Nintendo Focusing On Switch Install Base To Combat Next-Gen Performance Gap

When are people going to understand that companies don't announce new consoles way in advance. Nintendo has said they are always working on new hardware, but they aren't going to announce a more powerful Switch or a new device until it is shortly before release.

Announcing a new product always cuts into sales of current products because people will wait either for that new product, or the always inevitable price cut for the current product once its successor is launched.

I’m confident Nintendo will release a “switch pro” sooner than people think, we just won’t hear about it anytime soon. Why would they want to kill off their current sales of switch and eventually switch mini’s

@Heavyarms55 exactly

The Switch XL will be the "switch pro" and it will launch a year or so after Ps5/NeXtbox mark my words

It'll be interesting to see what this is going to mean in practice. I mean, reading this, it would make sense for their next system to be fully backwards compatible with current Switch and for any "Mini" and /or "Pro" interation of the current gen to not split the userbase as the N3DS and DSi did (for a handful of games only, mind you). Still, if for example the "Mini" has no detachable joycons, this would further the burden the developers with the task of figuring out how their game is supposed to be played/controlled and how that impacts their potential audience.

@Xelha I dunno, I feel Sony did a supremely good job this gen, even better than Nintendo so far to be completely honest. They are pushing high quality content, years and years in the making, like nobods business and they are not overreliant on existing IPs either with their proven willingness to create new ones and totally overhaul established ones.

@Heavyarms55 Agreed, Nintendo won't tell us 6+ months in advance that a new iteration is coming, and as for that new iteration, I for one am extremely confident, that at least a "Mini" (smaller formfactor while also cheaper) will launch by the end of year to coincide with Pokemon at the very, very least. I'm less certain about the rumored "Pro" version simply for the fact, that this might confuse average consumers too much. I see that launching in the same'ish window as PS5 and Scarlett sometime next year.

@Ralek85 I think it's a very safe guess that we'll get a Switch Mini/cheaper model first and then in another year or two get something like a pro. If we don't get a pro, then in 2-3 years a Switch 2 or some new product. If we do get a pro of some sort, then maybe a Switch 2 or new product in 3-4 years.

My estimates anyway.

Nintendo’s uniqueness and willingness to support developers will always be a feather in their cap.

The Wii U for example I feel was dropped far too early by third party studios.

Never count Nintendo out.

Why don't ninty just do more power next time lol

The way I see it, the Switch has already won, and now it's just going for a high score. Moreso than the Switch Pro, I think the Switch-mini will bring in a larger number of new fans who will buy up all the major hits of the past 2/3 years they missed out on.

Pokemon will be a major driving force this holiday, for sure. We'll have Animal Crossing in early 2020, but no Zelda or Metroid until next holiday at the absolute earliest. After those games in particular are out, I think the Switch will start to fall from the spotlight, as it's successor is being put together behind the scenes.

But I doubt the Switch's momentum can still come out on top after Sony and Microsoft unveil their new consoles, unless they really drop the ball on their initial pitch and launch titles. By the end of the Switch's life cycle, it'll probably surpass the PS2's 160 million, and I doubt Nintendo will be able to reach those kinds of numbers again for quite some time.

I dont fully agree. Even if a game is launched for the switch, if the player has another platform he will choose the one that performs better and the companies know that.

@Xelha Sony’s exclusives and the PS4 closing in on 100 million would say otherwise, but if you make a game that is both technologically demanding and high quality, it’s more of a loss to the library of the console that cannot play it more than anything.
Nintendo has every reason to make a Pro/Plus/etc. version of the Switch, because it will enrich its library in the end even further. And as the next generation unfolds, more cross-platform titles will by default need more power. They missed out by not doing a Wii HD around 2010 when people were moving towards HD in more significant numbers than at the time of the Wii’s release, and so sales of the console fell in the second half of that generation while the 360 stayed constant and the PS3 rose after the price cuts. While the Switch’s portability does give it a feature the Wii never had, by not providing a mid-lifecycle Pro option, the only downside is the Switch’s library missing out on titles.

Nintendo' software IP is based around classic simple genre/concepts and their hardware reflects that. Sony and Microsoft are more geared towards cutting edge and their hardware reflects that. I think there is an almost perfect ecosystem for these companies and products to exist. I bought the Switch for it's portability and library of older titles. If Nintendo was to suddenly unleash a super powerful handheld, what would they do? Drown it with third party stuff?

I said it before.. Nintendo isn't really focused on older people. It's really a children hardware. Most of use grew up with it so we have some special part of Nintendo in our heart. But truth is they give crappy hardware since WII. Gamecube was top notch! You know it's okay if they are focused on children. You do need indeed less to make a game enjoyable for them. My only problem is that they ask too much for their hardware. It should be max 225 euro. You also are almost forced to get a pro controller and you need more memory. So you're already around 370 euro when you buy the Switch. It's too expensive for the hardware you get. It's a brand and it's for children. It's selling like cupcakes and Nintendo knows that and makes use of it. I know it, you know. don't we know it all they are cheating?

@Xelha Yeah because Sony just randomly started pumping out GOTY material for the past decade and Microsoft just randomly started buying studios in bulk after being in a coma for the past generation.

I think that developing to the strengths of the system (like Breath of the wild) is a different thing to porting something made for a different system to the switch.

With the former, devs can make the design and the style work on the hardware...with the latter, you’re always talking about the compromises necessary.

We just need some more games built from the ground up for the Switch.

Question for you: Why are retro games so popular in the modern world? Answer: because whilst great power and graphics are great, retro games are being loved for the fact that they are brilliant to play. And that is and always will be the first and most important thing about a game. Playability. Back in the day when we still had print Nintendo magazines (Oh how I wish we could have at least one print mag now) one of the first scores I looked for was the playability score.
There are so many intensely playable games on Switch that the power issue is one that , whilst not to be ignored, isn’t the reason it is so successful.
Nintendo will need to beef up the console as the next generation approaches just so conversions can still be made without too much pain but let’s not kid ourselves that Nintendo will suddenly try and create a mega powerful Switch to be as powerful as Sony and MS’s consoles. It just isn’t going to happen. Nintendo are doing their own thing and have hit the jackpot with Switch. It fills in the gap the other 2 left behind long ago.
A Switch 2 will become necessary but it won’t every be a PS5 or XB2. And nor , do I believe should we want it to be.

This is such a corporate-type answer, and somewhat naive. This guy has neglected the simple fact that waaaaaay too many games are (and will always be) missing on their platform simply due to how advanced they are.

Four out of five AAA titles don't make it to Nintendo consoles, and let's face it, this really is a big loss.

There's no amount of "confidence" or "install base" or "friendly engines" that can really resolve this in most cases — unless the compromise is too great or the studio works particularly hard (which would contradict the whole friendly-environment statement).

Anyway, good answer, but a very corporate answer nonetheless.

I do however agree with the point that the hardware is too expensive. If Nintendo want to reach more people and have more people owning a Switch they should either get the mini out this year for Xmas or reduce the current cost to around £200.

