Forums

Topic: What if: Your Switch physical collection won't be backwards compatible with the Switch successor.

Posts 41 to 60 of 128

Ninchiku

Ive seen diferent people say they dont plan to sell their switch but you dont know how long will your current console last so it would be better if Nintendo keep using the same cards from now on

Edited on by Ninchiku

Ninchiku

SwitchForce

JasmineDragon wrote:

I don't know anything about the technical hurdles, but on a personal level, BC will be a crucial factor in determining whether I buy the next gen early or wait a year or more.

BC is becoming the standard now if your console can't do BC consider the console days numbered. Or they are selling outdated hardware and going to make a new one with new hardware format that is the fastest way to receive flames from supporters whom will leave in droves.

JasmineDragon wrote:

I don't tend to be an early adopter to begin with, because buying a console that only has ten games for the first three months of its lifecycle sucks. I tend to wait, sometimes for a long time. I bought a PS4 Pro one year ago, and. I bought a Wii halfway through the Wii U's lifespan. That's when you can find hundreds of games dirt cheap. That's when all the teething problems have been figured out, and the system usually has had one or more revisions making it better and more reliable.

Same here I don't adopt early but in the Switch itself that was a first for me beyond the New 3DS XL models of which I have all 15 of them and still working with those games.

JasmineDragon wrote:

The Switch, however, has brought out the raving Nintendophile in me. I bought the Switch on launch day and have never regretted it. I've bought so many more games for the Switch than any other console I've ever owned. And I haven't finished half of them.

I bought PC games before but since 3DS to New 3DS XL that was the first that I bought that many games and for the Switch have many more but some haven't opened or gotten half way through or finished but a couple only.

JasmineDragon wrote:

So thanks to the Switch, I'm extra hyped for the next Nintendo system and inclined to jump on the bandwagon early, but I also have dozens of games on the Switch that I want to continue. If the new system has BC, I'll be there with bells on, buy a couple of the next gen games at launch and continue to play my Switch games on the new machine along with its own games. If it doesn't, I'll wait, finish more of the Switch games, and upgrade a year or two later.

I am expecting the Switch replacement with same design and Cart design along with hopefully more Ram and Internal storage beyond 64gb and more SD slots at least two so I can put 2-1tb or 2-2tb cards in there when they become affordable. As of right now expansion is limited on the Switch and the more games less room your sd becomes because of that.

SwitchForce

sixrings

I am not saying it won’t have backwards comparability. I hope it will. But it is pure speculation to say for sure it will. There are times nintendo has released systems which are backward compatible and other times they have not. Nintendo drums to its own beat so the fact Microsoft and sony are offering backward compatibility does not necessarily guarantee that Nintendo will. This is not being a doomsday person. Instead it’s simply realistic that we will have to wait and see.

sixrings

MarioBrickLayer

@TSR3 rather than including the X1, just having the Maxwell GPU would be simpler.

Does anyone think this will happen before 2024? Nintendo have already said they will have chip shortages in 2022.

MarioBrickLayer

PSVR_lover

My Switch OLED is the best portable system I’ve ever owned. I’m not a Nintendo fan, so if I buy another Nintendo system it’s because it has all the games I want to play like the current Switch does.

Like my PSVITA before the Switch, I’ll just keep this system, it’s amazing and great fun.

The PSVR is the best VR system on the market today.

TSR3

MarioBrickLayer wrote:

@TSR3 rather than including the X1, just having the Maxwell GPU would be simpler.

Yep, that's a really neat summary of what I wrote.

As for when a new model will come out, my guess is that Nintendo will be aiming for 2023 based on the last two Switch updates which have occurred at 18-24 month intervals. Also 8nm production capacity becoming available for a new SoC from end of 2022. Of course chip shortages for other components may still throw a spanner in the works, but I don't think Nintendo can postpone a 4K output capable model much beyond next year.

Back to support for backwards compatibility, does anyone think that Nintendo would charge extra for game patches/updates to add 4K output? I'm thinking of Sony here and their $10 charge for updating PS4 games on PS5. Nintendo could also tie these into NSO expansion pak, or do a Microsoft and provide them for free?

TSR3

skywake

TSR3 wrote:

My reasoning that it is the most likely is this - as MVG stated the compatibility issue arises because the Maxwell drivers are included in every Nintendo Switch game's code.

