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

Happy 6th Birthday to the Nintendo Swich I was so excited to play The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild at Launch it was a awesome game and I can’t wait to play The Legend Of Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom in May
 
Some recent interactions have me reconsidering the way I present myself and my opinions online, so to that end I intend to avoid the frivolous declarations I have made habit in this thread. However, I told @Serif that I would address the matter with more refined thoughts, and @ReddDreadtheLead politely requested that I be for real for real, so I wanted to return to the matter of the next system's name after spending a five mile walk thinking about it. Despite that, I'll try to keep this brief rather than bloviating about something so trivial for a few more pages.

On what I suggested "Switch 2" means:
I made many allusions to a narrative about Nintendo as a company that the name conveyed, but I never detailed what that narrative actually was. I've tried to sort out my thoughts on the matter and come to a conclusion as to what impression I really had. In short, numberings from Nintendo generally indicate continuation rather than significant progress. The hardware example of the Super Game Boy 2 has been mentioned, but my mind generally turns to games. Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. 2, and even my beloved Splatoon series are all sequels that refine and expand rather than having their own identity. I believe that a product called "Nintendo Switch 2" indicates continuation.

On why that really isn't a bad thing:
Often I find that I experience cognitive dissonance between the demands of my Nintendo fanaticism and my actual wants as a real life person. As I walked yesterday, I realized that this is one such case. I want a continuation! I want a new, more powerful Nintendo Switch that makes use of technological advancements to focus and improve on the core essence of "a home console you can take with you on the go." Not only is Drake, via DLSS, exactly that technology, but for years now I have yearned for a "Nintendo Switch Pro." If I want an extension to the generation, why should I fear a new generation that seeks to replicate the system of which I am so fond? If I want "Nintendo Switch Pro," I want "Nintendo Switch 2."

On what I suspect is actually my problem with the name:
All that being said, where did this aversion to the name really come from? Maybe in part I do feel a fixation on the stories of Satoru Iwata's affinity for unique and descriptive names. However, I think it ultimately comes down to a much simpler dislike of how the name sounds. To me, "Nintendo Switch 2" sounds as ridiculous as "Nintendo Switch Pro." Both feel like shorthand names used by fans, and my overexposure to the internet, and thereby said fans (sorry), has left me feeling off about the name. As an aside, I had similar superficial disdain for "Pikmin 3 Deluxe," and while I still think it's a really terrible name, I got over it. It really didn't indicate too much about the company's direction, either, so in summary I feel that I blew the issue completely out of proportion.

Far more importantly than any of that, "Nintendo Switch 2" has the opportunity for such marketing puns as "Switch 2 new games" and "Switch 2 4K resolution," and accordingly could wind up being the most "playful" name of all.
 
But didn’t the striping seemed to match the striping from a factory uncle post?
It does.

It does indeed.

I hope it is. I hope that striping represents the Switch Redacted's new weird kickstand.

But we can't know.

Personally I think it's just an OLED Model. Big screen, pretty thin. The striping representing the Joy-Con and the long horizontal kickstand, rather than a single wraparound stand.

But goodness... Do I hope I'm wrong because if that's the design, oh my goodness, it would be beautiful. All those gentle curves. Would really make it stand out visually from the strictly industrial design of OLED Model.
 
I want a continuation! I want a new, more powerful Nintendo Switch that makes use of technological advancements to focus and improve on the core essence of "a home console you can take with you on the go." Not only is Drake, via DLSS, exactly that technology, but for years now I have yearned for a "Nintendo Switch Pro." If I want an extension to the generation, why should I fear a new generation that seeks to replicate the system of which I am so fond? If I want "Nintendo Switch Pro," I want "Nintendo Switch 2."
This is where I'm at. (y) If they can communicate '2' with the right marketing and name that has more 'oomph' then all the better.

Aren't long walks so refreshing? I love the mind-emptying yet clarifying wanderlust of a good hike.
 
Honestly don't feel like there's a hype train anymore. The hype train was in effect during the days that we speculated about a H2 2022/H1 2023 release. During those days 2024 felt like such an unlikely outcome, but now that it's the realistic scenario this feels more like a waiting game than fun speculation (at least for me)
2024 is not the "realistic" scenario. I'll repeat this until hell freezes over: There is NOTHING factual or with any evidence to its validity that it is 2024. But there is for 2023!
 
Random memory, I remember this Switch Lite leak from an accessory manufacturer cause I thought Nintendo would be producing a Switch mini in this sleek all black, almost metallic color.

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I actually can't remember how long before the Switch Lite release the backplate leak was.
Backplate leak was in May, so like, two months before reveal.
 
