Nintendo Switch Chip X-Ray Suggests The Console Is Running A Stock Nvidia Tegra X1

Cheaper thus keeping the cost down. All this mean is we will see a new model in 2 to 3 years with stronger chips so Nintendo can milk us. Still better then a new phone every year or so.

Oh and I just wanted to mention I'm first because you know that's really important for some reason! 😝

You know its very hard to get current tech in a games console. The fact the chip is only what, less than 2 years old shows its by no means old tech.

Also, @Damo. For someone who was championing the Nvidia Tegra stuff from Eurogamer, did you really just say AMD confirmed the spec of a system using Nvidia tech? Read your own references sunshine, its even in the URL.

PC gamers would hunt you down for that one bro.

It's probably down clocked so it won't have to use active cooling.

@Alshain01 It has active cooling.

Its probably also downclocked because as big as that battery is, battery tech isn't stellar. It noms a battery like nothing else as is.

Regarding the clockspeeds being higher on the Shield, those are just initial speeds that will be reduced to the clockspeeds of the Switch X1 due to overheating. So there really isn't much difference between the Shield X1 and the Switch X1.

@BLP_Software I think he meant ARM

"New" Nintendo Switch will use Tegra X2 in the future.

Knew it, that's it....I'm not getting a Switch, Nintendo screwed up badly, they're doomed.

The X2 was meant for cars, and the X1 still dwarfs the Wii U-- the only people who expected the X2 were neogaf and people looking to be disappointed.

€330(plus all the hidden extras, Pro Controller, charging grip, memory card, etc) to play a "console" that's a little more powerful than Wii U? Ya. We've to pay for Nintendo's mistakes. Plus many other considerations. Like how Wii U's lifespan was shorter than it should have been(it was abandoned long before the end). Will PS4 and XB1 be replaced this time next year? I don't think so.

@BLP_Software Then, less active cooling. You wouldn't reduce battery usage in docked mode, yet this is 1/4 Ghz less.

@Spoony_Tech Idk, nvidia have said there are no plans for the X2 at consumer level products. It's mainly for AI and stuff. Only things that have it are cars, planes, etc.

Even 1st party nvidia products haven't been updated with it. Shame, I'd jump on X2 tv and tablet in a second

@Menchi187 I once read a magazine article that said no one would ever need the power of an Intel Pentium CPU in their house.

@Alshain01 Yeah, I know he meant ARM. I just took the opportunity to proof read because no one else does seemingly as this is twice in two days I've caught mistakes/false information.

Plus, as he was adamant about Nvidia so long ago, I just find it funny

I'm pretty sure that something like the X1 can't be named "old tech" being only two years old and being that powerful for a portable device, hell, remember that for 300$ you are getting the console, the controls, the dock and the cables... Maybe we are getting a little picky for the consoles while nobody is saying anything about buying a $800 phone that last two years or so.

@Damo I know it's 11pm here, amazingly. P.cold too.

I was just jesting. I find if I don't have a little joke about typos it comes off as nitpicking. Folks didn't like me being blunt

@BLP_Software A57 cores were notoriously thirsty among ARM cores when they came out too. Not an issue for a TV box, but for mobile it's a problem, obviously.

This is what I expected. Calling a processor custom can mean a number of things, including making it weaker. Though it is likely for good reason in the Switch. Nintendo was happy to put out there the notion that it was custom, but the lack of follow up info led me to believe the leaks. I certainly wasn't going to assume it was more powerful with no actual info to go with it.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE WiiU shoulda been abandoned much earlier than it was. Like 2 years before release earlier.

Beast handheld

Everyone should have realized the Switch would probably use a TX1 the moment Nvidia themselves announces that they were only going to put an X1 in their own recently updated Shield console.

So it's definitely not a custom variant of the X1? What were all those threads about specs documents on Chinese forums for, then? Is there something changed that an x-ray would not be able to show?

If it's really a stock X1, then it makes the price hike on the NS everywhere outside of Japan even more unjustified. Japan got the NS for the equivalent of about US$261 upon release, and even then, the idea behind that was that it was using an "X1 Custom," according to documents from China.

Other devices that use the X1, like the Google Pixel C, can be had for about US$200. Paying an extra US$61 (in Japan) is a nice deal for also getting the dock and JoyCons with a portable system of comparable power, but an extra US$100 or more was supposed to be justified by a custom chip layout tailored for the NS, along with the various economic shifts. But this is... Disappointing.

@Alshain01

Also probably a lot less background/UI junk to run

Switch UI is extremely simple and there are basically no multimedia feartues.

I'm ok with this but I wish Nintendo took the extra step with the X2. They always seem to be just a step behind.

I'm no expert in all this tech, so my opinion probably isn't worth much, but to me using 2015 tech in a mobile/portable device released in 2017 doesn't sound great. I'm only thinking how fast mobile tech seems to move as each year passes (mobiles, laptops).

Games consoles do seem to be more efficient in terms of getting more out of equivalent tech compared to an open system, but is the Switch really going to hold up in a year's time when we start seeing X2 devices being pumped out? Again I'm no expert and I haven't even seen what something from X2 looks like, I'm just worried this isn't going to hold up in 2-3 years' time.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE actually the xb1 will be replaced this year.

I would just like to say:
I have NO IDEA what kind of anything is in my SNES. And i don't care. Games, son. Games.

I built my PC from scratch. Almost top of the GPU line. So I know how to max "teh graffix", but without games, that wouldn't matter either.

Games, son. Give me the games and I don't care what your chip is. 1st party, 3rd party, BG&E2. all of them. No games, no Switch.

@GravyThief I'll try break it down for you into pieces without jargon.

It may be 2015 mobile tech in 2017 but it's still arguably the best (most powerful) mobile tech there is even now. (X2 excluded since it currently is only used for cars, AI, etc).

"Mobile" tech like the X1 is referring to phones/tablets, rather than laptops. Obviously laptop stuff will be more powerful, but will cost more, need better cooling, more power hungry, etc so you can't compare an X1/2/Switch to laptop hardware. As a comparison, Xbox One and PS4 use laptop hardware.

Consoles do become more efficient than the pc/tablet equivilants because their hardware is extremely focused on 1 or 2 specific things. So you'll ALWAYS know what the hardware is doing, and can work around that to get the most out of your console software.

The question of "Switch graphics lifespan" is true though, it could be a WiiU all over again, not powerful enough (among other reasons) to run games even when dumbed down so they skip Switch completely. I'd also love nvidia to use X2 in new devices so we can start seeing the power of it and what it could do. As it is atm though, the X2 isn't for gaming just yet

What Nintendo needs are top notch dev tools and API. If they got a deal on one of the top-performing mobile SOCs and put that savings towards the Switch dev environment, that is a wise move.

Moreover, there is no guarantee that any sort of customization would perform better for the Switch's purpose at a reasonable cost. Obviously better memory bandwidth or better/more CPU cores would be nice, but there are reasons that Nvidia designed the X1 as is. And Nintendo has to consider a careful balance of power draw, thermals, size/form, and performance rather than simply customizing for theoretical conditions.

The X1 is a very good chip that is severely hindered by the Android OS in devices such as the Shield TV and the Switch clocks only serve to lock the Switch's performance at a consistent level since mobile devices throttle heavily under load to maintain proper thermals. Given a game-oriented OS, more RAM, and the lack of throttling hindering game performance and logic, it's safe to say that the Switch is a much more effective use of the X1 and likely one of the most powerful portable gaming devices assembled.

