, people.

There is no actual way to know what's under the hood of the Switch until someone does the teardown of the console itself.

http://switchcore.net/2017/02/07/arm-cpu-not-confirmed-nintendo-switch/

@zip http://switchcore.net/2017/02/07/arm-cpu-not-confirmed-nintendo-switch/

@zip http://switchcore.net/2017/02/07/arm-cpu-not-confirmed-nintendo-switch/

@zip http://switchcore.net/2017/02/07/arm-cpu-not-confirmed-nintendo-switch/

@zip http://switchcore.net/2017/02/07/arm-cpu-not-confirmed-nintendo-switch/

@zip http://switchcore.net/2017/02/07/arm-cpu-not-confirmed-nintendo-switch/

@zip http://switchcore.net/2017/02/07/arm-cpu-not-confirmed-nintendo-switch/

@BiasedSonyFan no no no, I'm buying a Switch to sell it to you for triple the price. You're the only one I know that'd do something like that, anyways.

@Captain_Toad here ya go, munch on this: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://m.ign.com/wikis/wii-u/Wii_U_Launch_Games_(US">http://m.ign.com/wikis/wii-u/Wii_U_Launch_Games_(US)</a>

Wii U with an objectionally better launch line up than Switch.

There is no Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed or NFS coming to Switch. No Resident Evil. Even Ubisoft is taking a cautious approach to Switch.

Meanwhile, I'll be playing BotW on my Wii U day 1 all the same.

Btw, nobody told Nintendo to launch new hardware in March, especially a home console. That's their own fault.

Last console released in Spring for Nintendo? 3DS. How'd that launch fare?

@JaxonH "but most importantly, because it's portable... which guarantees Japanese success"

Let's just entertain this argument for a second and pretend that it actually matters. So maybe it does have guaranteed Japanese success, what point does that serve? Japan is the smallest market by far and will not determine the success of Switch. Neither will Japanese games. This isn't the 90s.

The Xbox brand has completely bombed in Japan every generation and with every console. That has done little to absolutely nothing in regards to their overall success.

ARM removed the post. And what's weird is that the link they posted was a site that was speculating that the Switch has A57s which also directs to other sites (EG as well) which was also speculating that it has A57s. I wouldn't count this as fact right away if I were you. And the fact that it can already run UE4 is still amazing.

I'm guessing it's been said but you need to do your research before you report a story

@OriginalCreator @Damo Arm has actually confirmed now that the post was not an official statement. As @Zyph has stated, the link on the post actually linked to speculation based on the now aging Digital Foundry article.

Basically all we've learned from this is that people will jump on anything so they can be negative & earn a response from someone.

@Zyph That's because it's not official it's just rumour

Aaaand another reason why the system will fail. You can say bye-bye to 3rd party support now, which means it will be another Wii U.

Can't believe people still have faith in this system. How much of a fanboy can someone be?

@Yasume The article above is confirmed to be a rumour, so the actual custom Nvidia Tegra specs are yet to be revealed.

And you can't tell if the system will fail or not based on your assumption. I say wait for at least a year before judging. If it fails, then it fails, and if it succeeds, then it succeeds, and that's that! 3rd party devs will only join if there are more sales of the console, whether the console is powerful or not.

Example: PS Vita and 3DS. 3DS, despite having weak specs, its user base is marginally bigger than the powerful PS Vita, and 3rd party devs are making games for 3DS more than PS Vita because of that.

Devs go where the money is, even if the console runs on a potato.

Not a surprise. It just confirms that Nintendo are banking on people in 2017 paying a premium price for HD rumble and some stupid camera that detects Rock, Paper, Scissors, over horsepower. Bold move Nintendo, bold move.

I still can't get over the fact that a Switch with a copy of 1-2 Switch costs nearly the same as a PS4 Pro. Just LOL.

This is good or bad news depending on what kind of product Nintendo wants to sell. If it's intended as a handheld, this is a huge step above the 3DS. If it's intended as a home console, this is a marginal upgrade from WiiU.

Considering Nintendo is marketing the Switch as a home console, I'd say this is bad news and it'll most likely affect 3rd part support down the line.

Edit: I very much doubt this will have any effect on the system failing or not, as some seem to think. The main draw of the Switch isn't the processing power, it's the flexibility of being both a portable and home console. If that's something people want it'll sell, if not it'll fail - no matter if there's tegra or pascal on the inside.

I know I'm late with that, but I will try to explain to the few that are reading this.

What is Tegra? A combo of CPU and GPU.
What is most important here? The GPU.
What are the mentioned ARM cores? The most important part of the CPU.

So how much does this tell us about the Switchs capabilties if it is true? Not much.

Btw, what is Pascal? A GPU architecture.

@JaxonH
Very well said. Won't make a difference to some people though. A doom merchant's gotta doom !!!

Sigh, too many of the comments here are either people complaining about the specs, or they're people complaining about those complaining.

@DanteSolablood Exactly
@PinkSpider That's what I'm saying

@Yasume
Aaaand another reason why the system will fail. You can say bye-bye to 3rd party support now, which means it will be another Wii U.
Can't believe people still have faith in this system. How much of a fanboy can someone be?

I'm just curious, I've seen many (too many ) of your posts on many threads and you use the word ''fanboy'' like a weapon against anybody who disagrees with your vision of ''Nintendoom'' Do you use this phrase outside of gaming against people who may genuinely like something you clearly do not or may have a favourite food, colour, football team etc than you do ?

Don't worry you're not '' Getting attacked by a fanboy '' Far from it. I'm just curious.

I presume someones left this here already but if not, well informed stuff!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq5E2Z2hww0

@Smug43 60fps x4 is 240fps that the Switch can pull off.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE You know absolutely nothing, and are simply blowing hot air.

Anyway, even if this is remotely true, we still know very little about the inner workings of this console. But from what I'm hearing, it's a bloody miracle that they got to that £280 price point in the first place. That's good enough for me, and to be honest I don't want another PS4 in my life - I want a Nintendo device that innovates.

@Kirgo Bingo, lol.

@BigWhoady I'm sure what @SLIGEACH_EIRE meant was as a home console Switch can't compete with PS4 and Xbox one. What I can say is in terms of third party games it can't compete against the other two because it just doesn't have enough power to port all AAA 3rd party titles without downscaling the games by a lot and even then the graphically demanding games won't be possible and say if a game is out on all platforms, unless someone only has Switch as their console people are gonna prefer the PS4 version due to it being superior, but it will be better case than the Wii U because most of lesser demanding titles will see a switch release because porting the games over to switch is fairly simple due to its architecture also what can happen is if it sells like hotcakes, like crazy thn 3rd parties can create some content for the Switch exclusively.

So how long until NintendoLife updates this article?

@Iggy-Koopa lol You keep telling yourself that fool.

Pathetic
Who gives a poop. If u don't like it then don't buy it and if u like it then buy it. Bunch of screaming whining children on all sides. Grow the poop up

Lol. Remember the days people was discussing about Switch power is closer to xbone or ps4 pro.

https://youtu.be/Wq5E2Z2hww0

This guy's channel is so much better for a rational discussion!