They can still drop the price of OLED to V2 price and stop producing V2 for a year before releasing a Switch 2.
They won't. While theoretically possible it isn't economically feasible and would damage their market position.
 
Personally I think we'll get the reveal sooner than later. They DON'T want factory leaks, they've made that very clear. The only way to avoid them is get out in front of them, and there's no downside, marketing wise, in doing that sooner rather than later, once they're sure it's launching this year.

6 months won't Osborne Effect them out of existence.

That said I expect a VERY quick turnaround from production starts to reveal to release. Like, July reveal, September release.
 
I use to think this as well, but not anymore. Zelda TotK is going to sell big numbers regardless and doesn't need new hardware to do so. Zelda TP and BotW were doomed to failed consoles if they didn't make them cross gen and give them a chance for success on the next consoles. Switch Redacted also doesn't need Zelda TotK, Switch has established itself as a very popular platform and will sell out for months regardless of what Nintendo pushes as launch titles. The fact that upgrade patches are looking likely, a game like Zelda TotK will be an evergreen title on Switch Redacted even though it launched on Switch in it's twilight years.

You have convinced me

Perhaps we get the following
End of July after Pikmin 4 release - Switch Reveal YouTube Video
Early August - Switch Event full blowout with launch lineup and hardware details
November - Switch 2 Release

Launch Titles
3D Mario Sequel
Some Casual First Party Game
Street Fighter 6
Diablo 4
Zelda TotK DLC + Remaster Upgrade (Upgrade Fee)

Q1 2024
Metroid Prime 4 (Cross Gen)
Pokémon SV DLC2 + Remaster Upgrade (Upgrade Fee)
 
You have convinced me

Perhaps we get the following
End of July after Pikmin 4 release - Switch Reveal YouTube Video
Early August - Switch Event full blowout with launch lineup and hardware details
November - Switch 2 Release

Launch Titles
3D Mario Sequel
Some Casual First Party Game
Street Fighter 6
Diablo 4
Zelda TotK DLC + Remaster Upgrade (Upgrade Fee)

Q1 2024
Metroid Prime 4 (Cross Gen)
Pokémon SV DLC2 + Remaster Upgrade (Upgrade Fee)
Upgrade fee.

I think you mean upgrade FREE.

I am 100% certain they WILL NOT charge upgrade fees and do NOT have the market position to even TRY. If they want existing Switch owners to Switch over, they need to SWEETEN the deal, and telling them to fork over more dosh or don't bother isn't it.

First party games WILL NOT charge upgrade fees. Can't ever speak for third parties.

Nintendo is FAR more concerned about adoption of the new system than they are about nickle and diming players for things compeititiors give away for free.

Free upgrades sell consoles and importantly, they SELL GAMES THAT GET UPGRADES. Free does NOT mean unprofitable or no company would ever give away anything.
 
It does.

It does indeed.

I hope it is. I hope that striping represents the Switch Redacted's new weird kickstand.

But we can't know.

Personally I think it's just an OLED Model. Big screen, pretty thin. The striping representing the Joy-Con and the long horizontal kickstand, rather than a single wraparound stand.

But goodness... Do I hope I'm wrong because if that's the design, oh my goodness, it would be beautiful. All those gentle curves. Would really make it stand out visually from the strictly industrial design of OLED Model.
Where's the pic?
 
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Nintendo's never done it super extensively, but there are several notable Switch+3DS and NES+SNES releases. What is quite common is for systems that remain successful to continue receiving games after their successor releases, and adding native (or semi-native) Switch 2 support to the continued Switch releases should be comparatively trivial. As a result, I think there will be few, if any true Switch 1 only releases once Switch 2 is out, and even then, the distinction might not be super clear.

Yes but Nintendo cannot stop 3rd party developers releasing games on Switch 1, they would get bad press, especially with GaaS for Fortnite etc. They won't shutdown these games and force them to move on. A lot of Switch library is indie games and I can't see indie developers stop releasing on Switch 1 for many years. I don't think a more powerful device is needed to run Turtles Shredders Revenge or Hollow Knight. You maybe right about Nintendo moving on from Switch after a year simply because they like to make money on hardware, but indie developers will want to be able to target a larger market of gamers. I also think if the data shows software sales have not slowed down once the new system is out even Nintendo will be tempted to release some games on Switch 1
 
I think you mean upgrade FREE.

I am 100% certain they WILL NOT charge upgrade fees and do NOT have the market position to even TRY. If they want existing Switch owners to Switch over, they need to SWEETEN the deal, and telling them to fork over more dosh or don't bother isn't it.

First party games WILL NOT charge upgrade fees. Can't ever speak for third parties.

