Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

If we look at 3DS, the setup was:

• March 2011 - 3DS
• June/July 2012 - 3DS XL
• October 2013 - 2DS
• October 2014/November 2014/February 2015 - New 3DS and New 3DS XL
• June/July 2017 - New 2DS XL

3DS approach applied to Switch would be:

• March 2017 - Switch
• September 2019 - Switch Lite (purpose is exactly the same as 2DS, you lose functionality in favour of cheaper product, perfect fit for Pokemon)
• Holiday 2020 or Spring 2021 - New Switch (purpose being the same as New 3DS, probably launches with BotW 2)
• Spring 2023 - Switch's successor launches
• Summer 2023 - New Switch Lite (purpose being the same as the New 2DS XL)

Sure there's no equivalent to 3DS XL but to be honest, Switch's screen is big for a handheld anyway. Regarding "New Switch", I'd be leaning towards March 2021.

Honestly, I'd expect the 'New' switch 'Pro' will have the same amount of RAM, but the next step up to improve the bandwidth, the same exact GPU, and a slightly improved CPU. That'd be enough to see performance improvements in most games, while still allowing it to be cheaper to produce than the Switch was at launch.

@link3710

Resolution is almost entirely a GPU rather than CPU issue. It'd be a bit of a lame "Switch Pro" if it was still struggling to get 1080p in nearly every game.

@Dezzy A bit lame, but entirely what I expect. People have way too high expectations for the Switch Pro.

@link3710

It'd need to meet a certain amount of expectations to be worth buying though. Those iterations they do surely make a lot of money because the early adopters of the original console rebuy them.
That happened with loads of people with the 3DS, including me. I sold my 3DS on ebay and bought the New 3DS instead.
But it does need a certain amount of improvements for you to do that. I don't think a slightly faster CPU is gonna do it. With the New 3DS, it was faster CPU, a couple of exclusives (including the SNES games), and the C-stick which was excellent for games where you wanted camera control.

@Dezzy Easy, have the new Switch completely fix the Joy-Con drift problem. Then the minimal upgrades will seem enough, maybe add in an exclusive dpad left Joy-Con too.

Am I the only one who's probably going to skip out on Animal Crossing at launch because of Eternal's new release date

That and I'm getting FFVII Remake at launch in early March, then saving up for P5R, Trials of Mana Remake and Cyberpunk 2077 the next month

@link3710
The 'pro' is an inevitability with Nintendo's portable line

Ehh, I don’t agree. It’s a possibility, but I see no evidence that suggests it’s likely, much less an inevitability.

Nintendo has only marginally improved on one of their systems mid-generation, out of all the systems they’ve released. They definitely iterate, and I fully expect at least one more revision, but whether that’s a “pro” is more of a coin toss than anything else. Even New 3DS was borderline of an upgrade to be considered a “pro”. I think peoples’ expectations here are based on what they observed other platform manufacturers do this gen, and are now jumping the gun by expecting Nintendo to follow Sony and Microsoft trends... something they’re not exactly known for doing.

I won’t discount the possibility. It very well could happen. But that’s as far as I’m willing to go.

@BlueBlur101 I wasn't really sold on animal crossing and there wasn't much for me in early 2020 so the delay of doom actually is better for me. I'm grabbing trials of mana too so it doesn't look like ill be buying anything til early spring. Thankfully 2019 is so packed I'll have enough to hold me over til doom..

So Asphalt 9 is pretty cool. I just played for a good 40 minutes straight, been quite awhile since I did that with a racing game. I enjoy the bite-sized tracks, and the arcade style. I think the sound track is pretty nice, too.

Asphault 9 looks excellent.

Unfortunately, the fuel cooldown mechanic kills it for me. If I could pay $40 and own the game outright, with a normal progression system in game and no limits on how many times you use a car, I’d probably have already bought it.

Which one are you counting here?