@spirit_flame I think that dichotomy was never really true. People are quick to forget that Nintendo actually used to be rather on the cutting-edge-of-technology-side for a long time. Also, even if that wasn't true for the Wii, I think they don't have anything to prove these days. Sure, everyone and their grandmama knows they can do these "classic" games really well, but Breath of the Wild once and for all proves that they are absolutely capable of upping their game and really taking advantage of increased technology capabilities to bring to life new gaming visions. They might create another 2D side-scrolling "classic" Mario, Kirby, DK and what-have-you-title, but that is not all they are about.

It's not like Sony/Microsoft here, with ambitious next-gen stuff, and Nintendo over there, entirely content with cashing in on classic designs. There might have been momens where it was like that or felt like that for a historical second, but overall, it's simply untrue. It also negates the capability of Sony to push out a "classic" like Ratchet & Clank, just ... you know better and taking advantage of the tech they have. So the false simplicity of this really goes both ways imho.

And on that note, Nintendo would and in fact will find ways to implement new ideas and experiences with their next, substantial more powerful system. I have complete faith in that, just as I have faith that they will never forget the kind of content that made them successfully transform from an analoge toy company to a digital entertainment company.

Smartphone games make more money than console games these days and they're not as powerful as any of the consoles in the market.

I genuinely don't believe that PS5 will get near the PS4's success, it'll still sell very well but I think people's gaming habits are changing faster then they perhaps believe and don't necessarily want to be tied to a TV, plus many would still need to upgrade theirs to really take advantage. Ironically I still think Nintendo almost got it right with the Wii U and perhaps that's the future for a Switch successor down the line, with a dock that really enhances your games and has storage to go with it and the portable to take with you

If they were gonna do anything for the power gap it would be best to do it the Christmas season for the PS5. But only if either a.) They release provide it as an upgrade (new dock) that existing users can leverage. Or a Pro version that is decently powered compared to the PS5, that existing owners find it worth buying vs getting a PS5.

If the USB-C connector allows for it, a Pro Dock could be like an external video card, it could boost the graphics capabilities (allowing 4K, higher frame rate, better textures) without making it feel like the current switch is obsolete, and also without hampering battery life in portable mode.

Nintendo will have to do something so that all those 3rd party devs will port their PS5/XB2 games. Performance optimization is hard, and costs a lot of money. So even with a dock boost, they may still have to consider an update to a newer Tegra.

Idiots. Tell that install base to Activision and COD. 😒

@jarvismp I love my retro games and in all honesty most modern games don't entertain me anywhere near as much as you spend so much time not doing anything. Third parties are an interesting one as many seem to ask for them but in reality they are never anywhere close to the best selling games on Nintendo hardware and given the huge indie market these days I think they are far less important than they have been in the past. If anything some developers may be wise to make games specifically for the platform rather than trying to get other games to run

@Xelha to be fair Sony have been no slouch on that front this generation but you're totally right in that games make the console

Switch mini this year to sell Pokemon and Switch Pro next year to help compete against PS5/Scarlet.

The current Switch is still within shouting distance of the base PS4 and Xbox One, and even being on the verge of a new console generation next year, you still tend to get a year or two of cross-generational releases and Switch will still probably be able to get some third party support if PS4 and Xbox One versions of games are being made on top of their 9th gen counter-parts.

I do think though by the time maybe 2022 rolls around and we are full on running primarily 9th gen only, Nintendo is going to have to consider releasing a true successor to Switch. Even if they keep the more hybrid dynamic, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to put a more capable mobile chip set in a system by that point. That will also have given the current system a good 5 year run before ultimately being replaced.

The plan is simple to understand.

The Switch in itself is gonna become a portable only. You'll be able to plug it on the TV but it's going to be considered as an "extra".
I can clearly see a "Power Dock" coming to simplify the ports of PS5/Scarlett to Nintendo's machine.

To make it short, Nintendo has "pre-sold" their "NEXTGEN" already.
Every Switch owner will have to buy the new dock to get better experience on their TV sets.

PS : the Switch mini is part of that strategy too BTW. (reducing the price of the system with no joycons anymore will be a great way to drop the price to $199).

Honestly, it's not a bad idea to try to increase market share to combat the performance gap. The problem with that is that Switch is still priced at $299, the same price or more expensive than current gen. Nintendo needs to use the same tactic they used for the Wii and be the lowest cost entry point for gaming. To do this, release the Switch Mini at $200, drop the larger Switch to $250, and make a "Pro" model for $300 or $350 that includes a larger screen, faster CPU (that still works for all current games) and more internal storage (preferably at least 128 gig). That would take care of all market points for anyone interested in a Switch for the most part.

Listen to me.

I will now tell you how the future will be:

Blah blah blah, blah bleh da bladypoop.

@Alucard83 I don't agree.
For thenpruce factor, you might be on the right track, but for the audience not anymore. Sure, many of Nintendo's own IPs are family friendly, which doesn't mean the games are not for grown ups. I think many here are past their 20s or 30s and still enjoy Mario or Zelda, because these are simply good games.
Looking at the current library (Doom, Wolfenstein, Bayonetta, Mortal Combat etc.) I wonder what makes you think this generations console is only for kids?

I wonder what people expect from a Pro version... It will not happen in this generation, that Nintendo releases a Pro to make more demanding games possible. Because it would mean loosing the whole player base of the normal switch and switch mini (if it comes). Whats possible is to have a "Pro" that also works in 1080p in handheld and/or 4K in docked mode. But developers always need to make sure their titles run onnall available switch systems with a similar performance.

-By the time the next gen is among us, the Switch will have already sold more than 60 million units, and growing.
-The third parties on Switch are selling very well.
-The development cost will increase a lot in next gen.
-Switch is currently the only handheld in the market.
There are always a few years of games being released also in the old gen.
-Switch Pro might be released by the end of 2020/begining of 2021.

Nintendo will be perfectly fine. They did it very very well this time.

Exactly!.

Publishers put games on PS4 because there are 96 Million of them. And the base gives tons of Multimillion hits a year.

Keep building the Switch Base (Even if with Nintendo games)... target PS5 early users with a MINI. Whatever it takes - build the base.

For me, the switch is 80% indies and 20% first party at this point. Even though I get much more play time on the switch than ps4, xbox, pc and VR combined I don't think multiplats is where it shines. I did get, and enjoy, Skyrim and Doom on the switch both of which I already owned but the novelty has worn off somewhat. If it is not a game that works well handheld with the small screen then its a pass from me.

I actually saw a theory that make sense on how they will combat the next gen

They will adopt a phone maker strategy and release a more powerful version every 2-3 years as stronger hardware become cheaper
It might be confusing but it make some sense, it won’t be to big of a jump but let’s say the pro version will be like base PS4 (which is very reasonable) and than 2 years later a stronger version will come and so on....
It will be a bit confusing but might be the way to go with hand held gaming market (now hybrid market)

Or

It didn’t work for Wii. Wii has the numbers and all it got was shovel ware.

