Voted: 12+ on the Switch! Like 90% physical. As for Switch 2... zero so far. I see this console as a Switch Pro. I'm sure I'll end up buying a few games eventually. But I just don't like what Nintendo did with this machine, so it will be as little as possible.
@Max_the_German There is smth wrong with the sleep mode, period. If you leave your Switch 2 in sleep mode undocked, it will drain the battery in about 2 to 3 days... I can leave my 8 years old Switch 1 in sleep mode for weeks before the battery is fully drained.
@Stwert Yeah, maybe "not cheap enough" to meet whatever BOM is the reason. We'll never know for sure as this industry is 100% opaque. But Samsung 5nm is rumored to be in high demand... of new customers, and has been for years. I really think the real reason is the console was meant to launch 1.5/2 years ago and was delayed for various reasons.
Also, about the profit margins, again, we'll never know for sure. But what's for sure is that the console is sold 30€ below MSRP in France, and we have a law that forbid selling at a loss. The price in Japan is also way lower. And not that long ago, console vendors were ok to sell at a loss. So the console "high" price is just a decision Nintendo made.
And honestly, I don't see this price as a problem. I just think we should get better specs for this price in June 2025. The real problem is with the price of games and accessories.
Let's see how this turns out. I guess Nintendo can always lower the prices if the sales are lower than expected in the mid term. But the specs... we can't change them till a revision is launched. And this better Switch 2 will still have the low CPU specs. This fact makes me a bit sad.
@Varkster Maybe. But let's not take the opposite route of being overly confident this will be the greatest console ever.
Seems we got UK first sales projections, and NS2 is the 4th largest console launch (beaten by Xbox Series, PS4 and PS5)... France had lower prices and enough stock to meet demand.
Let's wait official numbers. And a few months. And we'll have a good idea where to NS2 is going.
@Stwert Let's not forget the Switch 2 has a marginally larger battery vs Switch 1... while having a larger screen AND a lot of free space inside its body. So that's a deliberate decision from Nintendo.
Same with the SoC, the technology exists and is cheap enough, they just decided to stick to an older fabrication process. Again, a deliberate decision. My guess is the launch was delayed mulitple times and they were reluctant to move the SoC to a newer/better process (may have induce even more delays) That's a shame because no matter what, the investments to design the better revision will be made as revisions will come, that's inevitable. But this decision (sticking to the 8nm version) is what is causing the poor battery life of the laucnh model (we can live with that) and what is capping CPU performances that low (for all revisions, and that's a shame). A pretty sad move.
The only bright side of this situation: the Switch 2 v2 will have great battery life!
@S1ayeR74 It's still in stock pretty much everywhere here in France. We also had rather "good" princing vs the rest of Europe (you could and still can buy one for 439€ which is 30€ below MSRP) I guess it sold high numbers because we had that much stock. And that's a good move from Nintendo, as it means all fans and hardcore gamers can get one at MSRP if they want it. A good move that must not be understated.
That being said, comparing this to PS5 Pro launch is a bit disingenuous. Same with comparing it to pretty much all previous console launchs where stocks were the limit. As other have said, the launch period sales means basically nothing. The first 20 millions sales means basically that all fans bought one. Once this is reached, we'll know what sales trajectory the Switch 2 really follows.
As a fan, I bought two (one for myself and one I'll give to my son as a christmas present, yes he will need to learn patience), yet I see many shortcomings with the console:
game prices too high
accessory prices (how come is the pro controller more expensive when compared to a Dual Sense? 15€ MSRP! Right now 35€ on most online shops)
Welcome Tour not free and not included
battery life should be better (larger battery)
performances could be better (SoC should have been moved to a better process node once it was clear mid 2025 was the launch period)
Nothing new, but I still think Nintendo is pushing its luck here. It's still a great console, but it's just that, a console, and Nintendo should have gone the extra mile to ensure maximum success to what is supposed to be their main plateform for the next 7-8 years... I hope they won't regret some their greedy choices.
