StarTopic Future Nintendo Hardware & Technology Speculation & Discussion |ST| (New Staff Post, Please read)

[Goodtwin]

I’ve gone back and forth on which side of the spectrum I fall on when NG Switch will launch, and at this point, I’ve come up with my solution to this problem:

#TeamWhenIt’sDone

I look forward to the successor, the Nintendo Switch Forever.

Hail to the King, baby.

Edit: I have too many games in my backlog, both Switch, and PC. And my Steam Deck keeps me busy when I’m not gaming on Switch.

I have moved away from thinking 2023 was likely to unlikely, but still haven't completely written it off. Now that the second half lineup for this year is no longer empty, it seems like Nintendo is indeed still pushing forward with Switch. I am anxiously awaiting new hardware from Nintendo, there is no getting around that, but after the recent Nintendo Direct, I will still be engaged with my Switch for quite some time. Unlike many games over the past couple years that have been examples of the need for new more powerful hardware, the upcoming lineup includes many games that will shine just fine on Switch. Both Super Mario RPG and Super Mario Bros Wonder can be fully realized within the limitations of the Switch hardware, both games look great. I am very excited to finally get the Batman Trilogy on Switch. Arkham Knight may be somewhat compromised in its conversion to Switch, but Asylum and City should port over flawlessly, and after recently playing a little bit of Batman Origins on my Wii U gamepad which still looked rather nice despite its low grade 480p LCD display, I am anxious to play Asylum and City on my OLED. On top of the new releases, I have a back catalog on my Switch that has gotten ridiculous, I have around a dozen games that I have little to no playtime yet, probably good for 200+ hours of gaming. On top of all this I am fully expecting a September Direct that adds even more titles to the mix. Perhaps the long rumored F-Zero GX will finally come to fruition.

 

[Quailman]

We are getting close to a deadline!
Next week, #team2023 goes from very optimistic to downright delusional.

I mean, I already switched from team 2023 to first half of 2024. I would be pleasantly surprised if it released in 2023 at this point. The safest bet for the NG switch is to be released sometime in 2024.

 

[LiC]

Would it really say "confidential" if it was about a released platform?

If it hasn't been updated since 2016, yeah. That's why I said we can't tell what it is without knowing when that text was last updated. I dunno about anyone else, but I haven't updated my LinkedIn in a hot minute.

Except for adding the full-time Nintendo job (with no description text at all), it's the last thing in there, too. And if this was their role since 2013, you'd think they wouldn't just go from listing Wii U to NG+, with no mention of the Switch.

 

[ILikeFeet]

forward compatibility is really the next step for consoles

gonna be shit, but hey

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

My bad, I was looking at the notes in the latest financial report and mistook the one for profits and the ones for sales units and assumed they counted towards the total.
Still, kind of weird of them not to count them, I understand not counting DLCs and NSO stuff but digital only games should count towards the total software unit.

They should but ¯\(ツ)/¯
I don’t think they’ve ever really given a reason as to why

 

[Deleted member 887]

Would it really say "confidential" if it was about a released platform?

I mean, how often do you update your resume? It's not a carefully tended PR release, after all. No way of knowing if that's been there for 7 years or not. Or if what he's trying to say is "trusted with confidential materials" in his resume which can be as important as the specific products you worked on.

 

[eye0h]

• Dedicated patches to old Switch games like Xenoblade, BotW, TotK, further reinvigorating sales and interest

I think I'd cry if I saw XC2 specifically run at a resolution that was appropriate for the human eye omg

 

[Cybergatuno]

Some others around here were saying Prime 4 doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as a launch title, and should be pushed back or something for say more polish (which I wouldn’t object to if it’s needed), or simply let a game like 3D Mario take the reigns to carry out the launch period.

I wonder if launch would be the actual best time to showcase Prime 4. For one, for a new system, there won’t be many NG Switch specific titles, so for those looking for that one title that makes them go, “whoa” Prime 4 could be that.

I should say that I fully expect Prime 4 to be an official cross gen title, but will have specific upgrades to showcase the platform differences. For example, we know Prime remastered used baked in lighting. Prime 4 for NGS could use dynamic lighting, PLUS showcase some of that fancy-schmancy Ray-Tracing. Would look phenomenal with rain effects I’m sure.