@Galactus_33 if something you don't like doesn't appeal to you and is sure to get you angry, Don't respond to it, ignore it, move away from it and play some games for comfort like Captain Toad Treasure Tracker for example.

@Galactus_33 Galactus, eat a planet. You get cranky when you're hungry.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE The Switch using an X1 is only barely more powerful than the Wii U if you believe and estimated three times the gaming power (gigaflops) is "barely". And that's if you only account for the 2015 version of the X1. Let's not forget that just having more RAM give the Switch a little more oomph.

Even if you do stick to the Nintendoom line, the Wii U had so many more problems than raw processing power such as a locked clock making it bottleneck hard in physics intensive parts of a game (which made framedrops worse than in equivalent PS3/360 games), ancient (for the time) development tools & developers openly stating it was hard to work on. Even if the Switch couldn't render a single pixel more than the WiiU... it's still a far more viable platform that the Wii U when it was launched.

Edit: Just for clarification, these are the accepted terraflops:
Wii U: 0.35
Xbox One: 1.31 Tflops
PS4: 1.84 Tflops
Tegra X1: 1 Tflops
Tegra X2: 1.5 Tflops

Not a big surprise...powerful handheld, 1080p console. If it had an X2 or anything bigger than X1 the battery life would be much worse. At least it's easy to develop for.

@Galactus_33 I appreciate your passion on this article, but resorting to insults and swearing only serves to make you look in the wrong. You are well within your rights to express your opinion, but it would be much harder for people to dismiss that opinion if you used more civil language.

Personally I think the article stuck to a pretty upbeat tone considering a lot of people will be dissapointed to hear the SOC is an X1. While it was predictable, Nintendo's usual silence on the matter led to plenty of hope.

I don't have much to add except that the Switch makes up for not being the baddest console out there obviously (except for portables) is the fact that it's as easy to make games for as the PS4 if not easier according to Factor 5 and to repeat some of what @ACK. Just like the Wii if it makes money, people will come and so far the Switch is making the money.... not much else but play the waiting game.

@Menchi187 thanks that's helpful. The comparison with laptops helps. I guess ultimately laptops are just small PCs so never comparable to something like the Switch. I never knew PS4/XB1 used laptop hardware, interesting.

I'm still undecided what to think about the Switch. Compared to the 3DS it's an amazing step forward. But it's also replacing the Wii U as a home console, and in that regards I feel it falls flat. And price wise it's definitely more of a successor to the Wii U than the 3DS.

I too am intrigued to see what games a dedicated X2 gaming device can run. I do wonder if Nintendo will ever take the PS4 Pro/Scorpio approach and release a mid-gen X2 upgrade for the Switch. I certainly wouldn't complain.

@Galactus_33 Why so salty Galactus? Is it because you had a bad day against those meddling Fantastic Four again? You should know by now that eating planets isn't the right thing to do.

@AlwaysGreener I think it's because he keeps getting downgraded to a fart cloud in movies. Here's hoping for a none-gaseous Galactus the next time he appears on the big screen.

only nintendo would require a customization of a chip for it to be LESS powerful. too bad about pascal, tho'. that thing is a lot mroe power efficient than maxwell while being far more capable. it would've been ideal. nvidia should release a new series of gaming tablets using it so people can hack and mod it into a switch.

@DanteSolablood Your faith that Hollywood would actually make something good out of the Fantastic Four franchise is admirable, but knowing them they'll find a way to screw it up one way or another. I mean look at the live action Ghost in the Shell movie coming soon, they basically turned into Robocop.

@AlwaysGreener Not to turn this into a Marvel/Fox movie debate... but who says anything about Fantastic Four? License goes back to Marvel, they sit on the FF for a few years & in the meantime Galactus shows up as the big bad in Guardians of the Galaxy 3/4 or Silver Surfer or Avengers 4. I think we're all sick of the Fantastic Four by now.

I'm sorry but as someone who watched a lot of videos at the X1 chip there isn't going to be majorly impressive coming for the Switch. It's still basically strong enough to play "definitive" editions of PS3/360 era games (Trine 2 for example) but it's not going to be putting out anything the Wii U couldn't do without some tweaking.

As a handheld that's perfectly acceptable performance but as a system that Nintendo wants us to use like a traditional home console it's too weak and more of a side grade than a true upgrade which after 4 years is disappointing.

Well, there's always the chance that a couple years down the line they'll make a revision with X2, to allow for better performance, extended battery life, etc. Now that they already have an OS worked out, it would be simple to port it over to a chip of a similar architecture.

@EternalDragonX Not when it comes to processing and graphical power.

Well, except for the GameCube.

@JpGamerGuy90 Unfortunately videos don't really express the difference in power between the Wii U's Espresso Processor & the X1, just a cursory glance at many tech sites will show that the X1 is far more capable in almost all regards.

Also, if you look at your statement you say that the Switch, running twice the RAM of the Wii U, newer development tools than the Wii U and all of the latest APIs (something the Wii U didn't have at launch)... will only manager definitive 360/PS3 games. Something the Wii U could do at launch? That doesn't make logical sense.

The X1 is actually much more powerful than the Wii U, just not in the leagues of the XB1 or PS4. The fact at that launch some of the Switch launch games already do beat final last generation Wii U games in terms of graphics and performance is a good sign of this. ALL launch titles look & run like garbage compared to later released in a consoles life... anyone that doesn't understand this is need to consider whether they're a real gamer (not an insult, but we've gone through this with SO many consoles).

@DanteSolablood Guess your right, so far movies based on Marvel properties have been good for past few years, with the exception of FF. Superhero movies are shaping up well so far in the industry, well for Marvel properties that is.

@Spoony_Tech to be fair - reports are already saying the new 10 Gflops PS4 will be out in 2018. Sony will have already milked consumers twice before we get milked again. (Edit: also forgot about the Xbone S and soon Scorpio - so 3 for MS too!).

Screw phone updates though! They do nothing these days.

To be honest - I'll be very happy if the Switch stays the same for a few years and they just release a more powerful dock for rock solid 1080p/60fps on everything (and 4K for those who have it).

I became weak and decided I wanted a Switch.

Well first Wal-Mart cancelled my order because they were unable to fulfill it, and just know Kohl's cancelled my order because they said they didn't actually have any.

So I am out. I ordered BotW from Amazon for the Switch, I am just going to take it to Wal-Mart and exchange it for the Wii U version.

I will wait for Switch 2.0.

@Galactus_33
Watch out your language.

@GravyThief They will. Microsoft has set the path with the 3rd iteration of the Xbone system. Add the rumours of Sony taking stage to replace the PS4 pro already next year, I think its more of a "when" and what first - the dock, or the Switch itself?

@OzHuski Using upgraded docks to boost the Switch's power is something that would be much more consumer friendly for Nintendo. You get to keep your current hardware and just buy, what is essentially, a better adapter. That's definitely the way they should go.

@Damo That's why we love you- your typos are the best ones.

@Galactus_33 I can't wait to see what your comment is going to look like when it gets modded. They're going to have a field day (night?).

@DanteSolablood "I think we're all sick of the Fantastic Four by now."
No way man. We just need a better one and definitely not another origin story. If you somehow dont know the origin yet I say too bad look it up already.

