Nintendo Is Actively Investigating 5G Technology

That would be dope, I could see a standard online subscription that costs $20 and a plus that comes with 5G costing $50.

Now we need a worldwide 5G coverage.

Which will take years.

Also why the drip feed of articles based on sentences from one QA? Why not just one article? Oh yeah.. clicks.

I don't see the need for the Switch to adapt 5G (or 4G for that matter). All it needs is WiFi (which it already has) and then since most of us have smartphones, we can turn on our mobile hotspots and give the system the speeds of whatever phone connection we have, 5G included.

IIRC, they were investigating 5G during the 3DS/Wii U lifecycle. The network is only now emerging in the U.S. (barely). Playing online on-the-go, that might be worth it (especially if the Virtual Console gets involved).

@duffmmann You'll get a double NAT that way. Making online multiplayer nearly impossible.

It could be useful for transferring data from a Switch to a more useful dock similar to Wii U other than that it'll be a long time before its needed for wireless communications

Gotta be up to date with how technology is developing

@sanderev I've done online through a mobile hotspot 4G connection and played Splatoon 2 with no noticeable issues.

@duffmmann Then you got a single NAT, meaning your phone isn't on a NAT by your mobile provider. Here in the Netherlands most providers place your connection on a shared IP (NAT). Meaning you will be double NAT if you turn your phone into a router (hotspot).

For instance 4G splatoon here doesn't work. At all.

You can test this at home by using 2 routers (DHCP on on both) and then connect your Switch to the second one. Online won't work since there is no clear path to your Switch.

I can see everyone being happy when it adds £100 to the cost of the system

Clickety click bait

That's interesting but no thanks. WiFi is enough for me when it comes to online gaming, having 5G is awesome too but would raise the cost a bit and would rack up hefty charges every month. When the PS Vita launch it debut with a 3G model and a WiFi model and the WiFi one is the one to go as no one wants to pay for data they won't ever use. To Nintendo just leave all the data stuff to phones alright.

2 + 2 = turtle!

Everyone knows how Nintendo loved 4G in their handhelds!

Cheers for them, although I won't expect to experience it anytime soon, regardless of which generation's hardware it lands on. Best regards from Belarus, a proud 4G country since... 2016.😅

Not so fast... https://youtu.be/BXbvL0uZkrY

I have used my phone as a hotspot to play Fortnite on Switch while I was away from home and it ran flawlessly, no lag or latency at all, basically as good as it runs on my wifi. I would be more than happy with the Switch just having built in 4G, though I don't know if you would need a separate carrier plan for something like that.

@sanderev There are multiple good reasons to divide a bigger news story other than just for clicks. It makes the information easier to digest and you get to choose the topics you're interested in from the headline. I know people who don't read articles if they're too long or they just skim through them instead.

EDIT: By bigger, I meant the amount of written text, not the actual importance of the story. That's why I said it's easier to digest. Importance has nothing to do with how easy it is to read stuff. I admit it probably wasn't the best word choice but there's enough context that it should be obvious.

@Late Except that none of this is big news.

The ONLY reason I see for splitting this QA is simply because there isn't much other news right now and that limits the amount of ads that can be clicked on.
In a more densely packed time this wouldn't even be a single article.

Streaming console confirmed.

Its all about cost , id willing to pay 100 more for a switch that has 5g and around 30 a month tops for a big data plan(how much data does streaming a game use from the cloud use ir multiplayer for that matter). However id expect netflix hulu and an internet brower

Isn't the switch 5G enebled? It has 5G

I'd like to be convinced 5G isn't dangerous before I see any further investment... what I've heard about the tech sounds pretty sketchy. Heck, I'm still not convinced WiFi is safe. We don't even use it. Everything's wired in my house except cell phones.

@LuciferOnReddit Precisely...

About the streaming, imho Nintendo should use the Google platform and create supplemental hardware to play his games, like controllers, balance boards etc... So they can still make games that could be played only with they hardware, and they can use the power of the Google servers for the games. Or they can even keep doing like they do, becouse I am ultra happy with Nintendo anyway.

It doesn’t matter if they are using 5 g info their infrastructure is garbage. Switch has worse lag than my vita does if I use my phone as a hotspot for it. I love my switch but I literally don’t play anything online on it

As someone who works for a major phone network that is rolling out 5g I can tell you this is just shareholder bait. There are still technical issues to be ironed out for 5g. I would caution against spending the extra money on a 5g phone before 2021!

Ya know what system had 4g? The vita, we all know how that went. As my brother on launch didn't even bother to use his free code.

@jarvismp You wanna see clickbait!? --> https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA

@graysoncharles Actually now that you mention it I do have all those games but I have not tried any of them online, only Fortnite. I will have to try Mario Kart out online via my phone to see if it really is just Fortnite.

