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

[ReddDreadtheLead]

Are we expecting a fairly quick announcement to release timeline? Both Ps5 and Xbox SX were announced an about a year from release so if Nintendo were in line with those we should be getting close. Historically Nintendo has announced next generation code names pretty far in advanced but I do not think they will go this route this time, as the Switch has far more late gen momentum then any prior Nintendo hardware.

Part of the reason switch has good momentum compared to previous is that they haven’t announced it “early”

 

[Raccoon]

This thread is getting dangerously close to software speculation again...

for anyone interested in the issue of topic designation on the site, I highly recommend that you come and participate in the site feedback discussion on the topic. we need the viewpoints of as many different types of users and sub-communities as we can get

https://famiboards.com/threads/site-feedback-and-suggestions.39/page-36

 

[Lancelot]

I think they are getting more serious. Heck they got voice acted flowers in a 2d mario game. Which is only 2 weeks away! Stoked.

Now that you mention it... You're right, lol. Hyped for that game, too.

 

[Neoxon]

Ok, time to pivot back to hardware.

At least we know based on those findings that things are starting to ramp up with regards to production. Although I guess we can’t make any definitive conclusions as to when the Switch 2 will drop, especially with some holes being poked into the ones that would more solidly point towards the first half of next year.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Just as a side note: My previous comment doesn't hint that they are failing or will fail. Trendy things explode in popularity then blow up and revert back to normalcy. Tradition is what is constant, less risky (This attribute is huge in the business world), and proven. I see Sony losing their identity as demand slows and development cost soars forcing them to pivot. GaaS seems to be thought of as a safe haven but it isn't. Ask Square Enix and EA.

I think once the common folk have to start thinking about their money due to economic climate shifting, You'll see GaaS games take another hit.

This seems like a lot of words without much evidence or meaning.

 

[ReddDreadtheLead]

Late, but the idea that Splatoon 4 will have

1. Massive changes for the franchise
2. Will have a three year dev cycle despite four other EPD titles having clear priority over it (3D Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing) and the clear struggle to release that the Splatoon 3 DLC is going through.

Yeah, no.

lmao, we have the person working inside Nintendo y’all, we caught them.

 

[Lancelot]

Just as a side note: My previous comment doesn't hint that they are failing or will fail. Trendy things explode in popularity then blow up and revert back to normalcy. Tradition is what is constant, less risky (This attribute is huge in the business world), and proven. I see Sony losing their identity as demand slows and development cost soars forcing them to pivot. GaaS seems to be thought of as a safe haven but it isn't. Ask Square Enix and EA.

I think once the common folk have to start thinking about their money due to economic climate shifting, You'll see GaaS games take another hit.

I mean... Everything is trendy by definition, that's how marketing works. Sony has been doing this for an entire decade and their games have actually seen more success every single time, it's hard to deny they got a loyal market figured out by now. Nintendo has actually got more of a "trendy" history, considering New Horizons benefitted heavily from COVID and lockdowns, as well as failed/underperformed consoles because they couldn't figure out the zeitgeist to propel them across audiences.

 

[Deleted member 887]

We know they were there but only in the business meeting area. I’d find it strange to demonstrate the product only at Gamescom, but then again I’m not sure what happens in the business area of TGS. Sounds like a similar case on paper.

No idea what it was like, but it would be ballsy to talk to press in Nintendo’s backyard.

 

[karmitt]

No idea what it was like, but it would be ballsy to talk to press in Nintendo’s backyard.

Imagining the whole of TGS just brimming with undercover Nintendo goons listening for leaks.

 

[Shareholder Chad]

This seems like a lot of words without much evidence or meaning.

Great post. I will be more than happy to explain and/or provide evidence to anyone who doesn't just go around posting low effort critical rebuttals to other posts.

I mean... Everything is trendy by definition, that's how marketing works. Sony has been doing this for an entire decade and their games have actually seen more success every single time, it's hard to deny they got a loyal market figured out by now. Nintendo has actually got more of a "trendy" history, considering New Horizons benefitted heavily from COVID and lockdowns, as well as failed/underperformed consoles because they couldn't figure out the zeitgeist to propel them across audiences.

