Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

But they are optional?

Let's say we have an hypothetical console called The PlayBox. The PB1 was released in 2010 and the PB2 releases 2016. PB1 gets discontinued in 2016, and gets no new games after that. Let's assume it has BC.

At the same time another company released the XStation. The XS1 was also released in 2010. And they released the XS2 in 2012, the XS3 in 2014 and the XS4 in 2016. They always sell the 2 latest revisions, and game developers are forced to support the at least the latest 3 revisions.

XS1 and PB1 has the same power level. The same is true of PB2 and XS4, while the XS2 and XS3 is somewhere in the middle. In both cases, the latest revision will be able to play games from the first generation.

Why would the PlayBox1 be more attractive to you than for example the XStation 2 or 3?

And you still don't have to worry about graphics cards or anything like that. You're not building yourself a PS4. You're either buying the discounted three-year-old vanilla PS4 that would've been your only option regardless of whether they introduced a revision or not; Or you have the option to buy the NEO for (presumably) the same entry price the PS4 was when it launched. Without revisions people are buying five-year-old hardware to the end of a console generation. Five-year-old tech, that's pretty outdated.

Your PS4 is getting replaced. I'm not going to buy a NEO, and I will still be able to play PS4 games for at least another two/three years.

If you think that the PS4 and XOne should've been (a little) bit more powerful at the start of the generation, then maybe, but that's an entirely different issue altogether. What you were buying for $399 at the start of this generation was reasonable I think. Remember the PS3? That system was indeed more powerful for its time, but the amount of money Sony lost on the PS3 was absolutely ridiculous.

@FragRed You'd be surprised to find how how ''small'' the actual group of Sony fans or MS fans are. There's plenty of people that just buy the system that is talked about the most; they get FIFA, COD and maybe Assasin's Creed, but they may not even know what Uncharted is for example. I don't think the group of people that cannot wait for the next hardware is that big actually. I also imagine that the vast majority of NEO adopters will be people that haven't owned a PS4 yet.

@Therad They already got the groundwork of forcing a subscription that is basically free money to them as much as line rental is to phone companies. Now upgrade that subscription and tack on a fee so you buy the console over time? Ker-ching. Before ya know it, gamers will be tied to contracts. I seriously hope these upgrades are making amends for a below par entry to this gen because then you are right, they are an option. If they are to continue churning them out, then suddenly you lose any bang for your buck and we get milked. Not cool.

Sent this tip into the site a couple of hours ago. Of course they won't acknowledge who told them just like the several stories they posted this morning that I told them about.

Report: Nintendo NX is Using TEGRA X2 Chip, More Powerful than X1

Not too long ago, we heard that Nintendo NX is using the Nvidia’s TEGRA X1 mobile chip. It is a relatively old chip and didn’t pack enough punch to be considered anywhere near as powerful as current-gen machines.

However, sources close to the project claim that Nintendo NX is indeed using a TEGRA Chip but not the X1. The company is partnering with Nvidia to use its upcoming TEGRA X2 that is more powerful compared to the original model. The TEGRA X1 released in 2015 and comes packed with four ARM Cortex-A53 cores in big.LITTLE configuration, as well as a Maxwell-based graphics processing unit.

The upcoming chip hasn’t been formally named as Nvidia TEGRA X2 and is in development under codename “Parker.” The new TEGRA chip will feature four ARM-based Cortex-A57 cores and two homegrown Denver2 cores, it will use Pascal architecture for its GPU. The same one used for Nvidia’s flagship GPU models – GTX Titan X, GTX 1080, GTX 1070, and GTX 1060.

Nintendo NX will benefit from is unified memory which means faster communication between central components – CPU and GPU. TEGRA “Parker” is using a 16-nanometer FinFET process.

Needless to say, Nintendo nor Nvidia has confirmed this information but if the Japanese giant truly wants to expose its console to a wider audience like it says, it needs to use a more powerful chip.

Parker has been in developement for a long time and was originally suppose to release before TEGRA 1. However, Nvidia’s restructured roadmap placed X1 ahead of Parker.

Nintendo NX is releasing in March and Nintendo will host an event later this year to share more about NX.

http://segmentnext.com/2016/08/17/report-nintendo-nx-is-using...

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Hahah. Reading rumours is like checking your horoscope. This one reads 'The future is bright'.

Quite possible, but it would be your choice to upgrade or not. But paying for online is already milking. Add the cost of the console + 5 years of online subscription and $10 per game and you get pretty close to a decent gaming PC. If you feel ripped off, you can always switch to PC-gaming, and get backwards and forwards compatibility. And most of the things people always complain about.

And I don't think this gen was below par. If anything they went back to how it used to be. The last gen was an anomality.

I think the X1 rumour is more realistic, "Nintendo" and "Powerful" haven't fitted together since the GC era.

Anyone think that xbox/ps releasing newer interations that don't replace the older versions could be a good thing for Nintendo?