Yes third party support is important to keep a supply of games coming, but technical prowess of a machine is now less of a factor than is economics and business relationships. If the Switch sells there will be developers. Graphical fidelity is plateauing. In all previous generations games that came out 4 years in to a consoles life span look significantly better than those at launch. Now not so much so. This is why Microsoft and Sony are releasing/released new consoles as there is nowhere else to go. Isn't this PC gaming?

Nintendo have made an exciting console, that will have some amazing games on it. Will it get all the games? No. But name me a console that has? All people have to decide is whether the content enough to convince themselves to get one?

It is going to be amazing though! Tabletop mode: mini sessions of bomberman and street fight 2! Honestly, what more do people want!!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I will, because you don't. Fool. LOL.

@eeyore Which was fuelled by wannabe journalists, leaking 'information' left and right. It's what's inherently wrong with 'journalism' in the industry nowadays - ant t*t with a laptop can claim to have 'inside info' and draw attention to themselves. Notice how that well has dried up now though?

@NintySnesMan Watch the language, censoring it doesn't work with us.

@Colonel1000
Great link mate. Like he said even if it was X1 it's still capable of running xbox and ps4 games with a few minor tweaks

@Joeynator3000
Not trying to censor it. I want ppl to read as is. Sometimes enough is enough and this was one of those times mate. I don't normally go on a abusive rampage but after reading all comments from fanboys and haters I felt compelled to comment and send a message that was hard hitting. Sorry if I offended anybody

@NintySnesMan We just don't allow it here, so...yeah.

@Joeynator3000
No disrespect but who is We or u mean you. I have read many comments with swearing that's had censorship. Am not having a dig but why chastise one person and not others.

I really hate this whole "it's not powerful enough for 3rd party games" argument.

Even if you don't know how things exactly work, just look at PC gaming.
What do you do if a game won't run well? Turn down the settings a bit!
And that is exactly what developers can do in consoles as well, it is not hard.

Of course there is more to porting a game, but nothing of that has much to do with power.

You only get a problem if the system is not powerfull enough to run the game at all. But the gap between PS4 and Switch is WAY to small for that to be an issue.

So this whole power problem for the porting of games does not even exist here.

Looks like "Andrew" is in trouble

Well think this only confirms it using the X1 or the P1.
Both use an A57 CPU.
The X1 uses 4x A57s paired with A53.
The P1 uses 4x A57s paired with Nvidia's Denver cores.
If anything this statement would actually more indicate towards the P1 being used, why would ARM otherwise only mention the A57. It actually makes sense that they would only mention the A57 if it was paired with the Denver cores that they themselves wasn't responsible for.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegra#Tegra_P1

How embarrassing.

Not shocking, Nintendo hardly does cutting edge.

I said very long ago that the Switch, or NX as it was called back then, was almost certainly going to be around Wii U+ level in terms of power and not much beyond that (not as powerful as an Xbox One or PS4 graphically, and certainly not beyond those systems)—which it's now patently clear it is pretty much a Wii U+ in terms of graphical power—and how many fanboys argued otherwise. . . .

I'm not complaining about its power to be honest, because I've mostly always thought of it as an obviously underpowered home console but basically the most powerful dedicated handheld gaming device ever, which was largely fine with me for what it was/is trying to be—other than the obvious issues it would cause when it came to major AAA third party support (especially any new and upcoming titles)—but I'm just saying.

Well i never cared about specs for any Nintendo console. I always wanted to play their games. Saying that, they better announce a new Metroid prime game or ........there will be blood

@Sandman83 More likely X1. X2 (aka P1, or the brain of the PX2, as the case may be) is exclusively being used for expensive car AI GPU's at the moment. The cost of a Pascal SoC relative to what it's being used in, the vaunted Tesla electric cars, would indicate that if even a toned down gaming equivalent were used in the NS, the MSRP would catapult above where it stands now. It wouldn't be implausible to see an upgraded SKU of the NS in the future, but until NS hits it big, it's likely not to go above X1 performance.

Eh. It would be nice to have something fancier, but Nintendo published extraordinary software on the Wii U, and I expect we'll get plenty of excellent content on the Switch. Its primary selling point is its portability, rather than being a cutting edge home console. In some ways, I think it's wise for Nintendo to be carving out a niche as an addition to a home with either a PS4, Xbox One, or gaming PC, rather than a competitor to those markets.

@impurekind If anything, the NS should have far less problems with decisions based on raw specs than the Wii or Wii U had. The first year is going to be rather sparse, with third parties watching and waiting, but production will likely ramp up next year. Even in the raw specs department, neither PS4Pro or XBScorpio are reportedly going to receive exclusives (beyond VR) for the upgraded hardware. So their baselines will remain the benchmark.

If the NS does well, it's possible that NVIDIA will see fit to produce a gaming equivalent of the Pascal (or even Xavier) SoC for a potential NS upgrade SKU. That would place it above base XBone performance and on par with base PS4 performance, ironically outSonying Sony regarding the philosophy behind the Vita.

Not surprising. When have Nintendo EVER used the latest technology?

I would have liked the newer tech not so much for added horsepower but more for power efficiency which would have given longer battery life...

@JohnGrey So, how is it that you can accuse people of things and call them or their behavior as you see it, making baseless assumptions all around the board, regardless of the fact whether it's correct or not, but if you even suspect other people making assumptions about you, it's okay to use harsh or potentially even threatening language? I saw this reaction of yours to someone else while scrolling down the comments section:

"I'll thank you not to visit my intentions, ever. Do you understand me?"

The only thing missing to make it even more aggressive is capital letters...

I would wager a guess you wouldn't want to be addressed like that either, would you? Even so, I re-read my own comments, just to give you a fair chance and see whether or not you actually have a point concerning your assessment on my behavior.

All I said was "The X1 may not be entirely up to par, but it ain't no slouch either, and with the help of the custom software, NVN and Vulkan API, results on the Switch will be more than decent, I assure you.

And consider this: there's a reason why Nvidia themselves are also once again going with the X1 for their new iteration of the Shield..."

I honestly see nothing asinine about that, merely stating facts. The X1 is indeed not on par and Nvidia is still using it in its next Shield device.

And I don't have to "insist" on anything concerning my (admittedly bad attempt at) pulling your leg, it was meant as I say it is, I can't help that you don't see it that way, but that's not really my problem, sorry.

"'That likes saying that cutting on one's hand is merely a new and exciting oppportunity to learn alternative methods of opening jars. The way to fix problems is not to suggest how those problems are solutions to other, less-pressing problems."

You completely misread me there. AGAIN, I might add...
What I mean by that is looking for things that are constructive, makes the situation move forward and a point of view that is looking at what IS possible, and what we ARE getting, instead of constantly looking at what it can't do and what we aren't getting.

We can complain an moan about that until the cows come home, but it isn't going to change anything about them just being the facts, so what's the use?