It'll be a while before I pick up a Switch, but the way I see it is that Nintendo knew as they were designing this Switch that they would have different versions throughout the lifespan. They've done this with practically every handheld and have a great opportunity to pull it off with Switch.
I think it's obvious. I expect there to be a Switch Mini, a Switch XL, New Switch, ect. This has been there financial slugfest juggernaut money printing strategy for many years now.
Back to the system, there is bound to be an enhanced version not too far away. Oh yeah, the future handhelds will be discounted because the dock will be universal with all future Switch consoles. Everyone take a screenshot and keep it and look back 5 years from now and tell me I didn't nail it.

@EternalDragonX To be fair, NVIDIA probably wasn't willing to play ball with the Pascal Tegra P1 (X2). (You probably already knew this, but just in case...) It's being used in expensive car GPU's for self driving AI, particularly in the upcoming Tesla vehicles. The SoC with the motherboard sells for around $1500. In that arrangement, I figure that the SoC itself probably costs somewhere near the price of the entire NS. So until/unless the NS makes it big, I doubt NVIDIA is going to want to risk one of their flagship SoC's just yet.

@DanteSolablood sorry, but the X1 numbers are different from the actual numbers of the Switch in handheld mode when compared with the Wii U. 256 shaders at 307.2 MHz, with 2 operations per clock (MAD=multiply + add) results in 157 GFlops. Don't compare FP16 with FP32 operations, you cannot cut precision in half and do apples to apples comparisons...

@Mister_Wu Just to confirm, but when did I mention handheld mode?

@DanteSolablood Sorry, I had written it wrong, I rephrased that part. Anyway, the numbers for the X1 and X2 are FP16, and are misleading as a result.

@Priceless_Spork This is so true for all super hero movies, they always want to be a franchise and begin at the beginning use populair villains etc. and I can get that with the likes of Ant-man and dr. Strange. But well know characters like Batman, x-men ( atleast the 'classic' ones) Superman and Spider-man are so well known by know that a simple synopsis would be enough to establish the basis and just use the movie writers' vision of the character to create a story. You can turn Batman into a psychological thriller with Dr. Hugo strange or a near horror movie with the scarecrow.

On topic: once programmers learn the switch' ways it's raw power will not matter as much as this system has potential beyond that. and yeah i know graphics are coolbeans and 60+ fps the beesknees but there are plenty examples of games that play great and are low-tech and games that look amazing but are glorified tech demos and benchmarks ofcourse there also examples of the games that look and play crap and vice versa but it is more important how they balance frame-rate and graphics in a way that they both compliment the most important part, the gameplay!

@remlapgamer
Ooh... I want Switch XL.
Larger screen (Bigger than 6.2 inch), better internal battery, bigger internal storage, more color variation are MUST.
Switch Mini ? Ugh... my eyes can be hurt to watch monitor with size smaller than 3DS XL monitor size.
New Switch ? LOL. Switch in better design like from NDS fat become NDS Lite. If Tegra X2 inside New Switch, OMG....

@DanteSolablood Don't forget the PS4 Pro has like 4.3 and the Scorpio will be 6

Doesn't matter had chips.... 😆

But seriously, I'm enjoying the Switch for what it is, a beastily portable, and a home console that the Wii U should have been. It's truly fun to hold and play, it's not clunky like the Wii U gamepad, and the OS is smoother than the Ps4's OS so far. Frickin love the boot time from sleep OR fully powered down. It's an amazing little machine.

We can talk thoroughput of consoles all day long, and in the end it's the games that matter, and the games don't come because of power.... it helps, but isn't the bottom line. The bottom line is install base, console sales. The Wii handily out sold 360 and PS3, and it was nothin more than an overclocked gamecube with motion controls. It got more games than either MS/Sony's platforms.... lotta shovelware, and yeah it didn't get Gears of Duty Mass Auto: Fallout Scrolls, but that's because of two factors: Parity between system powers, AND architecture. With the Switch the parity isn't a big step, and architecture is very similar to Xb1/PS4.

Instead of being on a proprietary chipset that doesn't even resemble PC, now all the systems are in line with PC architure, which makes things SOOOOO much easier for developers. Are we gonna see 4k Skyrim on the Switch? No. But the Switch is fully capable of running multi platform games without the need to design the game from the ground up like on Wii / Wii U. This difference, along with proper advertising/marketing, could propel system sales and in turn lure devs fast. We've already seen a number of new devs jump on board that never woulda touched Wii/Wii U. This is actually an exciting time to own a Nintendo console folks....

@Danpal65 Totally agree with you. The Switch in handheld mode is pretty damn powerful as it is - I'd be happy with just a dock upgrade for enhanced graphics/frame rates at home.

@PlywoodStick where do you buy a Google pixel c for $200? Every were I see, it's for at least $500.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I actually have something to look forward to when there's new articles here, your strange baseless negative remarks. They're kinda funny sometimes.

@Captain_Toad It made me laugh that you mentioned playing Captain Toad Treasure Tracker for comfort. I loved the game but I cannot remember the last time I played a game that got my heart beating as hard as it did when I was trying to finish the "Mummy-Me Maze Forever" bonus level. I found the game fun and delightful but that last level almost did me in.

@OzHuski @Danpal65 I'd bet we hear about a "supplemental power" Dock this year, maybe E3 or Fall/Holidays. Probably won't release till next year if so though. But I'm still curious to see if anything comes from those design patents Nintendo filed about a dock that adds to the grunt of a console. Would be a brilliant move, for both consumer and business. Nvidia and Alienware have already pushed for something like this with their GeForce Amp box, so that you can run Titan 1080s on a laptop. So the idea isn't far fetched at all.

@Mister_Wu Ah, so you're saying I'm comparing the FP16 GFlops of the Switch with the FP32 GFlops of the Wii U? I think you're both right and wrong.

You may be right about the Switch figure... but then again if we are still looking for an accurate comparison against Wii U figures lets recalculate the Wii U: "8 x 20 shader units = 160ALUs, 550mhz = 176GFLOPs".

So if we're looking at the Wii U vs Docked Switch it's:
Wii U 176 GFlops
Docked Switch 393 - 471 GFlops (FP32)

Edit: Somehow I still managed to put the FP16 back up again. Sorry, corrected.

@EternalDragonX To be honest, putting the PS4 & XB1 figures up there was just a courtesy, I never really thought the Switch would be more powerful than the XB1 (well, for more than one leaked spec sheet ). I think Mister_Wu has made me relook into how accurate the list is anyway. I've had a PS2 and PS3 in the past and kind of got bored of the Playstation. I have a PC and a 3DS... the mobile aspect of the Switch is the main reason I want one. Home consoles don't do it for me.

@DanteSolablood You'd better have a look at this:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df-hardware-wii-u-graphics-power-finally-revealed

and the NeoGaf analysis as well:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511628

320 streaming processing units at 550 MHz was the consensus at the time, but even with 160 we have 160 x 2 x 550 = 176 GFlops FP32, more than the 157 GFlops FP32 of Switch handheld mode, which is probably why they introduced the 384 MHz clock bump giving 256 x 2 x 384 = 197 GFlops FP32.
Switch docked runs at 768 MHz, this makes 256 x 2 x 768 = 393 Gflops FP32, more than the Wii U consensus specs of 320 x 2 x 550 = 352 GFlops FP32.

@Anti-Matter variants can happen, don't think wii u get one from Nintendo,but knowing them in the past, they will want to keep same dock ,joy-cons, most likely x1 custom, for them to function about the same. But if the newer guy has greed, then it will need mini dock, xl dock, more expansive for us consumers
New switch midgen x2 custom,better battery life, new dock 4k, improved joy cons, all under $400, bonuses can be improved internal memory, better card reader,better sdxc reader if i can dream a bit
mini will need to be charper, xl expect 350 tops

@Dm9982 That sounds about right, although I think they may wait until next year to talk about it, unless they plan to have it ready for the holiday season. The advantage of a more powerful dock would appeal to current Switch owners, but I don't think it would be well received to mention a more powerful version of the dock so soon.