The core designs of the game would be the same, but dynamic lighting/Ray tracing, plus DLSS to 4K docked would be the bees knees imo.

Wishful thinking I know…

My personal thoughts on Prime 4 being a sufficient launch title:

I feel like the rules have slightly changed lately. Looking at the PS5, it launched with Astro's Playroom and Demon's Souls remake as the only "true next-gen" experiences. Everything else was cross-gen. What helped sell the PS5 (and Series X) was its backwards compatibility just making every single past game run better. The PS5 didn't need Miles Morales as the system seller, the launch hype of having enough cross-gen games and your old games just running better seems to be enough to drive sales that way. Meanwhile, the Switch launch was being driven by Breath of the Wild, a generation-defining video game all by itself, something we haven't seen since Wii Sports or Halo 1, then Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came following through, a game with even more broad appeal than Zelda.

Switch 2 can follow a similar footstep to the PS5 in this case, following off the successes of both Switch 1 and PS4 respectively. All your old games now run way better, and there are cross-gen games to enjoy on top of it (in this case, Prime 4). Then later on, very quickly after launch, you can launch another game that has broad appeal to supplement Prime 4.

Prime 4 would be the game to hook enthusiasts, the people who would have always bought a system day 1 anyway. That's the type of game I think Prime 4 would fulfill, in any case. Then during the launch, you'd get more buzz with enhanced backwards compatibility just making every game run better. Like, could you imagine the press cycle of things like:

• Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes now locks 60fps in split-screen even without a patch
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity now runs better at 30fps
• Bayonetta 3 locks 60fps no matter what
• Dedicated patches to old Switch games like Xenoblade, BotW, TotK, further reinvigorating sales and interest

Unlike the Switch 1, Switch 2 doesn't NEED a bombshell, completely mainstream game all by itself. I think Prime 4 can be that enthusiast game that's also picked up at launch. As long as the press cycle is dominated by positive Switch 2 news, I think launch year would be fine.

IMO, people overestimate the importance of a launch game.
If it was a completely new platforms with very little following, sure, launch games will make or break the system.

A platform that already has a well established following, BC could be enough for people to buy all available units for the first few months.
Long-time fans and enthusiasts are jumping on this day one. A relatively niche game that looks good, such as Demon's Souls or MP4, is the cherry on top.

I think big system sellers are important 3-6 months after the hardware launch, after enthusiasts bought the first batches and new stock is made available.

 

[NateDrake]

Their BC discussion is gonna go over well.

Why? No one on either side of the fence can make any definitive statement on the matter.

I hope Switch 2 isn't even compatible with Switch 2 games. No one would expect that.

 

[Lancelot]

Why wouldn’t Nintendo support the other 140 million Switch hardware out there longer than devs supported the ps4/one?

Why would the “biggest” Nintendo games not support the other 140 million Switch hardware out there longer than the “biggest” games have been supported on the ps4/one?



Absolutely.

There is no way the new Drake Switch sits alongside the OLED at $100 or less.

If there is one thing Nintendo is known to do is to put premium prices on their premium products because they like to maintain a sense of quality and value, rather than promote an expectation of devaluing.

If Drake is priced too close to OLED, they feel it will lead people to believe that the new hardware doesn’t offer that much more OR the OLED might be priced too high for what it is.

I say they have to have more than $100 difference.

Sure, the Lite was able to have a $100 difference, but it had the EXACT same insides as the model that was $100 more.




Ah yes, I remember all the Wii games that blew away anything I could have ever imagined playing on the GameCube!

And I remember all the Wii U games that blew away anything I could have ever imagined playing on the Wii!

And I remember all the Switch games that blew away anything I could have ever imagined playing on the Wii U!

...Huh? Two of those consoles were literally less than 2x as powerful for compatibility/form factor reasons, and the Wii U did blow away everything on the Wii. Are you arguing BOTW wasn't on another level entirely to Skyward Sword, or Xenoblade X not being a massive jump over the first title? Come on now, I'm joining people's side that you don't know what are you arguing about at this point.

 

[Cybergatuno]

Why? No one on either side of the fence and make any definitive statement on the matter.