"And it amazes me that for months before this every comment section on Nintendo Life was full of posters insisting that the SoC was the X2. Now that we have all but ironclad confirmation that it's the same X1 that the more pessimistic posters said it was, what is the response? The exact same rubbish we saw during the Wii U's lifetime. 'Graphics are meaningless', 'Nintendo isn't competing Sony and Microsoft', 'Switch has all the power it needs, it'll get loads of third-party support'. It's absurdity that would be laughable if it weren't so painful."

Sure, there will always be people that go overboard with their statements, and I agree with you that we don't have to be blind to the shortcomings and resort to statements like "graphics don't matter" (and you'll never hear me say that; I'd sooner go with "graphics matter just as much as gameplay"), but in similar fashion, all this nagging and idiocy about the Switch being dead in the water and such is also highly annoying.

"It's not right this moment, but then I said as much. The issue is its forward support. Wii U adopters got burned badly, and the platform's decline wasn't just abrupt and precipitous, it was very visible. Releasing another system that will have significant problems garnering third-party support as it matures is not the strategy to turn around a hardware business. Indeed, it's a proper way to kill it."

But the thing is, we simply don't know all of this yet, so it's quite presumptuous to assume where it's going to go at this point already. The third party story is definitely not as clear as we hoped it would be by now, or as it should be, but that doesn't mean that it is as clear cut as you and many of the more critical members seem to think.

After all: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence...

"I have no problem with hope, so long as its founded, just like I have no problem with people that find comfort and meaning in religion or spirirtuality during periods of trial like terminal disease; where I have a problem is when that person says that they've given up chemo and is now seeing a naturopath and expects to be well again very soon, and then looking very cross when I cover my eyes and sigh. Nintendo has very real problems, mortal problems if they aren't corrected, and shrugging one's shoulders and saying that it doesn't matter or could be worse helps no one, least of all Nintendo."

That's kind of a harsh comparison, but I get your point, so fair enough. However, I am honestly curious to find out where you're coming from and how you've come to this conclusion, since like I already said before, we don't know and only have partial information at best.

I don't know what business you're in or what your knowledge base is, but my expertise is Sales & Marketing, so a lot of what I say and think is obviously influenced by that to some extent.

And there's also quite a bit of partial information that is actually pointing at things looking up: positive reactions, Nintendo making a good start with their marketing campaign, and Tatsumi Kimishima making some good decisions and statements.

Anyways, as it stands, we are on both ends of the spectrum, but at least we agree on statements needing to be founded, both negative AND positive ones...

@Smug43 In addition, according to Shin'en, they've also added "many new visual effects" which I assume translates to improved lighting, particles, and perhaps texture fidelity.

@OriginalCreator Septapost.

@AG_Awesome who cares? I'm still playing my Donkey Kong Game & Watch from 1983 not a PS4 Pro. Graphics just don't matter. Give me fun gameplay, a cool art style and game design over teraflops and gb etc etc

@gatorboi352.

"Wii U with an objectionally better launch line up than Switch."

Edit:{facepalm Didn't I just say the overall year-line up is gonna make up for the admittedly lack-luster launch for the Switch} Okay I didn't say that part in my origional comment oops.

The Switch's year's line-up will make up for the admittedly lack-luster launch for the Switch. If were counting game-size, yeah the Switch's launch line up can't even be compared against. In terms of a killer app at launch, Zelda alone will pretty much be carrying this thing for at least 2 months. Despite what you think about Zelda, Breath of the Wild has been awaited by the literal millions, considering the wait for BOTW has been so long, seeing this thing launch with the Switch with improved graphics along with a take it anywhere style will get the majority to drop their WiiU's.

"Even Ubisoft is taking a cautious approach to Switch."
As I stated before, Considering what happened with the WiiU (abysmal sales, aged tech, lack-of and confusing marketing), Ubisoft and the 3rd parties have every right to be anxious about the Switch.

Money sells systems and the amount of games helps get money to sell systems to which I round back to my original comment about the Switch's games line up for the year, and if the Switch sells well, the majority if not all of the third parties will be coming to support this thing like it's out of style.

Of course, this involves some crystal balling, so here's to the future!

Until then. Enjoy playing Breath of the Wild on the WiiU.

@DonkeyKongBigBoy Weird when I see idiotic answers like this. I know what you're doing, it's pathetic. You're suggesting I have an ulterior motive for asking a simple question. Here's a clue, I don't. I'm curious because I'm not familiar with specs. Also you're insinuating I can't enjoy simple games (thanks to my hacked NES mini I enjoy all the classics btw). Next time please don't respond at all. I don't care what you play or how you play, k?

Graphics, shmafics, the big loss on being X1 based is the battery life. It could have run a lot longer on an X2 base than an X1, which would have been a bigger feature on this platform, IMO.

Another thing a lot of people miss when talking about "power" is that WiiU did not fail because it was underpowered. It was actually pretty powerful, not quite X1 power, but had pretty good power. The problem was the arcane architecture. That problem was compounded by the move from the other two consoles to X86, meaning a 3rd party made their game for X86 arch and X86 only. PC, X1, PS4, all on the same arch, meaning it had to be tooled from the ground up for WiiU, and that just was not going to happen without a big return.

Just being "less powerful" isn't a huge deterrent to them, their engines in most games are scalable to most hardware, and the Tegra here is designed to make X86->ARM an easy port.

Imagine you're running the show for GTA. Someone hands you a Switch Dev Kit. You can do a crude port in a few weeks. Sure it's less powerful, but you just lower the res and turn some of the shaders and particle effects off, drop the geometry a bit and it runs fine. Won't cost much. You might decide to put your game on it.

Now imagine being handed a WiiU. The engine simply won't run and is designed around and entirely different philosophy of hardware resource management. You're going to have to rewrite most of the game from the ground up. AND the small install base isn't likely to want the kind of game you're making anyway.

Kind of a no brainer.

Doesn't mean the AAAs will find business reason to port their games to Switch, but people who equate "power" with what went wrong with WiiU and 3rd parties, are barking up the wrong tree still. It wasn't a power problem, it was an architecture problem.

@AG_Awesome actually, when you post something in a public forum, you should maybe expect someone to comment on it. Whether you like or don't like it, that's how it works. sorry if my comment offended you, maybe you are overly sensitive?

@DonkeyKongBigBoy I expect potential answers. Not endless crying like what you posted 😁. But maybe you're sensitive to people who have questions about graphics? Clearly it triggered your defense mechanism rather easily. 😘

@AG_Awesome get over it sunshine

@DonkeyKongBigBoy Hey kiddo, you're the one trolling me for asking a question that triggered you. Not my problem you're new to the internet. 😉 But have a great day! 😎

I have nothing worthwhile to say.

@Jamotello I really liked that garlic analogy haha I think im gonna apply it to a sentence at some point today lol

@DonkeyKongBigBoy Well you keep going on and on kiddo. So yeah, I'd say you're pretty upset about my simple question. But hey, it'll be okay. Sometimes having a tantrum online like you're doing makes people feel better. Carry on 👌

@AG_Awesome can't believe you've ended up so butthurt over my original comment. its hilarious 😂

@DonkeyKongBigBoy @AG_Awesome Okay, how about everyone have a great day.

