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

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Bonejack said:
I don't think they would drop three big hitters of that scale within 3 months, especially when two of them (in whatever combination you like) will easily carry ReDraketed over the holidays together with that "new tech toy" feeling.
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But what if they did though

jk
 
As "safe" as September seems to some people, I've yet to see any counter to the argument posed here and in an individual thread, that investors are buying in, and in, and in, based on intel or the expectation of a reveal soon and a launch soon after. This remains quite compelling to me, and indeed, Nintendo's stock behaviour as of late is unusual. It is however precedented; as pointed out this behaviour was around prior to previous hardware reveals.

As it stands I still believe a reveal is sooner than later - much sooner than March, as March is my expectation for a presentation post-reveal.

Next week or early February are both possibilities; next week gives them time between Another Code and a possible early February Nintendo Direct, while the two games slated after it, DK and Peach, are not titles that appeal to the same demographic as a new console, broadly speaking, with the exception of hardcore fans, myself for instance, who will likely buy Peach regardless of the hardware situation. Early February means pleasing investors, if they want to do that, and publicly traded companies tend to like to do that. Reveal it, tell their investors stop worrying, and the "Twitter Direct" continues through February, so they can promote their Switch titles without taking eyes off their next system.

Do I think either of these are strictly more likely than March? I'm not sure about that at all, but I do think, based on what we know, they are real possibilities.

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eye0h said:


just predictions but hey maybe there's a chance lil bro well respected 'heavy hitter' journalist knows something
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I'm more or less predicting the exact same thing. (But full system reveal in march and then software blowout in June)

Throw in a cross gen WindWaker/Twilight Princess HD, Fire Emblem Remake, and Metroid Prime 4 on the eve of the system releasing.

Just imagine what that sales are going to look like in the Holiday season when you've got Pokemon, Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart, Metroid, and Fire Emblem all on the shelf. That's not even counting whatever third party stuff they have ready, and possibly even throw in some Nintendo Selects for Switch 1 titles for folks to pick up on the side

It's bout to be craaazzzyyyy
 
Concernt said:
As "safe" as September seems to some people, I've yet to see any counter to the argument posed here and in an individual thread, that investors are buying in, and in, and in, based on intel or the expectation of a reveal soon and a launch soon after. This remains quite compelling to me, and indeed, Nintendo's stock behaviour as of late is unusual. It is however precedented; as pointed out this behaviour was around prior to previous hardware reveals.

As it stands I still believe a reveal is sooner than later - much sooner than March, as March is my expectation for a presentation post-reveal.

Next week or early February are both possibilities; next week gives them time between Another Code and a possible early February Nintendo Direct, while the two games slated after it, DK and Peach, are not titles that appeal to the same demographic as a new console, broadly speaking, with the exception of hardcore fans, myself for instance, who will likely buy Peach regardless of the hardware situation. Early February means pleasing investors, if they want to do that, and publicly traded companies tend to like to do that. Reveal it, tell their investors stop worrying, and the "Twitter Direct" continues through February, so they can promote their Switch titles without taking eyes off their next system.

Do I think either of these are strictly more likely than March? I'm not sure about that at all, but I do think, based on what we know, they are real possibilities.

* Hidden text: cannot be quoted. *
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I really want to believe this and evidence so far points to a May launch still but the continuing lack of anything from Nintendo is starting to worry me.
 
Concernt said:
...but that can as easily describe "the CPU is ten times more capable" as it does "full spacial tracking controllers".

I think the gimmick discussion has had its well poisoned. Primarily by Nintendo themselves, where they've put gimmicks above performance or even good games in the past, and yes, there is some sentiment among Nintendo fans that gimmicks are bad because of it.

I don't think this thread is inherently hostile to the idea of gimmicks, but I think most regulars want to see it fit with the picture of the hardware we've gathered so far. Things outside of that are rejected not off-handedly but because from what we know they seem unlikely. For me I think I skew even more anti-gimmick than this, not because I dislike them, I don't, but because I believe many suggestions are painfully impractical, a front facing camera on the console for motion controls for instance. A necessarily thicker bezel and having to reorganise the TV setup so it can see me? Forcing millions to reorganise their TV setups for some games? It doesn't fit with what we know, and it is impractical, so it is rejected.