I don't think those are IR cameras you see on the edges of the joycons. They go from edge to edge and seem to be the core frame of the joycon which is sandwiched between thinner top and bottom faces. You can see the screws are now on the same face as the l/r buttons. I suspect this will make them easier to open and fix (less screws, easier to disassemble, sturdier frame)
Not a great first impression. 100% CGI. New MK looks like MK8D. The orange colour looks indeed more like salmon. The borders are larger vs the OLED Switch. And a march release date is now ruled out. Weird first trailer...
@LadyCharlie Nice pick but you're factually wrong as Tetris 99 is the all time best. Tetris effect is obviously a close second. GB Tetris a distant third.
On a more serious note, it's impressive how many good Tetris games there are out there. Those 3 being my favorite. 99 and Effect... I can't tell what game is the best given how godly good (and different!) they are.
So maybe you're factually correct after all 🙃
@HammerKirby Yes and I think that's the first transformation where Mario's face is also transformed (if that makes sense) I mean, this is a full on transformation. All other power ups were/are color shifts or costumes of sort. I really don't like this elephant thing.
A different company making a mario clone using those "new" visuals would be instant killed by most Nintendo fans yet 17% of said Nintendo fans state the changes are "completely different" from the previous game. Sure. To me, this new game looks very similar to the old one and I think most non gamer persons won't even see a difference.
But maybe I'm biased because I was so disappointed with this Nintendo Direct. Also, seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't like the elephant Mario, at all. Previous "transformations" were more akin to some elaborated suit, leaving Mario's face unaltered. But with this one, it's just not mario, it's Babar with a mustache. I don't like it at all, almost feels like a disrespect.
@NotTelevision We have (weak) rumors for DKC, F-Zero, StarFox and Kid Icarus.There is hope for many great games to come.
Well, off course, we already have so many great games on the system Nintendo could call it a day But I'm quite optimistic about 2023/early 2024 Switch games.
I guess what we see here is the consequences of the Switch2/pro cancellation. Nintendo supposedly decided the current Switch will remain their main system for a bit longer, so I'm sure the next Nintendo direct will be packed with kind of "smaller" games
Metroid Prime Remake
Zelda TP or WW ports
F-Zero port
new DKC
new StarFox (even a Zero port would be nice)
The next big wave (Prime4, new Mario) will have to wait for TotK to be out... I'm quite sure the last few years of the Switch will be epic!
@Anti-Matter I love seeing how diverse the Switch community is I'm ready to get P5, Nier Automata (which I already have on the PS4, I love this game), I already preorder Live A Live, I'll get Portal when I can get the physical version of the game. I'll likely get No Man Sky and Super Bomberman R2... and I have ZERO interest in all those blue circled games
I regard my Switch as the ultimate "best-of" console ever. And I realize it is just that. Not "my" ultimate best-of console, but THE ultimate best-of console, period. It basically has ALL best games of the past... 40 years ?
Definitely a cool announcement. But I find the timing a bit weird with Triangle Strategy just around the corner. We'll see how well those two remake sell... I feel like they "simply" target the old fans with thie effort.
@HedgehogEngine yeah, it's impossible to know what Nintendo will do. At times they seem to take very good and wise decisions (GC) but they are also capable to mess everything up (WiiU). Switch 2 will have the luxury to be the followup of of a very successful platform, so its R&D budget should be quite large, so we can expect the better I just don't expect a true generational leap unless it arrives circa 2025, which, as you say, may be too late. But, again, maybe not. Given how complex the current situation is (shortages, new nodes arriving slower and slower, more and more "digital only", increasing dev costs...) maybe there will still be a place for a "modest" gaming platform. One with low priced games you can easily buy & resell. And what is true for Nintendo is true for Sony... I don't expect the PS6 before 2028. 2030 possibly (unless they want easy money with small perfs increases, which, maybe the market won't accept). Not counting XBox here as they're already competing in a very different way.