Trendy has always had a loose definition. For the context that I refer to, Its something that became very popular very fast and is relatively new. Things that become real outliers and help define the zeitgeist (love that word, Kudos to you) of that particular generation. Not everything fits that bill. Elden Ring, fortnite, Last of us, etc. all are generational games imo. New horizons doesn't really apply to what I'm talking about because of the reasons you said. It was about timing, I do try to exclude those.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

lmao, we have the person working inside Nintendo y’all, we caught them.

Saying something really basic and non-controversial like “games take five years to make” and “50 is larger than 12” end up getting some interesting responses when the conclusions are vaguely negative.

 

[KeijiKG]

That's what happens when you have two very similar things where the fundamental difference is literally down to how it's talked about. People merge the two and then the lines become unrecognisable. It sucks, but it's my mistake for not realising how similar the two have been viewed in recent years.

So when your U-trap or faucet is letting out water where it's not intended to have water escape, should we just call it a "rumor" then?

 

[ReddDreadtheLead]

Saying something really basic and non-controversial like “games take five years to make” and “50 is larger than 12” end up getting some interesting responses when the conclusions are vaguely negative.

Dude, that’s not what you do lmao.

 

[ILikeFeet]

Saying something really basic and non-controversial like “games take five years to make” and “50 is larger than 12” end up getting some interesting responses when the conclusions are vaguely negative.

you are not a victim, bro

 

[Skittzo]

Ok, time to pivot back to hardware.

At least we know based on those findings that things are starting to ramp up with regards to production. Although I guess we can’t make any definitive conclusions as to when the Switch 2 will drop, especially with some holes being poked into the ones that would more solidly point towards the first half of next year.

All these findings really prove is that T239 does exist and is still being prepped for a product launch. It doesn't tell us when mass production is happening or when a launch is planned.

 

[D36]

Outside of already being on PS4, all of this already applies to Hi Fi Rush which… Did not release on Switch.

Yet.......

 

[Meelow]

Are we expecting a fairly quick announcement to release timeline? Both Ps5 and Xbox SX were announced a about a year from release so if Nintendo were in line with those we should be getting close. Historically Nintendo has announced next generation code names pretty far in advanced but I do not think they will go this route this time, as the Switch has far more late gen momentum then any prior Nintendo hardware.

It's going to be the same as Switch: 5-6 months before release.

Even though we want it. Nintendo has no reason to announce the Switch 2 around a year before launch. If it releases H1 then it will be announced this month or November. If it releases H2 it won't get announced until Marchish.

 

[lemonfresh]

 

[Lancelot]

Great post. I will be more than happy to explain and/or provide evidence to anyone who doesn't just go around posting low effort critical rebuttals to other posts.



Trendy has always had a loose definition. For the context that I refer to, Its something that became very popular very fast and is relatively new. Things that become real outliers and help define the zeitgeist (love that word, Kudos to you) of that particular generation. Not everything fits that bill. Elden Ring, fortnite, Last of us, etc. all are generational games imo. New horizons doesn't really apply to what I'm talking about because of the reasons you said. It was about timing, I do try to exclude those.

Yep, I agree with your definition on that matter. I do think their style has had plenty of genre-defining games at this point, Spidey 2 will almost certainly bring an historical sales milestone to them. It's something they just got down to an science by now and to really, really fail, they'd need to stop making them altogether. We know they're coming regardless and most likely will be covered in accolades by release, the pivot to GaaS does give off a suspicious vibe but as Jimbo himself said... They only need one or two to succeed, as long that's not a lie this whole pivot is inherently short lived and only meant to fund more of their narrative adventures.

 

[My Tulpa]

also what i expected, that Nintendo would suport Switch for 2/3 more years, when the trasistion the 130+ milion user base to it next console

Longer than that.

Nintendo will continue to release their major titles on the 140 million Switch’s out there for longer than Sony released their big titles on the ps4.

The engagement by the Switch userbase on the current models is going to be greater and last longer than compared to the ps4.