"Gimmicks", enhancements that don't interfere with the core concept and usability, are usually taken quite well here. Scrolling shoulder buttons have been discussed to death, alternatives posed, problems raised. More IR Motion Cameras for better motion controls, touch surfaces, moving SR and SL, these are entertained here, they're possible, and possibly practical. Sensor bars, personally, I argue against, being antiquated, inconvenient and incompatible with the hybrid concept (Vs additional IR Motion Cameras, which can still be used for better tracking in handheld mode.).

Nintendo Switch's core appeal is not interefered with by its many gimmicks, I would expect them to continue that trend, any enhancements will simply not get in the way. Nor should they.
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Yeah I also think „gimmicks“ shouldn’t interfere with the core concept, but outside of the Wii and Wii U they practically never did. And there really isn‘t anything new to discuss so the thread cycles around the same old topics for months.
 
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thegodsend said:
I'm generally curious if people rather want a beefed-up Switch or some new innovation. After 7 years I'd personally a bit let down if it's just the same with more horsepower and a few refinements.
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I don't care if Nintendo releases their next console in the format of toilet with built in bidet-based-haptics. If the reveal announcement has three games I want to play, then I'll get it. If it doesn't I won't.

Nintendo doesn't need innovation in the form-factor to give me innovative gameplay experiences. But Nintendo has significantly changed some aspect of every system they've released. Even the GBA at least got more buttons. And they've only blown it twice.

fantomena said:
Im sorta suprised how seemingly obsessed this thread is with the Steam Deck.
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You're surprised by how much the technology thread on the Nintendo Switch is obsessed with the most technologically advanced handheld on the market?

note: I didn't say "most powerful" I said "most technologically advanced." We'll see what the MSI Claw brings.

fantomena said:
The Steam Deck is as of right now not any threat to Nintendo, but some posts here reads like it is.
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Speaking for myself, I don't care much about The Continued Existence of my Favorite Megacorp in the knockoff William Gibson Cyber-Capitalist Untopia we have made for ourselves.

But broadly speaking, the Steam Deck as of right now might not be a "threat" to Nintendo, but this is the tech speculation thread. I think portable PCs pretty obviously disrupt the market, blurring the line between consoles and PCs in terms of form factor and experience, after decades of the consoles blurring the line in terms of technology.

There is a (small!) class of folks for whom the Switch was appealing because it was a handheld that could play big games, and who were more interested in that than Nintendo exclusives. They would double dip on games they owned on Playstation for the ability to play handheld, they port-begged, they pushed cross-platform cloud saves. They've been very useful for the health of the platform, and when the Switch launched it was the only product on the market that could do that. Now those folks have options.

That's interesting, and worth discussing.
 
Meelow said:
Idk what do I know?
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1571777919355
 
eye0h said:


just predictions but hey maybe there's a chance lil bro well respected 'heavy hitter' journalist knows something
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I feel really weird agreeing with him after the whole "no more big games" take last year, but that is almost exactly what I'd guess if asked.
 
I don't understand the point of a "tease." The initial reveal is going to be a full reveal. Maybe they leave some non-hardware details like price to a later drop? Seems like a prediction that just gets stated with no real thought behind it.
 
yes release a new 3D Mario & Mario Kart within 1 month of eachother when either game will carry the system for Mario content for a number of months. much as i'd love to see it that seems very unlikely.
 
yup a tease is pointless if the point is to get ahead of hardware leaks when it hits mass production, they need to show the system and the system is nothing without games so they'd need to show some games too. only difference being a more in-depth look slightly later down the line.

what i would like to see is Nintendo playing into the hype and teasing the initial reveal when the date draws closer. maybe a glimpse of the controller or something relatively minor. tease it and then deliver, people would be going nuts.
 
thegodsend said:
I'm generally curious if people rather want a beefed-up Switch or some new innovation. After 7 years I'd personally a bit let down if it's just the same with more horsepower and a few refinements.
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I'd entertain a 'new innovation' if someone could brainstorm some interesting ideas. All the non-controller ideas I've heard are VR / AR / adding more screens / reverse Wii U. The former two the Switch has already done in some fashion and don't require overhauling the entire form factor, the latter two sounding cumbersome and a regression from the delightful simple Switch. I gleefully welcome additional input, sensor, and OS enhancements, however. Enhancements that do not exist in the current device, and therefore the Switch 2 would not just be a 'beefed up current Switch'.