@Joeynator3000 haha

@Mister_Wu To be fair, I'm not disagreeing with the Switch handheld GFlops.. but if comparing FP16 to FP32 is unfair... then why is comparing a Switch in it's limited handheld mode (that only has to output 720p on a 6" screen) to a the Wii U plugged into the mains and likely on a 1080p 32"+ screen? That's my main issue with regards to your posts... the narrative seems to be to deliberately handicap the Switch.

In your first post you ignored the Switch when docked altogether despite the handheld mode NEVER being mentioned.

In regard to the Wii U, the consensus appears to be divided as the forums and sites I've researched seem to agree with the 176 GFlops... which is less than the Switch's 393 GFlops in a fair comparison.

I certainly could be completely wrong, though I'd say that if you're correct and the difference is only 40GFlops then the Wii U was REALLY handicapped by it's development tools & lack of API support. The fact that any first gen Switch games are running/looking better than final gen Wii U games tells me by experience that there is a significant power gap somewhere.

@DanteSolablood The gap is definitely there, even when comparing handheld to Wii U (if that seems biased you should realize that I'm comparing that the Switch in handheld mode to a last-gen Nintendo home console - quite a huge jump on the handheld side of things considering the predecessor, the 3DS, was often stated to be like a portable Wii) but is not just of raw power: the Wii U used the obsolete VLIW5 architecture (in what AMD called Terascale architecture at the time) which is much more difficult to program for and to fully use, while the Maxwell architecture was used way better even when using relatively high level APIs such as DirectX 11 and OpenGL.

@Mister_Wu I apologise if you weren't deliberate in the bias I perceived. While you are correct that the Switch does appear to be a last gen console in portable guise... I think how you put it across irked me. No offense meant.

I also mentioned in earlier comments some of the points such as the up to date development tools, architecture and access to a wider range of APIs - though again we're only looking at very early games so it'll be interesting to see how things look later on.

I believe the majority of developers did not receive the more capable development kits until a month or two out from launch... it could be Nintendo's rush to launch the Switch ahead of the financial year's end was also another handicap to the quality of the first gen games. But maybe I'm biased?

@Galactus_33 That post was uncalled for, watch it or you'll be banned.

@Davidiam007 Well, okay, that wasn't entirely fair... A used Google Pixel C, 2015 edition :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Google-Pixel-C-64GB-Tablet-Bundle-/282394476139?hash=item41c005be6b:g:OIsAAOSwdGFYx0-C

They don't sell their 2015 edition new anymore, but it would be worth $200-250 if it were. And yeah, it was originally $500. (Overpriced in 2017, though.)

@DanteSolablood It's not a matter of you, really. It was nVidia that put FP16 numbers to make the X1 and X2 look more appealing .
The problem is that this gives false perceptions to people, that are even unneeded because nVidia has the most powerful GPUs anyway - on mobile space you'll hardly find something much better.

EDIT: admittedly, on mobile space FP16 is also used more frequently, if I remember correctly, and since one of the most important features of the Tegra at the time was double speed FP16 it was to be expected that they promoted this feature as much as they could.

@PlywoodStick it has 6 days left and is at around $173 us dollars with 14 bids. It's gonna sell for more then $270 USD used I guarantee it. I am watching it for fun now. Just to see.

I'm honestly not bothered, if I was bothered about it having ridiculous graphics I would just stick to my pc lol. Lets face it most of us knew it would be somewhere between the wii u and xb1. Nintendo have made a hybrid console that has an OS that runs circles around my ps4 OS and I have a new zelda to play on it. Not to mention a new splatoon and Mario coming this year. I already have more games coming out I want this year on my switch than any other console. THAT is what matters! Sure they could of put in a better chip and charged more, but I think it will be fine. If they made some beauties on the Wii U they can do far better on the switch. As long as it sells well third parties will play ball eventually (not that I care mind you, but I'm sure others will want some of the crap EA keeps shelling out). As long as I have games to look forward to on it, then I'm happy.

@khululy
Kirby gave them millions of ideas to copy.

@Anti-Matter and I will buy it; the Switch is cool I like it.

@Dm9982 there is quite a few of those external boxes around. Nearly every laptop manufacturer has one in the works. Advantage with the Switch is that it's not trying to power a full 1080 over USB3! But an X2 chip or even just a smaller discreet graphics chip should function okay.

I'd bet the earliest we hear about it is the end of this year. Right now they will be focused on just getting Switch into as many hands as possible. I'd say it's a safe bet they will do the "Dock Pro" first - and then in two years or so, have it bundled as standard with the "Switch Pro".

But that's all speculation so just going to have to wait and see. Right now the Switch is an awesome little powerhouse and I just want more games!

@Joeynator3000 Doooooooooomed!

@Menchi187

We get it. You hate the Wii U. Message received.

Go back to IGN, already.

@DanteSolablood @Mister_Wu

As Mister_Wu pointed, from a GFlop perspective, it is only slightly more powerful than a Wii U, BUT, it's also important to consider that not all GFlops are created equal. With the addition of new APIs and better dev tools, the Switch's GFlops are much more efficient and better performing (e.g., BoTW on Wii U vs Switch in handheld mode).

Is this impressive for a handheld gaming device? Absolutely.
Is this impressive for a gaming device primarily being advertised as a console first, that you can take with you on the go? eh...that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
Will the Switch get new western 3rd party AAA titles? Probably not. Well, at least not ones that aren't massively downgraded from their console brethren.

The real question here is one of longevity. How long can a downgraded X1 keep Nintendo's soon-to-be singular gaming device relevant?

The good news is that most reports from Devs (especially indies), suggest that the Switch is extremely easy to develop for. So at least for the near future (i.e., next 2 years) we should hopefully see a nice selection of games.

@Joeynator3000

So, what did he say? The comment's gone.

@ProjectCafe A bunch of profanity.

@Joeynator3000

Too vague. Try again.

@ProjectCafe What he said was so horrible, so vile, so controversial, that it forced everyone to question their purpose in life. Maybe.

@Anti-Matter Unless you want to drive around in your Switch v.2, not going to happen.

NVidia has been very clear that, when the X2 is ready and releases, it will be for the Automotive market. So the chip will be optimized for that market, not the consumer market. Otherwise we would have seen it in the new Shield TV's.

So really, Nintendo had no choice than to go with the X1, since it's still the most powerul mobile SoC on the market.

@guangong It's not just CPU/GPU performance that is relevant here.

The WiiU, for example, was running on old inefficient Tech and had only 2 GB of DDR3 RAM.

The Switch is running on much more efficient Maxwell Tech and has 4 GB of DDR4 RAM.

So double the RAM of the Switch.

This is a a very significant difference, since more can be loaded into memory and faster, adding to performance and ability to keep a consistent framerate while playing.

That's why you see a lot of framerate drops with Zelda on the WiiU compared to the Switch for example (have yet to experience any frame drops).

@3MonthBeef

Whoa. That's what really happened?

Neat. Thanks!

@starman292

Also, Both Sony and Microsoft (especially Microsoft) have the capitcal means to sell their consoles at a loss and do and get their ROI through other means.