Not sure why people keep expecting otherwise.

Doesn’t really matter what 3rd party publishers decide to focus on or not.

 

[DecoReturns]

I’m holding Nintendo to the standards of today, which they largely aren’t measuring up to. The fact that their best English voice production was over a decade ago says a lot. Only Three Houses & Xenoblade 3 came even remotely close since.

Fire Emblem Echoes always forgotten.

Arguably better than Three Houses and Xenoblade 3’s voice acting as well.

 

[Neoxon]

All these findings really prove is that T239 does exist and is still being prepped for a product launch. It doesn't tell us when mass production is happening or when a launch is planned.

So we’re in agreement.

 

[Skittzo]

So we’re in agreement.

Yeah, though I forgot to put in that post that none of the info we learned is new. It just reinforces what we already know, which is nice to have, but doesn't give us any real new information.

 

[Goodtwin]

have you considered that the side order delays could be because of 4?

How do we even know that the entire Splatoon 3 team is involved with the DLC? I feel pretty confident that the entire Splatoon 3 team has not been working on the DLC for the past year.

Saying something really basic and non-controversial like “games take five years to make” and “50 is larger than 12” end up getting some interesting responses when the conclusions are vaguely negative.

We are on Splatoon 3 and the original came out in 2015 and the third came out in 2022. Splatoon has not been on a five year dev cycle, not even a three year cycle.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Just as a side note: My previous comment doesn't hint that they are failing or will fail. Trendy things explode in popularity then blow up and revert back to normalcy. Tradition is what is constant, less risky (This attribute is huge in the business world), and proven. I see Sony losing their identity as demand slows and development cost soars forcing them to pivot. GaaS seems to be thought of as a safe haven but it isn't. Ask Square Enix and EA.

I think once the common folk have to start thinking about their money due to economic climate shifting, You'll see GaaS games take another hit.

Sure, I’ll go point by point.

1. What does “due to the economic climate shifting” even mean here? Outside of the UK (Brexit) and Japan (Bank of Japan sticking to low rates), people in wealthy nations have gone from negative real wage growth with high employment in 2021 and 2022 to positive wage growth and still high employment in 2023. Genuinely not sure what you’re trying to gesture at?

2. “As development costs soar” …They already have for Sony and it’s fine? Horizon and TLOU2 cost around $400m to make and both worked out well for Sony.

3. “As demand slows” Why will it slow exactly?

4. “Blah blah tradition” I don’t know if praising tradition to praise Nintendo makes much sense considering how they have pivoted in terms of their software development and hardware

5. “GaaS is thought of as a safe haven” no it’s seen as extremely high risk and high reward. Every GaaS game is likely to fail but some will make $5B. Xbox has failed so badly over the last decade that Sony can quit making system selling games for their system to try to spend their time hunting Fortnite money.

 

[darthdiablo]

All these findings really prove is that T239 does exist and is still being prepped for a product launch. It doesn't tell us when mass production is happening or when a launch is planned.

Yup. I've gotten bored of searching for stuff on those websites. I tried every thing imaginable too. Amiibos, kiosk stuff (like maybe for Gamescomm business area), software (games), major partners (EA, Capcom, Square, etc), LCD displays from Sharp, all dead ends, I'm done for now.

The only things that I would consider remotely interesting:

• "Functional test PCAs", which has HSN code for electrical equipment, those came with T239 label, is associated to Nvidia, went to India.
• "Carpa X1 development kits", also having T239 labels. HSN code for video games. According to others, it fits the T239 timeline and those are potentially the devkits. (IMHO, this is the most interesting one on this list)
• Less interesting than the above two: an "adaptor pedestal" with "T239" in text shipped to India. Text also mentioned "22mm-23mm" something. HSN code for electrical equipment.

Nothing else I've seen seem worth following up on. There's the big speaker shipments that p4blo found that I also can browse, but those go back to 2019, which I feel is probably for Switch 1.

That's why I shared the website links couples of times. To see if folks here want to try a hand at it. For now I think the interesting stuff has dried up on that front (searching the shipment data aggregator sites).

