StarTopic Future Nintendo Hardware & Technology Speculation & Discussion |ST| (Read the staff posts before commenting!)

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Sony has released like four PS5 games that weren't available (and often cheaper!) on PS4 and it has had zero negative effects whatsoever on the PS5 so Nintendo will likely keep that in mind.

Will be funny to see how badly Pokemon Gen 10 runs on the Switch 1 in 2025 though.

 

[Raccoon]

it's funny given how much we've talked about repeating the Wii U but I think a great """gimmick""" would be leveraging the expectation that households that upgrade are likely to have multiple devices to bring back asynchronous TV-handheld multiplayer

Nintendo Land 2 could go crazy with Switch 2 docked and an old Switch (or multiple!) as the Gamepad(s)

 

[kimbo99]

What about the new gimmick? I'm sorta expecting something like this

It's bound to happen. Nintendo isn't in the power arms race. Portability set them apart, but I feel like they may venture even further to differentiate them from the market. However, Furukawa is super conservative, so who knows.

 

[Deleted member 887]

Okay, but if you're going to adapt an internal engine that has not come close to doing the types of things you need to happen in a new game, then you need to modify it massively.

And I don't know how many modernizations were performed considering how many cycles everything in Pokemon sucks up. Everything just uses way too many resources. This caused Game Freak to do the most intense culling seen in a game since 2006, with pop-in happening a couple feet away, animations running at 5-15 FPS while being fairly close. And, of course, even with this historically intense culling, the game runs very badly.

This could have been fixed with more programmers and more time potentially, yes.

(special shoutout to Game Freak's all-time bad shadowing, which just uses pre-baked shadows that pop in and out of scene with the slightest change in camera angle)

This is the hardware speculation thread. The majority of folks here are either software devs or hardware folks, and more than a few game devs. So we might be a little anal about the details

Scar/Vi's problems aren't from the age of the code base. At some point, SV underwent a rethink, a lot of work was dropped and redone, and the schedule didn't slip. There are signs all over the game of just trying to make a product that could ship which have nothing to do with the engine. The texture work on the world is frequently atrocious. LODs are poorly set up causing radical geometry changes, or just as bad, heavy resource demands from far away objects.

These are things that are built into the game world, not the engine underneath. My favorite example is Pokemon falling through the floor. Floor collision detection on sloped surfaces is a classic hard problem in 3D games, and they are not perfectly solvable at the engine level. Almost every 3D game you've ever played has at least a few places where some modeler had to go in and manually put in extra invisible surfaces to keep this from happening - and where they didn't that's how every "clip out of bounds" trick in a video game comes from.

In SV, it's clear that there simply was no time to do this, or even locate all the places it happened. Had GameFreak been using Unity or Unreal, or literally any other engine, I imagine half of the current weird behaviors would still be there, and the other half would be replaced by the classic ticks of underbaked games on other engines.

 

[Skittzo]

These are things that are built into the game world, not the engine underneath. My favorite example is Pokemon falling through the floor. Floor collision detection on sloped surfaces is a classic hard problem in 3D games, and they are not perfectly solvable at the engine level. Almost every 3D game you've ever played has at least a few places where some modeler had to go in and manually put in extra invisible surfaces to keep this from happening - and where they didn't that's how every "clip out of bounds" trick in a video game comes from.

My trick to solving this is to have a completely flat ground throughout the entire game world.

 

[Aether]

always this "what will be the gimmick" discussion...

switch is the ideal system for nintendo currently, no new gimicks are possible (back then all of then had rather new or unused tech, now everxthing is full with sensors and touch screen and stuff. adding some exotic sensors? really to far out. adding VR? the closest to "new gaming posibilities", but i dont belive it.
Experimentation is still possible (just add any sensor in any form factor you want, the joy con can communicate with them (see: ringfit).
The most out there thing would be... adding cameras, and they had that with the dsi/3ds/wii u.