@HedgehogEngine No no, the A57/A72 diff is not huge at all. A72 is a update of A57 and most perf. gains came from the 16nm node (https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/arm-cortex-a72-architecture,4424.html)
NVidia not designing something custom has nothing to do with the WiiU sales, but with Nintendo not wanting to pay for a custom design (likely because of WiiU sales ). Weirdly enough, the WiiU silicon was very custom and very costly for BigN.
Now, regarding your expectations for the next Switch. Let's put it this way: you want same or better perfs than Steam Deck, on the same or worse node, in a much smaller form factor. It won't happen. And even that would be a quite modest update over the current Switch in term of graphical power (more or less a PS4). Not a true generational update.
I like the general idea of your specs though:
capable 8+ core CPU (8 is ok, will likely be 2 gens after A710)
powerful GPU (~4TFlops, with DLSS, latest gen possible)
enough RAM (8 is not enough, at least 12GB will be required to feed that GPU with nice textures and let the OS some room to deal with more features, 16 will be better).
modern everything else (NVMe/usb/bluetooth/wifi)
I just don't see it happen before 3nm or better is cheap. So, maybe 2025?
Going hybrid was a very nice move for Nintendo, but given how slow the silicon industry now is, it also means much longer life cycles. When Nintendo says the Switch will have a longer life than most consoles, I believe them. Not because of their words, but because the tech won't allow them to design a true successor to the Switch before at least 3-4 (5?) more years. And it will likely be even worse for the Switch 3 And this fact makes the standard X1 choice even more frustrating, given how long we'll have to stick with it. They better go all-in for the Switch 2
@Jam78 Sure. But sub 900p can get very ugly even on moderately large 4K TVs. And 55" sizes are more and more common.
@HedgehogEngine Not all A57 are equals, and I think I've read somewhere that the X1 implementation is very solid. Same is true for the X1 Maxwell which has some features of Pascal. The real bummer was the use of the old 20nm process. The use of 16nm alone would have granted at least +50% power in portable mode and +100% in docked mode.
Regarding the Steam Deck, I think Nintendo has to play by the same rules as every one else. So whatever architecture they could/will use has to be smth "compatible". The era of truly custom silicon for console vendor is long gone. What makes the M1 so efficient is mostly related to memory architecture (super large caches AND "on package" RAM) not related to it being ARM or whatever ISA.
And last point before we can move on... being a gaming device, they should have used a doubled memory bus. Use half of it in portable mode to save battery, all of it in docked mode to alleviate a bit of the GPU bandwidth starvation.
Before it launched, my dream Switch SoC was smth like
@GannonBanned Got you, but even you will start to see the Switch limitations as flaws once you get a brand new super large 4K/8K TV. And this does not mean Nintendo should have went the MS/Sony road with a super powerfull and power hungry system. A solution that "just" gives us "simple" graphics with a nice IQ would have been more than enough. And this was a viable option back in 2017.
@HedgehogEngine Indeed, the initial decision to go cheap and use an outdated SoC could have been the right decision... if the Switch was meant to fail. Now, it can only be seen as THE decision that will shorten its lifespan. Now, as I said above, I don't think they should have done smth radically different, just more "ambitious". With more R&D money, they could have designed a more modern SoC, better suited for a portable gaming system, and it could have been amazing. It still can be great if the USB-C port is fast enough and if Nintendo is willing to offer a "Super dock" (with discrete GPU and dedicated VRAM, letting the X1 GPU unused, meaning the CPU could be clocked @2.0Ghz. That would be 3 cores @2.0Ghz and 1 core @1.0Ghz and mostly all the bandwidth dedicated to game logic). Sure this would mean a new profile to deal with for the devs. But it would also mean impeccable IQ when using the Switch on the big screen.