I would think they'd be able to build some kind of compatibility layer and/or patch titles to get around this. I'm not convinced it's as much of a roadblock as MVG is making it out to be. It's also worth noting that the Wii GPU also had an ARM core which was responsible for IO and security so its inclusion on the Wii U was more than just getting around the different GPU architecture

SwitchForce wrote:

more SD slots at least two so I can put 2-1tb or 2-2tb cards in there when they become affordable. As of right now expansion is limited on the Switch and the more games less room your sd becomes because of that.

Probably not a huge need for more microSD card slots. By the time it comes out prices for flash will be down again and the sizes of cards will be larger. I can definitely see the next Switch revision having at least 128GB of storage and really at this stage I'd almost say 512GB should be the standard in a year or so. Especially if it's coming in at the price similar to the OLED model

Edited on by skywake

Some playlists: Top All Time Songs, Top Last Year
"Don't stir the pot" is a nice way of saying "they're too dumb to reason with"

Poco_Lypso

tbh I don't expect the switch successor to be backwards compatible.

Nintendo had backwards compatibility with 3ds and wii u - and both systems struggled. The 3ds during launch and wii u was deadborne.

Nintendo will prolly have learnt this lesson: backwards compatibility is expensive and does not necessarily help sell consoles. And most importantly they can't sell the same old games to us AGAIN and for FULL PRICE, lmao.

As for a switch successor I will prolly wait a year or two or three until I buy it, my backlog is huge anyway, lol, and I have another problem: I bought witcher 3 recently, it was 50% off on the eshop so I thought why not. And dang, its such a great game. Even though I haven't played it on any other system before its nagging me not being able to get the best witcher experience. And knowing cd project is working on a remastered version for the xbox and ps5 AND another witcher game kinda makes me realize going nintendo only isn't the best idea.

Poco_Lypso

Ralizah

@Poco_Lypso The Wii and NDS were both bc as well and those were Nintendo's two post popular systems before Switch.

I don't think even Nintendo would have the gall to sell us Switch remasters at full price on a non-BC system. Switch was different, since the design and architecture of it are wildly different from Wii U.

And yes, if you care at all about AAA third party stuff, going Nintendo only is a terrible idea.

Edited on by Ralizah

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

Poco_Lypso

Ralizah wrote:

@Poco_Lypso The Wii and NDS were both bc as well and those were Nintendo's two post popular systems before Switch.

I don't think even Nintendo would have the gall to sell us Switch remasters at full price on a non-BC system. Switch was different, since the design and architecture of it are wildly different from Wii U.

And yes, if you care at all about AAA third party stuff, going Nintendo only is a terrible idea.

tbh, I don't care much about third party at all. Recently got into the witcher via the netflix show and am currently hooked, haha. Rarely been playing a game that is so much to my liking when it comes to atmosphere, lore etc. Maybe it's just a spur of the moment thing and I will see how I feel about buying a next gen console in a few months when the remaster releases and if there is word about a switch successor, who knows maybe it will get the witcher "4" and the remaster, too - that would be wonderful.

As for nintendo selling remasters at full price? Wind waker and twilight princess for the wii u come to mind.

Edited on by Poco_Lypso

Poco_Lypso

Ralizah

@Poco_Lypso I could probably happily make do with just a Switch myself, since I'm not a huge fan of most big AAA releases, but I like having the option to play everything, so I'll probably never go with just one platform. If nothing else, I'll always have a gaming capable PC at the ready.

Well, Wind Waker was about two generations removed from the original, and Twilight Princess on Wii was also playable on the Wii U. Also worth mentioning that a big chunk of the Switch's first-party stuff is already remastered in the first place.

Switch software is selling really well years after release, and I don't think Nintendo will want to jeopardize that by not making the games compatible with the newer console. And so many games have unlocked framerates already that a lot of them will be better experiences on more powerful hardware by default.

BC with the previous generation has been the norm for Nintendo for generations, especially with their handheld hardware.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

Poco_Lypso

@Ralizah yeah, having options is always nice.

had a look at whats on offer, didnt see much that would grab my attention atm, the graphics are awesome tho, ngl.

Will definitely wait a bit and see how things develope.

Poco_Lypso

Magician

My thread may be old (a bit over a year), but the discussion becomes more and more relevant the closer we get to the announcement of the Switch successor.

Edited on by Magician

Switch Physical Collection - 1,241 games (as of March 23rd, 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

MarioBrickLayer

@Magician I was this and the RGT85 follow up to it and he was saying this has had a negative reaction online. I thought this was a very sensible and understable video explaining all the options.