Nintendo is FAR more concerned about adoption of the new system than they are about nickle and diming players for things compeititiors give away for free.

Free upgrades sell consoles and importantly, they SELL GAMES THAT GET UPGRADES. Free does NOT mean unprofitable or no company would ever give away anything.

I think you are being a bit too naive, even Virtual Console games on Wii U got a small upgrade fee. Sony also charge for upgrades. I'm sure new releases may be cross gen, but games where they go back and upgrade they will likely charge a small upgrade fee. Similar to what Sony did with Uncharted and Ghost of Tsushima. People who don't want to upgrade can play the backwards compatible version free of charge.
 
I think you are being a bit too naive, even Virtual Console games on Wii U got a small upgrade fee. Sony also charge for upgrades. I'm sure new releases may be cross gen, but games where they go back and upgrade they will likely charge a small upgrade fee. Similar to what Sony did with Uncharted and Ghost of Tsushima. People who don't want to upgrade can play the backwards compatible version free of charge.
Virtual Console on Wii U was an abject failure. Insisting they intend to repeat their failures is ridiculous.

They won't add an upgrade fee for the simple reason that it's not a good business model. It's failed them before, it's bad for marketing, and it's bad for system adoption.
 
Personally I think we'll get the reveal sooner than later. They DON'T want factory leaks, they've made that very clear. The only way to avoid them is get out in front of them, and there's no downside, marketing wise, in doing that sooner rather than later, once they're sure it's launching this year.

6 months won't Osborne Effect them out of existence.

That said I expect a VERY quick turnaround from production starts to reveal to release. Like, July reveal, September release.
They should say Something At investor call In May
 
Virtual Console on Wii U was an abject failure. Insisting they intend to repeat their failures is ridiculous.

They won't add an upgrade fee for the simple reason that it's not a good business model. It's failed them before, it's bad for marketing, and it's bad for system adoption.

I disagree, it's bad business to spend resources to create free upgrades and not charge anything. Also everything was as failure in Wii U and it was nothing to do with charging a fee. And lol at system adoption Switch 2 will sell out with scalpers all over it. They will sell their new system with exclusives like Mario and not with free upgrades for old games. Was it bad business for Sony to charge a fee for there remasters last I heard PS5 has sold the best and its been out of stock for nearly 2 years and the adoption rate in both hardware and software sales for PS5 has been record breaking. Again I just think your are being naive.
 
For us 50 pagers, we're on page 888, that's a luck number in Asia. Time to put your hopes and dreams here.

Mine: Switch 2 reveal by summer 2023
All I can think of is Octo Expansion's Agent 8 rolling an 8 ball and failing horribly.

I think I've been open enough about my hopes and expectations already.
 
I think you mean upgrade FREE.

I am 100% certain they WILL NOT charge upgrade fees and do NOT have the market position to even TRY. If they want existing Switch owners to Switch over, they need to SWEETEN the deal, and telling them to fork over more dosh or don't bother isn't it.

First party games WILL NOT charge upgrade fees. Can't ever speak for third parties.
You underestimate Nintendo greed. They WILL absolutely consider it at minimum, and I wouldn't be surprised if they do it.
 
You underestimate Nintendo greed. They WILL absolutely consider it at minimum, and I wouldn't be surprised if they do it.
You underestimate their business acumen...

"Greed" in the context of a corporation means maximising profits.

That is not something upgrades fees do. Objectively. They do not do that.

If they are aiming to make the most possible money they can, and believe me, they are, they will not do it.

Contrary to popular belief, Nintendo is made up of people with quite a lot of experience in marketing and business operations who know the impact their choices have on the business as a whole.
 
If it’s this year:
  • Announcement in july
  • Release in october with Mario Kart 8 DX full package 120fps
This sounds exfewmly reliastic, minus the 120fps.

I do think Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course Pack + Next Gen Update will all be slapped onto one cartridge as soon as they can, though.

Not to belabour the point, but I just mean the update will be on the cartridge rather than having to be downloaded. Anyone with an existing cartridge or digital copy will almost certainly get the update OTA when they boot up their Switch [REDACTED].
 
I disagree, it's bad business to spend resources to create free upgrades and not charge anything. Also everything was as failure in Wii U and it was nothing to do with charging a fee. And lol at system adoption Switch 2 will sell out with scalpers all over it. They will sell their new system with exclusives like Mario and not with free upgrades for old games. Was it bad business for Sony to charge a fee for there remasters last I heard PS5 has sold the best and its been out of stock for nearly 2 years and the adoption rate in both hardware and software sales for PS5 has been record breaking. Again I just think your are being naive.
It's not bad business. It simply isn't. There isn't an argument to be made there. It's simply not bad business. That's not how businesses work, and above all it's certainly not how Nintendo works. I won't repeat the reasons I've aired a dozen times already. You are free to believe whatever you please but stating falsehoods isn't something I like to see. That and insults. It's bad for the vibe of this place.
 
