Topic: The Nintendo Switch Rumor and Speculation Thread

I've been thinking about Zelda and the new Switch (2), if we assume someone within Nintendo has just started work on the next 3D Zelda game (after TotK), this could just be brainstorming story ideas and possible mechanics. If that's correct the next new Zelda game is going to be released around 2028 - 2030, which means it could be the last big title on Switch 2 or a launch title on Switch 3.

With that in mind, I'm assuming the following:-

1. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess will NOT release on the Switch 1 and will be used to fill the gap between the launch of Switch 2 and the next new 3D Zelda
2. At least two 2D Zelda projects are in development, one new game and a remaster - the choices being A Link Between Worlds, Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass
3. Now that GB + GBA games are on NSO, we won't see remasters of either Oracle games or Minish Cap

Any thoughts?

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of remakes of the Oracle games, just because there's GB games on NSO. Look at Mario 64 it was released in 3D All Stars pack, and then on N64 NSO expansion pack as well.

@Solarstriker Maybe, but a logical conclusion for why the 3d All Stars pack was a limited release was Nintendo planned to put it on NSO. Plus it wasn't a Metroid Prime or Link's Awakening style remake, it was essentially just a port. The Link's Awakening remake was released almost 3 1/2 years before the release on NSO so NSO had no impact on sales.

Yes. And then assumed they'll halve the clock again when undocked. I expect the clock on this thing to be fairly low compared to the rest of the Tegra line as it was with Switch. Remember, there is less room for cooling in this form factor than there would be in a car or something.

In any case, better to be conservative and pleasantly surprised than bullish and disappointed

@skywake Was this chipset designed with Nintendo in mind or is it like the Switch where Nvidia had something already and Nintendo have made some changes to suit their need?

@FragRed
Like just about every console CPU/GPU/SoC ever the architecture already existed but there would have been significant cooperation in the design of the specific chip. When doing the sort of volumes consoles sell, even flops like the Wii U, there's always some room to make a custom part

@skywake That’s kinda what I thought but I just wondered because I know Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony begin R&D on the next system as soon as they finish the current one so didn’t know if that would have meant they’d have worked with Nvidia on the chipset or not. But I understand now.

@FragRed IIRC files in the Lapsu$ leak showed worked started on the new SoC as early as 2019

@skywake Also we’re you using TF for your performance comparisons with PS4?

@TSR3
Yes. I'll be perfectly blunt, I went to the Wiki page for Tegra and looked at the SoC which had the closest TDP to the X1. Then I looked at the FP32 TFLOPs. Then I compared that to the PS4's TFLOPs. Which yes, isn't going to be a bullet proof comparison by any means. But for the purposes of a forum discussion and without the ability to look at how an equivalent workload performs on its SoC in direct comparison to the PS4? It's good enough I think

The TE980M sits at 1.88TFLOPS and has a TDP of 10-25W. The Switch has a T210 which has 0.5TFLOPS and is rated at 15W TDP. The PS4 has 1.84TFLOPS (75W TDP but not sure how I trust that as a comparison, they'd be measuring this differently). So all things being equal which, again, I fully agree they won't be. Probably looking at something that's around the ballpark of the PS4 as a guess. If it's better than that? Well great, I'll be pleasantly surprised. But I'm not going to bet on that. If I'm going to guess based on the above I'm going to underestimate it

@skywake Just wanted to check as we had used TFLOPS in previous performance speculations on this thread. I totally understand your caution. Personally I don't think 3 TFLOPS is likely (though technically possible) as Nintendo will have battery life and thermal management at the top of their priorities list, and I don't think a home console base successor to the Switch is realistic either. I guess we'll know more after Nintendo's annual financials and shareholder meeting in a few months.

@MarioBrickLayer I think the biggest indicator that Oracle remakes could still happen is that the Booster Course Pass has a lot of Super Circuit tracks.

@Grumblevolcano I'm gonna need some elaboration on this one since I'm struggling to see why Mario Kart would have an effect on Zelda remakes?

@Fizza Like the Oracle games and Minish Cap, Super Circuit is part of NSO yet the Booster Course Pass in waves 1-4 has gotten 4 Super Circuit tracks (overall MK8 Deluxe has 7 Super Circuit tracks so far). This means Super Circuit being on NSO hasn't affected the chance of Super Circuit tracks being in the Booster Course Pass, Nintendo may take the same mindset for Oracle remakes that the original and a remake can coexist on Switch.

@Grumblevolcano That makes a fair bit of sense actually. Would love for a remake of the Oracle games to come over honestly, I adored the Link's Awakening remake!

Both the game boy and game boy advance games Link’s Awakening and Suoet Circuit came after the booster pass and the remake respectively, dunno if that means anything. I don’t believe oracle games are up for remakes this generation anyways. It was easy to just put gb links awakening on the service.

@Fizza @Grumblevolcano I think the counter argument is that no one is buying Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to play Super Circuit tracks and even the purchase of DLC is not really for individual tracks, it's to get access to the full set of 48 new tracks.

I can't see Nintendo releasing a remaster of a game already available on NSO, unless it's a beloved classic where they put a lot of effort in (Zelda Ocarina of Time with Metroid Prime Remastered level of graphics improvement?) as the risk of them not selling enough copies to cover their costs will be increased. There is also the opportunity cost, developers working on remastering the oracle games are not working on a brand new game or a remaster from another platform which may sell better.

I'd almost rather have any 2d zelda game be remade in 3d space. Much in the same way the RE games got remade in over the shoulder camera perspective, a remade 2d zelda in 3d would actually give the source material new life and make it feel different enough.

I've just finished the Links Awakening remake. It's great (I especially like how Link's offensive skill set is more apparent and easier to use late game due to the extra buttons) and I'd like to see the Oracles games remade in the same way but commercially I just don't see it happening - especially with those games coming to NSO.

Link's Awakening has always had a cachet amongst "core gamers" that the Oracles games - however good they might be - just don't have. They certainly don't have such an affecting storyline and - whilst tightly designed in their own ways - they are definitely looser. Link's Awakening was arguably the best game available on any system in the year it launched. The Oracles games are very good but just not on the same level IMO.

Then again - it's Nintendo so who knows?

Yeah, I don't think NSO impacts the value of remasters. Especially if the NSO title goes back as far as the GB spec. It's just an entirely different experience. Now if Nintendo started pushing GC titles on NSO? Well then I could see that argument. If they did remakes of N64 titles? Just barely, probably not. But NES and GB? Definitely not

Speaking of reading tea leaves from MK8 DLC, there has been also been discussion that the new Yoshi's island course plus Yoshi's island stuff at the theme park means we are getting a new Yoshi's island game.

As for remakes of NSO games, I'm still hoping for Super Mario Land 2 remake. The classic is fun, but it just seems ripe for a modern version.