It's not like the Switch came out of thin air. It felt like a logical progression from earlier ideas like the Super Game Boy, GCN/GBA link connectivity, and off-TV play. People predicted and hoped for that day where the entire console could be 'in the gamepad'.

I haven't heard any convincing ideas of replacing the hybrid concept. I find it an inherently appealing idea that will only grow more appealing as mobile chips advance. They can 'Ship of Theseus' the Switch and redesign the joy-con and tablet (the latter already done with the OLED), pack more features into each. The Switch itself is a synthesis of Nintendo's past ideas and a future-proofed modular concept that can accommodate a number of play styles. To me, future innovations would be centered on how far they can stretch this concept. There is a chance that Nintendo releases a dedicated VR device, but I would expect that to be a third-pillar to the Switch or an accessory (one less cardboardy than LABO).
 
TheMindOfThomas said:
Words can't describe how much I hate the fact that innovation has become frowned upon just because people like you were annoyed by people enjoying Wii Sports.
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??? Did you read what I posted or did you just jump the gun? I never said i was annoyed by people enjoying wii sports. I have switch sports myself and Labo.

All I said was this:
  1. They are
  2. NOT
  3. making the
  4. Gimmicks
  5. MANDATORY
That's it. Most of their games will be normal games you can play and they will have the special gimmick game every once in a while.
 
Dakhil said:
As I've said before, I personally expect Nintendo to continue releasing gimmicks in the form of separate hardware accessories (e.g. Nintendo Labo, Ring-Con, Nintendo Switch Leg Strap, etc.) for Nintendo's new hardware.
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That what was pretty much I was saying.
 
Competition is good even if they arent real competitors in the strict sense of the word, if other handhelds succeed this is beneficial to Nintendo and thus to all consumers. And vice versa of course.
 
RennanNT said:
Actually, Turing is the non-standard one. They tried to make dedicated hardware for INT operations, which let the GPU reach max flops all the time, but they didn't find it used enough to be worth the silicon after trying it out and reverted to the standard with Ampere.

In depth explanation, by Thraktor:

famiboards.com

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

REAL FLOPS AND FAKE FLOPS STOP COUNTING FLOPS FLOPS means Floating Point Operations Per Second. Floating point basically means "fractions." In graphics fractions are common. The other thing about graphics is you're often performing the same operation with that fraction over and over again. See...
famiboards.com famiboards.com
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Yes yes, you are right
 
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oldpuck said:
Speaking for myself, I don't care much about The Continued Existence of my Favorite Megacorp in the knockoff William Gibson Cyber-Capitalist Untopia we have made for ourselves.

But broadly speaking, the Steam Deck as of right now might not be a "threat" to Nintendo, but this is the tech speculation thread. I think portable PCs pretty obviously disrupt the market, blurring the line between consoles and PCs in terms of form factor and experience, after decades of the consoles blurring the line in terms of technology.

There is a (small!) class of folks for whom the Switch was appealing because it was a handheld that could play big games, and who were more interested in that than Nintendo exclusives. They would double dip on games they owned on Playstation for the ability to play handheld, they port-begged, they pushed cross-platform cloud saves. They've been very useful for the health of the platform, and when the Switch launched it was the only product on the market that could do that. Now those folks have options.

That's interesting, and worth discussing.
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I see the handheld PC being a benefit to hybrid console like the Switch instead. The Switch is weaker than handheld PC now because it has been 7 years since released. With Nintendo's economy of scale, custom parts, specific optimization, and benefiting from every sales on their platform, every Nintendo hardware release will be the best power for the price in term of hardware at the time of release. So for the first few years, if you want power at a good price, you will go with Nintendo. It's a similar situation with Sony/Microsoft console being powerful for their price on release. PC with stronger hardware at the time are much more expensive and the same will apply to handheld PC compared to hybrid console.