There are rumors floating around that Nintendo has been talking with Microsoft to use their Azure data centers (kinda like Sony).

I wouldnt be surprised if that's what Nintendo was referring to when they mentioned that they were "investigating" 5G and cloud streaming.

5G band is very bad though. That connection has some issues to our bodies. It shouldn't be even supported!

That doesn't really make a difference for me, since I can barely keep a 3G signal where I live. I get a 4G if I stand on the magic spot on the top of the drive.

I suspect that a lot of rural America will have a similar experience.

Eventually, when the whole gaming world is using 5g Nintendo will be thinking about a 4k Switch.

Korea already had 5g and 6g years ago they already experimenting with 8g; America is just always behind because we outsource everything. We still have 720p streaming services and set top boxes and prices for internet are going up. People are buying 8K TVs just to glorify themselves.

@Zorox88 You do realize the geographical differences between South Korea and the United States, right? Those differences have nothing to do with outsourcing.

@Darknyht Same here, and my ‘rural’ area is about 50 miles away from Savannah. One of the oldest cities that also spouts one of the busiest international airports. When signs on the road say “High Speed Internet” and talk about DSL, conversations about utopian 5G make me giggle.

Didn't NASA, the NOAA, and I think even the US Navy actively speak out against 5g because it would effectively set back 24 hour weather forecasting to only be as accurate as 1 week forecasting or something?
As in bad enough that we won't be able to predict when hurricanes will make landfall and stuff like that.

www.defenddemocracy.press/scientists-warn-of-potential-serious-health-effects-of-5g/

Please Nintendo do research before adopting this technology. Something is wrong with 5G, so many experts around the world are warning about this cannot be a coincidence. Even Belgian government minister has announced the suspension of plans to provide 5G wireless internet access throughout the Belgian capital due to concerns about radiation levels.

It's not good guys, the media stays kinda quiet about the test runs. We had a 5G Test in den Hague (Netherlands) after that birds just dropped dead from the sky. No they are wiping it away by saying "yeah it was a natural cause, not the 5G test. Birds in the Netherlands never fall down death with no cause.. at the test run it was almost raining birds.

Any tech company worth their salt would be investigating new technologies as they become available. That's a given.

That said....Isn't 5G still in a sort of testing phase? And aren't there some potential health and environmental issues that fully need to be confirmed or denied? Even if it passes all safety grades, it would take ages to implement 5G everywhere.

@graysoncharles doesn't th s switch support 5G? It says on the specs internet connection 5G.

@sanderev I've actually played Overwatch off of someone's hotspot from their phone and got about 80 ms. Sure it's not the BEST but it's playable for sure.

@DannyBoi No. no it doesn’t say that anywhere. You’re probably thinking of the wireless signals supported. 2.4 and 5 MHz.

Technology trends change and improve through different ways. It's implemented in one device and communicate with other paired devices. As technology grows, it gets more expensive to develop and to consume because first it has to be developed so it's cost effective to produce and to sell. With that being said, if Nintendo goes ahead with this eventual 5G, well I don't know what to say. However, if there is demand for it from the shareholders, then good for them. But would benefit consumers if they are on long travels. I'm always at home and sometimes go to my nephew's house to play Switch with them and I really only play on the small screen. And sometimes on my big screen TV.

In other words: SWITCH MINI WITH 5G CONFIRMED?! (not clickbait)

@Octarian That's the thing about Mr. Beast. Everything in his titles and thumbnails, actually appears in the video. He's one of the most non-clickbaity YouTubers.

They're a big company, they're probably looking into lots of things but it doesn't mean we'll see or hear much about it. It's like how Nintendo has patents and trademarks for everything - it doesn't mean we'll see a result.

5G game streaming would be cool but I really like having all of my games available to play anywhere offline, cloud versions ruin that...

I already hear chatter in my office bulding the Switch mini. A lot of workers say what another said about it being a 5G ver. But am unsure where they are hearing this. After a year passes, my next game releases November 18th 2019 , we are pitching ideas to maybe make a game for the Switch, I love Sony and Honor and respect Nintendo, they are very nice in person. But many business people's are lol. Konami was so kind until our little event, I wouldn't call a total problem. Sorry for my poor English, most is due to the lag and slow website but I known It is only my location causing this.

Edit: I do not mean to promote my work, I am sorry if that is against the rules and guidance, I am new and if it is an issue Inwill remove I really enjoy this website it is fresh air from the many others I see a lot of fighting and ignorance. This one is my new favorite Super Mario Maker 2 has gotten me into Switch way more than(thebn) I thought.