Nintendo has never done this and never will. They will never sell a product at a loss. They have always clearly stated that time and again as a bad and unreliable bussiness practice. It goes against their philosophy to sell a product at a loss.
If they do a price cut at a later time in a device's life, it's because it has become more efficient and cheaper to produce, giving them the ability to do it.

It's also why they never competed with Microsoft and Sony and never will. It's pointless and they will have to throw Money out of the window.

For Nintendo, bringing out a console with same Power as Playstation and XBOX doesn't give them any guarantee they will sell more consoles, since People buy a Playstation or XBOX for those console's exclusives, just like People buy Nintendo conoles for their exclusives.

Nintendo has one of the most strong first party game franchises in history and that is their strength.
Power in a console means nothing!
The Nintendo 3DS has a fraction of the Power of the PSVita and yet it has blown the PSVita out of the water in sales. Hell, it has even outsold the PS4 and XBOXOne combined.
It's game Library is impressive and dwarfs any other console on the market.

Now, the Nintendo Switch is a handheld console at it's core. A console that can be docked and play via TV.
If you look at it from that perspective, it is now the most powerful handheld console on the market!
The PSVita and 3DS don't even come anywhere close.
In handheld mode, it's as poweful as the XBOX360/PS3 and while docked it lies somewhere in between the WiiU and XBOne.
It is a really impressive engineering feat!

You have to start seeing it from that perspective! The PS4, for example, draws more than 137 watts of Power. That is impossible to generate in a handheld console. Only top of the line gaming Laptops are capable of that and those are 5-7 kg Heavy beasts that barely hold a battery for 30 minutes at most (and then they have to downthrottle a lot).

Yep, it's true, in an alternative teardown outside of iFixit:

http://techinsights.com/about-techinsights/overview/blog/nintendo-switch-teardown/

This really is just a stock Tegra T210, with a GM20B (Maxwell) core. Also lots of other details, but yeah, pretty disappointing that the NS is not using a truly custom built Tegra X1. Another disappointment is confirmation that the NS only uses USB 3.0 (with DisplayPort 1.2 conversion), not USB 3.1. Along with other points, such as the confirmation of only using the UHS-I (micro)SD card standard, instead of using UHS-II to ensure those higher capacity SD cards of the future won't get bogged down when they're filled up, the NS is looking a lot less future ready than I originally thought it would be...

@Jeronan Actually, (I'm a doofus) the NS doesn't use DDR4, but LPDDR4 (SDRAM), a weaker (since it's much smaller) mobile variant. And according to the teardown I just linked, the NS actually only has 16 Gb of LPDDR4. One byte = 8 bits, so 16 Gb/8 = 2 GB of LPDDR4. In other words, the NS core has the same amount of RAM as the Wii U, just of a newer variety. The NS is definitely anemic in this day and age as a stationary console. It only stands out as a portable console.

@3MonthBeef Ugh, you spoiled the mystery.

@PlywoodStick Check the iFixit teardown.
It has two of those chips. So 2x 2GB LPDDR4 RAM = 4 GB total.

Also, LP-DDR4, is Low Power DDR4. It's the same RAM Tech used in Laptops, even high end gaming Laptops.
You can't use SDRAM in mobile Devices, as they consume a lot of Power and would instantly drain the battery.

@Jeronan Now I see them, thanks for the correction! They're those two modules side by side... I should have noticed that... I got too distracted by the poor wording of using "a" to describe the amount in the teardown I linked. Good info otherwise, though!

What makes me laugh about this modern obsession with numbers is how many people would be happier if you put the exact same graphics in front of them but told them it was more powerful than a PS4.

If you have no interest in the portability of the Switch that isn't Nintendo's fault. They have made a product which is not directly aimed at you but is a wonderful development for many others, including me. I wouldn't buy an iPhone and then complain that it's overpriced as I just want to call and text.

@Joeynator3000 Please tell me your joking...

@Jeronan
Thing is Bro,it's not a dedicated handheld no matter how it's perceived by individuals. I get what your saying,been way more powerful than vita and 3ds in handheld mode but when it comes to dedicated handhelds the vita is the most powerful then the 3Ds next, As you know the switch is a hybrid and Ninty pushed it as a home console first,their words not mine. Without a doubt when it's undocked it's very powerful and a handheld dream. Not sure about the statement you made about it been at ps3 capacity when undocked, I would have thought it's more than that afterall the vita can run ps3 games with a bit off tweaking and I would have thought the switch could run xboxone games undocked with tweaks here and there,even if they are dumb down ports,not sure about all this though,I ain't no tech expert.. But yeah until a more powerful dedicated handheld comes along the vita still holds the crown for most powerful regardless that the switch can play on the go,it ain't a dedicated handheld. But it's bloody good at what it does for sure

@NintySnesMan LOL what?? PSVita more powerful than Switch? haha! I hope you are joking.

The Switch is a handheld. The fact that it needs a dock to connect to TV should give a clue.

Nintendo is selling it as a Hybrid, NOT a dedicated home console first. This is just blind fanatics ignoring the facts before them, dreaming about a Nintendo console with game PC specs.

The PSVita could not run PS3 games with a little tweaking and power nowhere near that of PS3.
The PSVita was powerful as a handheld (most powerful before the Switch), but nowhere near PS3 performance.
That was impossible to achieve in a mobile device at that time.
It was still a remarkable device and I still have one, but get your facts straight!

The Switch goes way beyond the PSVita. The screen is much better, much more powerful, way more RAM ( 4 GB as to 512 MB on Vita ) and much better ergonomics in handheld mode (PSVita I had to buy a grip as ergonomics were terrible).

People are complaining about the price of the Switch, but forget that the PSVita at launch was over 250 bucks console only and no onboard memory!
To get to the 32 GB onboard RAM of the Switch, you had to pay over 60 bucks at that time for Sony specific Vita SD Cards.

So the PSVita was actually 10 dollars more expensive at launch, than the Switch and that was just a handheld console. Nothing more.
With the Switch, you get the handheld Device with detachable joy-cons (with tons of features absent in PSVita), controller grip for joy-cons and TV dock with HMDI cable.

With the Vita you had to buy a expensive seperate device ( Playstation TV) to play Vita games on your TV.

@Jeronan
I never said psvita was more powerful than switch as a whole but vita is a dedicated handheld and switch isn't no matter how u dress it up. It's a hybrid,you know one or the other.. If vita can't run ps3 games then how come it runs borderlands 2 and Re revelations 2 amongst others which were both on ps3. and they were straight ports. Anyways that's not what I was saying,it was you that said switch was in same league as ps3 when in handheld mode I was just getting at that I think it's way above ps3 in handheld,maybe not with all the tech jargon but what I am getting at is,if vita can play ps3 games then I am sure switch can play xboxone games with some tweaking. Anyways like I was saying Switch is a hybrid not a dedicated handheld like you wish it to be,making the vita still the most powerful dedicated handheld on the market like it or not Bro. If you read some comments on NL ppl are using there switch in docked mode only because for them it's a home console they could take on the go and vice-versa,but certainly not a dedicated handheld only.. Pstv is nothing to do with the vita,just that it has a option to play vita games,the vita machine is a completely different entity from it,it's not like I can dock a vita. Anyways mate none kf this really matters the vita is on its way out and switch is just beginning and I don't really care,just pointing out that switch isn't the most powerful handheld out there because it isn't one it's hybrid and not dedicated,I am sure you understand this. If you buy switch you get both worlds but not dedicated to either,which I think is genius mate

@Menchi187 That's not really true. There are a few mobile chips that are better than the Tegra X1.

