• Hey everyone, staff have documented a list of banned content and subject matter that we feel are not consistent with site values, and don't make sense to host discussion of on Famiboards. This list (and the relevant reasoning per item) is viewable here.
  • Do you have audio editing experience and want to help out with the Famiboards Discussion Club Podcast? If so, we're looking for help and would love to have you on the team! Just let us know in the Podcast Thread if you are interested!

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

Reader mode
ShadowFox08 said:
I want to revisit this. Although it seems like the next step, and something I would want, I don't think 1080p is 100% confirmed just yet. We can say the same about a 90Hz screen.

I want to bring up an interesting scenario. Let's just say we can't have our cake and eat it, too, meaning we can't have 1080p + 90hz at launch. We can only have one or the other. So I want to ask you and everyone else: Would you rather have an 800p screen with 90Hz, or a 1080p screen at 60Hz? What do you think is better for developers and gamers in the long run?
Click to expand...
1080p60.

I think that we're gonna be in the same boat as we are now - a plurality, if not outright majority of games don't hit native res on the handheld mode, barring some specific DLSS magic that makes it effectively "free". But those same class of games aren't going to be pushing past 45fps either. It doesn't really open up new options.

But on the lower end, I think 1080p is more beneficial to games that can hit those targets than odd frame rates that will only be supported in handheld. I think more games would be in a position to say "we've got a little extra headroom, let's push for more res" than "let's totally rework our frame limiter to support and extra few FPS in handheld." A few extra frames, of course, causing instability in a way that a few extra pixels doesn't.

Besides, the higher pixel density will tend to make subnative games look better.

That said, if you replaced "90hz" with "VRR" I might change my mind. I've been a long defender of 720p as a good screen size, especially if it's 7inches or lower, but I think VRR is a real winner.
 
I did not know that Miyamoto's hardware design philosophy was to keep developing the independence of home console from the TV. And it makes sense. The Switch really is the perfection of that philosophy: a console that can be enjoyed on the TV, but can easily be picked-up and played portably.

Hell, even the controller, the Joycon, sorta has independence from the console itself.
 
Hey guys. so I got a bit of a random question this time. it has nothing to do with the switch 2, but since there are a lot of people here who are well familiar with Nintendo Hardware.. figured I'd ask. :)

So the GameCube from what I understand, didn't have programmable shaders, but it did have its own fixed function shaders which they called TEVs. We know that the Wii isn't really that far different from the gamecube. My understanding was that the GPU For the wii had increased clocks, but absolutely no other additional feature upgrades. However, I was browsing some old forums and game articles, and I saw some mentions of the TVs supposedly being doubled on the wii. To be clear I never saw any official confirmation for any of this stuff, but I did hear this alleged doubling of the TEVs a couple of times over the years, and so I was wondering if there was ever any actual merit to these claims.

Because if so, I would actually think that might make some sense. Because it would at least partly explain the massive difference between the graphics of Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. The latter does a lot of stuff that seems far beyond virtually anything that sunshine had going for it. Though to be clear, I'm well aware that the difference could also be explained by the fact that both Sunshine and Galaxy are designed differently, and because of those specific design quirks, Galaxy had an easier time performing certain effects and looking better than Sunshine did. But even then, sometimes I do Wonder if there was some kind of Secret Sauce inside the Wii that helped achieve those results. And the doubling of the TEVs would make me think is a much better explanation, than simply overclocking the GPU by 50%.
 
kingman said:
Hey guys. so I got a bit of a random question this time. it has nothing to do with the switch 2, but since there are a lot of people here who are well familiar with Nintendo Hardware.. figured I'd ask. :)

So the GameCube from what I understand, didn't have programmable shaders, but it did have its own fixed function shaders which they called TEVs. We know that the Wii isn't really that far different from the gamecube. My understanding was that the GPU For the wii had increased clocks, but absolutely no other additional feature upgrades. However, I was browsing some old forums and game articles, and I saw some mentions of the TVs supposedly being doubled on the wii. To be clear I never saw any official confirmation for any of this stuff, but I did hear this alleged doubling of the TEVs a couple of times over the years, and so I was wondering if there was ever any actual merit to these claims.