Last note: seeing how large and heavy and power hungry the Steam deck is, I'm really not sure the industry could provide a true generational leap over the Switch before 3 to 4 years anyway... (with same form factor). Really, the Switch SoC was not terrible, just not cutting edge and not optimized for gaming... Using 16nm process (10nm was available but too expensive) and with a customized GPU and memory bus it should have been 50% (handheld) to 100% (docked) more powerful...
@Darkyoshi98 lol both are crap
And, you know, one can learn to love crap
Again, I really love my Switch, as a gaming platform, just not the device (even if I must admit I love the OLED a bit more)
Likewise, I love my PS5 as a device, just not (yet) as a gaming platform (bought it day-1, still waiting for a true "next-gen" game...)
@BTB20 I've put it poorly. The Switch will be seen as outdated, not the game library, of course not. Well, the Switch is already being seen as outdated by so called "core-gamers". But the more people get large 4K TVs, the more they will see the power of the console as a real problem.
And I'm 100% with the guys who say we don't need ultra costly/120fps graphics. Most people are fine with lower framerates and a nice artistic direction. But at one point, even the best art can't hide an aggressive upscale. The Switch could have been designed with the "new" TV standard in mind, rather than "the old". It should, considering that's partly what shortened the Wii lifespan.
At least there is still hope for a "Super Dock" that could fix the current Switch technical limitations when docked, so I still hope we'll see it happen
@thiz I don't see it as a price pb, at all.
They can charge what they want, up to us to decide if the product is worth buying. And considering the game library it offers, the price seems to be "ok" for many people.
I just really don't like what the console is:
Joycons: abysmal ergonomics and poor reliability. Drifting, poor connectivity, fragile plastic, you name it, they are just a shame, and I don't see what value they add to the console. I get the Switch branding comes from those sh**** parts, but after trying to play with a single Joycon once, you never want to experience it again...
The console itself: should Nintendo had more faith in their product, I'm quite sure the v1 would have been more like the OLED, a bit more robust and more functional. But it would also have been designed around a more capable -custom- SoC. More modern ARM CPU and NVIDIA GPU cores, better lithography process, wider RAM bus width and no useless transistors. This would have allowed it to be more powerful in handheld mode (~+50%) and docked mode (~+100%)... still way less power than the "competition", but we're speaking of a portable machine here. And quite frankly, what we have is not too bad... it's just that the lack of initial faith/investment crippled down a bit the console for its first 5 years of existence. Now, I'm sure the next 5 will be quite a harder sell for Nintendo. Sure a "pro" version could partially fix this. But if games are still required to run on the OG Switch (and they will), we're stuck with very low CPU power available to games.
I really think they should have put the money upfront and design the best portable console they could, instead of playing it safe and cheap
The Switch is a sh**** console blessed with an incredible game library that will soon be seen as outdated by most people.
It could have been an outstanding hybrid console, with an even more incredible game library, with a 8-10 years of profitable life.
@thiz It's definitely one of the worst console Nintendo put out...
The Joycons are a joke, the absence of a proper D-Pad is a joke, the first model kickstand is a joke, the lite not being able to dock is a joke, the game card slot is unreliable, and worst of all, this is the only console in history to have zero custom hardware. Nintendo just threw in an (old, non gaming oriented SoC) nvidia chip and called it a day. This is a testament to how much faith they had in the project to begin with. I'm pretty sure they tried because they had to, but were preparing for failure, so they tried cheap.
That being said, the Switch library is likely the best of any Nintendo console ever. The best of any console ever in fact. It really is a best of every Nintendo gaming franchises so far, plus many great third party staple games, plus many awesome indy games... It's really good to be a Switch owner.
Should Nintendo finally make a new StarFox and a new F-Zero and I'll have mostly all I ever wanted from, and more, from a gaming console...
So, this is both my most hated console ever (because of the hardware) and my favorite gaming platform ever (because of the games), and that's both frustrating and exhilarating at the same time.
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Re: Poll: How Many New Games Do You Buy In A Year?
