Random: This Nintendo Switch Wannabe Runs Cyberpunk 2077, Costs $700

The Switch is probably also able to run Cyberpunk just as well as the PS4 and Xbox One.

As in: not able to.

Aha! The rumors WERE true after all! The Switch Pro is finally here...

Cool concept.
I love my Switch, but do hope that Nintendo release a higher spec model soon.

Also seeing Rise of the Tomb Raider on that device, that game should run on Switch no sweat as there's even a previous gen Xbox 360 version.
Why Square hasn't ported TR 1 and 2 is beyond me.

No way im giving up smash, age of calamity, mk8dx and fe3h for some $700 copy cat that can run cyberpunk!

At 700 dollars, it cAn wannabe all it wants, I’m not interested lol

I need a new Switch soon, my current one has a litany of issues.

I'm holding off for a higher spec version to drop. If we don't get one this year though, I'll probably be moving onto the PS5, nearly done waiting for a Switch pro.

Nothing can run this game.

There’s your Switch Pro. Have at it.

@damienmcferran

You know, calling all these devices Switch-Style, Switch-Concept and Switch Wannabes is getting old and is poor journaling. These are simply handheld gaming systems - with non of the unique features that distinguish the Switch such as detachable controllers. How exactly are these devices more Switch-style than say Vita-style?

It's lazy writing. What we really have here is one of two new-generation powerful (and expensive) handheld PCs. Only the layout of the buttons is Switch-style - which is hardly enough. The Switch wasn't the first controller with offset analog sticks for example.

These are not 'copy-cat devices' and the Switch doesn't have some sort of monopoly on horizontal-layout handheld designs. I love my Switch, but there is nothing wrong with new devices having a similar look - move on.

I have GPD's previous DS-style gaming PC. It's massive in the hands but it's pretty damn good for running PS4/Xbox one games, and if you pair a JoyCon to it you can even get gyro aiming working. It's how I've been playing Daemon X Machina recently.

@TheSmashTheorist Add to that 1 important thing:

If this is an indiegogo project it has a 30% chance of never making it to the market even if it funds.

@TheSmashTheorist Give up? Why not have both?

For $700 these will sell very well.

@Ryu_Niiyama Considering how far along switch emulation is, people might just do that.

The best showcase is a triple AAA game that was pulled out of the PSN Store.

I was interested in Cyberpunk down the line, but i'm not paying money until CDPR fix their problems.

Anyway, how does this thing cool? With all that horse power, i imagine it could get hot.

Well I'm willing to bet the Switch wins here in a category we like to make fun of, but at the end of the day really does mean something: stability.

Granted, that's not really the point of the article, but it's still likely true.

"Switch wannabe runs Cyberpunk 2077"

"Costs $700"

But seriously, these GPD machines are a lesson for "Switch Pro" daydreamers out there.

@DiscoDriver44 Win 1 had a built-in fan, akin to Switch's but with manual physical control (as in, literally - a slider button right in the lower plate with "off/slow/fast" positions). No idea if that applies to the newer models, though.

I know the Switch can't handle high quality graphics, but I find that reassuring in a portable console. At least it isn't heating up too much

If I wanted a jet engine that also plays games I would have a PS4.

No one:
Me: Nothing is a Nintendo wannabe until they use Nintendo's classic ABXY button layout.

Nah I’ll wait for them to clean it up and have it ported over to the Switch officially.

Can't play Odyssey, can't play Zelda, won't have Metroid prime 4 or Bayonetta... So, no!

I wish the official Switch look like this with the same translucent shell

All portable windows PCs have and will have the same problem: windows games are meant to be played with a keyboard/mouse, not with a gamepad. So all such Switch wannabes would require existing games to be patched to support the gamepad, and few devs would do that. The Switch is out for 4 years, but there are still no clones that could be called "viable alternative", and for a good reason.

Not tempted at all. I’m a Nintendo faithful. With that said there have been many examples of the tech available for handheld devices in 2020-2021. I think the next more powerful switch should be price at the most 400. For that 400 it “should” be the best tech available to play games on at that price in 2021. I really hope they opened their wallet a bit and let Nvidia produce some amazing chips for them. The switch is and was fine I just hoped they could have run the clocks at higher speeds. Nintendo is just too safe sometimes.

The switch is a sega nomad wannabe

Awesome! Will it run the next Zelda? No? Pass!

False Advertising

Nothing can run Cyberpunk 2077 and the Switch can run Crysis

How is this a Switch wannabe? It's has no functionality of a switch since it is handled only and has no detachable controllers. Is it's design similar? Yes but that's it. Saying that every year you get handheld PCs like this and none of them really catch on outside of a small market as in terms of PC gaming they get outdated fast with no long term specific software support.

@milvus976578 most modern games on PC support controllers and for the most part through steam many older games have got controller mapping configurations. But I agree that many games aren't optimised for this and certain ones just won't work with a controller because of their original interface.

Switch Pro is coming, but I am not expecting it to be anything like this.

That said... DS and 3DS went down the whole one or the other route so could they do it again with Switch? "This software only works on Switch Pro".