@Captain_Toad. Well if you insist Captain 😛

@joey302 Nice one,I'd love to have a set up like that.That's an impressive amount of 2600 games you've built up.I think I maybe had about 10 to 15 games for it at most and I got a good few of them off my uncle.It's funny,I forget things I done last week but I have very distinct memories of the 2600.I can remember setting eyes on it for the first time when my uncle got one for Xmas,.I can remember playing Centipede and Adventure that Xmas day.I recall unwrapping my own one the Xmas after at my grans along with a Sodastream haha.And I recall being in the shop buying my first ever game with my Xmas money but sadly can't remember what I bought with it.Good times.

@OorWullie I think I was like 12 Christmas morning and opened my 2600 system packed with Combat but mom and dad (Santa) threw 4 games into the mix as well!! Haunted House, space invaders, asteroids and outlaw! Remember it like it was yesterday. 😁

@ThanosReXXX

So, how is it that you can accuse people of things and call them or their behavior as you see it, making baseless assumptions all around the board, regardless of the fact whether it's correct or not, but if you even suspect other people making assumptions about you, it's okay to use harsh or potentially even threatening language? I saw this reaction of yours to someone else while scrolling down the comments section:

The only thing missing to make it even more aggressive is capital letters...

There's a very stark difference between those cases, and it's gleaned easily enough if you read the comment that I posted; it turns out wasn't even addressed toward me, though since it was between two people with whom I was debating at that very moment and had no mention to show otherwise, I think you can see how that would be confusing. The comment in question seemed to intimate that irrespective of my opinion of the Switch, which ought to be very apparent, I would nonetheless purchase one because my criticism was only talk and that I essentially didn't have the courage of my own convictions. I'll more than welcome anyone to dispute my analyses, provided they do so with concrete numbers to enforce that disputation; that's the healthy and enjoyable part of debate. What I absolutely will not tolerate is that someone will impute to me a course of action that is contrary to my stated opinions. Conversely, you have been vocally positive, and shown more than a bit of cheek to those that were negative. Once can reasonably infer that you do so because you either believe that the Switch will be a success, or you're concerned that it may well not be and you're trying to keep positive momentum going. In case you're unaware, the cultivation of positive emotionalism toward an entity is the very essence of cheerleading. Since, you yourself admitted to doing so after the fact, in the sense that your outlook revolves around finding the 'good' (asses the X1 not against its competition but rather on, presumably, other past handhelds) and spread the word (post links in support), I don't see why the term rankles you so badly.

[em]All I said was "The X1 may not be entirely up to par, but it ain't no slouch either, and with the help of the custom software, NVN and Vulkan API, results on the Switch will be more than decent, I assure you.
And consider this: there's a reason why Nvidia themselves are also once again going with the X1 for their new iteration of the Shield..."

I honestly see nothing asinine about that, merely stating facts. The X1 is indeed not on par and Nvidia is still using it in its next Shield device.[/em]

And I answered why they're doing so. Because the performance profile of the Shield TV is such that it is not intended as a primary gaming platform, rather as a general media consumption device with secondary gaming functionality to give it a value prop differentiator, bolstered by nVidia's cachet as probably the leading GPU maker in the world, against the Apple TV, which was to introduce its own gaming platform at the next hardware refresh. So, they reused the existing chip, likely refreshed the memory bus speed and perhaps the amount, we don't know, made any component arrangment revisions based on in-the-wild wear that they encountered, and sent the design off to manufacture. That's how minor hardware revisions work.

You completely misread me there. AGAIN, I might add...

What I mean by that is looking for things that are constructive, makes the situation move forward and a point of view that is looking at what IS possible, and what we ARE getting, instead of constantly looking at what it can't do and what we aren't getting.

We can complain an moan about that until the cows come home, but it isn't going to change anything about them just being the facts, so what's the use?

The use is that, if you believe that Nintendo is on a course that will lead to failure, the last thing that you do is want to look on the bright side. They need feedback, not manufacturer adulation.

Sure, there will always be people that go overboard with their statements, and I agree with you that we don't have to be blind to the shortcomings and resort to statements like "graphics don't matter" (and you'll never hear me say that; I'd sooner go with "graphics matter just as much as gameplay"), but in similar fashion, all this nagging and idiocy about the Switch being dead in the water and such is also highly annoying.

Is it annoying because it's not based on assessment of known facts (which in my case, it is) or because it causes you emotional disquiet that you don't want when you come to what has increasingly become the same sort of echo chamber that cheered the Wii U to an early grave whilst proclaimingn that it was just want the market needed? If it's the former, and especially if it has to do with my argument, then by all means tell me what I've gotten wrong. Show me sales figures that refute Nintendo's trend of decline in both product categories. Show me attachment rates that support the Switch as something tht will be an enormous draw when the same form factor, design language, price point and gaming philosophy was display by the Vita, which was an abject failure. Show me maths, because I'm not here to debate feelings.

But the thing is, we simply don't know all of this yet, so it's quite presumptuous to assume where it's going to go at this point already. The third party story is definitely not as clear as we hoped it would be by now, or as it should be, but that doesn't mean that it is as clear cut as you and many of the more critical members seem to think. After all: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence...

It's not presumptuous. It's founded on a rational evaluation of the Switch's marketability on a forward basis. It's founded on the very clear rate of core install base attrition that Nintendo has experienced since its first transition (NES -> SNES) and has continued unabated. It's founded on how starkly similar the trajectory of the Switch has been to the Wii U, in terms of the dissemination of technical information and the manner in which the Nintendo community has reacted to it. It has to do with the state of third-party support as it stands, which is precisely what it was with the Wii U. It has to do with the utter lack of information regarding how Nintendo has mitigated, or intends to mitigate, the host of service issues the Wii U had; we know nothing concrete about the account system, there has not been a single explicative statement regarding the VC or purchase migration, if any, from the Wii. One month out from a product launch, this is disastrous to the mindshare of Nintendo and its value proposition.

That's kind of a harsh comparison, but I get your point, so fair enough. However, I am honestly curious to find out where you're coming from and how you've come to this conclusion, since like I already said before, we don't know and only have partial information at best. I don't know what business you're in or what your knowledge base is, but my expertise is Sales & Marketing, so a lot of what I say and think is obviously influenced by that to some extent.

It comes from having graduated uni with a CS degree, emphasis on hardware design and software development, having been a software dev for more than twenty years, and from having been employed in market research analysis, brand positioning and imaging for eleven years.

And there's also quite a bit of partial information that is actually pointing at things looking up: positive reactions, Nintendo making a good start with their marketing campaign, and Tatsumi Kimishima making some good decisions and statements.