And if handheld PC becomes a desirable target for games, the power disparity is close enough that a port can be easily done. This will help the console receive more ports in general and also less compromised. If anything, a rise in handheld PC will negatively affect stationary console more if gamers find that they are satisfied with the power handheld gaming can provide.
 
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Maybe the "tease" will be similar to how the og Switch was revealed. They release a trailer showcasing the basics and general idea of the next console and then do a full on presentation later. We'll get some extra details from groups like Digital Foundry before the full blow out.
 
Andre3333456 said:
Why Mario Kart Switch 2 for 2025, it can be easily be released in December 2024 as a holiday title.
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I think MK9 would make a Brilliant game for early 2025 (let's say February) to continue the software momentum after a 2024 with a big Mario game at launch in September, a big Pokémon cross-gen game in November and one or two smaller games (potentially also cross-gen, e.g. Fire Emblem remake and something else) along with a few high-profile patches for games like TOTK and Xenoblade 2 or 3. Having a steady stream of heavy hitters throughout 2025 strikes as an important goal for building momentum, so I don't think they will overly crowd the first 3-4 months by putting 3D Mario, Pokémon and Mario Kart in there.

But that is just one man's opinion 😀
 
The tease in this case would be the supercut of their various commercials they’ll run once they are closer to the release of Redacted. Chris’ timeline is pretty similar to one I’m thinking of:
  1. Show off the latest device in a teaser
  2. Probably have a dedicated Direct detailing price, accessories, & other bits
  3. Go into FY25 meeting w/the new device to talk about
  4. Use the June Direct to flesh out the schedule further
  5. Use the months between July-Sept to go on various shows, interviews, & the like
  6. Release in September
This would be if they want to mirror how they did Switch. I doubt any tease would be to get ahead of leaks nor do I really think they’ll show/talk anything before March. Anything shown off in Feb can be incorporated into whatever event they have for Redacted &/or in June/Sept Direct. I doubt they’ll just reveal the code name because that’s just useless at this point.
As for MK10, there is little reason to release for CY24 holiday. The game can survive outside that window & would be better used during a slow period for gaming. CY25 Summer would be for the best as it would allow Nintendo to have a generational evergreen hit; keeping momentum after the holidays while going into the new one. Frankly the game doesn’t really need the holidays to sell so being outside that is better.
 
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PatrykPrime said:
Maybe the "tease" will be similar to how the og Switch was revealed. They release a trailer showcasing the basics and general idea of the next console and then do a full on presentation later. We'll get some extra details from groups like Digital Foundry before the full blow out.
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That's a reveal though. A tease would be the Mario curtain tweet. But they can't do that and say "discover Switch 2 in 3 months at 5 pm EST."
 
Concernt said:
As "safe" as September seems to some people, I've yet to see any counter to the argument posed here and in an individual thread, that investors are buying in, and in, and in, based on intel or the expectation of a reveal soon and a launch soon after. This remains quite compelling to me, and indeed, Nintendo's stock behaviour as of late is unusual. It is however precedented; as pointed out this behaviour was around prior to previous hardware reveals.

As it stands I still believe a reveal is sooner than later - much sooner than March, as March is my expectation for a presentation post-reveal.

Next week or early February are both possibilities; next week gives them time between Another Code and a possible early February Nintendo Direct, while the two games slated after it, DK and Peach, are not titles that appeal to the same demographic as a new console, broadly speaking, with the exception of hardcore fans, myself for instance, who will likely buy Peach regardless of the hardware situation. Early February means pleasing investors, if they want to do that, and publicly traded companies tend to like to do that. Reveal it, tell their investors stop worrying, and the "Twitter Direct" continues through February, so they can promote their Switch titles without taking eyes off their next system.

Do I think either of these are strictly more likely than March? I'm not sure about that at all, but I do think, based on what we know, they are real possibilities.

