Personally, whenever we're on the cusp of Nintendo revealing a new console as we seem to be right now, I love to speculate on what their next move will be!
I like most, saw the recent patents filled by Nintendo for a new dual-screen device and brushed it off as something that would never see light of day, since the patent seemed to be pointing to a move away from hybrid consoles and back to dedicated handheld systems. However, the more I think about it I'm starting to believe that this really could be our first look at Switch 2 (or whatever it'll be called) and this new design wouldn't be a move away from hybrid consoles but instead a doubling-down on the hybrid and modular design of the Switch.
Here's some designs that I have put together that I hope will demonstrate what kind of system these patents could be pointing towards.
The first image demonstrates how I think the basic layout would work as a DS-like device with the joy-cons of the Switch being replaced by individual control modules (the benefit of a system like this should become apparent as we move through the rest of the images)
Next, we have a demonstration of how the device could be split into two to provide a experience similar to using individual joy-cons for 2-player matches on the Switch, but this time giving each player their own screen along with a more comfortable control setup
The third image demonstrates that the same technology that allows the console to broadcast images to two separate screens could also provide Wii-U like asymmetric gaming experiences
The next image provides some breakdowns of how the modular control modules could be utilised into different combinations depending on the player or game-type
The final image provides a look at how the camera on the controller device could be utilised to create a Kinect style experience (e.g. body-tracking), Wii-style controls or light-gun controls, and then furthermore showing how the camera could be used to provide an AR-type experience by placing the two screens back-to-back.
I hope these images help to demonstrate the enormous potential of a system such as this. I do believe there will be downsides if Nintendo does decide on this route - for instance the individual screens are likely to be smaller that what we have even on the Switch-lite (stacking two Switches on top of one-another would make for an extremely beefy console) and it's unlikely Nintendo would offer an OLED version either - mainly as a cost saving exercise as a result of having two screens. I also think Nintendo (again) won't focus on a huge jump on power and would be surprised if it can even match a base-level PS4, which is bound to annoy people no end, however we all know Nintendo isn't interested in simply increasing specs whenever they launch new systems.
Okay, now it's you turn! Where do you think Nintendo will be heading with their next console? Really hoping we'll find out early in the new year!
EDIT: updated the images to remove the additional dummy modules as unnecessary to the design
No dual screen nonsense. Fewer screens...lower cost.
Switch Physical Collection - 1,320 games (as of October 24th, 2024)
Favorite Quote: "Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age the child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies." -Edna St. Vincent Millay
@Magician While I agree that most people (including myself) would rather Nintendo just release a more powerful version of the Switch without any new gimmicks, that's just not how they operate.
They want people to have real reason to migrate to the new system other than just shinier graphics, and the only way to do this is to offer up new gameplay experiences. It's been this way for years now.
Switch Physical Collection - 1,320 games (as of October 24th, 2024)
Favorite Quote: "Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age the child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies." -Edna St. Vincent Millay
@KingdomTears Wow, this is amazing! thank you so much for coming up with these designs, I would buy this day one, if the next gen hardware from Nintendo looks like this; the return of the Wii U gamepad feels like a win for Nintendo games as some of their most popular IP could greatly benefit from this, games such as Splatoon, Xenoblade, Zelda, Fire Emblem and Mario, would all be so much more fun with an portable gamepad, that the user could use even when the main system is docked.
@Magician lol we shall see in time I guess, but nothing they have done since Iwata's death suggests Nintendo won't continue to innovate when it comes to new hardware. Just because you want it to be so doesn't make it true.
@KingdomTears I agree, I have been earnestly saving up for this mystery device, have been tempted to buy a PS5 but I realised that Nintendo is the G.O.A.T
They make the best games, always true and will hopefully be true for years to come!
@xenobladexfan I have a PS5 and it's great but Nintendo consoles will always come first for me. The fun Nintendo's first-party output provides is unparalleled
@KingdomTears, About Nintendo's first party games, I still remember the day fondly when I first unboxed and played Splatoon on Wii U in August 2015, it was as if I was in gamer paradise; the vibes and the thrill of Splatoon Wii U, in its first 2 years of its lifespan, is unriveled in any entertainment I have known before!