You can add gimmicks in post to the console, why push them from the get go and risk another wii u (high cost for the pad, that kinda was unused for mot games)

It's bound to happen. Nintendo isn't in the power arms race. Portability set them apart, but I feel like they may venture even further to differentiate them from the market. However, Furukawa is super conservative, so who knows.

they are not.. but this case is different.
wii -> wii u they tried to advertise with graphics... but it was so close to the other releases that it was a really bad timing.

Switch 2 will be shockingly close to the big ones while being portable, since it will need just a fraction to render games at 720p instead of 4k.
it will be worse...but not to a degree prior Generations where.

And even better: its a huge jump from their current power base, thats roughly the same since 2012.
In other words: the first power jump where it does not feel like stalling since the GC.

GC-> Wii no hd, only double GC power
Wii -> Wii U way more power... but closer to last gen then the one that came just a year after it
Wii U -> Switch move to portable made a huge jump impossible, sizable jump, but still not worlds.

 

[karmitt]

Sony has released like four PS5 games that weren't available (and often cheaper!) on PS4 and it has had zero negative effects whatsoever on the PS5 so Nintendo will likely keep that in mind.

Just playing both sides here, but what I stated about the composition of Sony’s lineup does matter. Sony has many more high selling yet still core focused titles. The hardware launched with Spider-Man, Demon’s Souls, and then marketed Ratchet as launch window. On top of that PS5 saw every multi platform release day and date with notably better performance - think AC Valhalla. They also pushed out God of War and Horizon sequels two years out from launch, and plenty more scheduled for under three years out.

Nintendo has already pushed out Splatoon 3 and Xenoblade 3 last year. Fire Emblem hits in a couple weeks. These games take years to develop, and if Zelda is out the door as well (and Pikmin 4 if this hardware hits in 2024), that’s quite a few of their core titles that won’t see sequels for quite some time. They need to draw a line somewhere for which major first party releases hit new hardware on launch, and they’re quickly exhausting the well. GCN remakes, unless they’re Demon’s Souls remake in quality, are not going to hit the mark.

Edit: I also think the fact that Breath of the Wild is considered one of the best games of all time by many gamers and outlets cannot be overstated. It’s got more eyes on it than any other title Nintendo will probably release in the next half a decade.

 

[deletarek]

The difference between ToTK releasing before Drake and SS releasing before Wii-U is that software sales for Switch are still massively strong and a majority of sales for ToTK will probably be over the course of the next few years rather than at launch, and can easily be used to market Drake as the definitive version. Whilst Wii-U did have BC, SS couldn’t particularly be used to push the system. That being said it would be most ideal to launch WITH ToTK than shortly after.

As for drastic console gimmicks I feel Nintendo has mostly foregone that era it almost seems they’re allergic to the usual wackiness of the Wii/U/3DS days. At best we’ll get a mild and mostly under-utilised gimmick with the new joy cons, perhaps those scrolling bumpers.

 

[Vash_the_Stampede]

Does anyone think that Nintendo may introduce a cheaper digital-only Drake as an option? Would that even make sense financially?

I don’t have my model in front of me, but I think Nintendo makes about $20 more per digital 1st party game vs. physical and $5-ish more for 3rd party games.

But, they likely reach more consumers by having a physical option.

 

[Kevin]

I can see a $70 version of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 4K with Expansion pass included releasing on Switch 2 in a couple of years.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Just playing both sides here, but what I stated about the composition of Sony’s lineup does matter. Sony has many more high selling yet still core focused titles - launching with Spider-Man, Demon’s Souls at launch, and then marketing Ratchet as launch window. On top of that PS5 saw every multi platform release day and date with notably better performance - think AC Valhalla. They also pushed out God of War and Horizon sequels two years out from launch, and plenty more scheduled for under three years out.

Nintendo has already pushed out Splatoon 3 and Xenoblade 3 last year. Fire Emblem hits in a couple weeks. These games take years to develop, and if Zelda is out the door as well (and Pikmin 4 if this hardware hits in 2024), that’s quite a few of their core titles that won’t see sequels for quite some time. They need to draw a line somewhere for which major first party releases hit new hardware on launch, and they’re quickly exhausting the well. GCN remakes, unless they’re Demon’s Souls remake in quality, are not going to hit the mark.

