Topic: Switch 2 Talk

@GrailUK traditionally summer is quiet but.. Nintendo knows there is going to be a bunch of day/month 1 sales whenever it comes out. And they also know that if regular family Bob has heard about a new device well before the holidays then some of them will buy it in November. Wouldn't it be better to have two massive surges of sales the first year instead of just 1? Of course the Fall also has the issue where a Switch 2 release might have to fight for attention against GTA6 which I believe was just verified is actually coming out this year.

The recent q&a had answers which seemed to be both encouraging and discouraging towards an early year release so it's hard to be super confident either way. Assuming we are getting it in Spring/summer, I feel like Mario Kart makes sense as a release though. Start with an almost guaranteed evergreen game which has hype but also kind of doesn't matter when it comes out. Then have a more immediate feeling game come out for Fall.

Looking at historical console release dates if there is one obvious trend it's that the release date is basically never in the summer. In Japan the Nintendo 64 had an August release but other than that it's just a sea of either: early in the year January to March, or a lot of Septembers, Octobers and Novembers (with November heavily favoured).

But who really knows what Nintendo are planning! With the original Switch launch the 'hands on' event happened 2 months before launch, and if that stays similar it would be an unheard of June launch.

I’d say back end of Summer, likely August… maybe even early-mid August.

Let’s assume GTA VI won’t be a Switch2 title, and certainly not a launch title at that, so Nintendo may want to get ahead of the spotlight that GTA VI will of course snag.

I know GTA VI release in 2025 TBC… but this game has the potential to be a real ‘console seller’ and as such could implicate Switch2 sales? I know that the Switch ‘audience’ perhaps has some dissemination from the intended GTA VI audience..but still, most developers/publishers want to be avoiding releases in that window

@CJD87 I'm gonna go out on a limb and reckon that if Switch 2 is indeed capable of running that Matrix unreal demo, then it can run GTA 6 (obvs not to the same fidelity as home consoles but I would have thought that doesn't need saying!) Sites like Digital Foundary who are abit snobbish about specs really saps any confidence of it happening. But I say why not.

@GrailUK I’d be delighted if GTAVI landed on Switch2, but I suppose it’s contingent on Rockstar really doubling down on optimisation? Maybe later down the line, but I expect the real cash-cow here for R* is the online element - and I really can’t see Switch2 being able to handle that functionality? I think a single player VI would be an optimistic wish, but online perhaps a stretch too far

I’m still amazed that IV and V never got a single player port to Switch1? Especially as V is considerably older than Switch1 hardware…! A semi-decent port would have yielded some insane sales, not that R* needs any more units shifted lol

I’m really hoping that the RDR2 port rumours are true. Alongside Elden Ring, Cyberpunk and BG3 - I think those 3rd party entries would really help bolster Switch2’s reputation as a device capable of more adult entries (alongside the great 1st party offerings)

I’m kind of looking at Switch2 in this regard- “if Steamdeck can run something reasonably well, Switch2 should b viable- assuming devs are willing to optimise”

@CJD87 I don't know how big a studio Rockstar is or what they are working on, but RDR2 port, GTA V port for Switch and GTA VI all ongoing at the same time sounds a lot of workk for any studio! Besides, as much as I'm not really a GTA fan, I do admire their integrity on making the GTA series as good as it can be (trilogy being the exception that proves the rule lol.)

@CJD87 Cyberpunk would be my dream launch window game. Huge fan of the world. But yeah, I would imagine Steam Deck would be the ball park. I'm optimistic in that regard because the president did say they reckon the Switch 2 is state of the art. Granted, the rumours have been circulating for so long, it kinda undermines how long stuff like this takes to develop.

@GrailUK I'm sticking with my September prediction because of SMB 40th anniversary. Launch with 3D Mario and then have Mario Kart in October meanwhile Prime 4 is a Switch 1 only game releasing in April - June.

@Grumblevolcano It's got a good shout! I'm keeping my predictions from last year.