I hope Switch 2 isn't even compatible with Switch 2 games. No one would expect that.

The ultimate gimmick.
No BC and it doesn't even play its own games.

They're gonna sell 200M units easy.

 

[Deleted member 887]

Why? No one on either side of the fence can make any definitive statement on the matter.

I hope Switch 2 isn't even compatible with Switch 2 games. No one would expect that.

They skip Switch 2, go straight to Switch 3, backwards compatible with Switch 2 games that haven't been released yet.

 

[KeijiKG]

Why? No one on either side of the fence can make any definitive statement on the matter.

I hope Switch 2 isn't even compatible with Switch 2 games. No one would expect that.

I mean some folks were practically wanting a performance split between 2 SKUs not unlike Series X and Series S in this topic, if I was reading the whole "TV-only unit" posts correctly.

 

[ILikeFeet]

The ultimate gimmick.
No BC and it doesn't even play its own games.

They're gonna sell 200M units easy.

Drake confirmed to be a cloud device

 

[chocolate_supra]

I hope Switch 2 isn't even compatible with Switch 2 games. No one would expect that.

Okay now this is something I wanna see the youtubers try and make a clickbait video out of

 

[Dizzle]

I don't know how the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, but the Switch 3 will have a feature where you can play Switch 2 games inside a VR environment.

 

[Cybergatuno]

They skip Switch 2, go straight to Switch 3, backwards compatible with Switch 2 games that haven't been released yet.

A system that doesn't come out will always be forwards compatible!

 

[Shoulder]

My personal thoughts on Prime 4 being a sufficient launch title:

I feel like the rules have slightly changed lately. Looking at the PS5, it launched with Astro's Playroom and Demon's Souls remake as the only "true next-gen" experiences. Everything else was cross-gen. What helped sell the PS5 (and Series X) was its backwards compatibility just making every single past game run better. The PS5 didn't need Miles Morales as the system seller, the launch hype of having enough cross-gen games and your old games just running better seems to be enough to drive sales that way. Meanwhile, the Switch launch was being driven by Breath of the Wild, a generation-defining video game all by itself, something we haven't seen since Wii Sports or Halo 1, then Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came following through, a game with even more broad appeal than Zelda.

Switch 2 can follow a similar footstep to the PS5 in this case, following off the successes of both Switch 1 and PS4 respectively. All your old games now run way better, and there are cross-gen games to enjoy on top of it (in this case, Prime 4). Then later on, very quickly after launch, you can launch another game that has broad appeal to supplement Prime 4.

Prime 4 would be the game to hook enthusiasts, the people who would have always bought a system day 1 anyway. That's the type of game I think Prime 4 would fulfill, in any case. Then during the launch, you'd get more buzz with enhanced backwards compatibility just making every game run better. Like, could you imagine the press cycle of things like:

• Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes now locks 60fps in split-screen even without a patch
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity now runs better at 30fps
• Bayonetta 3 locks 60fps no matter what
• Dedicated patches to old Switch games like Xenoblade, BotW, TotK, further reinvigorating sales and interest

Unlike the Switch 1, Switch 2 doesn't NEED a bombshell, completely mainstream game all by itself. I think Prime 4 can be that enthusiast game that's also picked up at launch. As long as the press cycle is dominated by positive Switch 2 news, I think launch year would be fine.

I’ve been thinking lately similar. We’re so hung…about what traditional next gen is, we haven’t stopped to think, “Why would they do what they’ve typically not done in the past?”

And I’d answer with, “Because…Nintendo.”

 

[Skittzo]

Switch 2 to only play Switch 0.5 games confirmed

 

[Dark Cloud]

I just want my N64 to play Switch 2 titles

 

[Andre3333456]

I am expecting a direct to show up in this week or a week after Pikmin 4 is out, but it will not be the reveal of the Switch 2.

 

[Derachi]

I just want my N64 to play Switch 2 titles

I bet the N64 will be able to play the Switch 2 title “Nintendo 64 Nintendo Switch Online” pretty well

 

[Josh5890]

I hope Switch 2 isn't even compatible with Switch 2 games. No one would expect that.

 

[Hermii]

Switch 2 to only play Switch 0.5 games confirmed

They're finally going to release games for project Indy.