With Sony becoming very arrogant recently especially with regards to indie games, I think Switch's success route when next gen comes out is to go all out with 1st party and indie games. PS5 will be the place to play Sony exclusives, Xbox Scarlett will be the place to play big multiplatform games and Switch will be the place to play Nintendo exclusives and indie games.

@Ralek85 Sony did just okay for me. They had Bloodborne, Spider Man, Uncharted 4, and God of War. Those are great exclusives, but for a system that’s been out for years now...it’s kind of pathetic.

In the future game streaming is taking over, there's no need to worry about processing power any more. The processors are on their end, they upgrade it on the servers. It plays the same on PS5 and Switch.

I honestly don't care how powerful console is, so long as I can play and enjoy games. Plus, games like Breath of the Wild, ARMS and Mario Oddesey already look very good, so there's really no need for extra horsepower.

Nintendo used to have handheld & domestic consoles and combined, the sales were higher with cheaper cost on the game production side.

I don't think Nintendo is in danger, but they need to get back on track with something new and powerfull if they don't want to be alone in the future again.

@Alucard83 I'm 28 and I love my switch xD

Calling it now, if anything like the Switch Pro is released, it will disappoint everyone here for being a much smaller upgrade than they thought it would be.

@Galarian_Lassie @electrolite77 I dunno. My expectations of a upgrade I feel are quite modest especially for 2020. All I want is a switch which is as powerful as a xbox one s. Is that too much to ask when other consoles will be releasing 8k machines.

@electrolite77 2021 even more likely that it's as powerful as a xbox one s. All Nintendo has to do is promise that their own first party games work on all systems.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t really think third-party AAA games (better known as lootbox games) are why people buy the Nintendo Switch. If you look at the top 10 best-selling Switch games, they’re consistently Switch exclusives (and usually first-party). Sony gamers typically consider the Switch a “companion console”, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. The Switch will continue to do well with strong first-party releases, and if this is a replay of the Wii era they really have nothing to worry about (contrary to what the internet says, the Wii was a huge success despite lacking the highest-spec multi-platform games and only died down because it had run its course after being on the market for six years).

Nintendo is maybe the only developer nowadays, who can make new game experiences without the need of cutting edge technology. Most other companies need better graphics and such, so that their basically ever same games can look new, but it usually is just the same only with a new and fresh paint coat.

It only makes sense to pull a 'New 3ds' move and refresh the Switch with a power boost... just to at least help out the publishers so they don't have to work so hard to update or downgrade their games with mixed results. I mean, I enjoy the hell outta my Switch but I'd buy an update.

@Xelha I totally agree, most people who support Nintendo like myself have been supporting Nintendo since they were a kid.. I have a PlayStation 4 pro, which every since I got my switch has been collecting dust. It's all about the games not about owning one system and playing Call of duty all the time or fortnite because everybody that I know that owns a Xbox or Playstation only have a couple games and they're usually just the brand new Call of duty game. Sad actually. I'll always back Nintendo but if there is a good RPG on one of the other systems I will get it because that is my genre.

@Heavyarms55 I'm glad you understand that because I keep hearing people say the same thing on YouTube over a year now we're getting a switch pro and I keep telling them when nintendo says we're getting it then we'll get it and if we don't I'm fine with that because I like my switch just the way it is. My PS4 pro is a dust collector right now.

@Euler there are a ton of people who buy both a switch and a xbox. In Canada that costs me about 400 for the switch and 400 for a xbox one s. I would gladly pay 500 for a switch which was as capable as my xbox one s so I could save the money from the second system and put it towards games. Plus it frees up a HDMI slot on my tv. And I don't need to buy extra controllers for two systems. Pretty sure there's plenty of people like myself out there.

I don’t really see PS5/Scarlett being an issue. Publishers have a massive library of PS3/PS4 games they could release in switch. Witcher 3 being a good example...

Doubt they’d even consider trying to downscale a PS5 game, would be way too hard.

@electrolite77 I don't understand why the games would need to be exclusive. Just like xbox you could play the games with less quality graphics on the s and or better framerate and resolutions on the x. It isn't complicated. But Nintendo always likes being last to the party.

@mist Agreed. Been around forever and knows there fan base. People who support Nintendo will always support Nintendo just like I did with the Wii U most people thought it was a failure but I got plenty of good games on it.

@EchoNemesis not necessarily because I own a PS4 pro and I'm sure Mortal Kombat 11 performs a way better on it but I bought it for the switch..

@jarvismp No doubt I definitely agree with you.. and as far as those Nintendo power magazines you're talkin about out of the 285 made I got 232 of them and it's funny I'll still go back and read some of them just to reminis lol.. I started getting them back in I think 88 or 89 when I was a kid when I got my Nintendo for Christmas.

@Grumblevolcano Honestly I could see it because most indie games don't "need" the overpowered hardware of the other two consoles to be enjoyed at their fullest(and to do so would require more funds than the average even high profile, indies, have access to), whereas stand everything to benefit from the versatile portability and install base of something like the Switch("handheld indie" was almost a rarity in the past, and "do I get the big/PC screen version or the 3DS version?" was a dilemna for those that did that's no longer an issue on Switch).

The fact Nintendo focused so much on trying to make the Switch as easy to develop for(compared to the previous WiiU's nightmares) as possible is also an added boon and no coincidence since, more than massively funded AAA, it's cash-straped indies that again most benefit from this outreach.

Then again you see the kind of high visibility the creativity of the indie scene gave on the likes of Steam's heydays and so on and you can imagine the reasoning of the move.

Plus making indie visible give a further boon to the Switch: affordability, since most indie titles still have powerful reputations(just think of Stardew Valley and the massive reaction of it's Switch announcements) yet even the biggest titles will still sell at a portion of an AAA release's price.... and that goes even for those titles that get actual retail releases. Even at the higher retail VS digital price, even the retail release of indie titles can often sell cheaper than the full price of digital/retail AAA releases.

It's probably not a coincidence that Nintendo made sure to have the likes of Nindies Directs to try and bolster the visibility of potential future high profile indie titles.

For what the Switch offers it's too expensive. "Yeah but it offers portability" so what? I have NEVER seen anyone anywhere in public with a switch in their hands. I have seen in it in people's homes connected to a TV. I asked one of my customers if he takes it with him outdoors and he said "Nah, if I'm outside I'm outside. I don't go out to play video games". I'm sure there are people who do but I've never seen it. If I was a parent I sure wouldn't let my kid take such an expensive piece of tech to school to get ruined or stolen.

I damn sure don't see people pull out a Switch at parties like the commercials have you believe 😂😂😂. Drop the price and they'll see more sales in the future. I was a hardcore exclusive Nintendo fan up until the WII U. That's when they lost me. The PS4 was a much better investment this generation with a plethora of games and not just exclusives. I actually think PS5 is coming too soon. PS4 is just hitting it's stride IMO.