@duffmmann Exactly. I do so often. Everyone who has a Switch probably has a smartphone with tethering. Or at least a parent with one.

Jesus Christ these comments. People REALLY don't have even the slightest clue do they.....

By the time 5G becomes the standard, the Switch 2 will be out. I still remember being a Sprint customer in the US and paying a monthly 4G fee on my phone bill for 2, maybe even 3 years before I was finally in a city that supported it.

I’d settle for a Switch that could do WiFi with mild latency at this point.

@Trajan I dunno. They went a lot(even for such short answers) about the consideration of price and potential population that would access 5G at all so ultimately what I saw was a "we're looking into it" purely just to let trend chasing shareholders relax but sending a subtle message of "but we think there likely won't be enough population with 5G -and- costs affordable enough to make full investments worth it" since mentioning the concern of population/cost preemptively gives them that out to claim later an assessment that the tech is not worth fully investing into right away.

I dont think the extra cost is worth it, as every modern smartphone can be used to share mobile Internet.

5G + Switch = Ideal game streaming device.

The game will look the same as PC or other consoles but it's portable and you can play anywhere. This is the future of Nintendo, no doubt they already planned this.

@Setery Overwatch is different. Overwatch uses a dedicated server, meaning you won't have a NAT problem there.

5G inside Switch is pointless. Just use hotspot to a phone with 5G.

I have 3G in my VITA, and it were totally useless as almost everything were disabled for 3G.
Sony made SIM slot obsolete before they even launched VITA.

Sounds good but if it's a new technology Nintendo will implement it two generations late with shoddy results.

@Tyranexx that’s the issue, 5G isn’t being tested, it’s just being rolled out. The frequencies it uses have been shown to cause DNA damage to cells by countless independent studies.

Brussels has at least taken note but the rollout continues almost worldwide regardless: https://stopsmartmeters.org.uk/radiation-concerns-halt-brussels-5g-development-for-now/

Interestingly, Israel, the country that developed 5G is declining to install it! Make of that what you will...

10 years from now...

Some random butt-head: "5G? Ha! Now-a-days we have (insert possible new tech here.) They sure were strange back then..."

@Zorox88 Go look up a population density map for the US vs South Korea. South Korea is about the size of Tennessee, but has a population of ~51 million vs. 6.72 million of TN. It is easier to build a network and profit when there is a dense population to support it.

@sanderev
Why the critics? All news sites live of their clicks.... it is not like a bad practice or something!

@datamonkey It's something that I admittedly haven't kept too many tabs on since 5G is years if not over a decade away from where I live. Whether or not it's safe, I still find it worrisome that it's being rolled out without going through extensive testing.

@Petraplexity Well if those areas don't support tethering right now, what do you think the odds are they will get 5G in the next 5 years?

My advice would be not to bet on it.

Unpopular opinion: 5G shouldn't exist. 4G is already very bad for the health of any living being. 5G has gained a lot of negative feedback from scientists (environmental, health,..) everywhere.
But hey, why avert environmental disasters when you could livestream the end of life instead? Who cares about life when there's money to be made anyways.

@607jf vita had 3G

but the situation nowadays is completely different compared to vita...there are actually affordable data plans now with decent amounts of data (or you can simply get an additional SIM card for your existing plan)

@duffmmann Exactly. While having mobile data on something like the iPad makes sense, it doesn't for something like the Switch. The iPad is more than a multimedia device, it's a computer alternative meant for work and personal use. The Switch is purely a gaming platform that doesn't need constant internet access. Unless they start by reviving things like Miiverse, bring out Netflix, and maybe some kind of online StreetPass, 5G on the Switch in its current form is just cost overkill. What I'd prefer is for Nintendo to implement a user-accessible web browser which would allow us to connect to public wifi hotspots like those in Starbucks and other restaurants that require you to click on an "Accept" button through a browser before accessing their wifi. That I think would be better for the Switch than throwing in an expensive 5G chipset.

This is bad for 2 reasons. Firstly, it will drive up the cost of the hardware to include a 5G antenna/card. Also data is not free so there would be a monthly subscription cost.

Like the rush to jump on 4K TVs, until you have that tech in your house, it's an extra you still have to pay for.

That said, as time marches on and 5G becomes more ubiquitous, it would be smart to have your machine ready for it. And Nintendo's network does need all the help it can get.

All of these people are talking about playing online with 4G hotspots while I have Sprint. My connection will never be good enough.

@sanderev sorry for the late response, but you're totally right. I didn't think about Nintendo's servers. Speaking of which I would love to get some dedicated servers especially for games that require a solid low ms connection like Smash.

@Setery Dedicated servers would increase the ms a lot. You are going to add more more connections. Which in term would slow everyone down.

For fighting games you want p2p.