Edit: I also don’t think the fact that Breath of the Wild is considered one of the best games of all time by many gamers and outlets cannot be overstated. It’s got more eyes on it than any other title Nintendo will probably release in the next half a decade.

My personal expectations are the Switch 2 in November 2024 and the first two years having

Cross-gen Prime 4
Cross-gen 3D Mario
Cross-gen Pokemon Gen 10 (that is nearly unplayable on Switch 1 so it's closer to an exclusive)
Exclusive Xenoblade
Some next-gen updates for popular Switch games
Bunch of cross-gen Kirby and Pokemon games
Cross-gen 2D platformer from Mario Odyssey team
Cross-gen Metroid 6
Cross-gen Mario Party
Some other stuff

Then after the first two years, they start moving to Switch 2 exclusive Mario Kart, Smash, Animal Crossing, and Ring Fit sequels (and, of course, a Switch 2 exclusive Zelda in... 2029...)

 

[Bosintang]

If the new console misses Zelda, it will be because Nintendo considers that it's not a big deal, and certainly not a significant factor in the WiiU's failure. And I will agree with them if it is the road they decide to take. I would anyway very much prefer an exclusive Mario on release.

 

[Instro]

They'll say it has "HD motion controls" and launch with 1-2 Switch 2.

 

[karmitt]

If the new console misses Zelda, it will be because Nintendo considers that it's not a big deal, and certainly not a significant factor in the WiiU's failure. And I will agree with them if it is the road they decide to take. I would anyway very much prefer an exclusive Mario on release.

If new hardware planned for this year was cancelled due to unforeseen issues with the product, or delayed out of this year, then they could very well have thought Zelda was important, but their hands were tied and the game still needed to ship.

But let’s say you’re right, it would just make me wonder what they could possibly have that would fill it’s shoes. Ambitious Star Fox space opera incoming? furries gonna feast

 

[antonz]

I do not think Modern Nintendo will be as interested in Gimmickry anymore. Its CEO is a much more traditional Banker type who wants to see sales success and has seen plenty of evidence from Nintendo's competitors that Gimmicks aren't required to be successful. Its ok to not reinvent the wheel. Nintendo has the IPs to drive sales. It just needs to not be afraid to use that power and to not make decisions that handicap systems in ways.

 

[wolftendo]

Following on the gimmick discourse and since we are in the Hardware speculation thread I wanted to ask your opinions about this:

Assuming the hardware is exactly as the leaks suggest, with the DLSS+RT capable Ampere GPU and the quite powerful CPU, plus all of the other generational improvements (RAM, storage), and let's assume the device came with a 1080p screen. Is is possible for the system to support VR straight out of the box?

I'm thinking something like the Samsung Gear VR, a headset that you can slide your Switch 2 into and get into VR mode right away. Think Labo VR but made of sturdy materials instead of cardboard.

1. How feasible would that be, or would it require even stronger hardware?
2. Can it be done fully autonomous or would the switch have to be hooked up to the power outlet (considering how taxing to the battery is VR)?
3. What kind of screen would be required (90Hz maybe)?,
4. Considering that the device will cost north of $400, can the VR headset come bundled with the device or will it have to be bought separately?
5. Spoiler

   Will my dreams of an entry level VR headset that finally makes VR mainstream be shattered?

 

[Arrtyfact]

Will be funny to see how badly Pokemon Gen 10 runs on the Switch 1 in 2025 though.

Cross-gen Pokemon Gen 10 (that is nearly unplayable on Switch 1 so it's closer to an exclusive)

I don't think it's healthy (or useful) for anyone to speculate on the performance of a game whose conceptual phase probably hasn't even started yet

 

[Instro]

If the new console misses Zelda, it will be because Nintendo considers that it's not a big deal, and certainly not a significant factor in the WiiU's failure. And I will agree with them if it is the road they decide to take. I would anyway very much prefer an exclusive Mario on release.

