Topic: Nintendo Switch 2 Predictions

Honestly you have a good point. A console launch probably could still be a security risk even when these places have already been open a long time, but I'm sure it's escalated when they first open.

May is only a month after the Direct, it's technically possible, but that'd be such a short amount of time between getting the release date and the release date itself. June feels the earliest we can get the Switch 2.

@skywake @SwitchForce shipping 1/3 million copies to US and Canada isn't going to help them in the long run from US tariffs. I saw somewhere that Nintendo's president said tariffs will have minimal effects on their financial results, they seem prepared and somewhat unaffected by this. I don't think it's a bad idea to try to get more production outside of China with some of their work conditions, perhaps the tariffs could give the push some companies need to move their factories?

@MrCarlos46 I'm still expecting a September release but If it has to be a 1st half of 2025 release, June 26th would make the most sense. Nintendo mostly releases a Mario game in June of which from those cases all but 1 are late June:

• Luigi's Mansion 2 HD - June 27th 2024
• Mario Strikers Battle League - June 10th 2022 (the late June release was Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes on June 24th)
• Mario Golf Super Rush - June 25th 2021
• Mario Maker 2 - June 28th 2019
• Mario Tennis Aces - June 22nd 2018

Mario Kart is a Mario game so that would fit the pattern. Meanwhile it would also result in Prime 4 (the single player launch title) releasing close to the Prime 1-3 artbook.

@PikminMarioKirby
I'm not entirely sure how much moving production outside of China is going to help the US RRP post tariffs. As I said, dude's pushing near universal tariffs and while sure the focus is China it's by no means just China. This trade-war nonsense the US is engaging with even extends to countries like Australia and Canada so I would imagine that moving production to Vietnam isn't going to help them much. Especially when electronics manufacture seems to be one of the big targets

I mean sure, 100%, I don't think this early shipment means much at all in terms of avoiding tariffs. We're talking something that's going to drag out for years and a product that's going to move 10s of millions over those years. Several 100 1000 isn't a lot, relatively speaking. And as I said I would think these shipments have more to do with building up stock than anything else

....... but I think it's fair to say that the tariffs will bite. Not Nintendo's bottom line, I imagine they'll have enough demand and enough margin it won't matter. But I would think they're going to consider tariffs when formulating the final RRP in the US

lol

Yea, they’re not gonna do that this time around.

It’s gonna be first half of June.

Seen discussion on ResetEra about the idea of Switch 2 having different SKUs at launch. Honestly I don't think Nintendo will do that at all. In fact, I expect them to have less options than Switch 1 at launch by only having the one color variation seen in the reveal trailer.

@IceClimbers Even if they do a separate SKU at launch, probably won’t be a 512GB model.

If a second SKU is for a white model in a similar style as the black one but the shells are all in white, I would buy that one instead.

No way a separate SKU would be an all-digital model.

@MrCarlos46 ... If anything I be surprised if we get a 512k model as I don't see any from sandisk for 512K cards yet. I think they will stay 256K and let everyone else get another 256 - 1tb express card. Why would they do that when sandisk is making those cards already.

@SwitchForce I agree, I think 256 GB will be 'standard' for some time. Not to mention that physical carts seem to live on with Switch2... which infers that not all S2 players will be digital-only, or maybe a mix, negating need for 512GB space. I have a 256 Steamdeck, with 512 Sandisk, and this is ample IMO

And if by any surprise, even a 1TB model later on.

And a 600usd price tag to go with that..... talk about burning a hole in your wallet.....

I would expect higher storage SKUs down the line, maybe when they do an OLED model style revision. I don't think it's happening at launch and there's no evidence of it either. 256GB is what we're getting. Especially since having more SKUs at launch will make managing supply much, much harder and it seems to me that having enough stock is Nintendo's primary concern here

With that said, I think some people in this thread dismissing this idea wholesale too quickly. Storage is cheap, like really cheap. Despite what Apple's pricing might suggest. Even a 1TB SKU would indeed be very viable if they wanted to go that route

@skywake I only expect one other SKU at launch, and it’s not a digital-only model, OLED, or even higher storage. I could see it being a white model similar to Switch OLED (but with the screen shell also white) which I’d get instead of the black one seen in the reveal trailer.