* Hidden text: cannot be quoted. *
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I think most people believe that if the Switch 2 would reveal and release soon we would have heard more chatter and leaks about it. Now its dead silence which means most people think it will release end of the year instead of soon.
 
YolkFolk said:
Gaming fandom law -

A new idea shall only be considered a gimmick if said new idea is implemented by Nintendo.

———

I remember when people who had Playstations thought the N64’s analogue stick was a gimmick - “That stupid little joystick” was genuinely a comment I heard more than once.
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Just look at haptic feedback / HD rumble. PS fans considered it a gimmick and now they're paying 10 bucks for it to be updated into a game lmao
Hermii said:
The dual sense is not generally seen as a gimmick. If Nintendo had done it, you can be sure it would have.
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Exactly this. Gyro aiming is still seen as such, albeit by less people now, just because it was Splatoon that popularized it and made it more mainstream imo.
 
Concernt said:
I don't believe that tracks at all, you don't need to sacrifice one to serve the other, with the exception of a D-Pad vs. individual buttons (Which to be honest, I've started to prefer the buttons.)

A rear grip is still a grip when it is sideways, and an offset wouldn't radically change the ergonomics of sideways Joy-Con.

In fact, I think they could improve them!

By off-setting the face buttons and sticks, you could provide a more comfortable layout in standard, two Joy-Con play- it's a long way from the bottom of a Joy-Con (R) to the Control Stick. Off-set it down and to the left, and that's less cramped in both handheld and sideways Joy-Con play.

A grip is a grip in any orientation, and it's not hard to imagine how they could design the grips so that it forms a standard grip for the palm in handheld mode, and then that palm grip becomes left grip in sideways Joy-Con mode, with the trigger encasement becoming the grip for the other hand. Depending on the size and design, you could also move SR and SL from the rail to the grip(s), allowing them to be larger and more comfortable in sideways Joy-Con play, while being accessible in handheld mode and a hypothetical new Joy-Con Grip sans wings.

Joy-Con's identity really is "have your cake and eat it too", and adding grips and additional features can do that. Nintendo's engineers are smart, and as @Serif kindly pointed out, there already exist third party Joy-Con alternatives with a grip (albeit without an offset) that are adequately comfortable when sideways.
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I'll admit that a decent grip could work sideways if it's more vertical à la Wii Remote or Steam Deck.

I don't think an offset layout would be very comfortable to use sideways, though.

ETlg7Z4.png


Imagine having to reach up and over with your thumb to use the stick here. You mentioned off-setting it down as well, but the distance between the buttons and sticks on the current Joycons is already comparable to that on a full-size controller. Pull it down further and switching between the two in handheld mode becomes increasingly cumbersome, especially for people with smaller hands.

I still believe that a better approach would be to make two different sets of Joycons:
  • Standard next-gen Joycons. Slim and sleek with better build quality and Hall effect sticks. Compact, does not look intimidating for more casual players, works well when used sideways and looks elegant in promotional material. Basically a much better version of the current Joycons.
  • Pro Joycons. A higher-end model that completely disregards looks and versatility for the sake of comfort in handheld mode and when using split Joycons. Aimed primarily at more advanced, enthusiast players.
 
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Hosermess said:
That's a reveal though. A tease would be the Mario curtain tweet. But they can't do that and say "discover Switch 2 in 3 months at 5 pm EST."
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I guess it depends on how you think "tease" is being used. The reason I gave my idea for it is that yes the original Switch was revealed but we did not know everything about it at that point. They gave us a taste of what it is and we learned all of the missing details later on. I'm guessing that is what a supposed tease will be but it is just a guess.
 
I don't expect anything major for a potential Pokémon cross-gen game personally. Maybe resolution and framerate but that's it.

Sidenote: do we know what this year's games are? Are they Black and White remakes?
 
ezidro3 said:
I don't expect anything major for a potential Pokémon cross-gen game personally. Maybe resolution and framerate but that's it.

Sidenote: do we know what this year's games are? Are they Black and White remakes?
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Seems to be a bit of both Unova and Johto. But we don't know if one will be outsourced like Brilliant Diamond/Shining Peal was, or Gamefreak split up more teams to make both in House.
 