I'd be more inclined to guess that various COVID delays messed up the timing if it doesn't happen. They definitely see value there considering the Switch Lite was launched with Link's Awakening. I could totally believe that TotK was intended to launch back in 2021 alongside the OLED(which perhaps was also intended to be a more powerful model). COVID caused issues for both hardware and software, and now here we are.

 

[Serif]

It's bound to happen. Nintendo isn't in the power arms race. Portability set them apart, but I feel like they may venture even further to differentiate them from the market. However, Furukawa is super conservative, so who knows.

I think it's more than portability. The Switch is unique in its hybrid UX. Just plopping the tablet into its charging station for immediate display output, games immediately changing their graphics modes, wireless controller pairing, and then easily undocking it without a hitch. I don't know of any other device that does this, except maybe the Analogue Pocket. Even the Steam Deck's un/docking experience is limited by it being a PC and its games not having to obey a docked or undocked setting. I think Nintendo are in a good position to make powerful hybrids with optional features, theoretically forever.

 

[karmitt]

I do not think Modern Nintendo will be as interested in Gimmickry anymore. Its CEO is a much more traditional Banker type who wants to see sales success and has seen plenty of evidence from Nintendo's competitors that Gimmicks aren't required to be successful. Its ok to not reinvent the wheel. Nintendo has the IPs to drive sales. It just needs to not be afraid to use that power and to not make decisions that handicap systems in ways.

And I don’t think Nintendo would be so quick to remove “gimmickry” from their DNA. Switch was only a success because of this style of thinking.

The challenge will be how to integrate new ideas without harming generational transitions, and without removing Nintendo from the broader gaming industry offerings. It clearly wasn’t as much of a focus in the past, or at the very least it was one that was very poorly executed. They’ll be looking at additive changes, and ideally non-breaking ones in terms of backwards compatibility.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Following on the gimmick discourse and since we are in the Hardware speculation thread I wanted to ask your opinions about this:

Assuming the hardware is exactly as the leaks suggest, with the DLSS+RT capable Ampere GPU and the quite powerful CPU, plus all of the other generational improvements (RAM, storage), and let's assume the device came with a 1080p screen. Is is possible for the system to support VR straight out of the box?

Not well. The brother of the Gear VR, the Oculus Go, was cheap standalone VR built with a 2560x1440 screen, back in 2018.

[*]How feasible would that be, or would it require even stronger hardware?

Like, processing capabilities? Pretty irrelevant. No matter what you give will be enough for properly designed games, and not enough for those that aren't. It's kind of like asking how strong of hardware you need for everything to be 60fps.

[*]

Spoiler

Will my dreams of an entry level VR headset that finally makes VR mainstream be shattered?

Quest 2's getting a lot more done on that front than a Drake accessory would.

 

[MondoMega]

I don't think it's healthy (or useful) for anyone to speculate on the performance of a game whose conceptual phase probably hasn't even started yet

The first part is right, but they always begin planning on the next generation while the previous generation’s main games are wrapping up. That’s how they’ve included teasers for the next generation in Gen 6 onwards (Strange Souvenir, Gigantamax Toxtricity poster, orange and grape wallpaper; we’ll have to wait and see what SV’s hint for Gen 10 is, since there’s a few things that could be it).

 

[Salah Kalajo]

Mario and Zelda are two games which, for their mainline entries, have relatively long marketing cycles. Those are also the kind of games which you want to push a new hardware.
As I said above, I don't expect the new console to release with Zelda, and instead with Mario.
Therefore, if no Mario is shown during the next direct, I will be even more convinced that 2023 is off the table.

but if they release this next Switch without Zelda we might not see a mainline Zelda Game for this console till its last year and it might be a Cross Gen Zelda with the Generation After ..
moreover , why to chose between Zelda and Mario for the Next Switch ? why not have Zelda as a Launch Title and Mario a few Months After , just like what they did with this Switch ?