Voted: 12+ on the Switch! Like 90% physical.
As for Switch 2... zero so far. I see this console as a Switch Pro. I'm sure I'll end up buying a few games eventually. But I just don't like what Nintendo did with this machine, so it will be as little as possible.
Re: Switch 2 Users Are Reporting Instances Of Their Consoles Overheating
@Max_the_German There is smth wrong with the sleep mode, period. If you leave your Switch 2 in sleep mode undocked, it will drain the battery in about 2 to 3 days... I can leave my 8 years old Switch 1 in sleep mode for weeks before the battery is fully drained.
Re: Sounds Like Switch 2 Is Already Breaking Sales Records In France
@Stwert Yeah, maybe "not cheap enough" to meet whatever BOM is the reason. We'll never know for sure as this industry is 100% opaque. But Samsung 5nm is rumored to be in high demand... of new customers, and has been for years.
I really think the real reason is the console was meant to launch 1.5/2 years ago and was delayed for various reasons.
Also, about the profit margins, again, we'll never know for sure. But what's for sure is that the console is sold 30€ below MSRP in France, and we have a law that forbid selling at a loss. The price in Japan is also way lower. And not that long ago, console vendors were ok to sell at a loss.
So the console "high" price is just a decision Nintendo made.
And honestly, I don't see this price as a problem. I just think we should get better specs for this price in June 2025. The real problem is with the price of games and accessories.
Let's see how this turns out. I guess Nintendo can always lower the prices if the sales are lower than expected in the mid term. But the specs... we can't change them till a revision is launched. And this better Switch 2 will still have the low CPU specs. This fact makes me a bit sad.
Re: Sounds Like Switch 2 Is Already Breaking Sales Records In France
@YANDMAN Well, it seems it still is in UK after the NS2 launch so....
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/uncategorised/switch-2-is-uks-biggest-nintendo-launch-but-sales-didnt-come-close-to-ps5/
Re: Sounds Like Switch 2 Is Already Breaking Sales Records In France
@Varkster Maybe. But let's not take the opposite route of being overly confident this will be the greatest console ever.
Seems we got UK first sales projections, and NS2 is the 4th largest console launch (beaten by Xbox Series, PS4 and PS5)...
France had lower prices and enough stock to meet demand.
Let's wait official numbers. And a few months. And we'll have a good idea where to NS2 is going.
Re: Sounds Like Switch 2 Is Already Breaking Sales Records In France
@Stwert Let's not forget the Switch 2 has a marginally larger battery vs Switch 1... while having a larger screen AND a lot of free space inside its body. So that's a deliberate decision from Nintendo.
Same with the SoC, the technology exists and is cheap enough, they just decided to stick to an older fabrication process. Again, a deliberate decision. My guess is the launch was delayed mulitple times and they were reluctant to move the SoC to a newer/better process (may have induce even more delays)
That's a shame because no matter what, the investments to design the better revision will be made as revisions will come, that's inevitable. But this decision (sticking to the 8nm version) is what is causing the poor battery life of the laucnh model (we can live with that) and what is capping CPU performances that low (for all revisions, and that's a shame). A pretty sad move.
The only bright side of this situation: the Switch 2 v2 will have great battery life!
Re: Sounds Like Switch 2 Is Already Breaking Sales Records In France
@S1ayeR74 It's still in stock pretty much everywhere here in France.
We also had rather "good" princing vs the rest of Europe (you could and still can buy one for 439€ which is 30€ below MSRP) I guess it sold high numbers because we had that much stock.
And that's a good move from Nintendo, as it means all fans and hardcore gamers can get one at MSRP if they want it. A good move that must not be understated.
That being said, comparing this to PS5 Pro launch is a bit disingenuous. Same with comparing it to pretty much all previous console launchs where stocks were the limit. As other have said, the launch period sales means basically nothing. The first 20 millions sales means basically that all fans bought one. Once this is reached, we'll know what sales trajectory the Switch 2 really follows.