MarioBrickLayer

Magician

@MarioBrickLayer MVG does a great job of laying out all of the possible ways Nintendo could approach backwards compatibility. The negative reaction is most likely folks who don't want the investment they've made in their Switch collection negated. But I think it serves as a sobering reminder that Nintendo could easily clip collectors off at the knees.

Collectors will be offended, naturally.

But most casual Switch owners will probably shrug their shoulders and move on.

The only question they'll have is where and when they'll be able to purchase Mario Odyssey 2.

Switch Physical Collection - 1,241 games (as of March 23rd, 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

TheBigBlue

In all honesty, it gives me more reason to not buy that new console or whatever and expand my switch collection while others spend more money. Not sure why people are panicking about a price increase for games if they all know it will happen to games on the next console.

Wait, why do we need a signature? Eh, I don’t know. Here’s your signature.

Matt_Barber

Just to give a brief rundown, the options appear to be:

1. Emulation/virtualization. You generally need a much more powerful system to do it though and Switch emulators are still a bit of a work in progress. It's unlikely unless Nintendo are going to unveil something that beats the Steam Deck at its own game on the hardware front and an in-house emulator that puts the best community efforts to shame.

2. Build backwards compatibility into the SoC. This is what was done with the Wii U. It's an expensive option in the upfront cost and they'd have needed Nvidia to start working on it pretty much from the day the Switch first shipped, but the resulting chip need be no more complex and expensive to manufacture than an off the shelf one. I'd think it the way to go if Nintendo want total backwards compatibility from day one, but it's not going to make them run any better.

3. Stick the Switch SoC in, in addition to the new one. This was done with the GBA, DS and 3DS but that's practically a different era now. A Tegra X1 in a Switch successor would just be dead weight for new games nowadays, so I'd think it unlikely.

4. Patch games to run on the new hardware. That might seem a daunting prospect for a library that now runs into thousands of games. However, the bulk of the work is just a case of recompiling GPU shaders, as the CPU would be binary compatible. This is a process that could be largely automated by tools geared to specific game engines. Get tools for doing it with Unreal Engine and Unity game made and that's probably 90% of the Switch library that could be done this way, and you might get a resolution or frame rate boost into the bargain.

5. Do nothing. It's what they did with the Switch, after all. They can still offer remakes, streaming and bring NSO forward though. Unlikely, I'd think, but it's probably not something that could be ruled out entirely and you'll still have your Switch to play the old games on.

No surprises for which of those I'd favour. Still, this is Nintendo we're talking about and who is to say that they won't unveil something totally out of left field that makes a mockery of the entire discussion?

The bottom line is that backwards compatibility doesn't come for free, and there are always going to be a few compromises in how it's delivered, if it even is at all.

Edited on by Matt_Barber

Matt_Barber

card-crunch78

Just deal with it, I guess. That's what life is about.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Sisilly_G

It's extremely unlikely that the next system won't be backwards compatible. Switch cartridges are pretty much as small as Nintendo can physically make them without rendering them impractical (and easy for people to drop/lose), and we can theoretically see 64GB, 128GB etc. cartridges in the future (though there's bugger-all 32GB carts on shelves as it is, but you get the idea). Hopefully the prices come down enough so that developers/publishers stop needlessly compromising physical releases in order to merely keep file sizes down, as opposed to any limitation of the hardware itself.

But even if the next console isn't backwards compatible, there'll be very little reason to double-dip as the Switch already doubles as a handheld and home console, and I can see myself making use of it long after they're taken off shelves as opposed to past generation consoles that require you to be tethered to a TV (and past handhelds were also a lot less versatile).

I doubt that most will care enough about a mere performance update in order to justify double-dipping for the same reason why many won't upgrade their DVDs.

"Gee, that's really persuasive. Do you have any actual points to make other than to essentially say 'me Tarzan, physical bad, digital good'?"

Switch Friend Code: SW-1910-7582-3323

MarioBrickLayer

@Magician would you be upset if there wasn't backwards compatibility? You collect on a different level to me, but I don't think I would be that upset.
@Matt_Barber I think he said one other option which was to use the existing SoC in the new switch but overclock it. I wonder if you could do that and run DLSS?
@Sisilly_G I like your confidence!!!! I think it's far from certain, i'd want it, but wouldn't be surpised of we don't get it.

MarioBrickLayer

Please login or sign up to reply to this topic