Topic: The Nintendo Switch Rumor and Speculation Thread

@MarioBrickLayer They would need to do something original and not just pump out another game like the “New” series to get me interested. But I’m also not that casual audience they’d be focused on.

@FragRed I know what you mean, if it exists, i'd like to see the art style being similar to the movie. Also, I wonder if they could do something aligned to the movie which has Donkey Kong and other related characters, could some of them be playable?

I don't think Spawnwave has any insider knowledge, I think he was speculating, but I don't think you can always tell with the people on there.

@MarioBrickLayer The thing with Nintendo is, I could easily see them just advertising the already out New Wii U Deluxe game instead and call it a day. It really depends what mood they seem to have been in when deciding.

I asked an AI to write a post for this thread about the Switch 2. Enjoy:

It's been five years since the release of the Nintendo Switch, and it's hard to believe how much the gaming landscape has changed since then. The Switch has been a huge success and has become a mainstay in the world of gaming.

But now, there are rumors swirling about a new iteration of the Switch - the Switch 2. While nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo, there are a few rumors that have been circulating.

One rumor is that the Switch 2 will have even more advanced hardware capabilities. This could mean better graphics, more processing power, and potentially even VR capabilities. While it's unclear if this is actually in the works, it would definitely make for an even more immersive gaming experience.

Another rumor is that the Switch 2 will have a larger screen size. This would be a welcome addition for those who prefer to play their Switch in handheld mode, as the current screen size can be a bit small for some.

Of course, these are just rumors at this point and nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo. But it's always interesting to speculate about what the future may hold for the Switch.

edit: Tried a few more attempts to improve it a tad. It basically says nothing but at the same time? It's probably still better than most of the talking heads on youtube who rattle on for hours. Fire the writing staff for this site! All hail the new AI article generator overlords!

@skywake You sure the AI isn't just a Nintendo Life user?

@HotGoomba
I did then ask it to write it in the form of a Monty Python sketch and all it did was append this to the end:

But enough of these silly rumors. What we really need is a Switch that can do the dishes and make us a nice cup of tea! Now that would be revolutionary! Until then, we'll just have to make do with our current Switch and its mere mortal abilities.

..... so maybe

@skywake Nintendo Switch - Teasmaid model?

@skywake Stop that. You are being silly!

@skywake
That reminds me of the Postmodernist Essay Generator from the 90s.

Version here:
https://www.elsewhere.org/pomo/

Just refresh the page for a new, but meaningless, essay

The problem with pixel human eyes can't tell the difference with any certainty. If the Switch is coming with 4K/DLSS hardware that would make all the difference when Dock mode and something 720p portable with the switching GPU is the what most hardcore GPU does now days. Pump Graphics with docked and lower graphics when portable to conserve battery. Games will have updates to take advantage of the new graphics power for both portable and Docked mode. This will insure Switch remains relevant and uptodate. So it can be done it's will the naysayers accept something Switch can do it and if the SteamDeck can do it why not the Switch. So those saying it can't must have something against Switch having good portable graphics and when Dock can do it better output. There's no way they can turn Switch 4K/DLSS on portable there is no battery that sustain that kind of drain just turning it on.

I need to stop listening to Nintendo-centric podcasts like NVC for a while, all they do is trigger me. The Switch Pro discussions...just...won't...stop. In my mind, I'd like to save these poor souls who feel that new hardware is coming next year. Either with TotK or shortly after.

People...there is no Switch Pro.

The current Switch will continue with the "performance issues", "miracle ports", "just enough is good enough" narrative for a few more years.

@kaisu This happens every time a new console comes out. There always seems to be people who are never happy enough with the power.

@Magician, I think you're wrong, next year there will be a new Switch...the Lite OLED!!!!