You underestimate their business acumen...

"Greed" in the context of a corporation means maximising profits.

That is not something upgrades fees do. Objectively. They do not do that.

If they are aiming to make the most possible money they can, and believe me, they are, they will not do it.

Contrary to popular belief, Nintendo is made up of people with quite a lot of experience in marketing and business operations who know the impact their choices have on the business as a whole.
Lol, people aren't going to ignore Switch 2 because they need to pay a few dollars more for enhancements.

Again, you overestimate their "business acumen". They are still way behind their competitors in several areas, like online offerings, for example.
 
For us 50 pagers, we're on page 888, that's a luck number in Asia. Time to put your hopes and dreams here.

Mine: Switch 2 reveal by summer 2023
I just want them to make the OS more fun. The switch’s UI has always felt so sterile and devoid of personality unlike the Wii U one. Granted both Wiis took 10 years to load some games but the technology is there for, say, a Mii parade thingy that still lets you get to your profile/settings/games/etc in less than 10 secs.

Also 4K60 and a spring announcement. Not realistic but personally I wouldn’t mind if they were just like “Hey, so we’re making this and it’ll come out this November, here’s the codename”

Edit: I meant an announcement not a full on spring reveal
 
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It's not bad business. It simply isn't. There isn't an argument to be made there. It's simply not bad business. That's not how businesses work, and above all it's certainly not how Nintendo works. I won't repeat the reasons I've aired a dozen times already. You are free to believe whatever you please but stating falsehoods isn't something I like to see. That and insults. It's bad for the vibe of this place.

Nintendo does questionable business moves all the time. They are not perfect. There's no such thing.

Just because Switch is a success, doesn't mean they can't or don't fail in many areas.

Do not conflate "bad business" with "they wouldn't screw customers for some extra pennies". That's not how businesses work.
 
You underestimate their business acumen...

"Greed" in the context of a corporation means maximising profits.

That is not something upgrades fees do. Objectively. They do not do that.

If they are aiming to make the most possible money they can, and believe me, they are, they will not do it.

Contrary to popular belief, Nintendo is made up of people with quite a lot of experience in marketing and business operations who know the impact their choices have on the business as a whole.

I'm genuinely confused about this post, business acumen, if they want to make the most money, then you go and suggest to do that is release free upgrades?

How will not providing free upgrades make the Switch 2 less successful. The casual Switch owners won't give a shit about upgrades all they will care about if their Switch 1 games will be backwards compatible (regardless of they are not upgraded). The hardcore fans who care about upgrades will still buy a Switch 2 because they don't want to miss out on the next Mario game and in the process they will suck it up and pay an upgrade fee for games they want to try the upgraded version for. If they don't want to pay for upgrade that is also fine as they can still play their original version without the upgrade. I find it laughable that you think the Switch 2 will be less successful if it doesn't have free upgrades. Have you not seen how well PS5 is doing? You will be lucky to even find a Switch 2 if you don't pre order in time. Is this forum a speculation thread or a wishful thinking thread?
 
I just come to remember that the first Sony games on PS5 did not require paying for the update.

Charging for patches was something later and, clearly, an anti-consumer move by Sony, like raising the price of PS5 when there is finally stable stock, for example, or the addition of monetization in GT7 post launch
 
I have a sneaking suspicion that the next Switch won't have 1GB+ storage speeds, and the reason will be Nintendo holding the speeds of the internal/external storage back because of those pesky cartridges.
 
I just come to remember that the first Sony games on PS5 did not require paying for the update.

Charging for patches was something later and, clearly, an anti-consumer move by Sony, like raising the price of PS5 when there is finally stable stock, for example, or the addition of monetization in GT7 post launch

Didn't Spiderman Remaster become a locked game that's obtainable from Miles Morales PS5 Ultimate addition at launch? I'm not getting you wear Sony was generous with free remasters, at most they did a few free frame rate boosts, and when those Frame rate boost games got remasters such as Ghost of Tsushima getting a paid remaster even though the backwards compatible version for had a framerate boost.
 
I have a sneaking suspicion that the next Switch won't have 1GB+ storage speeds, and the reason will be Nintendo holding the speeds of the internal/external storage back because of those pesky cartridges.