$149 to $199 is the sweet spot for Switches ancient tech. Especially since Nintendo is allergic to putting their games on sale.

Switch doesn't tend to get ports of current top-tier titles, more ports/remasters of older games. Microsoft and Sony both seem to be pushing high-end exclusives as priorities for the next gen. The difference between the content on platforms in the next few years will become increasing plain to see. What I'm hoping for is that the next few years will show us the benefits of Nintendo focusing solely on one platform for the first time since the mid-80s, which should start to result in a higher flow of their system-selling content.

The gap will be huge, however, if the last generation (or two) are any signifiers, then it will take ages for the new gen to build up a library.

@Ralek85 real gaming doesn't have graphic expectations. People play games for the fun not the graphics. Sony did ok this gen as they failed in the end and Sony is always about the money with lack of sales and anything they ever try to do and always about getting the most money possible from consumers. They literally do not care about gamers. Their exclusives are not even that great either

@LUIGITORNADO For you. But I could easily say that for Switch all it has is BOTW, XC2, and Smash.

Switch isn't even competing against Sony or MS. If Nintendo thinks they are competing again then they are dooming themselves to failure. Their biggest strength now is as a complimentary device and a handheld which has predominantly been marketed towards a younger audience.

@Dirty0814 How did Sony fail when they won this gen? Also news flash: Sony and Nintendo are in business to make money. They don't care about you.

@electrolite77 that's exactly what developers are use to. They have to scale to the original xbox one then to the one s and finally to the one x. Why are we not assuming that developers for Nintendo's platforms can't do the same. Sony developers program for the base system and also the pro. If both main systems do this developers are already programmed to develop for multiple skews. It's not that difficult. And sure I'd rather have some games like donkey Kong 64 or perfect dark that need the upgraded switch then forever downgrading everything just because the switch was underpowered to begin with.

@OGGamer went to a party last night. Furthest thing on my mind was to bring a switch. Going out tonight. Guess what I'm not bringing. My god does anyone socialize or have sex anymore.

@sixrings "Does anyone socialize or have sex anymore?"
Excellent question 👍. I'm going out tonight as well. I'm also doing both things😂. Gaming is not even a thought when I'm at a club, party, get together. If im meeting up with a couple of gaming buddies at their house or mine that's the exception. The games still are at home though. I happen to like the humans I choose to associate with so I'd rather chat with them.

@Trajan well I stated it, so it’s implied I was talking about my own experience. 🙄

In my opinion, game quality > power of the hardware. I'm a techie, but power isn't everything to me. I don't need the latest and greatest.

I regularly see people playing Switch in public, but that’s because I actually go outside unlike many of the “Switch isn’t powerful enough” people.

@LUIGITORNADO but the Wii never got strong third party support, except a few titles like MH3. The Switch is already getting pretty much every kind of possible external support. Just look at DQXI, The Witcher 3, Doom Eternal and Astral Chain, for example... It's a different case.

@OGGamer "I have NEVER seen anyone anywhere in public with a switch in their hands"

Really?? Where do you live??? I have seen so many already...

@Euler sorry I'm not a cool hipster who goes out but spends the entire time staring at their phone. My god people bring their phones to the washroom. I won't list the things I've done in a washroom but none of them included a screen. You're not actually going out if the entire time you're staring at a screen.

@the_beaver I see them on the subway to work. I get that. Or in lines places. I also get that. But I don't get bringing a switch to a party unless it's a sausage party.

I think this alone is gonna bury any and all rumors of a Switch Mini/Switch Pro and prove that developers just need to be smart about the Hardware their working on rather than demanding more of it.

@Spanjard 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@jarvismp https://switchplayer.net

Great little magazine. They put a tonne of work into it. I was subbed for the first 12 issues.

@OGGamer. Yeah you have a point, when I go out I do take my Switch with me and play while riding the bus and when I eat out somewhere. Yes I too don't see alot of people with one but there has been a few times where I did see someone with a Switch, both children and adults.

so far switch mini is just rumor along with switch pro plus having nintendo focusing on the current switch model by growing the install base should be their primary focus by keep on rolling more games all year long till switch next successor switch 2 comes out around 2023-2024 time frame.

We just need more games built from the ground up for Switch. Astral Chain and Daemon X Machina are good examples.

I would rather have a separate Monster Hunter built from the ground up for Switch than a watered down MHWorld.

Can anyone help me my 3ds thinks the R button is hold down but its not do any of your know how to fix this if you do pleas tell me.

Sorry Nintendo you got it wrong this time. The power difference between the Switch and PS4 and Scarlett would mean that some games just cannot be technically ported over to the Switch. The Switch simply cant handle them, no matter how scaled down they will be. Case in point the Wii which while dominated in sales figures, could not receive scaled-down ports of most triple A third-party games, but instead received completely different versions of the game (FIFA, COD) etc. which was mostly a totally different game.

Right now in terms of processing power, the Switch is around 1.5 generations behind the PS4 Pro and Xbox one X, making some ports (and a very small percentage at that) possible (and even when the ports are done well like Wolfenstein, we consider them technical marvels, that should not have worked in the first place). Given that the next gen Sony and Microsoft consoles are stated to be graphically twice stronger than their current gen consoles, I think we can forget about seeing new 3rd party games coming onto the Switch unless the game was made originally in mind for the seitch8.

Switch isn't even in PS5's generation (9th), it's in PS4's generation (8th)!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_generation_of_video_game_consoles

I have a gaming PC I keep updated every few years with mid to top tier parts (currently features a 1080ti and a 2600X) but I still love my under powered Nintendo consoles for that Nintendo game experience sprinkled with niche indies and Japanese 3rd party games.

I really don't see this as an issue tbh, but I do think doing a $299/$349 TV only unit that has a GTX 1660 class gpu in it would do wonders for scalable 3rd party ports.

Same games could be played on the portable unit but will obviously not play that great overall.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, making a Switch pro that has massive power improvements that can run AAA titles is going to split the player base in half, and make early (as early as two years could be considered) adopters feel like chumps. Make a cheaper without a dock, cut the price, add some QoL features and updates, just make sure that the most improvements people get are largely relegated to features that don't make drastic differences between the old and the new.

Nintendo is missing out on a good amount of AAA games this Gen, and despite my distaste for them, they sell well. It's never bothered me personally since Nintendo, along with their own titles, would usually push solid smaller titles, or even the occasional big third party title like Mario +Rabbids and Doom. It always made up for what was missing, but I understand the mass appeal AAA titles have always had. It just evens out to me, especially with the system's flexibility and how it still has decent power.

Also, to be honest, I can't remember the last time I was impressed by the "leaps and bounds" made by the cutting edge of gaming. Shinier graphics, but beyond that, it's usually not anything groundbreaking. We'll see what happens, but I'm only expecting the new Playstation and XBox to compete with the Switch by accident. They're simply too reliant on power to go portable, and the current pattern is usually just to iterate on the last console and add more power, so they'll probably be more focused on each other and fighting over the West while the Switch does its own thing.