It could go either way. A minor improvement that keeps all software working across Lite/OG/Pro or an all out console-wars scale improvement that gives us something special...

As a day one adopter of OG Switch I am buying a new Switch either way. Plenty of others will be too. So does it even matter to Nintendo? Intriguing times.

Thats all well and good, but whats its battery life.

Uh and the controllers are built into the system. Have fun fixing them when they break in 6 months.

Impressive, but I'm not paying that much for this.

@TheSmashTheorist wouldn’t doubt this could emulate Nintendo switch games

@Little_Squee but it Can play those games

With a bigger screen, better resolution, and cheaper price it's definitely a few steps above the GPD Win 3 but with its ups also had its downs as it lack a dedicated physical keyboard, no HDMI output or dock to play on the TV, no microSD card and USB support (that means no additional external storage support from microSD card and USB flash drive), and no way to re-swap the RAM card means this thing is dead on arrival compare to the GPD Win 3 which had microSD card and USB support and a dedicated touch keyboard (even though it's not as good according to what Phawx says), you still won't be able to change RAM on the GPD Win 3 but at least it had a 1tb storage which is swappable compare to this one's 512gb. Also 3-6 hours of battery life compare to the Win 3's 4-8 hours is also lame. Better to just wait for the Win 3 or stick with the Win 2 or Win Max for now until the Win 3 launch and dropped in price later on.

@WahooTime How is it a wannabe though? You can't really switch with the Sega Nomad which you could with the Switch, if the control on the Nomad ever goes bad you're dead out of luck as player one is stuck with the system controls, with Switch you could just reswap joycons with new ones if the controls ever goes bad.

I'd definitely pay the money for a robust handheld with the flexibility, and games library, of a PC. But I'll wait until they're a bit more of an established thing.

I'm hoping that this form factor takes off to the point that OS and games designers start to write their software with these devices in mind. Oh, and these things need a gyro.

I would pay X2 the price of a Switch if it could play my PC library easy. Cloud save with my Gaming PC for when at home.

Medium on the 28th (and PC Game Pass) on a dedicated handheld would be amazing

But I would want it to be from a more mainstream company. $600 Indiegogo is not for me.

@NathanTheAsian Just gotten an XBOX series X and it's freaking annoying the different button layout on the controller.

@doctorhino as does this switch lite and every prior handheld. Out of all of them the Switch is built the worst.

@Malones2792 Switch lite isn't 700 bucks. You can speak to the quality of these?

Oh that's right, coming to indie gogo. So yeah it'll be out in 4 years or never at all.

@Judgedean
That's why I go PlayStation...despite being guilty of the same issue. Actually, being the most guilty of the same issue because of one game on the original PlayStation.

@Malones2792
The Switch Lite is arguably worse than the regular Switch. Like doctorhino said, the controllers are built into the system, but they aren't just any controllers. They are Joy Cons, and you already know what Joy Cons are prone to doing.

@milvus976578 You haven’t gamed on PC in a while, have you?

-2021 PC HAS MASSIVE CONTROLLER SUPPORT NINJA CONFIRMED-

@Agramonte Agreed, a handheld PC by something mainstream at around that price/power is more than fair. I don’t know why these Switch fanboys are feeling threatened by this thing, there’s room on the table for both!

-NINJA CONFIRMED WHY NOT BOTH-

@Retro_Player_77 the win can also no switch

The nomad you can attach another control and set it to player 1

i like the idea for sure... gpd, aya, alienware, and a few others are doing cool things. but the real future lies in moving to ARM or some other low power high performance platform... i think...

@milvus976578 99.999999999% of Windows games have gamepad support. It’s even built into Steam. I play almost every game on PC with my Dualshock.

All things considered, six physical cores built into the APU of that little device doesn't seem bad for just $700. I remember Alienware putting a similar "Switch killer" concept that was lower powered than this on the drawing board. If it ever made it past the proof-of-concept phase, they would've been asking $1,200 for it, which would likely have doomed it from the start.

@WahooTime Except the Sega Nomad has awful battery life, felt like a brick when holding it, and it was just was just completely dead by the time it came out!

@NathanTheAsian The joycon drift issue had never happened to me!

Lol CDPR's games are overrated crap

@Judgedean Blame Nintendo. lol, PlayStation and Xbox have similar layouts.

And how long would the battery last when playing something like GTA V, DOOM Eternal, Cyberpunk 2077, or Watch_Dogs 2?

45 minutes?

45 seconds?

If Nintendo released a Switch Pro at $700, I would buy it. I guess I sound like a fanboy, but I don't think there is any other company that could make it where I'd trust it to FEEL great. But of course if it came out, and had a demo model at best buy to try, and it's dope, I would buy from any brand.

If I wanted to buy something like this, it would not be for Cyberpunk 2077. Even if you have enough graphical power to brute-force the slapdash code so that it doesn't constantly bug out, it just looks like every overheated open-world game ever.

Im not interested in Windows-devices no matter what format.

These systems are amazing - play Res 3, Biohazard, Res 2, emulate Wii U, PS3 etc. That's why they are so popular, and they look same cool too. The only possible niggle - aside from the price - is the heating, but by all accounts this thing is ice cold. This or the Win 3...? Choices choices...