There is one other thing: How hard will Nintendo go with hacking for Switch 2? Could it still be like current Switch units where it could only be hacked through a mod chip and not through software or will they go even harder with security like Microsoft with Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and make it somewhere where the Switch 2 can’t be hacked at all?

@MrCarlos46 I don't think its necessarily the case that MS security is way better than anything else, I just think that there's less appetite in the community to hack the Xbox. You can run Developer Mode on Xbox Series consoles which allows you to run emulators and homebrew easily so there's no need to hack it. Some people assume that hacking = piracy, but I doubt that's the motivation for developing the hacks in the first place - although admittedly many that go on to use the hacks will use it for piracy.

Given it's very easy to buy Xbox games cheaply from other regions there's no real motivation to pirate the games, especially since you can get them on PC too where it's much easier to get dodgy copies.

@dmcc0 Will we likely see the eShop be an app again instead of being browser-based?

@MrCarlos46 They definitely need to do something with it. I quite like the filtering options, but it's just so slow to navigate and there's so much shovelware that I genuinely don't use it unless I have to. I usually just end up browsing Deku Deals instead, unless I know exactly what I want to buy. NL recently reported on PlayStation removing some of the worst shovelware from their store and Nintendo would do well to do something similar. I honestly don't see that much shovelware on the Xbox store, but the filtering there is pretty poor compared to the eShop.

@dmcc0 They need to update the eShop for Switch 2 and add new features: Shopping cart, review/rating, gifting, and even filters

If they even make it an app, music should be readded.

@MrCarlos46 Yeah, I forgot about a shopping cart. That is a bit annoying when there's a sale on and you're buying a few games - I'm always worried my card company will block multiple quickfire purchases.

I'm not too bothered about ratings or reviews myself, having seen them on the Xbox store they are often pretty meaningless and are open for abuse, and it's easy to find legit reviews and opinions elsewhere if I really want them. Gifting is more of a nice-to-have, I've never actually used it on the Xbox store but I guess it's better than just giving someone a gift card for the store - I could see my kids using it to gift each other games at birthdays I suppose.

Was watching a Digital Foundry Video about the 120Hz/VRR/HDR screen rumour where they were dismissing the thing wholesale. Because Nintendo I guess. To be fair I'm not entirely convinced this rumour will pan out but the commentary around it is.... interesting... and I think it says a lot about how badly people have been keeping up with this tech

For example I saw some comments talking about how Nintendo would never do this because Nintendo always uses 10 year old tech in their hardware. They couldn't possibly support bleeding edge features such as this. And I'm sitting back thinking I'm taking crazy pills or something. The monitor on my desk is a 144Hz, VRR capable IPS screen that technically supports HDR. And it wasn't high end when I got it..... during the middle of the pandemic.... almost 5 years ago....

My TV, admittedly a fairly nice panel, I've had for over 2 years now. 120Hz, 4K, OLED, VRR with a range of 20-120Hz. My phone, a fairly low end but still decent phone, 90Hz 1080p OLED screen. Steam Deck has also moved to a 90Hz panel now for their OLED model. In fact the only 60Hz display I use on a regular basis is my secondary monitor, a 2014 BenQ IPS monitor

And yet..... people are still saying the Switch 2 must and can only possibly have a 60Hz, non VRR, non-HDR screen because Nintendo only ever uses 10 year old tech. I mean it might well end up being a 60Hz, non-VRR, non-HDR panel. That could happen. But I think we need to be aware that this stuff we're talking about IS 10 year old tech

Netflix launched its first HDR show 11 years ago. UHD BluRays, the first physical media to deliver HDR content? 9 years ago. This video here? Over 11 years old, a year after the launch of GSync

These ARE decade old technologies