Topic: The Nintendo Switch Rumor and Speculation Thread

Yeah like two people already told you why what you said is inlogical, but hey I do like complaining.

1. What differences would a Switch 2 have versus a Switch Pro, not like it'll be up to PS5 power, at least not for a good few years.

2. You're saying that like the Switch is getting replaced in a year or so. We're halfway through the cycle. The New 3DS was released halfway through the 3DS cycle (if you count 2011-2017) and that worked perfectly fine, if not great. Hell, the New 2DS XL released AFTER the Switch released, and that still did pretty well, at least for a system that was already replaced at that point.

@rallydefault Even then, game announcements are entirely different than hardware announcements. Just because they broke their phrasing on games, doesn’t mean they’ll do the same with hardware. They wouldn’t have specified about it being exclusively software if it weren’t for the switch pro rumors floating around the community, as the wording seems specific for that reason.

Anyone who thinks it will be there are kind of in denial honestly. Name one time they announced a hardware revision in a direct as well.

@VoidofLight
I actually don't think they will announce it at E3, I just wanted to see your logic.

I've only been back in the Nintendo sphere since the Wii U, so I'm not really the person to ask about when they've made hardware announcements in Directs. In fact, I'm not even sure if they had Directs before the Wii U? So somebody else would be a much better ask on that one.

Furthermore, I know it has the label and everything, but are we really at the consensus that their E3 Direct is considered just another Direct? Doesn't it hold a bit more weight even if it has the same name?

I would not want that if it means no portability. For graphics I have my PC but switch is something unique in the market and I hope it sticks around for a long time

This is an important point to consider when thinking about a successor. If you're going to start all over again from scratch you have to think about what it could do different that would justify doing so. The most likely way to do so is with a different control scheme or form factor, but even then it might be tough to argue that it couldn't be done on the Switch. The Switch is a modular device and they could easily swap out parts as needed. Want a new control scheme? Create new Joycons. Want more power or features on your TV? Create an upgraded dock. Want to upgrade the handheld screen or form factor? Upgrade the screen but keep the Joycons and dock. I'm struggling to think of something that could require them reinventing the wheel with a completely new hardware generation.

@UndoControl
Yea, and the surprise elements of things and the fact that really nothing is "normal" these days, I think that makes a Pro reveal at E3 at least possible.

I don't know. We'll see. I'm leaning away from it happening, but I'd love to be wrong.

The only thing I can think of is making a sequel to the Switch a hybrid clamshell device, but even that is incredibly similar to the GBA SP and DS.

You'd have to think how to use it with TV, though, @HotGoomba.... So, I think that makes a device like that unlikely as a Switch successor

@Slowdive
Whoopsie lol

My understanding is that the USB-C connection is, in addition to being non-compliant with the standard, incapable of supporting the kind of data throughput that an enhanced dock would make possible. I think that an enhanced dock is a logical improvement that they can make in the next Nintendo machine (not a refreshed model with a larger screen, but an entirely new system).

@BruceCM I have a thought about that. What if you brought back the dual screen clamshell design, but not only could the screens fold in half, but they could also detach? This would let you have dual screen gameplay in both handheld mode and docked mode, essentially making it like the Switch, DS/3DS, and Wii U in one and really have the DNA of all of Nintendo's past hardware. Not only that, but you could do entirely new things with it as well. For example, you could give one screen and one Joycon to a friend so they no longer have to share your screen, giving new meaning to the phrase "split screen multiplayer". It'd be expensive and difficult to get right, but it would be such a Nintendo thing to do that I want to see them make it work.

But I digress, if Nintendo even wants to do something like that, it's probably not going to happen for another 4-5 years, not now with the Switch Pro.

Well they have typically announced new hardware at trade shows, whether that's E3, TGS or equivalents. But COVID exists and these things aren't happening, so Directs are what they have. I'm not sure if your precedent is actually a precedent or not but, in 2021 it's a precedent that is going to get broken. Directs are the only forum they have outside of random trailers and press releases.

Hell, I'd argue a direct announcement would probably be the most traditional way they could announce it! Again, not that I'm betting on a direct reveal for the Pro

Lol maybe there's a way to do it but I also doubt it.

@UndoControl
Haven't these devs done some pretty difficult ports for the Switch, like Witcher 3? Seems like it would make sense for them to have access, but that's just me. I would wager lots of people have access, actually.

OK then. Look at some of the companies involved in the Switch reveal and launch lineup. They clearly put dev kits in the hands of Bethesda, Tomorrow Corporation, Shin'en Multimedia and SFB well before the launch. They're not Japanese studios, the latter three aren't even that big.

In that context, would letting Saber have one seem unrealistic? I don't think so.

@UndoControl Saber are actually bigger than Bethesda; they've about 1500 employees across their subsidiaries, which makes them one of the largest games developers in the world. They're just not much of a household name because they're a work-for-hire studio that doesn't publish games or hold the rights to any big franchises. Working for lots of different publishers would give them a number of avenues for potentially acquiring a dev kit though.

Also, take another look at SFB. They're a two person operation and had not published a single game on a Nintendo platform prior to Snipperclips. If they could get a dev kit prior to launch, I'd think that practically anyone would be in with a shot. Well, at least so long as they had a game that Nintendo liked the look of and could guarantee that it'd be ready in time for the launch.

@skywake I meant general direct that's "exclusively software", or where they specified that it's only software.

I think it's highly unlikely they'd want to go to 2 screens again, anyway, @Bolt_Strike .... But you never know with Nintendo! They clearly indicated Switch is going for a few years yet several times, though, so any successor is not for awhile

Happy Switch Pro Reveal Day everyone. Have a good one

(hee hee)

I think Saber, Panic Button, etc. already having devkits is very likely because think about the revision itself. It's going to be more powerful than the base Switch but still very weak compared to current hardware so 3rd parties will continue to focus on the PC/Xbox/PS versions while they outsource Switch versions to port specialists.