@WahooTime Nope, the Win 2 you could actually use any USB wired controller, 2.4ghz controller, or bluetooth controller as long as they support Xinput. You could connect up to 4 players if the game allows it. Also the Nomad could set P1 to the controller but P2 is still missing out, with the Switch and GPD Win 2 no one is missing out on anything. If the controller ever goes bad just replace them.

@kingv84 yeah, blame the company that paved the way for the fact competitors adopted their layout but changed it around for basically no reason.
Blame a 1990-1992 console for those that came out from 1995 onward 😂

@Bizaster I want to play it, when it's fixed and playable.
Not sure what you gain in talking down a game you've probably never played nor have any intention to, just out of spite. Let those who enjoy it, enjoy it.

@Retro_Player_77 Maybe not wannabe, but it did take the idea of "home console you can take on the go" and run with it, marketing and all. It's not a huge deal, Sega's influenced all three console manufacturers in some way down the line.

I'm in. I mean Steam store access? Fk yes all day any day.

Laat l they had to delay cyberpunk for at least another year. Nothing can run cyberpunk as it should 🤣

@clvr meh. Its not that hard to adapt to the different layouts.

@Perryg92 seeing someone refer to those games as TR 1 and 2 really irks me

Sorry just had to say that xD

@Bizaster millions of people? It was the most anticipated game of last year 😂

@SoIDecidedTo definitely the fanboy in you because the hardware inside a switch is infact Nvidia hardware.

Perfect proof of concept for a switch pro. The tech fits the form factor.

I'll be using emulators on that device to play everything if I have one.

Interesting from an engineering perspective, but no

Throw Android and good taste into the mix and there’s your Switch Pro, bro!

@Judgedean I play the Lego games on our PC since some of the older ones aren't available on Switch and going from an Xbox controller to Switch button layout always takes me about 10 minutes lol. I really wish they matched as it would make my life so much easier.

@Doktor-Mandrake lol! No worries! Is it due to that doing a disservice to the originals on PS1 gen??
I know a few people internally at Square UK and they refer to the reboots as that sadly! Guess it's just stuck with me xD

@kingv84 which layout came first

@GamingDude800
Joy Con drift can be very subjective. It took me a whole 2 years before they started drifting, and this was coming from a Switch that had been previously used by a friend for three whole months.

Still, after not using Joy Cons for 2 whole weeks, they started mysteriously drifting when I returned to my Switch. It means that no matter what you do, you're bound to experience Joy Con drift. It's only a matter of when, and that is why I believe still the Switch Lite is worse than the regular Switch.

Tegra X-2 chip (T-210) was a full 2 years old when the Switch launched, not 1.

@kingv84 why would they though?
Playstation consoles in Japan have always had circle to confirm and cross to cancel (as obviously should be), yet now from PS5 onward they'll have to adapt despite the rest of the world being backwards, and they weren't happy (rightly so).
It's a bit rich to ask them to adapt to those who do things backwards.

@Bizaster ok, sorry then.
I'm sure you can get why it could sound like a baseless potshot, but evidently it wasn't! Have a good one 👍🏻

@Bizaster no worries mate, sometimes it's hard to try understanding people over the internet but I try my best to remember there's actual people with a life on the other side of the screen 😃
At least now I know you better, yoi sound like a cool guy 😄
See you around!

@brunojenso I agree. And yes.... this is, in fact, lazy and uneducated writing.

Hopefully NintendoLife will do better and be more objective in the future.

@SoIDecidedTo They should release something adequately powerful at $349 or $379, take a loss from every console sold, but make up the money through everything else (their online service, peripherals, their MASSIVE software sales, etc).

Side note: Im not asking for PS5 quality, but at least Xbox One or PS4 Pro.

The above is perfectly reasonable now in 2021, but sadly they're just not willing to take a loss, even though their software always sells in the millions upon millions of copies. This means that they'll keep releasing purposely-underpowered consoles just for the sake of "not taking a loss."

This, to me, is very short-sighted on their part. But that's just my opinion.

If they were to shift their mentality, they could theoretically gain a lot more market share — because now you have innovation + amazing AAA software from first AND third parties.

@diablo2 Yeah, I guess I don't have any major issue with the article - just the use of those emotive and click-baity B.S. phases: Wanabee etc...

@diablo2 I kind of agree with you on that. If the attach rate is 7 games per system (I can't remember exactly) and they make X amount of profit per game sold, they should subsidize. I think what would keep them from going that route is what if it was a dud like Gamecube or Wii U.

I'm in the VERY rare group that would buy it even if $1,000. My reason being that I buy two new phones every year: the newest Huawei and newest Galaxy Note. Between those, I spend $2500 a year. I KNOW that is a waste of money, but I really don't spend money on anything else, so it is my guilty pleasure. So for me, to have something rad from Nintendo at $1,000; I would buy day one. However, I know most people would balk at anything over $400.

@Kimyonaakuma too true... We have 3 ps4 consoles bc that is what my kids wanted but I wanted something portable and different from them.