Here's a comparison between a tablet that uses a TX1 versus Apple's latest devices.

https://gfxbench.com/compare.jsp?benchmark=gfx40&did1=28156617&os1=Android&api1=gl&hwtype1=GPU&hwname1=NVIDIA%28R%29+Tegra%28R%29+X1&did2=27138730&os2=iOS&api2=gl&hwtype2=GPU&hwname2=Apple+A9X+GPU&did3=31566130&os3=iOS&api3=gl&hwtype3=GPU&hwname3=Apple+A9X+GPU&did4=28447322&os4=iOS&api4=gl&hwtype4=GPU&hwname4=Apple+A10+GPU&D5=Apple+iPhone+6S

@Jeronan the P2 is supposed to operate at the same wattage as the TX1 at least. So if Nintendo wants it, they can have it. The problem comes with the successor to that: Xavier. Xavier is designed to run at a much higher TDP so they would need to have custom chips by that point. Honestly, it was a stupid idea to partner with a company that had no plans to continue in the mobile market and has never really held any of it's performance advantages for long.

@NintySnesMan You just don't seem to understand the limitations of Technology.

The Switch is a handheld! You are totally blind if you deny this.
The dock is nothing more than a piece of plastic to hold the Switch in and pass through the video/audio signal from the USB port and convert it to HDMI out.

Anyone expecting PS4/XBOne performance from a handheld console formfactor like the Switch need their head examined. Sorry.
Have you seen the powerdraw of the PS4 or XBOne for that matter? Or how hot they become when playing intensive games and how their big fans go nuts?
I have a PS4, so I know. You can't get that kind of performance in a Switch handheld! You would burn your hands, melt away the screen and the battery will be empty within 5 minutes.

@myownfriend Apple has incredibly engineering skills. Everyone knows that.
This is also useless for anyone other than Apple, as Apple doesn't sell their tech!

Second, the iPad Pro or iPhone 7 cost almost Three times that of the Nintendo Switch.

Third, The Switch is still more powerful and gives a more consistent performance, since the SoC's in mobile Phones are Notorious for downthrottling heavily when playing games!
Tablets and Phones have no active cooling and heating is always an issue, even with Apple's latest X chip and the Qualcom chips are Notorious for overheating and throttling issues.
So these SoC's are useless for a dedicated gaming Device like the Switch!

@myownfriend If Nintendo had to wait for the Xavier, they wouldn't have been able to release it until Christmas 2018 / early 2019. Price would have been also a lot higher!

At that time we will have XBOX Scorpio and announced PS5 and then everyone would be all doom and gloom again about how underpowered the Xavier SoC is.

People need to get it into their heads that they can forget getting desktop (home) console performance in a handheld Device.

It's not possible and especially not at 300 dollars!!

@Jeronan
I wasn't talking about raw power if that was the case then your right,I was just getting at with a few tweaks here and there the switch could run xbox games,just like how ps3 games are running on vita, technically it sounds impossible but somehow they managed it Bro,don't ask me how but they managed to do it. For all those that only use switch as a home console wouldn't agree with it been a handheld first,like I said it's neither because of the hybrid function,it's certainly not a dedicated home or handheld machine. I guess it's all down to how the user uses it. I myself would use it in handheld because that would work for me. But for others it's vice-versa. There is no way I could agree to it been a handheld first when I know it could be the other way around for other uses,so yeah hybrid sounds just right and not dedicated to either and why not if it works mate

@myownfriend I meant in the realm of chips Nintendo had to choose from since they wouldn't be able to use apple stuff. The open market, if you will.

@NintySnesMan The PS Vita really couldn't run PS3 games, it relied on the fact you were looking at the games on a much smaller screen than a Playstation 3 to get away with a pretty janky resolution & workarounds to appear like PS3 games. You know... like how games on the 3DS looks quite good until you see them on a big screen? There is also a lot less detail.

The PS Vita as only ever qHD (960x544) and therefore never really had to get close to the power of the PS3. The Switch is at minimum 720p & when docked 1080p... it has to ACTUALLY perform better than real PS3, 360 or Wii U.

I understand how you could think the PS Vita was a mobile PS3, I made this mistake when I was younger. Then I actually learned how Sony got away with it. Marketing.

@NintySnesMan You don't get it do you or actually understand what you writing? /sigh

The PSVita had the same devtools as the PS3, so was easy to port to from that perspective.
It still required a lot of work downscaling a PS3 game to make it perform on the Vita. So it isn't just a few tweaks.
Borderlands 2 games were never known to be graphically intense games, so it didn't require a lot of work downscaling to make it run on the Vita ( though it didn't run all that well as I played it. Lot of performance issues in beginning that took over a year to fix most pressing ones, but it still runs like crap on the Vita today. I uninstalled it and played it later on PS4 instead. Gave up on Vita version. ).

The Switch is now running NVidia Tech, so it will actually be very easy to port games to it now, since big game engines like UnrealEngine now support the Switch (unlike the WiiU, which wasn't supported by UnrealEngine or any other engine for that matter, with exception of Unity3D engine, hence why WiiU was popular by Indie devs).

And again, do you actually own the Switch or have seen it for real? The device itself is basically a touchscreen tablet. How you can call that a home console is beyond me.

If I want I can buy a dockstand for my iPad, a HDMI dongle and a Bluetooth game Controller and play iPad games on my TV. Doesn't make the iPad a fullblown Mac or MacBook! It is still an iPad.

@Jeronan I get what you mean with the Switch basically being a touchscreen tablet, but people can call it a console if they like. What's the exact definition of a console other than a computing device that takes game discs/carts & allows you to play them on your TV?

When battery & screen packs came out for the PSX did that become a tablet? Is the 3DS not a low power touchscreen tablet that happens to have a d-pad & buttons? The 2DS was technically even one big screen with a bit of plastic separating them.

I get what you mean, but I think it's the game cartridges & use that makes the Switch a console... not the formfactor. I think the bigger issue is why are the PS4/Xbox One consoles and not PCs? They both play media, you have to install pretty much every game and you're playing on Bluetooth controllers (that work on the PC).

@DanteSolablood The difference is the formfactor of the Device and how it's used.

The Switch really is a glorified "active" cooled touchscreen tablet.
The difference is that it has sliding slots on the side where you can slide in the joy-cons to make it a portable gaming handheld.

From that point of view, as handheld it needs to run from battery Power, be light in weight, not getting uncomfortable hot (like mobile Phones when playing heavy games) and last at least a couple hours when playing.

The PS4 and XBoxOne are dedicated home consoles, that sit on a desk or TV bench, can be much larger is size, heavier and be always connected to a power outlet. Each Draw more than 165 watts of Power. There is no portable battery pack on the market that can provide that kind of Power!

That is why a dedicated home console can deliver desktop performance and why the Switch cannot!
It has to use different, much more power efficient hardware and still be at a price point that people are willing to pay..

Someone said in another topic, why didn't Nintendo put two X1 SoC's in the Switch. Then we would have had XBoxOne performance.

Sure, if that were possible. Why hasn't NVidia themselves not released such a Device? Even the New Shield TV Pro doesn't have this and is always Connected to Power outlet.

It would also draw more than double the amount of Power, requires a bigger Board and thus the Switch would had to be even larger in size and as such no longer be portable!
You would be Lucky to get 1 hour battery life, before having to charge it again.