I think it might solidify to people in the market that a console doesn't necessarily need high end specs and instead the nx will look sort of on par with the cheaper versions. If they replaced them thus beginning a new generation then the nx would look already old before it releases

@dtjive Not really because the NX as it is rumoured is much less powerful than the original Xbox One but is likely to be only slightly cheaper after Microsoft drops the price further.

idk why this cant be disvussed in another thread. this isnt related to nx. ps4 and xbone are getting more powerful models. dont like it dont buy it.

True although I think people would understand the form factor of being able to take the NX on the go would make people appreciate why it would be a similar price despite being a lower spec.

But from a stand-point that this move by PS/Xbox would effectively introduce budget and high-end models sort-of like how we have with phones (all companies produce a mid-range and high-end version) would perhaps suggest to consumers that video gaming isn't all about specs as there will be budget options that will run the same games. Also from that standpoint, if PS/Xbox are wanting to support those old systems for another 2-3 years until Fall 2019 let's say it might allow the NX to get a foot-in with developers if it has a spec that is reasonably comparable with the budget options offered by those two and if the NX can get a respectable install base that would attract developers.

Those two things remain to be seen, but I think Xbox/PS supporting their old systems is a much better option for Nintendo than those companies dumping them. Could you imagine the laughing stock they would be if they revealed the NX and it was similar/lower powered than the previous options that Sony/MS have moved on from?

Yeah, it doesn't make much sense to discuss it here. "but Nintendo might be doing the same thing with the NX" That doesn't mean we discuss it in the What do you think the NX is? thread.

@FragRed What's a regular XOne these days? It's already $250 iirc. The XOne S is $299 too. I don't think Nintendo will price the new console anything below that; so I think that it already would be the same price as the XOne. PS4 will probably drop to $299, and I think that's the biggest competitor.

@BiasedSonyFan I get it, you're not a big fan of the concept. Too bad, it's happening anyway, and if done right, it's a good thing for everybody.

Consoles have never been able to keep up with technology. Nvidia had more powerful GPUs on the market when the PS3 released. You can't expect a console to come with the best tech for just $399. Anyway, I'll let @skywake continue if he wants to. I think I'm done here.

Assuming we got the basics about nx right, I consider this a very viable rumour.

Why else would Nintendo lack the holiday season sales? Or suffer a longer drought and have the brand name damaged in the process? Of course, they feel like they can make up for it adequately.

This makes a higher tech impression more likely. Both their hardware branches are outdated, they need to make a splash.

If anything, they could easily sell a 250 device that feels like a premium thing and does all the stuff a variety of customers look for. That next step up from what x2 was seems to fit both timeline and transitional space.

Personally, I am always impressed by how high tech the new Nintendo hardware feels. Even the Wii had that feel. The only thing that may not have hit a homerun on that front was the Wii u, after my ios devices ran circles around them.

@erv I have to see it first I think. If they can fit something that is close to the current gen in a small handheld, with a proper battery life and sell it for $250 with a dock included, the wacky controllers or whatever new gimmick, then I'm impressed. And all of that without selling it at a loss. I don't know, that sounds too good to be true. There has to be a catch.

@Octane I would hope that with their back up against the wall, Nintendo realised that this is their make or break to stay relevant.

The silence on the NX best be because it'll blow your away in both the actual device and launch lineup.

@BiasedSonyFan Sony and Microsoft having console "upgrades" doesn't really tell us anything about the NX. It might tell us some stuff about the machine after the NX but not the NX itself. Even if Nintendo is planning on offering the same type of "upgrade" for the NX in a few years, Microsoft and Sony's "upgrades" don't tell us anything about the NX.

EDIT: This discussion should probably move to this thread https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-nx/how_would_the_...

The Supplemental Computing Device patent has been cleared and granted after the fee was paid. Its now fully official.

I've been thinking about that as in the Eurogamer rumours, the Iwata comments about NX absorbing the Wii U and the rumours about Wii U ports for NX being cross compatible with the Wii U originals (like NX Smash 4 players playing against Wii U Smash 4 players).

I've been thinking maybe all 1st party NX games are released for Wii U in some way but discontinuing the Wii U hardware meaning that newcomers aren't confused and expect the Wii U Gamepad to work anywhere. It's a way of getting around 2 big issues:

• Making Wii U owners feel satisfied with their system (This was still one of Iwata's key objectives even after the NX was announced as something that exists back in March 2015)
• There's something that feels new especially for the handheld crowd so sales don't completely slump

@Grumblevolcano Like the NX is an upgrade to the Wii U but without the GamePad? That would be kinda a weird limitation to put on the NX. I am not sure how it would work on a technical level but would Nintendo be able to guarantee compatibility with the NX or Wii U if they are such different machines? That would be a lot of work to require from developers, something that would hurt software production, So Nintendo would need to make it work on their end