 

[ngpdrew]

I bet the N64 will be able to play the Switch 2 title “Nintendo 64 Nintendo Switch Online” pretty well

Can you imagine the cost of buying all of those carts today? Nightmare material.

 

[Shoulder]

I mean some folks were practically wanting a performance split between 2 SKUs not unlike Series X and Series S in this topic, if I was reading the whole "TV-only unit" posts correctly.

What I find ironic about the whole thing is Series S, and Series X is more than simply downclocking the GPU/Ram speeds (CPU I believe is the same for both, correct?) like what the Switch currently does.

The Switch having two different power profiles for handheld vs. docked is I imagine much much easier for developers. Series S/X have not only different amounts of GPU Compute Units, but also different amounts of Ram and bandwidth, plus the CPU speeds are different too.

If I’m not mistaken, it’s an entirely different SoC.

But again, someone smarter than me can chime in to fill in any blanks.

 

[Supreme Overlord]

That would enter the console gaming scene

Potential romance options are gotcha.
So are outfits and small "quests."

I'm not really a fan of gatcha, and the whole thing could be done better without it if Nintendo really wanted to do this for some reason. Meet people through questing. Obtain materials and stuff through dungeon diving or whatever.

Cause they don’t care about the mobile market anymore now that the Switch is successful. The only reason they joined was due to investor pressure; while their strategy wasn’t really conducive on sustaining a foothold in the market.

There seemed to be a bit more reasoning, or at least justification, in the idea that it would be used as marketing to increase mindshare of Nintendo's IP and point to their console games, which I appreciate how that probably isn't quite what the investors had in mind. I'm not sure how effective this ended up being, but they're also expanding this effort in other ways (such as movies).

but I'd like a horror game made from scrapped elements of Majora's Mask. Or really just a very creepy game, maybe visual novel or something around the guy who sells masks.

I'm not so sure Nintendo would do a full-on horror game, but some of the unused concepts could be useful, and the unsettling vibe would be appreciated. Consider the unused stalfos invasion (which became... Them).

Nintendo doesn't seem terribly opposed to creepy concepts for Zelda on principle, given some concept for Breath of the Wild

Metroid Prime Hunters remaster/sequel for Switch + mobile please.

I figured if they ever wanted to return to that, the story mode could be revamped into something more akin to a Metroid structure and it could be released as Metroid: Hunters, which could have followups without complicating the naming schemes.

 

[Cybergatuno]

I am expecting a direct to show up in this week or a week after Pikmin 4 is out, but it will not be the reveal of the Switch 2.

Hmmm. Mid September is the earliest for a Direct, IMO, with a shadow-dropped port and a couple of minor surprises.

Considering the rest of 2023 is pretty much revealed, and Nintendo having to keep its cards close to the chest for obvious reasons, we may not even get another Direct this year.

 

[Deleted member 645]

Can someone update me on what has taken place in the last week or so? It seems like a lot of conversation in here. I feel like I’m missing stuff.

 

[Discostew]

I don't know how the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, but the Switch 3 will have a feature where you can play Switch 2 games inside a VR environment.

 

[Hermii]

What I find ironic about the whole thing is Series S, and Series X is more than simply downclocking the GPU/Ram speeds (CPU I believe is the same for both, correct?) like what the Switch currently does.

The Switch having two different power profiles for handheld vs. docked is I imagine much much easier for developers. Series S/X have not only different amounts of GPU Compute Units, but also different amounts of Ram and bandwidth, plus the CPU speeds are different too.

If I’m not mistaken, it’s an entirely different SoC.

But again, someone smarter than me can chime in to fill in any blanks.

The biggest (or maybe the only) problem of the Series S is ram (both quantity and bandwidth). The cpu is clocked slightly lower, but not enough to make a real difference. The storage is identical. The gpu is about a third as weak, but architecturally is identical (games scale extremely well across GPUs in the same generation). That leaves memory. Series S have 7,5gb usable for games vs 13,5 gb on series X. Way to large of a gap.

The Switch has the same amount of memory and the same cpu speed in both modes, that makes 1 mode not really hold back the other.

 

[Νεφέλωμα]

Will the Switch 2 have a headphone jack tho?