@Jeronan Use & formfactor.. then the PS4/Xbox One are glorified PCs, not far from the same shape, usage & the components are near identical. You can even get keyboards and mice for them... are you saying the PS4 and Xbox One are "dedicated game consoles" because they're weak PCs? After all, they play Bluerays, MP3s, streaming media... heck you can record your gaming & post it to YouTube, what most people use their PCs for nowaday anyway!

The Switch is dedicated to gaming more than either the PS4 or Xbox One & this is obvious from it being the only console that actually has dedicated hardware to make it so (PS4/PC difference is software based only)) in the cart slots, Joycons. Plus in regards to "console"... don't forget that handhelds were originally called "handheld consoles".

Finally, you mention form factor & how it's used. When in console mode.. the Switch is fixed into the dock with no access to the screen. It becomes a box, using mains power and sits on a bench/desk. Is that not consoley enough for you? And what about "use"... what are you using your Switch for outside of gaming? You using Netflix, Google Hangouts, Facetime or Facebook on your Switch? If looking like a tablet was ENOUGH to make the Switch a tablet... then you MUST accept that the PS4 and Xbox One ARE weak gaming PCs.

The PS4 is on the left.

@DanteSolablood You are obviously a troll, so I am not even going to bother responding anymore.

Have a nice day.

@Jeronan I've explained my reasons in a reasonable & detailed way, if your point of views is so weak that you can not adequately respond, don't try and hide behind an excuse.

Basically you want to call the Switch a tablet & that's about it.

@DanteSolablood

The Switch is less than 1/8 the size of the XBOne or PS4.

I rest my case.

@DanteSolablood Oh my God. You found the PS4's long lost twin brother! Ironic enthusiast SFF PC!

@Jeronan Okay, I took a nap and hopefully readjusted my head back on. I'll tell you this now, you're going to be really hard pressed trying to convince anyone on NL that the NS is a tablet. (Even though we know it's one, and a good one at that.) I tried and failed to do that before.

@Jeronan The Switch is around the same size as the PSOne, thicker as well when it's docked in console mode. No case found.

@PlyWoodStick Haha, pretty much. I think that particular PC was part of an article where a gaming site put a PC together with the same dimensions & power as the PS4 for around the same price.

Edit: I'm not saying that the NS can't also be a tablet - my real issue is saying that it isn't a console. All the same reasons to say the Switch isn't a console work for the current gen consoles too. Size, formfactor and use.

@Jeronan
Your a blinkered fool, I never called switch a home console I said Ninty was pushing it as one,it there words. You said switch was a handheld first and the most powerful One at that. Wrong on both occasions. PS4 xboxone are home consoles. Vita and 3Ds are dedicated handhelds and the switch is neither a dedicated version of a handheld or home console,like I keep saying but your not listening it's a hybrid. It simply isn't the most powerful dedicated handheld out there because it's not just dedicated to handheld gaming unlike vita and 3ds,which makes the vita the most powerful dedicated handheld out there. What's wrong with you what bit don't you understand about the meaning dedicated handheld... I had borderlands,didn't have a problem with it,I was just implying that it was on vita regardless of how it played for you. Your just splitting hairs, when I said a few tweaks it was just a figure of speech without going into all the tech jargon. Talking like looking to split hairs and clutch at straws is just pointless,u know the switch is not a dedicated handheld even though your trying to dress it up as one,it simply just isn't.. We will agree to disagree on this and best end this discussion now,it's impossible to talk to someone that thinks the switch is a dedicated handheld. Anyway no disrespect or bitter feelings,well from me anyway

IIRC it was nVidia itself that called it a "Custom Tegra based SoC"..... so we have nVidia claiming it's custom, and these XRay folks saying it's not. I wonder who has it right, and if custom in what way is it custom that doesn't show up on an XRay? We don't know much about the memory interface at this point, the "underclocking" is irrelevant, the chip auto-underclocks anyway.

What the switch does have going for it versus the Android based shield is a distinct lack of Android, and a low-level API. That frees up considerable overhead right there, and the end product can be much better than the silicon running a bloated OS might imply.

And X2 was never going to be a thing. The fab process is too expensive and produces too low yield for mass market. Most of the output gets binned. It's an industrial product unless/until that process can be improved, which is unlikely given the die is really pushing the tooling.

@NintySnesMan So the Switch cannot be used as a dedicated handheld? I must have bought the wrong Device then, as I am using a Device called Nintendo Switch right now as a dedicated handheld Device. I must be doing something terribly wrong then.

I have the PS Vita and the Switch in all honesty isn't all that bigger than the Vita.
The only difference is that the Switch can be placed in a dock that transmits video/sound to HDMI for on TV play, as to with the Vita you had to buy (the now discontinued) Playstation TV.

The dock for the Switch is just a fancy piece of plastic to make it easier to dock the Switch in and remove the joy-con's.
They could have just as well deliver something like this:
http://www.clasohlson.com/no/USB-til-HDMI-adapter/38-4614
As the teardown has shown, there is hardly anything in the dock. Just a tiny converter board. That's it.
If the dock actually provided extra Processing Power to the Switch handheld, then it would be a different matter.

It is a hybrid yes, since you can dock it directly and play on TV, but the Switch Device itself is a dedicated handheld device and as such is limited to mobile Technology.

@NEStalgia Well said. Couldn't have said it any better.

@Jeronan
OK mate let's just leave it at that, enjoy your switch Bro I will soon enough when I buy one

"The X1 found its way to market at the start of 2015 but is by no means a slouch when it comes to portable processing power"

Too bad Switch is also expecting to be a Home console as well. I'll say it time and time again, Nintendo is severely overestimating the portable aspect of this console in regards to the western markets. This will bear itself out over time, despite some folks beliefs around here.

Android4Switch confirmed! Too bad it doesn't include a built-in GPS, it would have been a killer system for PokeGo.

It would be hilarious if hackers get homebrew emulators running before the Virtual Console is officially rolled out.

@Spoony_Tech lets just hope that when they do decide to milk us that they make more than 1 game for the new tech **cough** **cough** "New Nintendo 3DS" **cough cough** "Xenoblade". Most rediculous upgrade ever. Oh wait they made some Virtual Console games for new 3DS I guess would have never ran on the old one........

The trick is to think of the Switch as a handheld, with okay console abilities. The handheldmode is super FREAKIN' nice imo. I love it already The Switch's power is not a personal concern for me if Nintendo keeps the GREAT games coming

I was just excited to see a SpawnWave video on Nintendo Life.

So my kids and I just got back from camping today. They played their Switch in the car on the ride there and I got to play Breath of the Wild on my Switch (for 30 minutes =( ) at camp. I personally dont care what chip is in it. Yes I would like the most powerful I can get but that also comes at a price. Just bring on the games, ill support the Switch with my dollars!!

Eh, feeling pretty meh about this news.

It was supposed to be a custom X1 Tegra chip. So basically, Nintendo ~lied, or perhaps in softer terms, made the specs out to be better than they were. Sure, technically speaking, it could be considered 'custom', customly weaker than the standard chip. At that point, why even... why even talk about it or try to sidehandedly, or PR hype, talk about it? Sheesh.

That said, games still look great and I actually don't care that that much about the specs, as long as it looks good and the games are there. Imo the system is still fairly reasonably priced and such, an awesomely neat piece of hardware, and Zelda is great and ~Arms and Splatoon and Mario will also astound. Main factor here is I care about Nintendo being honest with me, and this feels like a betrayal tbh.