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PatrykPrime said:
Maybe the "tease" will be similar to how the og Switch was revealed. They release a trailer showcasing the basics and general idea of the next console and then do a full on presentation later. We'll get some extra details from groups like Digital Foundry before the full blow out.
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The October reveal wasn't a "tease." But in any case, I don't believe the Switch's pattern will be repeated.

With Switch, Nintendo revealed the hardware proposition and showed a few games without confirming what those games were. Then they explicitly said they wouldn't talk about the system again until a presentation scheduled for January, and did not show or mention it again, except for letting Jimmy Fallon play BotW on it in December, until then.

This time, I think it's certain that Nintendo will reveal the hardware, confirm some games, open up a website with additional info, release more than one product photo, and so on, all at the initial announcement.
 
Koren Lesthe said:
Complaining about gimmicks is a gimmick.
So stop doing it, you gimmicky gimmicks.

And play GIMMICK on the NES or GIMMICK Special Edition on the Switch !
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People should play Elemental Gimmick Gear (EGG) on the Dreamcast. Best Gimmick game out there. Absolutely underrated
 
Serif said:
I'd entertain a 'new innovation' if someone could brainstorm some interesting ideas. All the non-controller ideas I've heard are VR / AR / adding more screens / reverse Wii U.
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I wouldn't have been able to brainstorm motion controls, any of the variations of a second screen, cartless-multiplayer, streetpass, naked-eye 3D, rumble, shoulder buttons, the cross D-pad, thumbsticks.

Things I could have easily brainstormed - every element of the GameCube.

"There was an era when Nintendo was going in the direction of doing the same things other companies did. The more we competed with new companies entering the market, the more we started acting similar to them." - Shigeru Miyamoto, on the GameCube era.

Analysis is something that a loosely organized fan community is very good at. Synthesis is something that we are, collectively, very poor at. Turning random bits and pieces of technology into a compelling experience requires vision, usually in cooperation between the hardware and software development.

I'll be honest, when the Switch's combination of features - cartridges, hybrid, detachable controllers - started to leak out, I could not see the forest for the trees. I couldn't put the package together into something I would want. Because what I want are games, and what matters more than whether the abstract feature set is compelling, is whether or not Nintendo is creatively jazzed by the package they're putting together.

Dolby Atmos(tm) is a checklist feature for enthusiasts. A game with no visuals, played entirely by 3D audio and haptics is a wild-ass idea that has no substance. Metroid Prime 5 with a "sonic visor," implemented by tiny speakers in the Joy-Cons? Well, that's a game.

The sort of innovation we're talking about when "gimmicks" come up is going to come around because, while the hardware team is doing their experiments, someone comes up with a cool game idea. And then another team comes up with a different game idea. And then around the third game idea someone says "this might be something." And then hardware figures out they can deliver it with X dollars a unit. Then Koizumi and Aonuma get in a room, and ask each other "can you see this in the next Mario" and the other one says "well, can you see it in the next Zelda" and they both say yes, and now it's in the hardware.

Or that doesn't happen and it isn't.

Whether or not we think it's a "gimmick" will depend on Nintendo's marketing. Remember three months of raging about how Nintendo should have cut HD Rumble from Joy-Cons and given us a sub $250 unit - totally misunderstanding both the technology, and Nintendo's intent with it? Now it's just the de-facto standard in haptics, nothing special at all.

Maybe a fun exercise, in fact: Let's stop talking about technology, and start talking about game experiences you want to have with Nintendo franchises that don't seem possible with a normal console. That includes things like "interactive Mario Kart theme park ride."

Accumulate enough of these wild things, maybe that will open up some ideas for technological avenues that can unify some of those experiences. Take my Metroid Example Above. I want that scary sensation of playing hide and seek in a completely black building at night, going by hearing and the movement of the air, and I want it with plasma cannons.
 
Speaking of Ring Fit: my bet is that Ring Fit 2 will be a 2025, 1st year of Switch 2 title. The Switch has shown that titles like RF and Switch Sports still have a huge audience without suddenly making the userbase a non-hardcore gaming one.
 
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