• Cheaper than folk think it will be.
• Nintendo will still release a game month (alternating between Switch and Switch 2.)
• GTA VI will come to Switch 2 (as a Switch 2 edition type thing.) (Maybe not day one but in the conversation)
• Launches with Mario Kart, a new ip showing off some hook and third party stuff.
• Star Fox Adventures will return (like a No Mans Sky type game with tighter story / curated solar system.)
• Launch October.

@GrailUK There’s no way GTA VI is coming to Switch 2. They never even bothered with GTA V on a machine that sold 150 million. Also I hope this thing isn’t releasing in October. You are heading into dangerous territory with GTA VI going to sell absolute gangbusters and both PS5 and Xbox are going to also become most people’s first choice because of that.

I just hope its june, or August at most. That way Nintendo wouldnt have to fight with other releases.

@FragRed Hey, I'm not setting myself up for disappointment (and joy if it's released earlier) is all As for GTA 6...we'll see. There is no way a big third party is not going to support the successor of the most popular console ever*. They go where the money is (especially since they don't see Nintendo as kiddy anymore - which was a juvenile viewpoint to begin with.)

*eventually taking into account how it's tracking O.<

@GrailUK They will go where the money is as long as it’s incredibly easy to port their games to the system and there is guaranteed good revenue. None of the big publishers really bothered much with the Switch despite the huge hardware sales. I wouldn’t be surprised if that continued with Switch 2. A few games get ported but most support will be from indies and Japanese publishers.

@GrailUK I agree. I think R* will likely have laser-focus on GTA VI, but I still think that a RDR2 port for Switch2 launch would be feasible. (RDR1 sold well on Switch, and there is some engine parity between RDR1 & 2.... so maybe not quite the large task we perceive it to be)
So I'd wager heavily on RDR2 port, based on rumours, but I'd suggest any GTA ports (IV, V etc) are probably a pipe-dream at this stage.

Similar to you mate, I am not a huge GTA fan - albeit I do appreciate what the series has done for gaming in general, and making the 'hobby' more of a normalised mainstay. (I grew up with the top down entries, and played GTA III on PS2... then dropped off)

Cyberpunk is really great on deck, I'd suggest that CDPR just need a solid porting team to do the job -> Switch2. Sabre would be a terrific shout? Considering Sabre managed to get Witcher3 and Kingdome Come (1) on Switch!

At most they might port GTA 5 and maybe GTA Online to Switch 2, but GTA 6 on Switch 2 is still questionable as of now.

I’m surprised no one commented here in a while, but do we have any idea of where Switch 2 power is gonna reach, in handheld/tabletop and docked? I’ve been hearing base PS4 and then also base PS4 handheld and PS4 Pro/Xbox Series S docked. Not really sure where it will land.

@MrCarlos46 Digital Foundry seem to be generally regarded as the most reliable gaming tech channel when it comes to analyzing performance, and they estimate we'll see a lot of PS4 ports but that it's unrealistic to reach Xbox Series S or PS4 Pro levels docked. Personally all I in terms of power is being able to run all current gen games and they look good.

Seeing as PS4 can run almost all current gen games, it might be fine. I suspect some games struggling like Cyberpunk 2077, are more the fault of the developer not deeming it worthwhile to spend the extra time and money to optimize things enough or make them enough scalable (look at the recent DOOM ports on Switch for example). Most reassuring indicator of sufficient horsepower to me would be seeing Elden Ring or GTA 6 on the Switch 2.

@Alucard1337 I actually think Elden Ring (alongside Erdtree expansion) would run pretty well on Switch, assuming that From are willing to support in optimisation. ER ran amazingly on Steamdeck, achieving a pretty decent 30fps on reasonable settings.... few dips here and there, probably on the same level as TotK on Switch1.

@Alucard1337 @CJD87 GTA 6 was also said to come to Xbox Series S, and even the Take Two CEO said he wasn’t worried about how it performs there. If Switch 2 can reach Xbox Series S levels of power in docked mode then it will be able to run GTA 6 just fine. They might have to make a separate GTA 6 build for Switch 2 tho.

I do wanna see Roblox come to Switch 2. It’s already on PlayStation and Xbox, so might as well.