Because if so, I would actually think that might make some sense. Because it would at least partly explain the massive difference between the graphics of Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. The latter does a lot of stuff that seems far beyond virtually anything that sunshine had going for it. Though to be clear, I'm well aware that the difference could also be explained by the fact that both Sunshine and Galaxy are designed differently, and because of those specific design quirks, Galaxy had an easier time performing certain effects and looking better than Sunshine did. But even then, sometimes I do Wonder if there was some kind of Secret Sauce inside the Wii that helped achieve those results. And the doubling of the TEVs would make me think is a much better explanation, than simply overclocking the GPU by 50%.
Click to expand...
yeah but the gamecube can do this
IMG-6594
 
kingman said:
So the GameCube from what I understand, didn't have programmable shaders, but it did have its own fixed function shaders which they called TEVs. We know that the Wii isn't really that far different from the gamecube. My understanding was that the GPU For the wii had increased clocks, but absolutely no other additional feature upgrades. However, I was browsing some old forums and game articles, and I saw some mentions of the TVs supposedly being doubled on the wii. To be clear I never saw any official confirmation for any of this stuff, but I did hear this alleged doubling of the TEVs a couple of times over the years, and so I was wondering if there was ever any actual merit to these claims.
Click to expand...
To my knowledge, no one (who wasn't involved) knows. But the homebrew community seems to treat it as the same, aside from clockspeeds. The number of textures and texture passes seems to be the same, so I'd bet it's the same number.

I imagine the improved visuals come from 1) developers getting accustomed to the hardware, at a time when each graphics architecture was wildly different than the one before and 2) the huge jump in RAM
 
Concernt said:
I feel I have somewhat betrayed my own evocation of the end to the hating on fun and the beginning of an era of silly. For this I must make penance.

On this matter, what are some 'silly' features you really want to see?

Customisable background music that dynamically changes as you navigate the UI?

A "Random software title" button?

Two circle pads per Joy-Con?

For me, it's retroactive multiplayer for Switch 1 games as part of NSO. Like how NSO adds online to classic games, Next Gen NSO should allow us to play online with any Switch (1) software title by leveraging the additional memory and CPU resources to synchronise the game state over the internet! A little nutty, maybe, but I'd absolutely make use of it! Snipperclips comes to mind.
Click to expand...
Have that one Wii channel exclusive to Japan that you could order food from. Maybe partner with GrubHub or UberEats to allow for deliveries and curbside. It's entirely superfluous with the existence of smartphones, but it would be very funny.
 
I have a question: what prevents Nintendo from using more power on Switch 2?

20/25w seems reasonable in docked mode if the device is bigger this time. With a bigger battery due to a larger body, they could even increase power consumption a little in portable mode to decrease the gap between modes, no? Those new PC handhelds prove even higher power draw can be cooled effectively. 15w portably for the whole system (including Wi-Fi, screen...) seems reasonable, considering the Steam Deck OLED can get okayish battery life, and that's while using 15w for the SoC alone. According to Google, v1 Switch used at most 9 watts undocked for the whole system. Seemingly, there's quite a bit of room to increase power consumption this time if the device is bigger without really impacting battery life.

Also, if they're really using 8nm that's possibly what they're doing.

I also wonder what kinds of clocks/Teraflops we could get with higher power draw...
 
Last edited:
oldpuck said:
To my knowledge, no one (who wasn't involved) knows. But the homebrew community seems to treat it as the same, aside from clockspeeds. The number of textures and texture passes seems to be the same, so I'd bet it's the same number.
Click to expand...

Okay, yeah that's what I figured. Otherwise, I would assume such a thing would be more widespread knowledge.

oldpuck said:
I imagine the improved visuals come from 1) developers getting accustomed to the hardware, at a time when each graphics architecture was wildly different than the one before and 2) the huge jump in RAM
Click to expand...

Right, those are good points too, especially the RAM. Overall RAM amount doubled, but I hear the 16 MB of the GC's ARAM was incredibly slow. So replacing that with 64 MB of GDDR3 RAM may have been probably the biggest substantial improvement from GC > Wii.
 