Reactions are meaningless outside the context of real-world commerce. Even during the first initial wave of hype for BotW, the analysis of the reactions did not take into account the monetary cost of admittance. It's easy to love a game and a hardware platform in a positive-feedback environment like a con or trade show, or worse still a Nintendo-hosted event, and especially when that experience founded on a game that you didn't have to buy and a costly, unproven hardware platform you didn't have to adopt. That same vacuous PR response is precisely why Nintendo got burned last generation by third-party support. The devs certainly impressed with the Wii U, and were bullish about it, until they had to shell out the cost to develop and publish for it. You know that to be true, I do, Nintendo does and the devs do. Every time a dev comes out and says that they currently have no plans to develop for the Switch, or that they are 'committed' but only have one seventh generation port to announce at this time, they're proving that to be true.

Anyways, as it stands, we are on both ends of the spectrum, but at least we agree on statements needing to be founded, both negative AND positive ones...

The entirety of my argument is based on numbers. Can you say the same?

@Spoony_Tech It does if it matches the specs of the competing systems. $400 for all of the power of an XBONE or PS4 with all of the hybrid fun and tech in the Switch + Nintendo's 1st party games = Switch > all of the rest. So, yeah. It really would have been nice to see some extra horsepower this time around.

@damo "While it's highly likely that the silicon inside the Switch features some customizations"

I thought this had already been confirmed.

https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/10/20/nintendo-switch/

"it's clear that it is built on what has gone before, rather than being a totally new offering"

No, it's actually not clear that this is the case, at least not in the way that your statement implies. Processor design is always built around iteration on previous technology. A processor's use of a given type of architecture doesn't preclude its ability to achieve a new overall design/functionality. If that's how it worked, then by that same logic we would be saying that PS4 and Xbox One are using 39 year old processors because they use x86 architecture. Just saying.

I'm so glad I don't do "tech spec wars" anymore lol. We have to leave it in the hands of capable devs-- In the end, if a good product is squeezed out, and if they manage to do it with methods that compete with rival platforms, then that can only bode well for the Switch. It's all about the games.

As I already suspected last year, the Switch is running on underperforming mobile hardware.
At this point, it's not even a surprise anymore, but still a shame.

Well this is fun! A non-article sparks a war. 😄

@G0dlike he's magical. Must be hard work to be like that all the time.

@wizzgamer Not true The switch is a home console and they never pulled out of home console..What have you been smoking kiddo...
Facepalm

Fake News again!

@maceng What I mean is Apple historically had used older tech than competitors I.e. they used to use older Samsung Galaxy chips in the iPhone before they produced their own. They let other companies chase the bleeding edge and wait for when the tech is stable and is easy to work with so they can capitalize. Also IOS still can't provide larger experiences at such levels like a PC can or even console for that matter. It isn't designed to do so. Of course yearly updates allow for newer tech as well.

@JohnGrey Okay, first off: thanks for the normal reply, that was all that I was looking for.

Second, I can understand your confusion what with all the people talking back and forth in this thread, so I'm not faulting you or addressing you on thinking that the comment was meant for you, but like I said, I thought the "tone" of it was rather menacing towards the other guy, that's all. It's the kind of remarks that in real life, can make situations go real bad real fast, and online there's this tendency of being a lot bolder towards one another because we're all anonymous.

Maybe it's also my age: I'm 46, been there, done that, always say what I mean and mean what I say.

And then you go on the internet and there's all kinds of people lying about their age, profession, skills and knowledge and a lot of them seem to think you must surely be or do the same and then they're also talking to me like I went to college with them, something that rubs ME the wrong way, since I grew up having been taught respect the hard way, not to mention that in comparison, I have achieved more than a lot of them will ever do in their entire live, and I've done it all on my own strength, resulting in me moving from being part of a sales team, to leading one and now having my own small sales company.

Sorry for that little rant, had to get that off my chest there, since it's been bugging me for years and in instances like these, it bubbles up to the surface again, it's not directed at you personally.

But having said that, and please correct me if I'm wrong, I do feel as if you seem to have pegged me as some kind of smug, condescending person, when in fact I'm the exact opposite of that. But I can understand the duality of interpreting plain text and at times, it simply cannot be avoided that one's interpretation of someone else's words is misconstrued, no matter how sure we ourselves are that what we have written can only be read in the way we intended it to be.

So, maybe that puts some of my words a bit more in perspective, and if not, then I don't know what will.

Moving on, since there's quite a bit of text to process. And I thought I was the resident text-wall maker here...

I'll more than welcome anyone to dispute my analyses, provided they do so with concrete numbers to enforce that disputation; that's the healthy and enjoyable part of debate."

I would argue that a BIG factor in debates/discussions being enjoyable is, you probably guessed it: respect or at least accepting others opinions, as long as they are well-argued, and that (I suspect) is the reason why some might see me as jumping onto people being negative, but I actually only do so when they just pull facts out of their nether regions without any data or source to back it up. Of course you could argue that I don't have to do that, but I just can't stand baseless negativity, sorry.

So yeah, I'm a positive guy, but I'm not blind. I've been more than critical of Nintendo in the past and recently about the presentation of the Switch as well, but when I'm positive, I am because I genuinely believe in certain things and as said in my previous comment, a lot of it is based upon my professional opinion and sentiment; I've been doing sales & marketing for over 20 years now, and at some point, you develop a kind of gut feeling for what is going to work and what's not. (which, although it may sound counter-productive, is actually regardless of numbers and stats)

An example: I was absolutely horrified by the Wii U's marketing campaign, or as I always say: lack thereof, and it was like being tied to a chair, watching a train wreck happening and not being able to do anything about it. I don't see any such mistakes in the Switch's marketing campaign, at least not just yet, so for now, I'm simply keeping an open mind. And not as in "benefit of the doubt" because in my profession, doubt is simply a sign that you shouldn't do something, so that would be a definite no.

Once can reasonably infer that you do so because you either believe that the Switch will be a success, or you're concerned that it may well not be and you're trying to keep positive momentum going. In case you're unaware, the cultivation of positive emotionalism toward an entity is the very essence of cheerleading.

The first option. I truly believe that the Switch is going to be a more than decent success story for Nintendo. I don't do cheerleading, and as a rather bulky man, I wouldn't look good in those clothes either, let alone when waving pom-poms...

Since, you yourself admitted to doing so after the fact, in the sense that your outlook revolves around finding the 'good' (asses the X1 not against its competition but rather on, presumably, other past handhelds) and spread the word (post links in support), I don't see why the term rankles you so badly.

No, not exactly, I haven't admitted to anything, since as I already mentioned, I don't believe in being either positive or negative when it's baseless, and what you painted there, sounds like me looking for the positive just for the sake of it, which is absolutely not the case.

I already gave some examples in my previous comment, but they don't seem to have landed, so maybe a work related one:

When I had to sell hardware (my core business in sales & marketing is IT related) I always come across stuff that either the hardware can't do or the customer doesn't want or can't afford. Those are the negatives. Now, I'm looking for what the hardware CAN do, what the customer DOES want, and what he CAN afford.

See? Thinking in SOLUTIONS. Me taking the time/too much time to assess and consider the negatives won't do me or my customer any good, so I'm looking to go forward, not to stand still or looking back.

And also in the case of the Switch, numbers or previous outings aren't indicative of what is about to happen. It could be, but it's not set in stone.