@SlashFuture
Frankly what I'm tired of is people labouring on this arbitrary point of "it won't be Switch Pro they'll just do Switch 2". I'm yet to see anyone peddling this line explain clearly what the difference is. I mean they'll say something like "even more powerful than Pro" or "they'll have something new". But when you push about BC they'll still say it'll have it

I mean really the only distinction I can think of between the two is marketing and whether or not games released for it will play on current Switch. The first is meaningless, call it Switch 2 if you want that's not what I mean when I say Switch Pro in threads like this. The second is a massive negative that has little reason to happen given we already know it'll still have a Tegra SoC

So yeah, bugger the "Switch 2". There's no advantage to it over "Switch Pro" at all. None. The traditional console cycle is dumb, the sooner we move past it the better off we'll all be

@kaisu
Two things. Firstly there will most certainly be a Steam Deck 2 and likely fairly soon given the content is in no way tied to the hardware. And even if there isn't someone else will make one. That's literally the entire point of Valve making this play. They don't want to sell hardware, they want to expand their platform

Secondly there is a notable difference between the current Switch Pro discussion and that typical fanboy fever dream stuff some people do on day 1. Firstly it isn't day 1, we're getting into year 6 and hardware sales are past their peak. Additionally the hardware itself is quite literally an order of magnitude behind their direct competitors

And we know what the SoC is. We have a fair idea what it's capabilities are (Switch forward and backwards compatibility should be doable) and we know the availability of other SoCs in that family (literally now). Also we know the murmurs of new dev kits started late last year which lines up with the above

To be blunt, a video of the final product could leak from a factory and some people here would still say it isn't happening. Hell, I bet even when Nintendo announces it and outlines what it is people will no-true-scottsman it away. "They called it New Switch so it's just a Switch with a camera, it's not a Switch 2 or Switch Pro. That bit about 4K is just upscaling it doesn't count. And there is no separate version of TotK specifically for New Switch so it's still Switch. They still track sales of it as Switch" etc, etc

@skywake I’m surprised we haven’t seen any leaked dev kit images yet especially when the PS5 dev kit was leaked months before the actual console was shown.

@kaisu
Well @magician holds the view that there won't be any hardware revision until 2025 or something. All I'm saying here is that there's a middle ground between the uncle who works at Nintendo who said there's a Switch 8K with DDR6, RayTracing and (insert other buzzword here) etc and the outright denialisim the PR machine requires and some fans cling to

And that middle ground is where most people have landed here. That's where most of this discussion you're complaining about is. New Tegra SoC with a Switch that is at the tail end of its cycle and past its peak. More probably than not new hardware within the next year. Also almost surely having software and hardware compatible more than most other generational transitions of the past

Label it whatever you want, put a pin in one end of that range of probable outcomes or the other. Speculate that its Switch 2 in 2024 or Switch Pro in 2023, it's all more or less the same and fits within the above

Hello

The switch is like really sus. I have a switch lite, but it seems weird.

My definition of Switch Pro (or Switch 2 if you'd prefer) is pretty much anything that can run most ported PS-4 era games without nerfing them (I wouldn't expect it to be at the level of the most resource-intensive PS-5 games) and can also still run current Switch games. I think a main reason people talk about a new Switch is because people really want back-compatibility which Nintendo often doesn't do with new consoles.

Note that Switch lites don't 'Switch' so I would still count a tv-connected-only device as a Switch Pro if it ran my current library, although probably the naming convention should change in that case. I do enjoy the ability to Switch between tv and handheld but if there was a future where that only worked on the less resource intensive games I wouldn't really mind.

@SlashFuture
Ahh, I see. I guess that's part of the confusion then. See I use the suffix "Pro" here in the same way Nintendo uses the "i" in DSi or the "New" in New 3DS and also how Sony used it for the PS4 Pro. Basically new hardware that has more capabilities but while maintaining largely the same library compatibility

And in that context "Switch 2" becomes a traditional successor. Basically also having new hardware, possibly some new form, possibly some new gimmick. Maybe backwards compatibility but not necessarily. Probably accessory incompatibility, definitely software incompatibility. So like Switch, Wii U or 3DS and most other new consoles

In the Switch Pro universe TotK is a Switch game, Pikmin 4 is a Switch game. We keep getting Switch games for years. With Switch 2? These games are probably playable but not in any enhanced sense on Switch 2. There may or may not be ports you can buy which won't work on Switch. Also on day 1 you will be buying Switch 2 games that aren't on and can't run on Switch.

That's the distinction we're making here and, IMO, the only one that makes much sense. I think new hardware is soon, I hope it's Switch Pro and not Switch 2. And I think anyone hoping for Switch 2 is..... well not sure what they're hoping for....