 

[kalosmani]

As discussed in the past, forced docked mode is a probable source of compatibility issues due to how certain games change how they work between the modes. I think the likelihood of that being included is quite low.

Only a few have these issues. It can be a simple per game basis setting with a warning some games may not work properly.

 

[HankyPanky]

i strongly believe a vast open world Zelda is the best launch title for a more graphically capable Switch. minimal upgrades would be needed over the base Switch version to make the game highly sought after & definitive. doesn't mean Nintendo is going to roll with it but I believe that is a fact. yes it will still be a sell-out with an advanced looking 3D Mario title, it'll be a sell out with pretty much any game due to increased support from third parties etc. but a model that carries a premium pricetag on day 1, Zelda has the widest appeal to the sort of audience who will want to buy one. just because Nintendo will potentially fumble the transition to a new system (which I believe they are if it comes later rather than sooner) shouldn't make it a controversial opinion. yes they can patch it and make deluxe BOTW/TOTK editions when it does drop but the impact they could of had having a new Zelda there day 1 will be diminished.

 

[karmitt]

but if they release this next Switch without Zelda we might not see a mainline Zelda Game for this console till its last year and it might be a Cross Gen Zelda with the Generation After ..
moreover , why to chose between Zelda and Mario for the Next Switch ? why not have Zelda as a Launch Title and Mario a few Months After , just like what they did with this Switch ?

While I cannot agree with anybody who thinks releasing without Zelda and having to wait until 2028 for the next new one is a good or ideal decision, I am starting to at least consider why they’d make that decision.

We’re only in January. Prior to this news of ‘something’ being cancelled for this year, most assumed if we didn’t have a formal announcement by January / February that nothing was going to hit by H1. We’re not past that timeframe yet. Even still, I’m choosing not to ignore DF and Nate’s vague comments, and am refocusing my speculation on either late 2023 or sometime in 2024 and what they might do with Zelda and the rest of their software. I’m leaning towards a soft relaunch of Zelda with visual enhancements, and probably the same for several other recent releases like Splatoon 3.

 

[HankyPanky]

if the system comes much later than originally planned as being speculated, on account of some new gimmick that also pushes the price up and prevents us getting what could have been a pretty damn good portable system in 2023, i want some of what Nintendo is smoking. all that was needed was a spec bump and fixing the joycons and it's a wrap. there's not gonna be any first party games ready for a while after Zelda? no problem, start patching the library & let third parties get some bread by filling in the gap. a delay on account of being on a smaller node is maybe understandable but the chatter of new gimmicks and bigger overhaul of the hardware is much more troubling, given Nintendo's history with trying to reinvent the wheel when there was no need.

 

[Arrtyfact]

The first part is right, but they always begin planning on the next generation while the previous generation’s main games are wrapping up. That’s how they’ve included teasers for the next generation in Gen 6 onwards (Strange Souvenir, Gigantamax Toxtricity poster, orange and grape wallpaper; we’ll have to wait and see what SV’s hint for Gen 10 is, since there’s a few things that could be it).

Hmm, I guess it depends on the game. For Sword and Shield, the actual conceptual phase began just after the development of Sun/Moon finished. For Scarlet/Violet, development began around the time Sword/Shield's development finished.

 

[LiC]

if the system comes much later than originally planned as being speculated, on account of some new gimmick that also pushes the price up and prevents us getting what could have been a pretty damn good portable system in 2023, i want some of what Nintendo is smoking. all that was needed was a spec bump and fixing the joycons and it's a wrap. there's not gonna be any first party games ready for a while after Zelda? no problem, start patching the library & let third parties get some bread by filling in the gap. a delay on account of being on a smaller node is maybe understandable but the chatter of new gimmicks and bigger overhaul of the hardware is much more troubling, given Nintendo's history with trying to reinvent the wheel when there was no need.

"Troubling chatter?" It's just idle speculation. There's no reason to project this onto Nintendo or treat it like it's so much as a rumor when it's not.