Raploz said:
I have a question: what prevents Nintendo from using more power on Switch 2?

20/25w seems reasonable in docked mode if the device is bigger this time. With a bigger battery due to a larger body, they could even increase power consumption a little in portable mode to decrease the gap between modes, no? Those new PC handhelds prove even higher power draw can be cooled effectively. 15w portably for the whole system (including Wi-Fi, screen...) seems reasonable, considering the Steam Deck OLED can get okayish battery life, and that's while using 15w for the SoC alone. According to Google, v1 Switch used at most 9 watts undocked for the whole system. Seemingly, there's quite a bit of room to increase power consumption this time if the device is bigger without really impacting battery life.

Also, if they're really using 8nm that's possibly what they're doing.

I also wonder what kinds of clocks/Teraflops we could get with higher power draw...
Click to expand...
If you only want 2 hours of battery life.
 
Suswave said:
this is not a question I should ask on this thread but it always bothers me so

who the fuck are all these people with giant TVs? where do they put them?

they sell a ton so they must exist but I literally do not understand

my 40-something tv is absolutely massive for my needs and takes up so much space. I don’t think a bigger tv would even fit in my apartment
Click to expand...
I have a 55" and it's honestly overkill and way bigger than I expected
 
Raploz said:
I have a question: what prevents Nintendo from using more power on Switch 2?

20/25w seems reasonable in docked mode if the device is bigger this time. With a bigger battery due to a larger body, they could even increase power consumption a little in portable mode to decrease the gap between modes, no? Those new PC handhelds prove even higher power draw can be cooled effectively. 15w portably for the whole system (including Wi-Fi, screen...) seems reasonable, considering the Steam Deck OLED can get okayish battery life, and that's while using 15w for the SoC alone. According to Google, v1 Switch used at most 9 watts undocked for the whole system. Seemingly, there's quite a bit of room to increase power consumption this time if the device is bigger without really impacting battery life.

Also, if they're really using 8nm that's possibly what they're doing.

I also wonder what kinds of clocks/Teraflops we could get with higher power draw...
Click to expand...
Nintendo's desire for lower weight and longer battery life
 
Raploz said:
I have a question: what prevents Nintendo from using more power on Switch 2?

20/25w seems reasonable in docked mode if the device is bigger this time. With a bigger battery due to a larger body, they could even increase power consumption a little in portable mode to decrease the gap between modes, no? Those new PC handhelds prove even higher power draw can be cooled effectively. 15w portably for the whole system (including Wi-Fi, screen...) seems reasonable, considering the Steam Deck OLED can get okayish battery life, and that's while using 15w for the SoC alone. According to Google, v1 Switch used at most 9 watts undocked for the whole system. Seemingly, there's quite a bit of room to increase power consumption this time if the device is bigger without really impacting battery life.

Also, if they're really using 8nm that's possibly what they're doing.

I also wonder what kinds of clocks/Teraflops we could get with higher power draw...
Click to expand...

If it has 3h of battery life for the most demanding games (just like the OG switch) I'll be happy with it. And if it indeed has an ~8" screen, then it's already going to be bigger than people initially thought (which I'll love if true). Some time ago I suggested the possibility of a 15w handheld (just like I also did for an 8" screen before the rumor), so I'm definitely not going to be surprised if it happens.
 
Raploz said:
I have a question: what prevents Nintendo from using more power on Switch 2?

20/25w seems reasonable in docked mode if the device is bigger this time. With a bigger battery due to a larger body, they could even increase power consumption a little in portable mode to decrease the gap between modes, no? Those new PC handhelds prove even higher power draw can be cooled effectively. 15w portably for the whole system (including Wi-Fi, screen...) seems reasonable, considering the Steam Deck OLED can get okayish battery life, and that's while using 15w for the SoC alone. According to Google, v1 Switch used at most 9 watts undocked for the whole system. Seemingly, there's quite a bit of room to increase power consumption this time if the device is bigger without really impacting battery life.

Also, if they're really using 8nm that's possibly what they're doing.