Unfortunately I agree, cartridges will hold back the Switch 2 a lot, not just because of drive speed but capacity as well. Many PS4 games were quite large and 3rd parties will cheap out and not want to release on large sized cartridges, we will get download code or highly compressed assets, audio etc.
 
Unfortunately I agree, cartridges will hold back the Switch 2 a lot, not just because of drive speed but capacity as well. Many PS4 games were quite large and 3rd parties will cheap out and not want to release on large sized cartridges, we will get download code or highly compressed assets, audio etc.
Yeah, I don't expect 128GB+ cartridges to come out anytime soon.
 
Unfortunately I agree, cartridges will hold back the Switch 2 a lot, not just because of drive speed but capacity as well. Many PS4 games were quite large and 3rd parties will cheap out and not want to release on large sized cartridges, we will get download code or highly compressed assets, audio etc.
Well the media itself is pretty much irrelevant, most games are larger than most BluRays and drive speeds oo slow to read off and stream. PS5/XBOX have gone towards install off disc onto HDD model, or direct digital downloads, and frankly people are also relying on 3rd party solutions since the out of the box storage is inadequate.

This isn't a Switch specific problem, but I'd be interested to see how Nintendo approaches this. I think they can get away with not having every game install to an HDD and there's room on microSD front to increase read speeds beyond the very low 100 MB/s read speeds supported by OG Switch.

We'll probably see a hybrid with Switch and digital will feature more even more heavily, as it already has at the tail end of the Switch's life

edit: made a typo, i meant to write 100 MB/s
 
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Yes but Nintendo cannot stop 3rd party developers releasing games on Switch 1, they would get bad press, especially with GaaS for Fortnite etc. They won't shutdown these games and force them to move on. A lot of Switch library is indie games and I can't see indie developers stop releasing on Switch 1 for many years. I don't think a more powerful device is needed to run Turtles Shredders Revenge or Hollow Knight. You maybe right about Nintendo moving on from Switch after a year simply because they like to make money on hardware, but indie developers will want to be able to target a larger market of gamers. I also think if the data shows software sales have not slowed down once the new system is out even Nintendo will be tempted to release some games on Switch 1
That post was arguing in favor of cross-gen, not against. My core points (which were really specifically about Nintendo) were:
  • Nintendo will most likely continue to release some Switch 1 games as long as they keep selling, as they've done with their past platforms that have been this persistently successful
  • They have been known to release cross-gen games where technically and financially viable before.
  • The similarities between Switch and Switch 2 will be enough that the difference between "a new Switch 1 game" and "a new cross-gen Switch 1 and Switch 2 game" will collapse mostly, if not entirely.
  • Therefore, more or less every Switch 1 game Nintendo puts out after Switch 2 releases (and to some degree a bit before) will functionally be a cross-gen title.

The last two points also apply somewhat to third parties. If Nintendo wanted, they could somewhat enforce the dynamic by adding "must run on Switch 2 with no quirks applied beyond the base compatibility layer" as a certification requirement for new Switch 1 games.
I disagree, it's bad business to spend resources to create free upgrades and not charge anything. Also everything was as failure in Wii U and it was nothing to do with charging a fee. And lol at system adoption Switch 2 will sell out with scalpers all over it. They will sell their new system with exclusives like Mario and not with free upgrades for old games. Was it bad business for Sony to charge a fee for there remasters last I heard PS5 has sold the best and its been out of stock for nearly 2 years and the adoption rate in both hardware and software sales for PS5 has been record breaking. Again I just think your are being naive.
Directly charging for upgrades is bad form. The right way to do it is to do the upgrades as part of other work that is getting paid for, such as DLC. In some rarer cases, the effort could be treated as part of a marketing campaign to strengthen the appeal of the hardware and get the game back in front of people's eyes.
 
Well the media itself is pretty much irrelevant, most games are larger than most BluRays and drive speeds oo slow to read off and stream. PS5/XBOX have gone towards and install off disc onto HDD model, or direct digital downloads, and frankly people are also relying on 3rd party solutions since the out of the box storage is inadequate.

This isn't a Switch soecufuc problem, but I'd be interested to see how Nintendo approaches this. I think they can get away with not having every game install to an HDD and there's room on microSD front to increase read speeds beyond the very low 100 MB/s read speeds supported by OG Switch.

We'll probably see a hybrid with Switch and digital will feature more even more heavily, as it already has at the tail end of the Switch's life

edit: made a typo, i meant to write 100 MB/s
I still wonder if anything will come out of the rumour that Nintendo's sampling Macronix's 48-layer 3D NAND flash.
 
Please read this staff post before posting.

Furthermore, according to this follow-up post, all off-topic chat will be moderated.
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