Nintendo is never going to be on par in power with any gen system it's competing with, because graphics are never their goal, and that's a good thing. Gameplay and entertainment are their first priorities.
However, they will always make it powerful enough to make slightly lesser quality ports be possible to arrive on the platform. I think that's good enough. I'm happy with how successful Switch has been in both first party and 3rd party support.

@sixrings Being able to play on the bus/train/airplane/whatever or while you're on your breaks at work (if you have a job that is, sadly a lot of video game addicts don't despite the excellent economy) is generally what people are talking about when they praise the Switch's portable capabilities. Of course you're generally not going to whip it out at a club or on a date, nobody is arguing that.

I don't see the point in a Switch Pro personally.

Nintendo stand on there own, Sony and Microsoft are always chasing the next big thing. If Nintendo followed then all you would have is three systems basically doing the same thing. I love Nintendo because of there uniqueness. Lets look at it this way the Gamecube followed the usual design, great hardware more power than PS2. And yet gamers and developers shunned it, that's why Nintendo think out the box and try to offer something different. Power means nothing without games, Nintendo deliver with relatively low specs always.

@LUIGITORNADO Wasn't really that fond of Uncharted 4 to be honest, hell, even Lost Legacy ended up being a more interesting play, not to mention Horizon Zero Dawn and more recently Days Gone (which had it's fair share of problems).

There are in fact dozens and dozens of other exclusives I liked better than UC4 than you forget to mention besides even Horizon and Days Gone, like for instance:
Ratchet & Clank, Infamous 3 (+ First Light), Detroid Become Human, Astro Bot, Alienation & Resogun & Matterfall, The Last Guardian, The Shadow of the Colossus Remake, Gravity Rush 2 and that is still ignoring console exclusives like Nioh or Playstation exclusives like Wipeout Omega, Super Stardust Ultra, The Last of Us as well as the brilliant Persona 5 AND upcoming games like Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima.

If there has ever been a more varied and robust 1st-party line-up on any system in the age of expensive and time-consuming HD development ... please do share oO All fanboyism and all my appreciation for my Switch (and Xbox aside, as Forza Horzion is one of most fun racer I have played in my entire life) aside, I'm baffled how anyone could argue with that or consider this kind of output "pathetic".

Obviously we are also ignoring an endless stream of fantastic 3rd-party games, the Switch missed out here, just in recent months, like Ace Combat 7 and Resident Evil 2 Remake, which both are my current franchise favourites (yes, I definitely like it better than RE1HD, RE7 and even RE4) and so many more.

@Dirty0814 1st, bringing up BotW should have made it clear that I was not talking about graphics primarly or even exclusively. That is one point I wanna made clear. Technology can be used it various ways besides graphics and BotW with it vast, seemless, physics driven, open-world ... well, should be obvious actually.
Second, graphics matter a whole lot, as gaming is a visual medium just like film. I wanna point to a recent example Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Did the game fundamentally change the mechanics of the original? No, not really, here and there but overall it was extremely faithful. What did change was the presentation and also, obviously, the graphic. Was that a major improvement over the original? Yes, yes it actually was, despite loosing some of the charm of the limited fixed-angle original view, it actually improved the sense of immersion and more importantly the suspenseful horror'Esque atmosphere, that drove the game from the beginning. Thanks to the visuals (and 3D audio design), purely on that technical level, it is the superior game, because it just has more of the intended impact on you. RE2 is not bad, not even by comparison, but looking bad, unfair as that is, it is inferior. I still like and I actually still play the HD remasters of Zero and RE1 for sure, but still ...Re2R is now my favourite release of any RE game - period. It's wonderful, in all it's mechanical and artistic accomplishments, a strong historical foundation that was respectfully and carefully improved upon. To me it is near perfect.

So, no, graphics are not the be all and end all, but they sure as hell matter, not as much as a game's mechanic as well as a game's artistic vision (the best graphics can't save boring visual design in the end), but important? sure as well graphics are important. Everything else is a lie... just like anyone pretenting they don't care how a person looks like it, that only character counts, is flat-out lying. We humans are hard-wired to react to visual stimulus ... I mean, come on why even deny it? Oo

@Morrow making money is their first goal

@electrolite77 you keep saying that a pro model would mean developers would chose to not develop for the base system yet you have yet to explain why this would be the case on Nintendo systems but not on xbox and or PlayStation. All Nintendo needs to do is make it mandatory that a game scales down if it wants to get published. This isn't rocket science but I feel like I'm talking in circles because you simply don't want a pro model to exist.

Games currently have to be developed to scale to two different skews. The portable switch and the docked switch. I'm sure developers could figure out how to develop one more skew to accommodate a pro model.

@Ralek85 if graphics didn't matter and one only install base and gameplay mattered then Nintendo would have stopped making hardware after the Wii. They would have continued to grow that market. But eventually the graphics disparity caused third parties to not release games despite the install base. When people saw Mario in HD for the first time their minds were blown. Mario Kart 8, wind water HD, 3d world for some . People went on and on about Mario Kart being 60fps and how wind waker looked like a cartoon. People yes mentioned the gameplay but they were drooling over the graphics. Once ps5 comes out and the new xbox the current switch will look like a Wii in comparison. Nobody will admit it here. But when the new Nintendo comes out they will be first in line drooling over the new graphics. Until then they can't say anything bad and just keep saying things like "gameplay is what matters" "it's a business so install base matters more" "they look good enough" "I can't even notice the difference between 360fps and 60 fps anyways"

@EchoNemesis I don’t fully agree with you either. I often choose to buy on Switch (like LA Noir or Doom) over the others so I can play them anywhere.

@electrolite77 the system is going to be three years old soon. If they want to keep this thing going for six years they are going to need to upgrade it. That or drop the price significantly. I guess ps5 or xbox whatever could be priced so high it keeps the switch looking attractive but I don't know how it keeps momentum when the new systems come out.

Btw what's realistic is subjective. I would think asking for xbox one x or ps5 comparable powered switch 2.0 is unrealistic. Asking for a switch as powerful as a og xbox one I don't believe is unrealistic.

@electrolite77 😂😭😂😂😭😂 I use mine exclusively as a portable. Rarely play it on the tv. Also rarely take it out the house. The beauty for me is to be able to play it anywhere in the house. So unless he’s been spying through my windows, he wouldn’t see me.

@darthstuey that's what my drone is for

@sixrings I take mine with me whether I go. I've meet two people who has done the same and that doesn't include my friends. I believe most people don't take it out with them though but rather use it as a portable at home.

Make sense. Basically, Nintendo is saying that the Switch will succeed regardless of whether they rival the PS5/Next Xbox in power or not.

People seem to assume that an uber powerful Switch will change Nintendo's fortunes or something but in markets, it doesn't work that way.

That's like saying people stopped buying American cars when German and Japanese ones got good/better. It never happened.