Yeah, though I forgot to put in that post that none of the info we learned is new. It just reinforces what we already know, which is nice to have, but doesn't give us any real new information.

I think LiC/Oldpuck thought a bit differently (as in a couple of interesting tidbits came up), adding a small piece or two for the puzzle of the T239 timeline.

But yeah, I guess it does mostly corroborate what is already known about T239 timeline. "Carpa X1" moniker was not known (other than mentioned in an article almost a year ago). The dates they were shipped were not known as well until now (even if those are just for RMA or sent back for defect analysis). We can (better) narrow down the earliest existence of T239 chips.

 

[Raccoon]

How do we even know that the entire Splatoon 3 team is involved with the DLC? I feel pretty confident that the entire Splatoon 3 team has not been working on the DLC for the past year.

exactly!

 

[My Tulpa]

A powerful system is a blessing and a curse specifically for Nintendo. We're probably going to see a few releases where Nintendo teams are being assigned a lower-risk project just so they can get accustomed to the powerful hardware.

That being said, we've got the blessing to this. Oh my god, when they make a big project that fully uses the hardware, we're probably gonna be in for some games that are the best of the decade. I genuinely cannot wait.

That’s the good thing about this new Switch model’s power being DLSS based.

It allows Nintendo to appease Nintendo gamers looking for modern hardware to output Nintendo Switch with current graphics/performance you see in contemporary gaming devices…while not ignoring the large Switch userbase who won’t care that much about it for years and years.

It’s better to expect that their BIG NINTENDO SWITCH games over the next 5 years aren’t going to be any bigger or more grand or more epic than TotK…doesn’t need to be.

They continue to make their AAA like they have been the last 6 years and use the power of the new DLSS/RT hardware to have a version that is 4k/60fps with light ray tracing and 2023 rtx pc gamers enjoy.

Just like they proved when they showed developers behind closed doors what BotW looked and ran like on the new hardware.

They can still make huge GOtY epic games like TotK and have them look like it just released in 2023 and running on an RTX 4090…yet still release a version of the base game on the Lite and OLEd models. Like they did TotK and BotW.

So they can absolutely take their time with this new hardware and not be expected to divert development focus between different hardware and be expected to focus entirely on pedal to the metal “next gen” game design. (Like the growing pains of pivoting to HD development with the launch of Wii U)

 

[Raccoon]

It’s better to expect that their BIG NINTENDO SWITCH games over the next 5 years aren’t going to be any bigger or more grand or more epic than TotK…doesn’t need to be.

...

They can still make huge GOtY epic games like TotK and have them look like it just released in 2023 and running on an RTX 4090…yet still release a version of the base game on the Lite and OLEd models. Like they did TotK and BotW.

I'm really not sold on the plausibility of this mindset. Per Furukawa:

“In order to create a single piece of hardware, we have to do a lot of preparation several years in advance, so we are working without stopping. In the end, the deciding factor in whether or not to commercialize a product is whether it can create a new experience.”

Nintendo’s president says Switch’s successor will ‘need to offer a new experience’ | VGC

Furukawa says the company is “constantly researching technology”…

www.videogameschronicle.com

It may be by way of new sensors, new output, or similar, but I find it unlikely that Nintendo will attempt to sell yet another device that just does what your current one does.

 

[ILikeFeet]

ok, so that Dragons Watch Qualcomm demo wasn't actually running on mobile, it was running on PC. weird

but it's irrelevant since we got the Dragon Alley demo, which IS running on an 8Gen2 (though we don't know if it's a phone or a dev board, which have considerable differences in cooling/throttling). we got a lot out of that in regards to optimization, just not as far as settings go. we know the resolution and power consumption the Artifact demo was running at

 

[mjayer]

We already know, regardless of how chunky it is I believe. After 2 TFLOPS on handheld mode, you start getting into diminishing returns no matter what you do. On docked, it's pointless to go past 4 TFLOPS for the same reason, the CPU could be pushed past 2.6hz but... It barely moves the needle beyond that point, too.