 

[ILikeFeet]

What I find ironic about the whole thing is Series S, and Series X is more than simply downclocking the GPU/Ram speeds (CPU I believe is the same for both, correct?) like what the Switch currently does.

The Switch having two different power profiles for handheld vs. docked is I imagine much much easier for developers. Series S/X have not only different amounts of GPU Compute Units, but also different amounts of Ram and bandwidth, plus the CPU speeds are different too.

If I’m not mistaken, it’s an entirely different SoC.

But again, someone smarter than me can chime in to fill in any blanks.

even the CPU of the Series S has a different clock speed. I think Microsoft wanted a docked/handheld-like split but they definitely didn't set up the Series S and Series X for that

 

[Shoulder]

Will the Switch 2 have a headphone jack tho?

Nintendo doesn’t have the “courage” to eliminate the headphone jack.

Now whether or not they’ll add one to the Pro Controller is another story.

 

[Shoulder]

even the CPU of the Series S has a different clock speed. I think Microsoft wanted a docked/handheld-like split but they definitely didn't set up the Series S and Series X for that

That is exactly what I just said.

 

[Supreme Overlord]

I'm just over here assuming the next Nintendo hardware will play everything except Switch-related software.

 

[YolkFolk]

Ah yes, I remember all the Wii games that blew away anything I could have ever imagined playing on the GameCube!

And I remember all the Wii U games that blew away anything I could have ever imagined playing on the Wii!

And I remember all the Switch games that blew away anything I could have ever imagined playing on the Wii U!

Only the Wii to Wii U was a generational jump in graphics tech from these instances. Now from that single instance look at:

- Skyward Sword to Breath of the Wild.

- Mario Kart Wii to Mario Kart 8.

- Xenoblade Chronicles to Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Switch to the next console will also be a full generational leap in graphics technology and we can expect significant improvements just as we saw in the 3 examples above.

 

[Hermii]

even the CPU of the Series S has a different clock speed. I think Microsoft wanted a docked/handheld-like split but they definitely didn't set up the Series S and Series X for that

0,2 ghz difference, nothing really.

 

[Lancelot]

Only the Wii to Wii U was a generational jump in graphics tech from these instances. Now from that single instance look at:

- Skyward Sword to Breath of the Wild.

- Mario Kart Wii to Mario Kart 8.

- Xenoblade Chronicles to Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Switch to the next console will also be a full generational leap in graphics technology and we can expect significant improvements just as we saw in the 3 examples above.

In that regard, I think a little comparison between these two jumps shouldn't do any harm. Wii U made Nintendo leave fixed shader pipelines and was roughly 15x faster in the GPU side with 2 GB of RAM, but dropped the ball in the CPU side with just three higher clocked Wii cores. T239 (Drake) is expected to be a 6x jump in the GPU side (not counting architecture efficiency) with 12 GB RAM, but the A78C are a LOT faster (and there's eight of them) while being slightly higher clocked as well.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

They should but ¯\(ツ)/¯
I don’t think they’ve ever really given a reason as to why

I've just always assumed it's because it makes a pretty meaningless number if $70 Tears of the Kingdom and $0.60 Henry the Hamster Handler have an equal impact. So they keep measuring the same kind of titles they did on all previous systems. Not a perfect system, definitely, since some of those premium titles also exist as digital-only now.

Nintendo doesn’t have the “courage” to eliminate the headphone jack.

Tell that to the GBASP.

 

[quelseydilla]

Will the Switch 2 have a headphone jack tho?

I hope so. There's a significant, distracting delay in bluetooth audio with my not cheap Sony headphones. I use the headphone jack on my Switch all the time.

 

[fsshariq]

I hope so. There's a significant, distracting delay in bluetooth audio with my not cheap Sony headphones. I use the headphone jack on my Switch all the time.

3.5mm audio output is a significant feature in all handheld gaming devices so I don't see it going away any time soon.

 

[Deleted member 887]

Can someone update me on what has taken place in the last week or so? It seems like a lot of conversation in here. I feel like I’m missing stuff.