As a fan, I bought two (one for myself and one I'll give to my son as a christmas present, yes he will need to learn patience), yet I see many shortcomings with the console:
Nothing new, but I still think Nintendo is pushing its luck here. It's still a great console, but it's just that, a console, and Nintendo should have gone the extra mile to ensure maximum success to what is supposed to be their main plateform for the next 7-8 years... I hope they won't regret some their greedy choices.
Re: Video: We've Spotted Some Secrets In The Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal Trailer
I don't think those are IR cameras you see on the edges of the joycons. They go from edge to edge and seem to be the core frame of the joycon which is sandwiched between thinner top and bottom faces. You can see the screws are now on the same face as the l/r buttons. I suspect this will make them easier to open and fix (less screws, easier to disassemble, sturdier frame)
Re: Switch 2: Hardware Gallery - Take A Closer Look At Nintendo's Lovely New Switch
Not a great first impression.
100% CGI.
New MK looks like MK8D.
The orange colour looks indeed more like salmon.
The borders are larger vs the OLED Switch.
And a march release date is now ruled out.
Weird first trailer...
Re: Poll: What's The Best Tetris Game? Rate Your Favourites For Our Upcoming Ranking
@LadyCharlie Nice pick but you're factually wrong as Tetris 99 is the all time best. Tetris effect is obviously a close second. GB Tetris a distant third.
On a more serious note, it's impressive how many good Tetris games there are out there. Those 3 being my favorite. 99 and Effect... I can't tell what game is the best given how godly good (and different!) they are.
So maybe you're factually correct after all 🙃
Re: Miyamoto Wasn't A Big Fan Of Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Early Elephant Design
@HammerKirby Yes and I think that's the first transformation where Mario's face is also transformed (if that makes sense)
I mean, this is a full on transformation. All other power ups were/are color shifts or costumes of sort.
I really don't like this elephant thing.
Re: Talking Point: Is Super Mario Bros. Wonder Really A Departure From The 'New' Series?
A different company making a mario clone using those "new" visuals would be instant killed by most Nintendo fans yet 17% of said Nintendo fans state the changes are "completely different" from the previous game. Sure.
To me, this new game looks very similar to the old one and I think most non gamer persons won't even see a difference.
But maybe I'm biased because I was so disappointed with this Nintendo Direct.
Also, seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't like the elephant Mario, at all. Previous "transformations" were more akin to some elaborated suit, leaving Mario's face unaltered.
But with this one, it's just not mario, it's Babar with a mustache. I don't like it at all, almost feels like a disrespect.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Metroid Prime Remastered?
It's an outstanding remaster of an outstanding game. Why is there no 11/10 option?
Re: Nintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Upcoming Switch Games
@NotTelevision We have (weak) rumors for DKC, F-Zero, StarFox and Kid Icarus.There is hope for many great games to come.
Well, off course, we already have so many great games on the system Nintendo could call it a day
But I'm quite optimistic about 2023/early 2024 Switch games.
Re: Nintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Upcoming Switch Games
I guess what we see here is the consequences of the Switch2/pro cancellation. Nintendo supposedly decided the current Switch will remain their main system for a bit longer, so I'm sure the next Nintendo direct will be packed with kind of "smaller" games
The next big wave (Prime4, new Mario) will have to wait for TotK to be out...
I'm quite sure the last few years of the Switch will be epic!
Re: Nintendo's Official Infographic Showcases All Games From The Direct Mini
@Anti-Matter I love seeing how diverse the Switch community is
I'm ready to get P5, Nier Automata (which I already have on the PS4, I love this game), I already preorder Live A Live, I'll get Portal when I can get the physical version of the game. I'll likely get No Man Sky and Super Bomberman R2... and I have ZERO interest in all those blue circled games
I regard my Switch as the ultimate "best-of" console ever. And I realize it is just that. Not "my" ultimate best-of console, but THE ultimate best-of console, period. It basically has ALL best games of the past... 40 years ?
