Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@skywake Console generations aren't dead yet mate. The two industry giants would like them to be...but us consumers haven't voted yet. This could all blow up in MS and PS faces. I am sure Microsoft would like everyone to jump in to PC gaming and upgrade to their hearts content with their Windows 10 platforms. Their strategy with Xbox seems counter productive to the concept of a console (I may be wrong!). Sony are hoping VR will be a blue ocean experience for everyone (I know it's expensive but que sera sera) yet the fact everyone (except Nintendo lol) is bringing it could end up with being another red ocean. Nintendo creating hype with Zelda hints they are on the cusp of a new generation of games with their IP and I think this captures the imagination of a broader install base.

@skywake I'm just saying that they better future-proof this console if they're planning on selling it for the coming ~5 years. Launching something that's on par with the PS4 and XOne still means they're 3.5 years late. In terms of software that doesn't matter. However, in terms of marketing? Despite the fact that NEO, XOne S and Scorpio are all held back by their vanilla consoles, they are still able to produce a higher image quality and framerate. If people are looking at the best experience to play third party games, why would you get an NX, when NEO is the superior option? And yes, NX will be the best option if you're looking to play Nintendo games, but we all know how big that crowd is.

So to answer your question; I don't know Nintendo's plan regarding the NX, but I do know that even though this might not be their ''last NX'', they should at least expect to sell the console for a good while; regardless of ''mid-gen'' successors. Future-proofing is never a bad thing. Competition is good and I want them to compete again; like they used to. That's not going to happen if you're launching something on par with the PS4 in 2017. That means you're launching the Wii U 2.0.

The thing is the death of console generations is not a bad thing for consumers at all. It's also not really a decision that Sony and Microsoft have made. It was an inevitable thing. The only reason console generations existed at all was because the technology behind it changed a lot between every generation. Now that they've all landed on being basically PCs with a sticker on the box? There aren't going to be the same sorts of backwards and forward compatibility issues.

Basically what Microsoft and Sony are doing is what Nintendo did with the Wii in transition from the GC. If the Gamecube had support for full sized disks, Bluetooth controllers, internal storage and WiFi. Could Super Mario Galaxy have run on the Gamecube? I don't think it would have been much of a stretch. If it had done would that have been a bad thing for people who got the Gamecube?

@skywake Hmm...I don't know. I see your angle. If we get news on more consoles after Scorpio and 4K in 2 years time, then ye mate. You nailed it. At the moment, I have the stench that both MS and PS botched their industry forecasts and resetting (and no company in their right mind would admit that!).

Well in9 days is the next Nintendo shareholders/finance meeting which also the board of directors election period. Maybe we could get a reveal window and/or Nintendo finally admitting nx is a home console

I think VR will flop. It's still expensive and it has no killer app game for any of the different headsets out there.

And if Nintendo has the weaker console than Scorpio, the main goal should be for the architecture to be within the same generation. PS1 was weaker than N64, but still powerful enough for that generation and having plenty 3rd party support made things even better.

@Nintensity It's more complicated than that though... times have changed. Anyway, I don't think anyone expects the NX to match Scorpio, that's just ridiculous. Scorpio is going to be a powerful, but expensive console ($600-700-kind of expensive). I'll target a completely different market than regular home consoles even.

@Octane With AMD having a consistent track record with Nintendo, and AMD having good cost for smaller size, lower wattage, and more performance, I think it won't be complicated as far as hardware since they will be doing all the work. 3-4 TFLOPS should be pretty cheap in 2017. The trickier part I would agree with is 3rd party support since that area has been depleted for years.

@Nintensity At what price though? Not a ''Nintendo price''. They don't want to their hardware be too expensive, as they don't want to take a loss on hardware. 3-4 TFLOPS is closer to NEO; that's what I'm hoping for. Scorpio is twice that amount; would be nice, but if they're not taking a loss, I'm not going to pay that price. €400 is the most I'm willing to pay for a console, something like NEO is enough for the coming years.

@Octane and im willing to bet Nintendo would prefer to cost less than neo and Scorpio. I'm expecting 1.6 GHz 8 core arm cortex a72+ 800 MHz Polaris 11+ 8gb LPDDR4 for ram.

@Octane I see it being around $300-$350.

They can have a deal where the math is:
CPU $40
GPU $80
RAM $15
Circuit board $40
cooling system $15
power supply $15
casing $20
gamepad $25

This adds up to $250. If it ends up being a little more or less, selling it in the $300-$350 range should let them turn a profit.

Here is my final prediction until official information/reveal

-home console
-uses carts for physical games that it can share with future portable
-still cost $299
-Vulkan API
-CPU: ARM Cortex A72, 1.6 GHz clock, 8 cores(2 locked to OS)
-CPU: 800 MHz AMD Radeon custom Polaris 11
-Memory: 8GB LPDDR4(2 locked to OS
-500GB of internal storage
-Controller is a Wii U pro controller with NFC, gyro, headphone jack, speaker, mic, scroll wheel shoulder buttons, and force feedback analog sticks.

@WebHead That's essentially a PS4 clone in terms of performance then. I'd like to see a little more than that. I'd also like to see those scroll wheels on an actual controller, provided that they can make them work.

Not a big fan of cartridges; they're still too expensive. The last thing I want is another hurdle for other developers to take. Just use optical media, there's no reason to ditch discs yet. Definitely add an HDMI 2.0 port; even if 4K isn't going to be in games, there's no reason to not support 4K media.

I have this similar expectation, but I think they will go with the A57 for the ARM CPU. I can see them using Sandisks for the games.

@Octane Polaris 11 GPUs are expected to have 2.5 FLOPS, which should place it above the PS4.

If scorpio is just a tech upgrade, then it will be 399 or 449. No one in their right mind would release a 600 console.

@Nintensity I stand corrected then; that's more in line with the NEO.

@Therad Why not? People pay more than that for PCs. If this is Microsoft's way of adressing that crowd? I don't think they're going to take a huge loss on the hardware. It really depends on how MS plays out the marketing for this system and what their future plans are.

Because expensive consoles have never had a good launch. Most of the time the cheapest console have "won" the console wars.

Also, why would PC gamers suddenly want a console? The markets are vastly different, PCs are more about freedom. And since ms has promised to release Xbox games on Windows, I see even less incentives to buy a Xbox.

@Therad But I don't think it will replace the XOne or XOne S. It'll exist as an "elite" option, next to their "budget" XOne and default XOne S. Microsoft is also selling elite controllers for $150. Those aren't dominating the market either, but just like expensive 4K TVs a year ago, they exist to fill that small gap in the market, that small group that wants the best and the newest tech available.

It's kinda like with graphics cards for PCs. NVidia and AMD fight it out for the most powerful card on the market and of course those are the cards that get the headlines. But most people, even enthusiasts, buy the card that's a couple of tiers down. The highest end one only exists for the people who have money to burn to purchase. But more importantly, it gets the coverage. Coverage = free advertising.