Topic: The Nintendo Switch Rumor and Speculation Thread

Based on the current rumours I'd argue it'll sell well by being the SKU people buy when they want to play Switch games on their TV. It'll be the "Switch Pro" and the Switch Lite on the shelves, the regular Switch will be phased out. Really, the Switch is currently selling faster than all other platforms combined so I don't think sales will be much of an issue

@GrailUK They did it with Xenoblade on the new 3DS, right?

@Octane Well, you are right there mate Gah, if they do announce something exclusive, I'll want one even more! O...M...G...Xenoblade Chronicles X? DAY ONE!*

(*Thing is, I can't think of anything they could re-release that wouldn't work on the Switch OG. So I'm inclined to think stuff will just look better.)

But the install base (the OG owners) aren't the same people who buy the Switch Pro though.

@Slowdive I wouldn't mind games being $10 more expensive using those as I can see where the money is going.

@Slowdive Well Ninty are predicting 20ish million Switch sales this FY and it will be at least half way through the year by the time it comes out plus Lite will still be on sale making up some of those numbers. That's leaving out a far bigger chunk of their users than Pro players.

I'm still in the camp it will be an enhanced version of the Switch rather than a successor so I'm not expecting many new exclusive games from Ninty. Nintendo based on the past with the 3DS actually toned down their games like the 3D effect wasn't used as much in Zelda to make sure it was still accessible to those players.

@Slowdive Oh, that's right. Seeing that reminds me, OLEDs actually turn pixels off for blacks, which helps save power. (correct me if I'm wrong).

@Slowdive Wowsers! Much better clarity!

@WoomyNNYes
Think of LCD panels as a series of tiny tinted shutters with a backlight behind it. Black on an LCD panel is like a bright white light shining at a closed window. You're still shining a bright white light at it so you don't save any energy and some of the light gets through so it's a bit more of a grey than black.

OLED is more like a bunch of tiny coloured lights. If you want black you just don't turn the light on. You can't get darker than a light not turned on so black on an OLED panel is really black. And because the light isn't turned on you're not using power, because the light isn't on.

Of course it's slightly complicated by the fact that the backlights on higher end LCD panels are typically brighter than OLED. And that higher end LCDs are able to turn the backlight on parts of the panel off in dark scenes. But in general, OLED panels use less power and have better blacks.... and lower latency

OLED is coming regardless it's how it's implemented and have to remember it does have a lifespan as LCD/LED does so nothing last forever. But if the QC is good then it will last long to come and then we can buy and DIY display when it comes without have to get a complete new SSNS down the pipe.

@SwitchForce OH YEAH. That reminds me. I wonder if the Pro will have a plastic screen like the Switch, or tougher glass like on modern phones/tablets? I guess we'll find out.

That's a good one to know as well. If it's glass I'd pay more just to have it but then again those screen protector makers might not like this. lol

@Slowdive
I'm glad I'm not the only one having messed up with the screen protector. xD

@skywake Yeah, I really feel like the idea of a "next gen" console has really been watered down to the point of becoming fairly arbitrary. Like, I can barely tell the difference between the graphics and there's often very little that changes that gives me the impression of "this is a definitive step forward for gaming". Then again, I'm less performance conscious than most gamers seem to be.

Now Nintendo does like to use new generations to experiment with new controller types, but they don't really need a new generation for that anymore. They've already been selling experimental control types, such as Labo and Ring Fit, mid gen so they can keep experimenting whenever they have an idea. And even for primary controller types, since the "main" part of the Switch is literally just a screen and the Joycons are detachable, they can create whatever type of new Joycon or control type they want and just have it attach to the screen. The Switch is actually brilliantly futureproofed so they can update the different parts of the console on an as needed basis instead of having to start from square one every 4-8 years. And frankly I think it would be better this way since past Nintendo consoles have tended to reinvent the wheel with their controllers and throw out features that actually benefitted gaming. I want Nintendo to create innovative new control types that add to what we already have, not replace it.

@Bolt_Strike The next gen consoles at the moment pretty much paint the picture of "Look at all these games that ran like trash on the previous consoles, they actually run well now". As new hardware approaches, the focus becomes the new hardware and older hardware owners either get left behind completely or get games running poorly on the older hardware.

@Grumblevolcano Again, I can't even tell that much, hardware manufacturers adding more pixels or making the framerate slightly smoother goes largely unnoticed to me. So it really feels more like new hardware for the sake of getting an extra couple hundred bucks to keep playing games. Also part of the reason I tend to be more of a Nintendo gamer, because they tend to do more with their consoles than just a largely unnoticeable bump in performance.

I am sure Nintendo knows what it is doing in regards to a new switch or next system. But I think they are holding it back until the current generation switch and switch lite lose there popularity. If they say anything to soon. The switch as we know it will start to die.

@Atomic77 The pandemic and consequently the chiop shortage will have made the timing of this a nightmare! However, if it's as big an upgrade as media suggests, I don't care when, lol, I just want one. Not because things will look prettier (I wasn't blown away by Horizon 2 any more than the first game on the last hardware) but purely because it will enable games to be compatible (the only time I reckon specs matter tbh.)

I will say that as much as I've been arguing that the chip shortage probably won't impact them that much? I'm probably going to end up pre-ordering. Because even if there is a decent supply I'm fully expecting people to assume there will be a low supply. Which means scalpers. So there's more than one potential reason for them being hard to get at or near launch.

Also even though I think there won't be supply constraints I'm far less confident than I sound. I'm fully expecting a staggered regional launch as a mechanism to reduce supply and distribution constraints. Which is probably a good thing for Australia, because we tend to get the better end of the stick when that happens. But it could also mean we're more December than September.

Oh I am preordering as soon as they allow it. Like, the second this stuff goes live.