There's a saying in my profession: "results of the past are no guarantee for the future", which actually goes both ways, meaning a good previous run is no guarantee that the next one is also going to be good, but a bad previous result also isn't a guarantee that this situation is "surely" going to repeat itself.

As for your assessment of the Shield's new version: the burden of proof lies with you there, since you said that what you stated is the actual reason, which I don't believe. It could be multiple things, but they would surely want the thing to become successful, so positioning it as something that probably isn't going to sell much doesn't make any sense at all. And the Shield is all about gaming, both local and streaming, the other functionalities come on top of that, not the other way around. It's also sold as a gaming device, not a media stream box that also happens to play games.

And as for me posting links, what's wrong with that? It's a completely factual and extensive tear-down of the Tegra X1 SoC that shows EXACTLY what it's pros and cons are, so it's a bit of informative reading for those that want to know more, nothing else. It's not an opinion piece that exclusively supports my own sentiments, if that was why you think I posted it.

"The use is that, if you believe that Nintendo is on a course that will lead to failure, the last thing that you do is want to look on the bright side. They need feedback, not manufacturer adulation."

I think I already covered that in the previous part...

"Is it annoying because it's not based on assessment of known facts (which in my case, it is) or because it causes you emotional disquiet that you don't want when you come to what has increasingly become the same sort of echo chamber that cheered the Wii U to an early grave whilst proclaimingn that it was just want the market needed? If it's the former, and especially if it has to do with my argument, then by all means tell me what I've gotten wrong. Show me sales figures that refute Nintendo's trend of decline in both product categories. Show me attachment rates that support the Switch as something tht will be an enormous draw when the same form factor, design language, price point and gaming philosophy was display by the Vita, which was an abject failure. Show me maths, because I'm not here to debate feelings."

It's not what you personally got wrong, it was other people saying stuff like "dead in the water" which indeed is baseless, so that is indeed the part that annoyed me, so I was talking in general where that specific topic is concerned.

"It's not presumptuous. It's founded on a rational evaluation of the Switch's marketability on a forward basis. It's founded on the very clear rate of core install base attrition that Nintendo has experienced since its first transition (NES -> SNES) and has continued unabated. It's founded on how starkly similar the trajectory of the Switch has been to the Wii U, in terms of the dissemination of technical information and the manner in which the Nintendo community has reacted to it. It has to do with the state of third-party support as it stands, which is precisely what it was with the Wii U. It has to do with the utter lack of information regarding how Nintendo has mitigated, or intends to mitigate, the host of service issues the Wii U had; we know nothing concrete about the account system, there has not been a single explicative statement regarding the VC or purchase migration, if any, from the Wii. One month out from a product launch, this is disastrous to the mindshare of Nintendo and its value proposition."

Agreed on that last part, the secrecy has to go by now, and even though I think that what they have done marketing-wise, is pretty solid, that does not take away from the fact that there are definitely some things that we should have known by now. See? I'm not entirely devoid of any criticism towards Nintendo.

Bit of miscommunication concerning me saying "that's kind of a harsh comparison": I meant the example you used of a terminally ill person, something I would be hesitant to use myself, because it might step on some toes of people having the misfortune to have a personal experience with that.

"Reactions are meaningless outside the context of real-world commerce. Even during the first initial wave of hype for BotW, the analysis of the reactions did not take into account the monetary cost of admittance. It's easy to love a game and a hardware platform in a positive-feedback environment like a con or trade show, or worse still a Nintendo-hosted event, and especially when that experience founded on a game that you didn't have to buy and a costly, unproven hardware platform you didn't have to adopt. That same vacuous PR response is precisely why Nintendo got burned last generation by third-party support. The devs certainly impressed with the Wii U, and were bullish about it, until they had to shell out the cost to develop and publish for it. You know that to be true, I do, Nintendo does and the devs do. Every time a dev comes out and says that they currently have no plans to develop for the Switch, or that they are 'committed' but only have one seventh generation port to announce at this time, they're proving that to be true."

As was written here and on other sites in several articles, I honestly do believe that the sentiments and statements of third parties are different to those during the introduction of the Wii U, and all this talk of it being easy to port to from either PS4 or PC must originate from somewhere, and far as I'm concerned, Nvidia has played a big role in that respect, also with the different API's and making sure that the hardware is compatible with most, if not all, modern game engines. The disparity in architecture isn't nearly as big as with the Wii U either, so porting should be reasonably straight forward.

And of course, talk is cheap, so they need to put their money where their mouth is, so partially agreed there.

"The entirety of my argument is based on numbers. Can you say the same?"

Nope, mine is based upon over 20 years of sales & marketing experience and a finely tuned gut feeling that hasn't let me down yet. May sound like a cop-out, but being my own boss, I already work pretty hard all day, doing numbers, projections, sales trajectories and cold calling/b2b acquisition, so when I go to NLife at the end of my working day, you might be able to imagine that I want to enjoy my time here instead of being busy with numbers and calculations again after having already done so all day...

I did make a simple calculation based upon sales numbers in another thread, to project my own expectations on what is realistically possible for the Switch and shared a bit of marketing know-how and facts about Tatsumi Kimishima:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/02/tatsumi_kimishima_outlines_his_nintendo_targets_laying_the_groundwork_for_a_successor#comment3818075

Looks like Quorthon is back

@WiltonRoots
surely you'd be incredibly depressed, spewing so much negativity all of the time.....

@WiiUPS4Gamer I think you will find it is a handheld all the hardware is in the portable device by your definition the PSP is a home console as that connects to a TV.

@Ootfan98 i was thinking the same thing! 😀

@BiasedSonyFan

I already talked about why your reference to the install bases of previous console generations is entirely irrelevant. You did not provide a valid rebuttal.

I ignored it out of charity but since you seem insistent on pressing the issue, sure, I'll issue a rebuttal. I truly hope that you're a frontline salesmen in whatever it is you do because if you're in a business and have any decision-making authority, I want you to pose that question to your employer; don't be surprised if he fires you.

Past performance irrelevant? How is it do you think that companies read market good will toward particular product categories and their brand overall? How do you think they come to decisions regarding what to release and not release, what revisions to make? When to double down on a product that just has had a slow start (3DS) and when to cut bait whilst saving face (Wii U)? They do it by looking at past performance across their product offerings. Nintendo's only competition is its current market competitors? This alone tells me that you're not an employer and not an investor. Let me pose a scenario to you. You're a CEO of a company on which I'm a member of the board. In one product generation you sell 70m units of product, versus 90m and 120m for your competitors. Then in the next product generation, you sell 11m whilst those same competitors sell 3m and 2m respectively. If you came to the board and 'yeah, we didn't do as well as our previous generation, but that doesn't count! We still did better than our competitors and that's what counts!' , I would do everything in my power, and I guarantee you it wouldn't take much prodding of that board, to claw back your severance and fire you within the hour. You apparently don't recognise that publicly traded companies, by definition, exist to maximise shareholder profit. That means that as much as any one company is competing with its rivals, it's competing with its past self, both in successes and failures.