For one there's more to a product then its performance and quality otherwise Mcdonald's would never sell.

People buy things for different reasons and as long as you know those reasons and fulfil them, people will continue buying them.

I bet even if Nintendo could make a Switch more powerful then the PS5, the PS5 would still sell for as long as it fulfils people needs.

So at the end of the day, why does the rest matter?

@sixrings that made me chuckle 😂

On an unrelated note, when on my phone o keep hitting the ignore button by mistake- is there a way I can unignore people I’ve accidentally ignored 🤔

@sixrings It's not black and white though. 30 fps vs 60 fps ... sure the latter is superior, but not all content is created equal. 60 fps for Fire Emblem? Frankly, I don't care, I'd rather have it as pretty as possible at a tightly locked 30 fps than anything "target 60" with downgraded effects/resolution. Mario Kart though, as you mentioned, or certainly the likes of Astral Chain, performance must be the primary technical consideration instead of visual fidelity and splendor. Across media ...? People most certainly did NOT like that 48 fps Hobbit experience from what I can tell and with good reason: it's creates a different visual language, one we are not accostumed to. But even there things get murky, if we move one step onward to look at animation, a place where "On the Twos", meaning an actual fps of 12 was quite common esp. with Disney and anything they did for TV. With japanese Anime things are even more complicated as fps becomes an actual tool of artistic expression, evident in the works of Katsuhiro Otomo or Satoshi Kon for instance.

I know this went a bit of topic, but the crucial take away here is that "more = better" is generally true, but in fact, things are never that easy, and also that what we experience is not purely bound by objektive truths, but rather subjectively hard-wired and learned "processes".

Along the same lines, I agree with your argument that most of us find themselves unable to acknowledge that a choice we made lead to some kind of frustration, for example getting an inferior experience in some regard with a particular product. That is even worse when we find ourselves unable to redress that kind of grievance. Rationalizing it away is the only avenue left to us, so that's what we do. I was in the comfortable position for most of my life, inclung my childhood, to never having been confined to one platform, thus I was never really able to understand all those fanboy wars of the 2000s until .. well, still today I guess.

Sure I was partial to Nintendo since the SNES and N64 in particular, but it would never occured to me to deny that some of my all-time favourites, as well as formative, experience with gaming came with the PSX and PS2, where my enduring love for (j)RPGs was born. That did not happen on a Nintendo console, some great (j)RPGs on their systems notwithstanding.

Had I been confined to say my PC and N64 at one time, I would have certainly felt jealous of other platforms and what they offerend, finding myself in need to rationalize those feelings away. That would have been just natural. The only what that would have been a non-issue, if is I never really had cared about gaming in the first place ... the fact that folks often get this defensive, or aggressive as it maybe the case, is because they have some real passion for games. In that regard, yeah, I see your point, it IS an issue, but it comes from a place of love ... not necessarily of people though!

Still, Nintendo fans, among which I count myself in general, are curious bunch as you say. The unwillingness to admit that technology is not the afterthough that they make it out to be, is rather extreme, as is the strange pairing of what is often called now "port begging" and the insistence that nobody (aka they) wants to play Fifa or CoD anyways (even though sales statistics prove otherwise of course^^). It's irrational and that's exactly the point.

Final remark: I could never go with just the Switch - period. Love the system, looking forward to many of the coming games, but I hate to miss out on the likes of Sekiro, Ace Combat, Resident Evil, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding and so and so forth to name just a few recent & upcoming titles. I will not pretend that I don't care about any of these games, or for that matter how nice they look ^^, just to justify ... whatever really.
THe fact that the Switch does NOT support HDR gaming in 2019 &%!?s donkey balls, because it's an amazing technology that makes for some hautingly beautiful experiences (God of War provides some of the best prove to that end). There is no argument here, it's a simple truth. We are built to see CONTRAST and we have emotional reactions to COLORS, they do in fact our emotional STATE OF BEING, thus technology enabling use of those aspects of our biology MATTER. I don't see the need to discuss any of that, when we all know it for a fact. We all know how seasons and particular lighting associated with these seasons and time of day clearly affect us. Yet, people argue about this all the time. I get that not everyone can afford a state of the art LG HDR OLED ... but that doesn'T change the fact, that some can and that the difference is literally night and day.

At the very least, I need the next Nintendo hardware to support HDR. Matters to me as much as what they do with that ability in the games itself. Even upgrading the rendering for past games like BotW would be quite the boon, with ZERO changes to the gameplay, they would feel alot better, as every sunrise or bloodmoon would have that much more impact.

This topic really lends itself well to textwalls, more than usual I see ^^

This is why "Switch Pro" is inevitable, just have to wade past all the speculation and rumors to get to that point. Patience.

@darthstuey Thanks for making my point. You use it IN THE HOUSE.

@electrolite77 That's right IGNORE them. If you're in Japan where portable gaming has been all the rage for years then I can see the importance of it. However Japan is not the rest of the world, but it does show Nintendo's primary market.

Also, where in those surveys do you see people saying that they use the Switch as a portable OUTSIDE of their own home? Yeah that's what I thought 😂. Go socialize with humans. Get some intimacy in your life (it's WAAY more fun than gaming) and stop defending/fanboying over some corporation. Nintendo doesn't love you or care about you.

@Ralek85 Easily. As much as I love all those games I've listed, I've been getting consistently more play time with my switch, or even emulating my old GCN games. I will probably purchase a PS5. I just don't really consider the PS4 to have an amazing library. PS3 had a better one, and so did PS2. Maybe that's because they were out longer, and amassed a better library, so in comparison I've been disappointed with the PS4...hence "pathetic."

As for third parties...I have my PC for that. And there isn't anything outside of Cyberpunk and the new FromSoftware game that I'm looking forward too. Last third party game I played was Sekiro. It was fantastic.

Oh and I greatly disagree with you about Uncharted 4. It was freaking fantastic. I loved the pirate story, and for once was happy there wasn't some sort of supernatural surprise at the end. The moments between Drake and his brother really sold the game for me. I think it's the best in the series in that it feels the least like a video gamey story.

@electrolite77 All comments are noise "mate". Yes portables do sell everywhere. More than in Japan? Didn't think so. Game systems sell everywhere so the point still stands. As does my second paragraph 😂. Now drop the controller and get to it.

Switch is fine at the mo but when scarlet and ps5 come out it will be very underpowered. I don't think they should do a switch pro because of this as that will not solve the problem. If switch pro was as strong as a ps4 that means 3rd party dev's will do games on the ps5. Switch 2 shouldn't be till 2022 i don' t think and with games on the horizon like zelda botw 2 and metroid when it does come out though maybe the power isssue intill 2022 won't be a problem.