 

[Magic-Man]

I lowkey kinda wonder if they'll bring back 3D for Switch 2. Yes, the 3D was a gimmick on the 3DS, but it was a really good gimmick.

 

[Raccoon]

"Troubling chatter?" It's just idle speculation. There's no reason to project this onto Nintendo or treat it like it's so much as a rumor when it's not.

I can't pretend I'm not guilty of it but nothing that is said in this thread (or this site) has any influence on what actually happens

it sounds fatuous written out like that but sometimes it needs to be said

 

[mariodk18]

The gimmick will be no gimmick

 

[Raccoon]

I lowkey kinda wonder if they'll bring back 3D for Switch 2. Yes, the 3D was a gimmick on the 3DS, but it was a really good gimmick.

not unless people all of a sudden get 3D TVs en masse!

or perhaps TV is replaced by AR/VR? but then we lose splitscreen

 

[Eos]

If Zelda TotK doesn't come out with the Switch Drake, it's gonna be a big disappointment, especially because we won't have the next Zelda until 2028-29 minimum. And playing TotK Remastered or Deluxe (or whatever it is) in Drake in 2024 won't have the same feelings as playing at the launch date.

 

[Deleted member 887]

While I cannot agree with anybody who thinks releasing without Zelda and having to wait until 2028 for the next new one is a good or ideal decision, I am starting to at least consider why they’d make that decision.

I don't think it's a decision that Nintendo gets to make in this case, no matter how good or bad an idea it is. Nintendo can't get Zelda to launch reliably without trying to hit the moving target of a hardware launch date.

Twilight Princess launching with Wii was an accident of how long TP had been delayed. On the other hand, Skyward Sword could have been delayed to hit Wii U's launch, but it would have cost Nintendo their only major software release of 2011, caused fan uproar, and been a launch game that didn't actually use any of the Wii U's capabilities. Even the inventory screen on that game was so tied to the motion controls it would have been an awkward fit on the GamePad.

Breath of the Wild being a Switch launch title was a happy accident of the Wii U's life getting cut short, and the decision to make it a launch title was made in 2016.

In the case of Tears of the Kingdom, one could imagine Nintendo going into crunch mode to release the game on time for Swi2ch if the hardware were coming earlier. But adding more delays to make them go hand in hand - especially when it sounds like both projects were troubled from a schedule perspective - might be untenable or impossible.

 

[Arrtyfact]

Yes, the 3D was a gimmick on the 3DS, but it was a really good gimmick.

Yes haha, I thought I was the only one that really liked the 3D feature. It can sometimes cause eyestrain but on some games it makes the experience so much better for me. Pretty much the only times I turn the 3D off in those games is to compare with and without 3D. But I almost always end up like "Nah, 'on' is much better"

 

[Serif]

Gyro has been one of the best 'gimmicks' (if we must use that word). Seamlessly integrates into traditional control schemes, easier for developers to integrate into a game than something like a second screen, works in both docked and portable mode, enables Wiimote / lightgun / fitness / VR experiences, and can be turned off or ignored completely. People have outright demanded third-party Switch ports have gyro. It remains baffling that RE4 Switch does not have it.

 

[Apopheniac]

at the risk of derailing the thread, the poster in USUM is not a Toxtricity

 

[Bosintang]

But let’s say you’re right, it would just make me wonder what they could possibly have that would fill it’s shoes. Ambitious Star Fox space opera incoming? furries gonna feast

My boy Mario, of course. And my boy Mario and his ride a few months later, because if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that having Mario Kart within the first few months is critical given the sales profile of that IP, and I don't think that Nintendo will try to sell us MK8DX a third time while releasing LEGS.
And in the increasingly likely hypothesis of a 2024 Drake, Zelda wouldn't be completely absent anyway. We can expect a beefy DLC in 2024, hopefully better than the relatively disappointing one we had for botw.