And we know this how? What do you base this on? I’d like to see this looked at closely by someone who knows this stuff. I think you can look at any similar 40xx card and possibly extrapolate something, to make educated guesses? And if not, why not? What would you look at as a guide to make an educated guess?

I want that deep dive.

 

[frog]

I'm really not sold on the plausibility of this mindset. Per Furukawa:

Nintendo’s president says Switch’s successor will ‘need to offer a new experience’ | VGC

Furukawa says the company is “constantly researching technology”…

www.videogameschronicle.com

It may be by way of new sensors, new output, or similar, but I find it unlikely that Nintendo will attempt to sell yet another device that just does what your current one does.

it's so over if there is no gimmick dude

my Nintendo dead...

 

[Raccoon]

it's so over if there is no gimmick dude

my Nintendo dead...

for real

the other day in my dms a highly intelligent nindo enjoyer whose opinions I respect very casually and matter-of-factly said "I don't think they're cooking any controller gimmick" and I almost fucking threw up

 

[Lancelot]

And we know this how? What do you base this on? I’d like to see this looked at closely by someone who knows this stuff. I think you can look at any similar 40xx card and possibly extrapolate something, to make educated guesses? And if not, why not? What would you look at as a guide to make an educated guess?

I want that deep dive.

Oldpuck can help you with that. He's the one giving the most realistic and honest baselines for the T239, but what he basically said is that this is a mobile chip limited by memory bandwidth and you can't simply get real performance gains by improving clocks after a certain point because the teraflops become ineffective in the real world... Aka, diminishing returns. When handheld, Nintendo isn't going to ruin battery life with the excuse of fulfilling a certain threshold, and 2 TFLOPS happen to be the soft spot before diminishing returns start hitting the chip hard, as well as a linear reduction on battery life that might not be worth it.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

for real

the other day in my dms a highly intelligent nindo enjoyer whose opinions I respect very casually and matter-of-factly said "I don't think they're cooking any controller gimmick" and I almost fucking threw up

The issue for Nintendo moving forward in general is that all of their gimmicks have to be usable in handheld and console mode (extremely hard to do).

The issue in the short term is that there hasn’t been interesting input tech developed in the last ten years for them to adapt to gaming.

 

[carbvan]

for real

the other day in my dms a highly intelligent nindo enjoyer whose opinions I respect very casually and matter-of-factly said "I don't think they're cooking any controller gimmick" and I almost fucking threw up

Shoulder wheels! I wonder when we will find out about the big gimmick this generation though, the Switch's gimmick was known for like 6 to 9 months before it was actually revealed right? If we're getting news by March we might hear stuff soon then?

 

[FernandoRocker]

Longer than that.

Nintendo will continue to release their major titles on the 140 million Switch’s out there for longer than Sony released their big titles on the ps4.

The engagement by the Switch userbase on the current models is going to be greater and last longer than compared to the ps4.

Not sure why people keep expecting otherwise.

Doesn’t really matter what 3rd party publishers decide to focus on or not.

One of the reasons why I want Nintendo to continue supporting the current Switch is for petty fanboy reasons...

I just want Nintendo to hold the (meaningless) title of having the best selling system of all time.

I know it's meaningless, pointless, and only annoying fanboys care about that, but I have been in message boards since the late 90s (I'm 39), and for decades (literally) I have had to stand the relatively unsuccessful (sales wise) Nintendo consoles and the annoying comments of other persons making fun of that.

I haven't seen this kind of success from Nintendo in a long time. The only consoles similar to the current Switch output (in my opinion) are the SNES and DS, and the Switch is absolutely the culmination of every Nintendo experiment. Can it be better? Sure. But the Switch deserves all the success.

Plus, I think it would be a good marketing point.

 

[D36]

I can't think of what else Nintendo can do Redrakted NG's controls that can work for dock, handheld, and tabletop modes that aren't just advancements to what's already there. Is haptic feedback feasible on something like the Joy-Cons?

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

If I had to bet on a controller gimmick, I would say the computer vision job posting may mean they are doing a new Kinect, but I would still bet against that as almost no dev would use it and it would add $20-80 in production costs.