Nintendo understands this because they're a business, and they understand how precarious their position is. It's not coincidence that Nintendo is pushing the Switch's product narrative as being a home console first, rather than the portable that gamers clearly recognise it to be. Aside from not wanting to kill the golden goose of the DS platform before they're sure that the Switch will carry a significant portion of the install base (and they aren't sure), the generational decline in handhelds was about 60% and their generational decline in home consoles was 87%, and that shortfall is compounded by the increased profit loss because handheld has significantly higher margins; the home consoles are an albatross without software sales. They realise that once you normalise the Wii generation by removing the casuals (yes, they are casual non-core gamers and you can see that both by the titles that had strong attachment rates, the generational decline from the Wii to the Wii U was more than double the trending generational decline, erasing it as an outlier), you have a trajectorial trend that is generationally, consistently downward and the delta of trend is increasing. That's brand imaging problem that is not confined to a single piece of hardware; it's a symptom of a lack of brand equity on a forward basis, one that is especially troubling given the nostalgia draw and general marketability of their IP ex traditional gaming (new distributor markets like mobile apps and in merchanidising).

And before you huff and dismiss this outright, if past performance is so bloody irrelelvant, why did Kimishima feel the need to come out and deliberately name drop the Wii, and its 100m unit sales, in his 'projections' of the Switch's success? If it's pointless, why did Reggie justify the disaster that was the Wii U, when industry journalists were questioning its draw, by saying that the Wii, the most underpower of the seventh gelot, sold the most units? Because, on its own, it represented a pronounced upswing in brand equity, and they hadn't yet realised that it represented transient market.

I'm more than happy to debate you, but if you're going to say absurd things like that then just past my comments by. I have only so much free time and patience as it is.

@AG_Awesome Captain, I like the sound of that!

@wizzgamer If you say so kiddo..It is a Home console and Handheld and it is a home console first..Opinions very lol

@BiasedSonyFan

Do you think selling 50-70 million total consoles (whether home console or handheld) at a profit is a failure in today's video game industry? If you say yes, then you're clearly out of your mind.

I'll answer you question with another question. Has the Switch sold 50 - 70m units? Nope. If it's able to, which it isn't, I'll be the first to admit that I'm wrong. Till then, take a business course at your local junior college before you say ridiculous things.

@Moon The problem is 3rd parties can't and won't be bringing over any of there MAJOR AAA CURRENT GEN GAMES PERIOD AS ITS NOT POSSIBLE ON THE SWITCH HARDWARE..........

THE NINTENDO WILL NEVER GET FULL CURRENT GEN AAA GAMES PORTS AS ITS NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THEM PERIOD......

The TEGRA X1 chip inside the Switch has a maximum processing power of 512 gflops in 32 bit operations and that's running at its maximum CPU & GPU clocks and unfortunately even when DOCKED THE SWITCH DOESNT RUN ANYWHERE NEAR MAX CLOCKS which means on average when docked the Switch will be well below the 512 gflops and for comparison Xbox one has 1300 gflops (1.3 tflops) so the SWITCH WHEN DOCKED IS AROUND 30% the power of an Xbox one ALSO FOR COMPARISON THE WII U has 352gflops so the SWITCH WHEN DOCKED IS BARELY MORE POWERFUL THAN A WII U and then the real kicker is that when used as a handheld in mobile mode the Switch runs only 40% the power of Docked mode which is only 200gflops and that's if we're using the maximum power of the TEGRA X1 512 gflops running max clocks while we know the switch doesn't run anywhere near max clocks so yea guys I'm not sure who the fanboys think they're fooling but SWITCH IS WOEFULLY UNDERPOWERED lol also for comparison again

THE GALAXY S7 has 498gflops of power which is more than the SWITCH WILL HAVE EVEN WHEN DOCKED and The of course the IPHONE 7 has around 670gflops so yea THE SWITCH IS LESS POWERFUL THAN INDUSTRY LEADING SMARTPHONES N YET NINTENDO IS TRYING TO FOOL PEOPLE WITH THIS 3rd party support lmao

Yea it has two 3rd party games which would be considered major AAA ports, however both Skyrim and FIFA are based on last gen xbox 360 ports and they're even downscaled a little bit at that lol

THIS IS WHY SWITCH ISNT GETTING

TITAN FALL 2
Mass effect andromeda
Battlefield 1
Call of duty
Witcher
Fallout 4
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Resident Evil 7
Final Fantasy 15
Etc...........

Switch will never have any of those games as it's simply not powerful enough to support them and it's NOT THAT I AM A HATER OK I WANTED NINTENDO TO SUCCEED I WANTED THEM TO BRING A AWESOME CAPABLE N POWERFUL CONSOLE THAT BLEW THE DOORS OFF THE COMPETITION OR AT THE VERY LEAST BRING A CONSOLE THAT WAS AS CAPABLE OR AT LEAST AS POWERFUL AS THE XBOX ONE & PS4 and considering those are 4 year old consoles which launched in 2013 THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GIVEN THE NEW NINTENDO WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MATCH THOSE SYSTEMS BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE GOT SMARTPHONE LEVEL POWER THATS GONNA BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO EVER RECEIVE ANY REAL 3rd party AAA current gen games ports as it's not gonna happen this is why developers such as respawn are laughing CAUSE LETS BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES GUYS IT FEELS LIKE THE NINTENDO SWITCH IS A BAD JOKE AS ITS 2017 this is sad and very pathetic.....

Listen guys I'm not a hater I'm just being. Realist don't expect anything from 3rd parties in the form of MAJOR AAA CURRENT GEN GAMES AS ITS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN AS THE SWITCH CANT SUPPORT CURRENT GEN GAMES...... The best Nintendo fans can hope for would be maybe a few 3rd parties could look into making a handful of switch only games which is the only possibility but even then don't expect 3rd party support to come from any major 3rd party devs which make MAJOR AAA GAMES ok as the only 3rd party developers who will bring any real support to switch would be those who make smart phone games

The problem is 3rd parties can't and won't be bringing over any of there MAJOR AAA CURRENT GEN GAMES PERIOD AS ITS NOT POSSIBLE ON THE SWITCH HARDWARE..........

THE NINTENDO WILL NEVER GET FULL CURRENT GEN AAA GAMES PORTS AS ITS NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THEM PERIOD......