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

I'm sorry to sneak in like that but this thread surely has been moving way faster than I could possibly watch closely, so may anyone of you lovely people summarize what made this bump? Any new rumors or something, or was the dev kit photo + dev kits in Spain the last information we got? Anything...

famiboards.com

 

[Νεφέλωμα]

I hope so. There's a significant, distracting delay in bluetooth audio with my not cheap Sony headphones. I use the headphone jack on my Switch all the time.

That moment when the new hardware nintendo reveals this year are wireless earbuds...

 

[quelseydilla]

That moment when the new hardware nintendo reveals this year are wireless earbuds...

Don't manifest that please

 

[Shoulder]

Tell that to the GBASP.

Well, shit. Nintendo was doing dongles long before Apple. As someone who still owns his GBASP, I am ashamed that I forgot about this.

 

[MetalLord]

Only the Wii to Wii U was a generational jump in graphics tech from these instances. Now from that single instance look at:

- Skyward Sword to Breath of the Wild.

- Mario Kart Wii to Mario Kart 8.

- Xenoblade Chronicles to Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Switch to the next console will also be a full generational leap in graphics technology and we can expect significant improvements just as we saw in the 3 examples above.

pikmin 3 to pikmin 4 its at the same level of jump as those

 

[Goodtwin]

Enough with the BC discussion let’s talk about how Nintendo can make Switch 2 FORWARD compatible!

It really depends on how difficult the situation has been to make Switch games run on Drake. If Nvidia was able to create the software solution fairly easily, then that is probably what they will do again in the future. Or they could decide to create a software layer similar to what Microsoft has done with Xbox. There would be some loss in performance due to code not running right on the metal, but that may be a worth while sacrifice if it eliminates backwards compatibility concerns going forward.

We also have to consider the idea that Nintendo may not be concerned about backwards compatibility beyond the previous generation. Nintendo has historically had its portable systems support the previous system, GBC supported GB games, GBA played GB/C games, DS played GBA games but not GB games, and then 3DS played DS games but not GBA games. Whatever Nintendo hardware follows Redacted, I wouldn't be confident that it will support Switch games. Maybe Switch 3 doesnt support Switch games, but at that point they move all their first party Switch games onto NSO through emulation.

0,2 ghz difference, nothing really.

Why is the reduction there though? It is a curious decision. It appears to me that Microsoft did it mostly so that the Series X had superior specs over the Series S in every way.

 

[Shoulder]

I have moved away from thinking 2023 was likely to unlikely, but still haven't completely written it off. Now that the second half lineup for this year is no longer empty, it seems like Nintendo is indeed still pushing forward with Switch. I am anxiously awaiting new hardware from Nintendo, there is no getting around that, but after the recent Nintendo Direct, I will still be engaged with my Switch for quite some time. Unlike many games over the past couple years that have been examples of the need for new more powerful hardware, the upcoming lineup includes many games that will shine just fine on Switch. Both Super Mario RPG and Super Mario Bros Wonder can be fully realized within the limitations of the Switch hardware, both games look great. I am very excited to finally get the Batman Trilogy on Switch. Arkham Knight may be somewhat compromised in its conversion to Switch, but Asylum and City should port over flawlessly, and after recently playing a little bit of Batman Origins on my Wii U gamepad which still looked rather nice despite its low grade 480p LCD display, I am anxious to play Asylum and City on my OLED. On top of the new releases, I have a back catalog on my Switch that has gotten ridiculous, I have around a dozen games that I have little to no playtime yet, probably good for 200+ hours of gaming. On top of all this I am fully expecting a September Direct that adds even more titles to the mix. Perhaps the long rumored F-Zero GX will finally come to fruition.

Yeah. Between Mario RPG, and Wonder Mario, those look exciting.

And same with Batman Arkham Trilogy as we’ve discussed before. If the price is right, I may pick it up. But even still, I feel similar with that “limit” of about 200+ hrs of gaming. It’s a little bit higher than that, but compared to the folks who play say 1000-2000 hrs, even well into their adult lives, I wonder if their own lives are doing alright.

2000hrs is nearly 5 1/2hrs/day for one year of gaming, which even in my youth don’t think I did that. 2000hrs is damn close to a full time job at that point assuming 8hrs/day 5 days/week.

 

[Smile]

So if a hardware reveal IS this week (there won't be) what day should we be looking at? I know Fami anniversary is on friday(?) but idk if that really effects much.