@graysoncharles My concern is more with making games work on a Switch Pro that aren't possible on the original Switch, leaving the people who bought the original Switch, including a lot of diehards, feel burned for getting it early. I don't think that will happen, but people are always talking about a Switch running the latest Call of Duty or any other high-end game that's not possible on the current Switch, when we're more likely to get a New 3DS situation without any real exclusives. Nintendo has NEVER made a big commitment to exclusives to newer consoles (see the DSi and New 3DS, which few remember for their exclusive titles), and Sony and Microsoft have only gone as far as improving things like resolution, and sometimes Sony would have devs patch in performance upgrades for the updated consoles.

@Ralek85 honestly I didn't read your whole comment but I seen where you said graphics are not everything but they do matter.
Well honestly they don't. If your a real gamer you still play 8bit games. Hell many 8 bit games are still being made today and are very popular. Having the whole realistic look means nothing in a game really. What matters the most is a story, gameplay smoothness and the entertainment it provides. Graphics are the very last thing that matters. All these remakes out there they actually do very little In sales considering there are over 2.2 billion gamers. Selling a couple million copies of a game is below mediocre when it is across all platforms.
Graphics mean nothing. You want to talk about effect well if you need a huge realistic effect then you really have no imagination of your own. If you seriously think graphics really matter do you are not a true gamer. In the end it's all about the fun.

@OGGamer
The Switch has sold considerably more in the west than in Japan - heck, it has sold more in Europe alone than in Japan.

I love how this suddenly turned into an argument about the Switch Pro's existence. Fact is, no matter how powerful the Switch Pro is, it will never get as much AAA support as the next PlayStation or Xbox consoles.

And it really doesn't need to as long as Nintendo can support the Switch with enough compelling 1st party software, which the occasional 3rd party title sprinkled in between as filler. Looking at how well the Switch and its games have sold, I'd say their current strategy is working very well.

@Dirty0814 hey "real gamer" if graphics mean "nothing" why did you buy a switch when your NES or gameboy could do.

I guess myself, a switch owner, and the entire PlayStation xbox crew aren't "real gamers."

The other day a new Godzilla came out but I was like naw I'm a real movie watcher I'll just break out my VHS and watch the monsters with giant strings attached to them. Cgi sucks. I like to let my imagination do the work.

LOL, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa! You make a good excuse and there is no excuse. Nintendo Switch will decline in a year or two to cool down. You better bring Pro more powerful than Nintendo Switch or you are going to be in big trouble for 3rd parties that will not bring newer AAA games to Nintendo Switch but same and same ported over which is useless and a waste of time.

It's obvious that the Switch was never designed to be anybody's primary choices for all the latest AAA games. That said, it won't be lacking in third party support necessarily either. With AAA games being even more expensive to develop next gen, and cross-gen games still being the norm for at least another few years, the Switch will have a lot to profit from regarding games. And that's not even getting into indie titles.

So what Furukawa is saying is true. So long as the Switch is easy to develop for, and has a healthy userbase, publishers will bring games to it. It may not be all the high-end AAA titles, but we should get some good stuff.

@westman98 Yes. A lot of people seem to think a Switch Pro is the solution, not another marketing ploy.

Nintendo doesn't need a Switch Pro to succeed just as McDonald's doesn't need to sell "fresh juice" but yes, they could do it if they wanted to because it might make them more money.

And markets have proven that even a superior device doesn't always dominate the market because of things like taste which are subjective.

Nintendo could have an uber powerful Switch than puts the PS5 to shame and I bet people will still buy PS5s. That's because some people find Sony's content and console in general to be compelling and or more marketable and friendly to their needs.

We saw this with the PS2, which was the weakest of the lot and went on to become the best selling console of all time. People blame the GameCube for not being a DVD player but the Xbox could do that and Microsoft wasn't new in the gaming space despite people saying the Xbox was untested. The Xbox 360 had HD DVD, a losing format and the XBox One X was again the most powerful console and hasn't sold nearly as well as the Switch or the PS4.

Nintendo just needs to repeats what they did in 2017 and 2019 to continue selling the Switch's successfully...and that is providing compelling software to go with their hardware. Of course, if it means new hardware to help it do so then fine. If not, that's fine too.

@azoreseuropa
"Nintendo Switch will decline in a year or two..."

People said that in 2017 and 2018, and that hasn't happened yet.

@Xelha they are the only of the 3 to understand this? How come then Sony has been mopping the floor with the competition with every home console they've released, save for PS3? And even with PS3 it still sold 80 mil when Wii sold just under 100.

How do you explain the GCN numbers? The Wii U numbers?

I literally don't care. I am watching Stranger things and it is amazing.

@westman98 They meant fromn 2024

@westman98 yep and the ps4 pro and xbox one x didn’t even make a dent in its sales.

Here in Africa unfortunately u can't take your Switch outside of the house because it will get stolen, if u r very lucky u will never get your mobile pinched at least once every couple of years, it's reality...its sad...

@Ralek85 I agree that the next Switch has to keep up somewhat with the rest of the consoles. Otherwise the only selling point will be first party games and indies, which wouldn’t be sustainable to keep in a constant stream.

The next Switch has to consider HDR (docked mode) and possibly getting a good mobile solid state drive. The SSD may change gaming the next generation and I don’t think it’s wise to compromise on that. Lower resolutions will come from playing portable, but higher RAM and ditching the traditional hard drive may keep the framerates/loading times in line with competition , even with a mobile GPU.

@Steevil
This is what I came here to say, people are so focused on downgraded ports from the twins and should instead think about games that were built from the ground up for the switch. As the user/install base grows it becomes more and more economically viable for 3rd parties to do this and I would argue switch’s numbers show that there’s room for Sony v Xbox AND the switch to have its own space as a portable hybrid. I think that was the point of this talk about the install base, if gamers are there then companies can make money. Older ports are the easiest but making games specific to the switch like the 3DS had will also be good for 3rds.

@NotTelevision
You mentioned the SSD which is strange, a micro SD card is a solid state drive. Now if you are talking about load speeds then the power requirements the switch needs to stay portable may become an issue.
I personally don’t think the switch has to hang at all, the 3DS didn’t and it sold amazingly well, the switch will be the same.
The Switch’s install base means its more profitable for 3rds to port old games or design games for the switch specifically as the install base makes this not only plausible but worthwhile for 3rds. The sales of the Switch show that the gaming market is big enough for the twins to do their AAA thing and for Nintendo to exist in its own space doing their own thing.
Now the only time this would burn is if you are too young or too strapped and the switch is the only thing you have to game on. But that is a minority as most people will have had aPC, PS4 or X1 by this point and the switch is an on the go or 2ndary system they use to play games on.

@sixrings
I don’t know, when you say Nintendo would have continued to grow the Wii I think you are missing the point that, that’s exactly what they tried to do with the Wii branding and backwards compatibility on the Wii U and it burned them because potential customers didn’t know the Wii U was it’s own system. If the U did well it’s possible the market would be referring to the switch by a different moniker. I think all consoles are now trying to create families like the IPhone as in each system will be an eco system with low end through high end hardware all being able to have a similar experience.