Also 5 years later Xenoblade DE, came to Switch and introduced me to another brilliant Nintendo franchise.
I'm hopeful that Nintendo will continue to amaze and impress it's fans/consumers, for decades and generations to come.
@xenobladexfan love this. The original Splatoon was a special time, still to this day the only online multiplayer that I've fully emersed myself in. Still haven't tried Xenoblade - I feel the pull to try it out every now and then but I really don't gel with RPGs (even their mechanics when they turn up in action/adventure titles somewhat annoys me) and the sheer size of the titles just scares me off. I've heard they are incredible games, however.
@KingdomTears You obviously spent a lot of time showing in detail how your idea would work. So credit to that. But the Switch sucessor isn't going to be another dual screen system like the DS. Nintendo themselves said the patents aren't for their next system.
Two screens means the GPU CPU will be working extra hard to have a image on a extra screen. Nintendo have said they are pushing to in the future have more 3rd party games, especially AAA 3rd party games. Dual screens wouldn't enable more AAA 3rd party games for the Switch sucessor!
Yes you could argue that they could disable the second screen for AAA 3rd party games. But Nintendo aren't going to want a feature that is half arsed not used much, it would be a big waste.
Even Nintendo's upcoming AAA games new 3D Mario, new Mario Kart, Metroid Prime 4 are said to be bigger budget and much more graphically impressive than previous Nintendo games. Can't do that with a second screen eating up the GPU CPU power!
People need to think logically not with they're fantasy of wanting dual screens like the DS! It's impractical for several important reasons. Not going to happen!
@KingdomTears; the original Splatoon was such a great game, I poured over 1670 hours+ into the game during its lifespan, I remember how great the splatfests were and the amazing community the game had.
Every now and then I wonder if Nintendo could ever pull of making another IP from scratch, that is as successful as Splatoon 1.
Everything about that game was so well crafted I literally remember it was the game I played the most from 2015-2017.
@KingdomTears Forgetting the fact Nintendo publicly said the dual screen patents won't be used in their next system.
You seem to conveniently forget not mention dual screen means Switch sucessor would be heavily crippled for AAA 3rd party games! Nintendo are trying to get more AAA 3rd party games, not less.
It would cripple future AAA Nintendo games as well. As the budgets for upcoming Metroid Prime 4, new 3D Mario, new Mario Kart are Nintendo's biggest budget games by far. They're actively pushing the graphics for these games, two screens would degrade the graphics significantly!
So your idea while it is cool as a fantasy. You agree it won't happen as it's very impractical for the Switch sucessor?
@Anti-Matter Nintendo publicly said the dual screen patents won't be used in the next Nintendo system.
Plus it's far too impractical for the Switch sucessor. The T239 in the Switch successor would struggle a lot more to run AAA 3rd party games with dual screens!
@Kingchin The quality and volume of third party ports would depend more on the NG Switch's memory bandwidth and available RAM. The inclusion or exclusion of dual screens wouldn't factor into that, it's neither here nor there.
Switch Physical Collection - 1,320 games (as of October 24th, 2024)
Favorite Quote: "Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age the child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies." -Edna St. Vincent Millay
@Kingchin Nintendo often say they won't do certain things and then go ahead and do it a few months later. Here's an example - back in Jan 2019 Nintendo said they had no plans to release a Switch mini console (source: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/64620/nintendo-planning-new-sw... only to release the Switch Lite later in the year.
Secondly, as for dual-screens crippling third-party or AAA Nintendo games - if you look at what I'm proposing, this system wouldn't REQUIRE dual-screens, it's simply an option (or could just provide something very basic on the second screen like an inventory or map). Therefore producing games that use a just a single screen would remain on the table.
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Topic: What do you think the next Nintendo console will look like?
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