Enjoy your games!
Re: Front Mission 1 & 2 Remakes Announced For Nintendo Switch
Definitely a cool announcement. But I find the timing a bit weird with Triangle Strategy just around the corner.
We'll see how well those two remake sell... I feel like they "simply" target the old fans with thie effort.
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@HedgehogEngine yeah, it's impossible to know what Nintendo will do. At times they seem to take very good and wise decisions (GC) but they are also capable to mess everything up (WiiU).
Switch 2 will have the luxury to be the followup of of a very successful platform, so its R&D budget should be quite large, so we can expect the better
I just don't expect a true generational leap unless it arrives circa 2025, which, as you say, may be too late.
But, again, maybe not. Given how complex the current situation is (shortages, new nodes arriving slower and slower, more and more "digital only", increasing dev costs...) maybe there will still be a place for a "modest" gaming platform. One with low priced games you can easily buy & resell.
And what is true for Nintendo is true for Sony... I don't expect the PS6 before 2028. 2030 possibly (unless they want easy money with small perfs increases, which, maybe the market won't accept). Not counting XBox here as they're already competing in a very different way.
In short, wait&see
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@HedgehogEngine No no, the A57/A72 diff is not huge at all. A72 is a update of A57 and most perf. gains came from the 16nm node (https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/arm-cortex-a72-architecture,4424.html)
NVidia not designing something custom has nothing to do with the WiiU sales, but with Nintendo not wanting to pay for a custom design (likely because of WiiU sales ). Weirdly enough, the WiiU silicon was very custom and very costly for BigN.
Now, regarding your expectations for the next Switch. Let's put it this way: you want same or better perfs than Steam Deck, on the same or worse node, in a much smaller form factor. It won't happen. And even that would be a quite modest update over the current Switch in term of graphical power (more or less a PS4). Not a true generational update.
I like the general idea of your specs though:
I just don't see it happen before 3nm or better is cheap. So, maybe 2025?
Going hybrid was a very nice move for Nintendo, but given how slow the silicon industry now is, it also means much longer life cycles. When Nintendo says the Switch will have a longer life than most consoles, I believe them. Not because of their words, but because the tech won't allow them to design a true successor to the Switch before at least 3-4 (5?) more years. And it will likely be even worse for the Switch 3
And this fact makes the standard X1 choice even more frustrating, given how long we'll have to stick with it. They better go all-in for the Switch 2
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@Jam78 Sure. But sub 900p can get very ugly even on moderately large 4K TVs. And 55" sizes are more and more common.
@HedgehogEngine Not all A57 are equals, and I think I've read somewhere that the X1 implementation is very solid. Same is true for the X1 Maxwell which has some features of Pascal. The real bummer was the use of the old 20nm process. The use of 16nm alone would have granted at least +50% power in portable mode and +100% in docked mode.
Regarding the Steam Deck, I think Nintendo has to play by the same rules as every one else. So whatever architecture they could/will use has to be smth "compatible". The era of truly custom silicon for console vendor is long gone.
What makes the M1 so efficient is mostly related to memory architecture (super large caches AND "on package" RAM) not related to it being ARM or whatever ISA.
And last point before we can move on... being a gaming device, they should have used a doubled memory bus. Use half of it in portable mode to save battery, all of it in docked mode to alleviate a bit of the GPU bandwidth starvation.
Before it launched, my dream Switch SoC was smth like
I still love A LOT what my Switch has to offer... let's go home and play another session of Metroid Dread
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@GannonBanned Got you, but even you will start to see the Switch limitations as flaws once you get a brand new super large 4K/8K TV. And this does not mean Nintendo should have went the MS/Sony road with a super powerfull and power hungry system. A solution that "just" gives us "simple" graphics with a nice IQ would have been more than enough. And this was a viable option back in 2017.