The TEGRA X1 chip inside the Switch has a maximum processing power of 512 gflops in 32 bit operations and that's running at its maximum CPU & GPU clocks and unfortunately even when DOCKED THE SWITCH DOESNT RUN ANYWHERE NEAR MAX CLOCKS which means on average when docked the Switch will be well below the 512 gflops and for comparison Xbox one has 1300 gflops (1.3 tflops) so the SWITCH WHEN DOCKED IS AROUND 30% the power of an Xbox one ALSO FOR COMPARISON THE WII U has 352gflops so the SWITCH WHEN DOCKED IS BARELY MORE POWERFUL THAN A WII U and then the real kicker is that when used as a handheld in mobile mode the Switch runs only 40% the power of Docked mode which is only 200gflops and that's if we're using the maximum power of the TEGRA X1 512 gflops running max clocks while we know the switch doesn't run anywhere near max clocks so yea guys I'm not sure who the fanboys think they're fooling but SWITCH IS WOEFULLY UNDERPOWERED lol also for comparison again

THE GALAXY S7 has 498gflops of power which is more than the SWITCH WILL HAVE EVEN WHEN DOCKED and The of course the IPHONE 7 has around 670gflops so yea THE SWITCH IS LESS POWERFUL THAN INDUSTRY LEADING SMARTPHONES N YET NINTENDO IS TRYING TO FOOL PEOPLE WITH THIS 3rd party support lmao

Yea it has two 3rd party games which would be considered major AAA ports, however both Skyrim and FIFA are based on last gen xbox 360 ports and they're even downscaled a little bit at that lol

THIS IS WHY SWITCH ISNT GETTING

TITAN FALL 2
Mass effect andromeda
Battlefield 1
Call of duty
Witcher
Fallout 4
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Resident Evil 7
Final Fantasy 15
Etc...........

Switch will never have any of those games as it's simply not powerful enough to support them and it's NOT THAT I AM A HATER OK I WANTED NINTENDO TO SUCCEED I WANTED THEM TO BRING A AWESOME CAPABLE N POWERFUL CONSOLE THAT BLEW THE DOORS OFF THE COMPETITION OR AT THE VERY LEAST BRING A CONSOLE THAT WAS AS CAPABLE OR AT LEAST AS POWERFUL AS THE XBOX ONE & PS4 and considering those are 4 year old consoles which launched in 2013 THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GIVEN THE NEW NINTENDO WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MATCH THOSE SYSTEMS BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE GOT SMARTPHONE LEVEL POWER THATS GONNA BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO EVER RECEIVE ANY REAL 3rd party AAA current gen games ports as it's not gonna happen this is why developers such as respawn are laughing CAUSE LETS BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES GUYS IT FEELS LIKE THE NINTENDO SWITCH IS A BAD JOKE AS ITS 2017 this is sad and very pathetic.....

Listen guys I'm not a hater I'm just being. Realist don't expect anything from 3rd parties in the form of MAJOR AAA CURRENT GEN GAMES AS ITS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN AS THE SWITCH CANT SUPPORT CURRENT GEN GAMES...... The best Nintendo fans can hope for would be maybe a few 3rd parties could look into making a handful of switch only games which is the only possibility but even then don't expect 3rd party support to come from any major 3rd party devs which make MAJOR AAA GAMES ok as the only 3rd party developers who will bring any real support to switch would be those who make smart phone games................

@alasdair91 LMFAO THE SWITCH WILL NOT HAVE 1080p 60fps haha what a joke that's amusing bro really ahahahahahaha

@Moon The problem is 3rd parties can't and won't be bringing over any of there MAJOR AAA CURRENT GEN GAMES PERIOD AS ITS NOT POSSIBLE ON THE SWITCH HARDWARE..........

THE NINTENDO WILL NEVER GET FULL CURRENT GEN AAA GAMES PORTS AS ITS NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THEM PERIOD......

The TEGRA X1 chip inside the Switch has a maximum processing power of 512 gflops in 32 bit operations and that's running at its maximum CPU & GPU clocks and unfortunately even when DOCKED THE SWITCH DOESNT RUN ANYWHERE NEAR MAX CLOCKS which means on average when docked the Switch will be well below the 512 gflops and for comparison Xbox one has 1300 gflops (1.3 tflops) so the SWITCH WHEN DOCKED IS AROUND 30% the power of an Xbox one ALSO FOR COMPARISON THE WII U has 352gflops so the SWITCH WHEN DOCKED IS BARELY MORE POWERFUL THAN A WII U and then the real kicker is that when used as a handheld in mobile mode the Switch runs only 40% the power of Docked mode which is only 200gflops and that's if we're using the maximum power of the TEGRA X1 512 gflops running max clocks while we know the switch doesn't run anywhere near max clocks so yea guys I'm not sure who the fanboys think they're fooling but SWITCH IS WOEFULLY UNDERPOWERED lol also for comparison again

THE GALAXY S7 has 498gflops of power which is more than the SWITCH WILL HAVE EVEN WHEN DOCKED and The of course the IPHONE 7 has around 670gflops so yea THE SWITCH IS LESS POWERFUL THAN INDUSTRY LEADING SMARTPHONES N YET NINTENDO IS TRYING TO FOOL PEOPLE WITH THIS 3rd party support lmao

Yea it has two 3rd party games which would be considered major AAA ports, however both Skyrim and FIFA are based on last gen xbox 360 ports and they're even downscaled a little bit at that lol

THIS IS WHY SWITCH ISNT GETTING

TITAN FALL 2
Mass effect andromeda
Battlefield 1
Call of duty
Witcher
Fallout 4
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Resident Evil 7
Final Fantasy 15
Etc...........

Switch will never have any of those games as it's simply not powerful enough to support them and it's NOT THAT I AM A HATER OK I WANTED NINTENDO TO SUCCEED I WANTED THEM TO BRING A AWESOME CAPABLE N POWERFUL CONSOLE THAT BLEW THE DOORS OFF THE COMPETITION OR AT THE VERY LEAST BRING A CONSOLE THAT WAS AS CAPABLE OR AT LEAST AS POWERFUL AS THE XBOX ONE & PS4 and considering those are 4 year old consoles which launched in 2013 THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GIVEN THE NEW NINTENDO WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MATCH THOSE SYSTEMS BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE GOT SMARTPHONE LEVEL POWER THATS GONNA BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO EVER RECEIVE ANY REAL 3rd party AAA current gen games ports as it's not gonna happen this is why developers such as respawn are laughing CAUSE LETS BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES GUYS IT FEELS LIKE THE NINTENDO SWITCH IS A BAD JOKE AS ITS 2017 this is sad and very pathetic.....

Listen guys I'm not a hater I'm just being. Realist don't expect anything from 3rd parties in the form of MAJOR AAA CURRENT GEN GAMES AS ITS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN AS THE SWITCH CANT SUPPORT CURRENT GEN GAMES...... The best Nintendo fans can hope for would be maybe a few 3rd parties could look into making a handful of switch only games which is the only possibility but even then don't expect 3rd party support to come from any major 3rd party devs which make MAJOR AAA GAMES ok as the only 3rd party developers who will bring any real support to switch would be those who make smart phone games

Hey! i want to know that can Nintendo upgrade their switch console with Tegra X2 Pascal in the future? it's been in the news that PS4 Pro GPU is upgraded to Polaris architecture... I don't know in detail how techs works.. but to run X360 games on Xbox One they had to use emulators. Also i want to know that can Tegra X2 Pascal run switch game natively? or else we have to wait at least 5 years for Switch 2 while Tegra X2 SoC is already there :/ .. I wish they can upgrade Switch GPU to Pascal in near future like PS4 Pro did to original PS4. I don't know how they can increase battery life that is the main issue of switch... i don't care about graphics(switch graphics look good), but i think if they used Tegra Pascal then it could increase battery life of Switch.