I'd be more inclined to guess that various COVID delays messed up the timing if it doesn't happen. They definitely see value there considering the Switch Lite was launched with Link's Awakening. I could totally believe that TotK was intended to launch back in 2021 alongside the OLED(which perhaps was also intended to be a more powerful model). COVID caused issues for both hardware and software, and now here we are.

Sounds like a narrative you built to reconcile all the rumors we've heard with the reality that the next switch is increasingly likely not to release with Zelda.
I happen to believe that most of those rumors are either straight up bullshit, heavily conflated with speculations, a games of telephone and/or wishful thinking.

My beacon is Nintendo's declarations, along with their release schedule. Nothing in that screams "new console" for 2023. So if nothing comes in 2023, I'll just assume that it was their plan all along, unless they say otherwise.

but if they release this next Switch without Zelda we might not see a mainline Zelda Game for this console till its last year and it might be a Cross Gen Zelda with the Generation After ..
moreover , why to chose between Zelda and Mario for the Next Switch ? why not have Zelda as a Launch Title and Mario a few Months After , just like what they did with this Switch ?

I'm not Nintendo. They could make more DLCs for the upcoming Zelda, hell, they may even have already started working on a totally new game since 2021. What do I know. It's their problem, not mine, and they are more qualified than me for that.

Fact is, time is running out for a release of the new console with Zelda; a reveal now would already be quite a short marketing considering the magnitude of releasing their new flagship console for the next 6ish years alongside their biggest game of the year. By end of February, I believe that we will have our answer.

I'm inclined to believe, as I was last year, that it won't happen. If it does, I'll be happy for the people here. If not, I'll be also happy, I don't desperately need a new console and my launch switch is still perfectly functional.

 

[Salah Kalajo]

Skyward Sword could have been delayed to hit Wii U's launch, but it would have cost Nintendo their only major software release of 2011.

which was a mistake from Nintendo to not do it "IMHO" , after all Zelda Skyward Sword will not benefit the Wii hardware sales that much in its last year and not that the Wii need the Extra 3-5 Million More Hardware Sales the Zelda will give it , but it could be a game changer for a WiiU , especially that Nintendo know they are not ready to release a 3D Mario Game with the System , which is the only other Huge Title that can make a difference After Zelda..
just imagine the Skyward Sword was a Launch Title for the WiiU with Enhanced HD Graphics and Good Marketing , i am sure the Wii U Had Many other Problems , but a good launch with new Zelda Game would make things different .

 

[Kingpin722]

The Switch's "Gimmick" is that its the culmination of every piece of Nintendo hardware before it. It has every feature from previous hardware except 3D and Dual Screen and adds gyro.

 

[Serif]

The Switch's "Gimmick" is that its the culmination of every piece of Nintendo hardware before it. It has every feature from previous hardware except 3D and Dual Screen and adds gyro.

The 3DS had gyro.

Which is a fun fact to bring up whenever someone claims gyro is a 'fad'.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

which was a mistake from Nintendo to not do it "IMHO" , after all Zelda Skyward Sword will not benefit the Wii hardware sales that much in its last year and not that the Wii need the Extra 3-5 Million More Hardware Sales the Zelda will give it , but it could be a game changer for a WiiU , especially that Nintendo know they are not ready to release a 3D Mario Game with the System , which is the only other Huge Title that can make a difference After Zelda..
just imagine the Skyward Sword was a Launch Title for the WiiU with Enhanced HD Graphics and Good Marketing , i am sure the Wii U Had Many other Problems , but a good launch with new Zelda Game would make things different .

I think Skyward Sword, a game entirely designed around the MotionPlus, would be a bad vehicle for trying to push the system designed around the Gamepad.

 

[Deleted member 887]

The Switch's "Gimmick" is that its the culmination of every piece of Nintendo hardware before it. It has every feature from previous hardware except 3D and Dual Screen and

analog triggers, pointer controls, cameras, microphones, controller speakers, mii memory, expansion ports...