I also wonder what kinds of clocks/Teraflops we could get with higher power draw...
Click to expand...
They‘ll try to find the balance between performance and battery life, which is difficult to estimate for us since we don’t know the battery capacity, thermals, node, screen, RAM (5 or 5X)…
 
Suswave said:
this is not a question I should ask on this thread but it always bothers me so

who the fuck are all these people with giant TVs? where do they put them?

they sell a ton so they must exist but I literally do not understand

my 40-something tv is absolutely massive for my needs and takes up so much space. I don’t think a bigger tv would even fit in my apartment
Click to expand...
My cats dropped my 49" tv so I got me a 65". It seemed too much initally but I'm getting used to it. I always wanted a big one to be close to cinematic experience. FYI I stand about 2.5m away from the tv, my living room is kind of spacious.
 


This source is very reliable. Pro controller compatibility, new joycons that attach magnetically. The console is slightly larger than the current one, but without surpassing the deck. The backwards compatibility status of the original joycons is unknown (although due to the new type of connection, they are not on portable mode).
 
Last edited:
Dunno if i can believe that (at least going by shitty Chrome auto-translate).

Having the new Joy-Cons connect to the console simply by a magnet mechanism, without anything to lock them to the console like the rails on Switch 1 did, sounds extremely prone for failure, especially in the hands of kids.
 
Ojoloco said:


This source is very reliable. Pro controller compatibility, new joycons that attach magnetically. The console is slightly larger than the current one, but without surpassing the deck. The backwards compatibility status of the original joycons is unknown (although due to the new type of connection, they are not on portable mode).
Click to expand...

"Accessory manufacturers who have been able to "touch" Nintendo's new console: the company has reportedly allowed them to put their hands inside an opaque box so that they can understand its dimensions and design without compromising the secrecy that surrounds any new video game hardware."

Nintendo:

13493124-b784-465b-94ea-f5040095ade2_text.gif
 
Cheppito said:
"Accessory manufacturers who have been able to "touch" Nintendo's new console: the company has reportedly allowed them to put their hands inside an opaque box so that they can understand its dimensions and design without compromising the secrecy that surrounds any new video game hardware."

Nintendo:

13493124-b784-465b-94ea-f5040095ade2_text.gif
Click to expand...
Gad Damn!
I love how Nintendo operates lol
 
Bonejack said:
Dunno if i can believe that (at least going by shitty Chrome auto-translate).

Having the new Joy-Cons connect to the console simply by a magnet mechanism, without anything to lock them to the console like the rails on Switch 1 did, sounds extremely prone for failure, especially in the hands of kids.
Click to expand...
What about electro magnets?

If Nintendo bet their console on it, they have to have figured out how to make it durable.
 
Furukawa al Gaib.

dune-stilgar.gif

Hermii said:
What about electro magnets?

If Nintendo bet their console on it, they have to have figured out how to make it durable.
Click to expand...

I mean, i'm no expert for magnets, magnetic connections and all this stuff, but i just feel that "regular" magnets aren't strong enough to hold controllers to a system without any additional locking method, and if there are magnets, that enable such a strong connection that even a wild child playing very actively won't break the controllers off the console, those might be somewhat expensive.

Plus there's always the thought that a strong magnetism could affect other wireless connections or the systems other innards?
 
I really like how Nintendo would go
"let's see: people didn't like the joycons. The size, the unreliable stick, bad connection, and how they make the whole product flimsy. How could we improve ?"

LET'S MAKE IT FLMSIER
 
Cheppito said:
"Accessory manufacturers who have been able to "touch" Nintendo's new console: the company has reportedly allowed them to put their hands inside an opaque box so that they can understand its dimensions and design without compromising the secrecy that surrounds any new video game hardware."

Nintendo:

13493124-b784-465b-94ea-f5040095ade2_text.gif
Click to expand...
Fyi this is very common for manufacturers in China It's to prevent clones of happening, look at all those retro handhelds they all look similar dont they. They probably have a design spec of the system on paper but like I said they cant physically show it yet due to cloning concern.
 
There’s gotta be more at play if this magnet thing is true. Like why change the rails? They work fine and from what I hear improved in the Oled. Maybe they are planning some other funky attachments and a magnetic attachment would be best catch all connection for a variety of controllers.
 