A Kinect in 2024 would be incredibly accurate compared to when the tech was last seen so it would be kind of interesting, but probably not interesting enough to be worth the cost.

 

[ILikeFeet]

And we know this how? What do you base this on? I’d like to see this looked at closely by someone who knows this stuff. I think you can look at any similar 40xx card and possibly extrapolate something, to make educated guesses? And if not, why not? What would you look at as a guide to make an educated guess?

I want that deep dive.

one problem is that there aren't any lovelace cards that are small enough. the smallest lovelace gpu has 2560 and a 96-bit memory bus. in some videos, I'm finding, it's clocked at 2.5GHz

it's very high clocked and has almost double the core count as Drake, so it's difficult to extrapolate because no one is attempting to scale it down. Digital Foundry is scaling a 2050, which is the closest proper analog, but on 8nm. unless Nvidia releases an even more cutdown Lovelace card, we can't really make any comparisons

 

[FernandoRocker]

I can't think of what else Nintendo can do Redrakted NG's controls that can work for dock, handheld, and tabletop modes that aren't just advancements to what's already there. Is haptic feedback feasible on something like the Joy-Cons?

Probably not going to happen, but the Nintendo patent with the magnetic smart fluid joysticks sound great.

 

[Meelow]

It is really funny going on Era and seeing people's reactions to the "rumoured" price of $399 and $449; everyone is like "Yeah, that's what I expect! Day 1!"

Huge difference between Switch when $299 meant "DOA"

 

[Raccoon]

I can't think of what else Nintendo can do Redrakted NG's controls that can work for dock, handheld, and tabletop modes that aren't just advancements to what's already there. Is haptic feedback feasible on something like the Joy-Cons?

I'm all-in on a fourth mode: VR/viewfinder mode. A Google Cardboard-esque lens visor that flips over the screen in handheld mode to be held up to the face as-is, with the controls on the system used as well as gyro as your head, and therefore the system, moves.

This would be used in short bursts as a supplement to standard handheld/tabletop/docked play. Imagine a new Rusty's Real Deal Baseball in which entering the 4DS involves entering this VR mode. It'd be incredible.

Obviously not everyone can use stereoscopic 3D gameplay, so it would have to be limited to certain well-marked software or bonus content. I hope Nintendo has learned some accessibility lessons from the waggle era.

 

[carbvan]

I can't think of what else Nintendo can do Redrakted NG's controls that can work for dock, handheld, and tabletop modes that aren't just advancements to what's already there. Is haptic feedback feasible on something like the Joy-Cons?

I think the gimmick really depends on what Nintendo classifies as new. A big deal and a new gimmick for Nintendo would be easily integrated voice chat. Y'know, headphone jack in the joycons and pro controller, but that's not really new for anyone except Nintendo. I do think the most probable truly new things that we know of are either the shoulder wheels or the haptic joysticks.

 

[karmitt]

I can't think of what else Nintendo can do Redrakted NG's controls that can work for dock, handheld, and tabletop modes that aren't just advancements to what's already there. Is haptic feedback feasible on something like the Joy-Cons?

I’d assumed they’d fatten up the joycons, maybe a bit more rounded backs/half-pipe or cylindrical in shape, and who knows what they can cram into all that extra space.

 

[NintenDuvo]

Im not fully caught up yet and was so hyped about P4blo findings but seems like they were debunked true or false?

 

[ILikeFeet]

Im not fully caught up yet and was so hyped about P4blo findings but seems like they were debunked true or false?

they were about the Switch, not Drake

 

[Raccoon]

Im not fully caught up yet and was so hyped about P4blo findings but seems like they were debunked true or false?

like a lot of H1 evidence the facts were there but the conclusions were presumptuous

 

[Spyder]

There is a certain kind of disappointment that comes with non-answers like that. Is a paragraph that hard?

Yeah

 

[carbvan]

Im not fully caught up yet and was so hyped about P4blo findings but seems like they were debunked true or false?

They were true, and they definitely mean things are moving. However, with the lack of comparisons to what was moving and when before the Switch was announced, we can't really draw deeper conclusions other than "something's happening eventually".