 

[Instro]

Sounds like a narrative you built to reconcile all the rumors we've heard with the reality that the next switch is increasingly likely not to release with Zelda.
I happen to believe that most of those rumors are either straight up bullshit, heavily conflated with speculations, a games of telephone and/or wishful thinking.

My beacon is Nintendo's declarations, along with their release schedule. Nothing in that screams "new console" for 2023. So if nothing comes in 2023, I'll just assume that it was their plan all along, unless they say otherwise.

While I generally agree in regards to what has happened with hardware rumors, Zelda releasing in 2023 was obviously not the plan all along. Given that it had a publicized delay to 2023, and what we know about how badly COVID affected publishers, and Nintendo in particular, it's not hard to think that the original schedule for TotK may have been late 2021. Would be very similar to delays that have occured with games like Arkham Knight, and Hogwarts Legacy.

 

[Salah Kalajo]

I think Skyward Sword, a game entirely designed around the MotionPlus, would be a bad vehicle for trying to push the system designed around the Gamepad.

i am with you in this point , but the Wii U is Fully Compatible with Motion Plus , and Nintendo showed a Golf Title that use both WiiMote and the Gamepad when they advertised the system before Launch .

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

What RAM speed do people think the Switch 2 could hit? I forget the exact numbers, but I remember the Switch's RAM being a lot slower than the PS4's.

 

[karmitt]

I don't think it's a decision that Nintendo gets to make in this case, no matter how good or bad an idea it is. Nintendo can't get Zelda to launch reliably without trying to hit the moving target of a hardware launch date.

Twilight Princess launching with Wii was an accident of how long TP had been delayed. On the other hand, Skyward Sword could have been delayed to hit Wii U's launch, but it would have cost Nintendo their only major software release of 2011, caused fan uproar, and been a launch game that didn't actually use any of the Wii U's capabilities. Even the inventory screen on that game was so tied to the motion controls it would have been an awkward fit on the GamePad.

Breath of the Wild being a Switch launch title was a happy accident of the Wii U's life getting cut short, and the decision to make it a launch title was made in 2016.

In the case of Tears of the Kingdom, one could imagine Nintendo going into crunch mode to release the game on time for Swi2ch if the hardware were coming earlier. But adding more delays to make them go hand in hand - especially when it sounds like both projects were troubled from a schedule perspective - might be untenable or impossible.

I get what you're saying, but after the success seen with Twilight Princess and infinitely more so with Breath of the Wild, I don't think alignment with new hardware is ever going to be an 'accident' again, nor would I think they'd drop that target all that easily.

If the hardware originally scheduled for H1 23 was only very recently delayed to be repositioned, and will release closer to end of the year, I'm not ruling out a delay for Zelda. We've seen last minute delays for other companies in the recent past. If this repositioning is a lot larger of a task, and won't see the the hardware release until next year, I suspect that's just too large of an ask for Nintendo, and they'll have to work out another strategy.

We can expect a beefy DLC in 2024, hopefully better than the relatively disappointing one we had for botw.

I'm still upset about that DLC, and it remains the biggest reason that I'm not quite blindly optimistic about the sequel. They missed the mark so very much on what made Breath of the Wild appealing, even if they did create fun and compelling puzzles. The reviews and discourse around it it were far from glowing, so if anything they'd have taken note of that.

Trial of the Sword was good at least.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

I don't know if TotK will get DLC, they might just want to go directly to the next one to try to get it out before 2030, lol.

 

[Bosintang]

While I generally agree in regards to what has happened with hardware rumors, Zelda releasing in 2023 was obviously not the plan all along. Given that it had a publicized delay to 2023, and what we know about how badly COVID affected publishers, and Nintendo in particular, it's not hard to think that the original schedule for TotK may have been late 2021. Would be very similar to delays that have occured with games like Arkham Knight, and Hogwarts Legacy.

Zelda being delayed is even a fact, as it was announced for 2022.
My issue is more with the narrative of the next console being delayed. Delaying hardware more than a few months is extremely unlikely, and there was a time, not so long ago, when the majority of this topic used to agree on that.