@jarvismp https://www.nintendoforcemagazine.com/

I'm not buying their strategy here. The Wii did the same thing (had lots of install base but pitiful specs compared to the other guys) and while it did get SOME of the bigger 3rd party games, it also missed out on many as well. Just because a platform has a lot of people on it does not mean any game will sell well enough to get a port, this is why you don't see anime games getting put on Xbox One despite it having a higher install base than Switch.

I personally really want the Switch to run it's course and then swiftly be replaced with something a lot more powerful (even if it means giving up on hybrids). I'm thinking something with spec parity to the PS4 Pro, but aimed at 1080p instead of 4K would be reasonable by the time that the Switch gets replaced. And before you say that Nintendo's games don't benefit from higher specs due to their artstyle, until every 1st and 2nd party game can achieve locked 1080p60fps that is not the case.

@Dirty0814 Nah, if you are going to pretend that visuals (and I also assume by extenstion then, sound) does not matter, you are in my eyes just denying the obvious. Sure, sounds good on paper, like telling a date, you don't care about superficial stuff like looks, and maybe you don't, but ... in my experience, people who say they don't care, tend to care the most. To the rest of the world it's just too obvious a fact to really bother thinking or debating it.
And no, I don't play 8-bit stuff anymore, I have a tough time going back to anything 16-bit related. If that makes me less of gamer ... hell, so be it, that is not a competition - as you say it is about fun.

I will also say this: I don't mind things that are old. Some of my favourite movies are old, some of my favourite directors of all time long dead, like Murnau, Wiene, Lang, Kurosawa and Bergman as well Tarkovsky. These people were ... I dunno, did not see the world the same way I do, or I think most of us and whatever they saw, they were by some intrinstic magic able to capture that imagination and subjective realty on film.

That is NOT the same as to say that I don't care about 4K, HDR, surround sound and so on and so forth. If I have to chose a release of "Nosferatu", it's not going to be a shoddy VHS release because of some weird 8-bit-era'esque nostalgia, but the Blu-Ray all the way. It captures much more closely what Murnau himself was seeing, as a whole lot is lost in technical translation.

Games are not movies though, the language of movies was developed a hundred years ago and never much changed, games though ... that is a language in constant flux, to pretend visuals and such technology-related aspects don't matter, is to pretend - obviously falsely though - that the language of games is stagnant.

@LUIGITORNADO I dunno, maybe it was the best Uncharted game (my vote still goes for two, but the ending was charming), but at the same time, the series has growing formulaic and stale, and like I try to elaborate, there are more than two dozens games, just talking exclusives here, I enjoyed substantial more. As far as emotional resonance goes ... not a HUGE fan of TLoU here, but it still packed more of a punch than UC4 for me (again though, liked the ending). Then again, TLoU is not even close to the likes of Life Is Strange.

As for PS, I think we have just somewhat different tastes, as the PS3 was hands-down in my book, the worst PlayStation system there is. I mean, there are technically more jRPGs I enjoyed on X360 than on PS3, which given the systems insane legacy up to that point is just, truly pathetic in my book. Not to mention that my 360 ran most multiplatform games like the amazing Resonance of Fate flat-out better than the PS3 and online was simply put inferior on PS3 as well.

For me right now, it's PS2>PS4>PSX>>>PS3, with PS2 and PS4 and PSX narrow edging each other out and PS3 being dead last. I even like my Vita better than my PS3, it had some really amazing niche games, ironically many of them now being quite popular on PS4 (thinking Danganronpa and such ^^). So yeah, three all-time greats and one kind-of dud.

Sorry but again I didn't read your comment. You are only trying to sound like you are correct when you are completely. Simple fact is you or noone else would own a switch if graphics mattered. Noone would play any Mario game, shovel Knight, hollow Knight, Tetris, horizon chase and my list could go on and on and on of graphics really mattered.
Simply put of the game is good as in fun for someone they will enjoy it with whatever graphics it has. Nintendo has survived quite well with fun and not graphics, they are a prime example.

@electrolite77 sarcastic much? You clearly own a switch or ds so graphics do not matter much to you. Graphics are nice but are not what makes a game.

@graysoncharles I actually do still play ping on my Atari along with pacman, dig dug, combat and many more. I also play he's on every other system out there. That is because i like to play for fun. I'm not all awed by graphics if a game sucks (COD comes to mind).

Actually it's not. Graphics are just visuals. visuals matter in movies not games. He's are made to be fun(or they are suppose to be). If they are not then they are a dud. Graphics are the last thing about a game that matters. There are indie games with 16 bit graphics that sell more than realistic games. Again your comment is coming from someone that owns a switch or a ds, the lowest new gen graphic game systems today. That alone proves my point.

If you want to put more power into the switch I feel it would be as easy as releasing a new docking station. More power while connected to the telly and less when handheld

With the recent announcement of Google's cloud gaming service and being able to run any game on 10+ year old hardware it would be a very smart move by Nintendo to not alienate their consumer base

Graphics matter to an extent, but the difference between console generations is smaller and smaller every cycle (despite development budgets increasing by orders of magnitudes). And there is an upper limit on how well the human visual system is able to perceive. There was a time when video games used to hurt your eyes, but that's not the case anymore. If you were to take a screenshot from a random Switch AAA game, an Xbox One game, a Wii game, a PS3 game, and maybe even a Gamecube game and ask people which one is which, I bet most people (without any knowledge of the games in question) wouldn't be able to tell you which one is which. Nintendo is wise to understand this and develop their hardware accordingly.

@Dilated If we are able to see an abundance AA or even AAA games from 3rd parties, designed from the ground up for the Switch hardware that would be great. My concern is that 3rd parties will just get a bit lethargic and throw half completed ports or just not bother at all. That is why I think it is important for the Switch to somewhat keep up with the other consoles. Look at the install base for something like the Wii. Even with the amount of sales, the software became a less and less appealing towards the end of its lifespan.

I have a PS4 too, but I’d still like to see continued support for the Switch hardware in the future. A more powerful hardware revision may be necessary in order for it stay relevant is all I’m saying.

@westman98

Well, they are wrong. I am talking about too many 3rd party ported will make people getting tired of it. It is underpowered System. I am sure that they will release Nintendo Switch Pro next year. Nintendo Switch will continue for a long time to First and 2nd parties anyway. 3rd party will ignored it in 2 years from now I bet and focus on Pro if Pro met 3rd party requirement to develop a new AAA games.

@Spanjard I copy past my post again, sooooo.... what you said ? LOL

PCkidSat, 4:07pm
The plan is simple to understand.

The Switch in itself is gonna become a portable only. You'll be able to plug it on the TV but it's going to be considered as an "extra".
I can clearly see a "Power Dock" coming to simplify the ports of PS5/Scarlett to Nintendo's machine.

To make it short, Nintendo has "pre-sold" their "NEXTGEN" already.
Every Switch owner will have to buy the new dock to get better experience on their TV sets.

PS : the Switch mini is part of that strategy too BTW. (reducing the price of the system with no joycons anymore will be a great way to drop the price to $199).