Gameboy->Gameboy Color (dunno if this counts as an iteration or a different console)
GBA-> GBA SP
DS-> DSi
3DS->new 3DS

Also the N64 had the expansion pack, which is kinda the equivalent of iteration in plug-in form.

@JaxonH I think you misunderstood my point. I'm saying it's an inevitability that we'll see a mid generation refresh aimed at convincing core gamers to upgrade and making the system more appealing to everyone else. I don't think it'll be what people are expecting from a 'pro' though, it'll likely have only mildly different specs more to save money from part distribution than a true upgrade.

And they've improved every single system. The GB -> GB Lite -> GB Color, the GBA -> SP, the DS to DSi, and the 3DS to New 3ds. I'm saying we'll see something on that level of iteration.

EDIT: Yeah, I think it'll have some other improvements (no idea what) but just not major spec changes.

@JaxonH I think it's more people's expectations of what a enhanced revision would look like that will lead to disappointment. Too much talk about it acting as Nintendo's answer to PS5/Xbox Scarlett existing when that is really unrealistic, it's more likely that Nintendo will try to get cloud versions of 3rd party games like Japan has RE7 and AC Odyssey to deal with the power gap (maybe this is where xCloud for Switch comes in?). An enhanced revision would likely serve the same purpose as the New 3DS did.

@BlueBlur101 I've been waiting for a new Animal Crossing game since 2013 or so. Nothing short of extreme poverty or death could get me to skip out on it, frankly.

Same goes for FFVII Remake as well, though. I'm not skipping that for any reason.

I'm planning on getting Cyberpunk, but if I had to delay my purchase, it wouldn't be the end of the world. As things stand, I'll likely pass on Trials of Mana for the time being (2 new RPGs are plenty; three is just overkill), and will pass on Persona 5 Royal and Doom Eternal completely until some point in the future when I have the time to play them (P5R is very unlikely all-around, considering I purchased the original at launch; if I do snag Royal, it'll be in a deep sale).

Okay, so this is a 3DS question not a Switch one, so apologies for going off topic (it just doesn’t seem worth creating a new thread or digging up a dead one).

Anyway, just bought a New 3DS (very with the times), and I’ve noticed there seem to be some rudimentary screen protector things installed - just like a thin layer of film. It seems to be applied convincingly enough to be a pain to remove without getting a knife under the corners, but it’s also slightly askew, and I wonder if the image quality mightn’t be better without it.

New 3DS owners, did you try to remove it after purchase?

Oh wow, so the Clue/Cluedo game on switch can use smartphones as controllers to play local multiplayer. That’s a really interesting solution!

@Maxz No 3DS models ever came with a factory screen protector as far as I’m aware.

@JaxonH Asphalt games are designed that way. I worked on Asphalt 8 as game tester and the game is designed to make you spend lots of money on nothing.
I have no idea how it is with Asphalt 9 but I do not have intention of opening another game with that name ever again I've seen too much!

@StableInvadeel Hmm... the plot thickens. Maybe it’s not a screen protector - maybe it’s just part of the New 3DS, but the fact that it’s not applied 100% perfectly and has a slight air bubble under it made me think it was not meant to be the final form of the system.

The other option is that it had been applied by someone else. I did buy it at a shop that deals in second hand goods, but upon opening said box, it did look... completely untouched, so I sort of assumed it hadn’t been used. There was no data or anything on the system, and the cards and other gubbins were completely unopened.

Here’s a slightly rubbish picture. You can sort of see a rounded edge that doesn’t quite line up with the bevels of the screen and a very slight raised air bubble/lighter section above. Not a huge deal, but I’m curious how this lines up with other people’s experiences.

It’s possible it’s just used as you say. One in good condition.

I’d recommend you just leave it as it is: better not mess with it if it’s not a screen protector, but if it is, then it’s a freebie. You’ll stop noticing it as soon as you start playing.

From the pictures is does look like one though. So it’s definitely used. Another good way to tell is by looking around the buttons, used consoles often have those areas “polished” from use. For example, you can see a slight difference in the finish around the start button in your second picture.