@HedgehogEngine Indeed, the initial decision to go cheap and use an outdated SoC could have been the right decision... if the Switch was meant to fail. Now, it can only be seen as THE decision that will shorten its lifespan.
Now, as I said above, I don't think they should have done smth radically different, just more "ambitious". With more R&D money, they could have designed a more modern SoC, better suited for a portable gaming system, and it could have been amazing. It still can be great if the USB-C port is fast enough and if Nintendo is willing to offer a "Super dock" (with discrete GPU and dedicated VRAM, letting the X1 GPU unused, meaning the CPU could be clocked @2.0Ghz. That would be 3 cores @2.0Ghz and 1 core @1.0Ghz and mostly all the bandwidth dedicated to game logic). Sure this would mean a new profile to deal with for the devs. But it would also mean impeccable IQ when using the Switch on the big screen.
Last note: seeing how large and heavy and power hungry the Steam deck is, I'm really not sure the industry could provide a true generational leap over the Switch before 3 to 4 years anyway... (with same form factor).
Really, the Switch SoC was not terrible, just not cutting edge and not optimized for gaming... Using 16nm process (10nm was available but too expensive) and with a customized GPU and memory bus it should have been 50% (handheld) to 100% (docked) more powerful...
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@Darkyoshi98 lol both are crap
And, you know, one can learn to love crap
Again, I really love my Switch, as a gaming platform, just not the device (even if I must admit I love the OLED a bit more)
Likewise, I love my PS5 as a device, just not (yet) as a gaming platform (bought it day-1, still waiting for a true "next-gen" game...)
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@Darkyoshi98 the list is long:
No deal breaker here, but still hugely unusual from Nintendo
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@BTB20 I've put it poorly. The Switch will be seen as outdated, not the game library, of course not.
Well, the Switch is already being seen as outdated by so called "core-gamers". But the more people get large 4K TVs, the more they will see the power of the console as a real problem.
And I'm 100% with the guys who say we don't need ultra costly/120fps graphics.
Most people are fine with lower framerates and a nice artistic direction. But at one point, even the best art can't hide an aggressive upscale.
The Switch could have been designed with the "new" TV standard in mind, rather than "the old". It should, considering that's partly what shortened the Wii lifespan.
At least there is still hope for a "Super Dock" that could fix the current Switch technical limitations when docked, so I still hope we'll see it happen
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@thiz I don't see it as a price pb, at all.
They can charge what they want, up to us to decide if the product is worth buying. And considering the game library it offers, the price seems to be "ok" for many people.
I just really don't like what the console is:
I really think they should have put the money upfront and design the best portable console they could, instead of playing it safe and cheap
The Switch is a sh**** console blessed with an incredible game library that will soon be seen as outdated by most people.
It could have been an outstanding hybrid console, with an even more incredible game library, with a 8-10 years of profitable life.
Re: The Switch Is Here To Stay, Says Nintendo Boss Shuntaro Furukawa
@thiz It's definitely one of the worst console Nintendo put out...
The Joycons are a joke, the absence of a proper D-Pad is a joke, the first model kickstand is a joke, the lite not being able to dock is a joke, the game card slot is unreliable, and worst of all, this is the only console in history to have zero custom hardware. Nintendo just threw in an (old, non gaming oriented SoC) nvidia chip and called it a day. This is a testament to how much faith they had in the project to begin with. I'm pretty sure they tried because they had to, but were preparing for failure, so they tried cheap.
That being said, the Switch library is likely the best of any Nintendo console ever. The best of any console ever in fact. It really is a best of every Nintendo gaming franchises so far, plus many great third party staple games, plus many awesome indy games... It's really good to be a Switch owner.
Should Nintendo finally make a new StarFox and a new F-Zero and I'll have mostly all I ever wanted from, and more, from a gaming console...
So, this is both my most hated console ever (because of the hardware) and my favorite gaming platform ever (because of the games), and that's both frustrating and exhilarating at the same time.