So, meh. Meh! Meh. Do better in the future, Nintendo, you're the only gaming company I really particularly care about. Don't let me down.

@DeltaPeng Meh! There could be custom aspects to the X1, the x-rays certainly show that the X1 in the Switch has a near identical layout to the original chip... but there are things nVidia could have done to up it's power/efficiency. I believe some aspects of the X1 were redundant (e.g. the A53s) meaning some tweaking could up it's output.

However, Nintendo really wasn't doing itself any favours with it's "customer Tegra chip" line. Making people excited about what they're getting is usually better than dissapointed in what they THING they're getting. Word of mouth is pretty important.

Hopefully means more games will make their way to Android. One of old, but still recent Tomb Raider games just popped up on Android (for ShieldTV-only though) almost out of nowhere, so that means that Android porting is surprisingly still alive.

@Menchi187 They didn't have to use Apple chips, they could have made their own by licensing IP blocks from ARM and/or Imagination Technologies and since both use tile-based renderers, they might have been able to get away with slower external memory or at least do more with what they have. Since the bandwidth of there on-chip tile caches would go up with clock speed, BotW might have even been able to run at 1080p.

@Jeronan You misunderstood. I'm not saying they should have waited till Xavier. I'm saying Nvidia was a bad choice because, in the future, Nvidia Tegra chips are going to be less focused on being low-power and they would need to get something custom made for their future systems anyway.

I don't expect desktop class parts in a portable and I don't even like the concept of the Switch. In fact, I think it's a horrible idea, but for what it is, Nvidia wasn't the right choice.

@Jeronan I'm not suggesting they get chips from Apple. Apple licenses their GPU designs from Imagination Technologies and Nintendo could have easily licensed that some A57 cores from ARM and made their own SoC.

Also, the price of the iPhone may be higher than the Switch but that's because they have 10-bit screens with "3D touch" and cellular SoCs and have build in large profits for retailers since retailers can't make money off of app sales.

When it comes to the actual bill of materials for the iPhone 7, it's $220. $33 of that being the cost of the cellular SoC which the Switch wouldn't need which would make it $187. $20 of that is the two cameras it has that the Switch doesn't have. Now that's $167.

I realize they would need to recoup some R&D costs, but that already can be sold at $133 of profit and they can still shave off a few dollars getting rid of the microphones, barometric pressure sensor, fingerprint scanner, and electronic compass.

Oh, and since the SoC, which only costs Apple $27 to manufacture btw, doesn't need things like an ISP or MIP-CSI interfaces for the cameras, and since 4 A57s would take up less room than Apple's CPU design, the actual cost of the SoC would be lower too.

As for the claims of overheating and throttling, GFXBench's long term performance benchmark shows it not throttling at all in one test and only throttling to 80% of it's performance and that's in an enclosure that's far smaller than the Switch with far less ventilation, zero active cooling, and has to deal with heat coming from the cellular SoC. This is all with the performance being closer to the Switch when docked yet it still gets battery life comparable to the Switch despite having a battery that's only 45% as large as the Switch's. To perform as well as the Switch in handheld mode, it wouldn't have be clocked nearly as high and would then get significantly better battery life.

@AVahne Just checked it out. It actually looks like a decent port but it runs at 720p on a TX1 that's clocked higher than the Switch in clocked mode. The Switch OS will get a decent bit more performance than Android but it would likely have to run at standard definition resolution in handheld mode if it were ported to the Switch.

@myownfriend The extra R&D costs and time, especially on an overdue system as it was, it's much more reasonable and understandable to see why they went with something "off the shelf" and just turn the clocks down.

@Menchi187 if it translates into a better SoC that runs things better and can be iterated on by Nintendo more easily in the future then it would have been worth it.

@myownfriend Oh no doubt it woulda been worth it. Either an improved custom job or even something better like an X2 woulda been more than welcome. I was trying to look at it from the perspective of the business picking what they did.

@PlywoodStick

See this is what those crying about no X2 are just silly. Price point for Switch would be $500+ and power for portable use likely too high when paired with faster cpu and clock speeds.

I think what N has put together with Switch is a good kit and will likely have 2.0 upgrades sometime midlife

@PlywoodStick
I'm pretty sure you're all wrong. I heard each switch is powered by a little pikmin on a treadmill who is fueled by the hopes and wishes of the user.
Everyone believes what they want here anyway.

Until you can connect to the Nintendo magic in your hearts, your left joycon loses it's connection to you . Only true fanboys have no issues and this is why.

@subpopz @SLIGEACH_EIRE Maybe it is because the Wii U was a commercial failure and Nintendo's subsequent measures to get content on it but to me it turned out to be a great machine.

Great exclusives like Bayonetta 2, the Wonderful 101, Xenoblade Chronicles X
The usual Nintendo 1st party titles
Stuff that normally wouldn't reach Europe like Project Zero and FE#

Add to that backward compatibility with the full Wii library (and GameCube by using Nintendont).
Emulation releases that give you legal access to all the Nintendo NES and SNES games. Also access to some of their greatest handheld titles.

All this in a neat little package that directly connects via HDMI to your TV. All the Zelda's, every Mario game, all the Metroid games. And there are a ton of accessories that support real GameCube, SNES and NES controllers.

Even if you feel cheated by the Wii U. Selling a good condition Wii U with some games can still get you between 200 - 250 €/$. Try selling a launch X-Box One or PS4 you'd be lucky to get 50% of what you paid for it.

@subpopz They never even tried promoting it. I like the console, I bought it at launch like every other Nintendo console(except the NES, I was too young) but I had major reservations about it and knew it would fail before it even released.

I think Switch won't do great either. Just a guess but I'd say it'll reach 25 to 30 million units as things stand right now. It'll have some big Japanese sellers like Pokemon, Monster Hunter, Fire Emblem and maybe a few third party JRPG's.

What could help it do better in the long run is a price cut, €330 is not a mass market price, and it needs a new version, think New 3DS compared to the original 3DS. There's a tonne of factors counting against the Switch. I might list some or them all later. I need to have breakfast.

@ACK Exactly, it uses CUSTOM made low level API's, add that with Firmware updates, those clock speeds can be increased. In fact, NVidia already boosted the portable clock speed, allowing an extra 26% GPU/CPU power to Devs.

Ad to that, it is not stuck behind Android, and using the CUSTOM built UI by NVidia, and a lot of Tech experts, and Nvidia themselves, Devs can potentially get an extra 30% boost on all fronts.

Suffice to say, it is quite a bit more powerful than the Shield TV and Shield Tablet (using K1 chip) that I have.

@Priceless_Spork Holy crap... You're right! It all makes sense now!

@QuickSilver88 how do you figure that the X2 would have driven the price up to $500? The X2 and X1 are likely similar in cost. I don't understand the people putting the X2 in a whole other league from the X1.

@Menchi187 I would have personally gone with Imagination to make an SoC. I'm a believer that the scalability of memory is the Switch's biggest hurdle in getting games to scale to 1080p well and TBDR would not only move most of the G-buffers reads and writes to on-chip memory but it would also reduce texture bandwidth and, in some games, cut down on shader work.

Also, partnering with Imagination would not only get them an excellent GPU that they can scale to their needs, but it would also allow them to use MIPS CPUs for secondary processors like DSPs and likely save on licensing costs of ARM cores. Though I would still have ARM cores for the main CPU due to there being superior development tools for them.

@PlywoodStick That Google pixel c you linked me to has gone up to $500. People are crazy!