Suswave said:
this is not a question I should ask on this thread but it always bothers me so

who the fuck are all these people with giant TVs? where do they put them?

they sell a ton so they must exist but I literally do not understand

my 40-something tv is absolutely massive for my needs and takes up so much space. I don’t think a bigger tv would even fit in my apartment
Click to expand...

I have a pretty big open space in my basement and this 77” fills the area nicely. I can’t wait for an updated switch where third party games look good on this thing. Fortunately, most first party Nintendo games look fantastic on it
ao0T0m1_d.webp
 
AxkilAvenger said:
There’s gotta be more at play if this magnet thing is true. Like why change the rails? They work fine and from what I hear improved in the Oled. Maybe they are planning some other funky attachments and a magnetic attachment would be best catch all connection for a variety of controllers.
Click to expand...
Nintendo can add the stupidest mode in all of history if the magnet thing is possible and just removes the rails. And 3DS and DS for NSO would be possible on portable mode if they do it like that.
images
 
AxkilAvenger said:
There’s gotta be more at play if this magnet thing is true. Like why change the rails? They work fine and from what I hear improved in the Oled. Maybe they are planning some other funky attachments and a magnetic attachment would be best catch all connection for a variety of controllers.
Click to expand...
I didn't try the Oled, and yea they work ok but they are wobbly.
 
Hermii said:
I didn't try the Oled, and yea they work ok but they are wobbly.
Click to expand...

Depending on the Joy-Cons, so are the OLED rails. (For clarification: On my Launch OLED, the white Joy-Cons that came with it are a bit wobbly, the Zelda-themed ones are firm and not wobbly)

Still, even wobbly, the controllers are tightly locked to the system, removing them any other way but sliding out means you either damaged the controllers, the rails on the system ... or both. So you could say they're failsafe.

I still can't think of a magnetic connection that is even somewhat failsafe like this.

There must be a way to physically lock them after attaching them. Anything else just screams "Class action lawsuit".
 
Last edited:
Seems legit

Also Vandal is mentioning an early 2025 release date and that the hardware is ready but that they want a stronger software launch line up
 
Reading a bit into the topic, so there are magnets that can be electrically "charged / started" via ... a button for example, and they do appear to have a very strong connection power, so maybe that could be enough for attaching the Joy-Cons.

But then i gotta ask myself how does that impact the system's battery? That's basically another constant drain as long as you have the controllers attached.

Not to forget, that even on Switch 1, the system keeps the Joy-Cons powered-up when they're attached, so that means a constant double-drain with such electric magnets.
 
I’m leaning towards Switch 2 being called NIntendo Connect with the advertising being along the lines of

Connect to your TV
Connect extra devices (I could see 2 consoles connecting together using the magnetic rail.)
Connect with your friends
 
For those curious, there’s an android handheld on the market now that has the exact same style of magnetic joycons and it works pretty well:




I’ve had a pimax before and it works just fine, even lacks the “wobble” you get from the usual joycon rails. There’s more videos on YouTube of how it works and you can see people holding the entire handheld with just one side and it’s relatively easy to detach as well.
 
Bonejack said:
Reading a bit into the topic, so there are magnets that can be electrically "charged / started" via ... a button for example, and they do appear to have a very strong connection power, so maybe that could be enough for attaching the Joy-Cons.

But then i gotta ask myself how does that impact the system's battery? That's basically another constant drain as long as you have the controllers attached.

Not to forget, that even on Switch 1, the system keeps the Joy-Cons powered-up when they're attached, so that means a constant double-drain with such electric magnets.
Click to expand...
Then there’s a higher possibility of 4TSMC for the switch 2.
 
Ojoloco said:


This source is very reliable. Pro controller compatibility, new joycons that attach magnetically. The console is slightly larger than the current one, but without surpassing the deck. The backwards compatibility status of the original joycons is unknown (although due to the new type of connection, they are not on portable mode).
Click to expand...

The console is slightly larger than the current one, but without surpassing the deck
Click to expand...
This mean is 100% TSMC 4N not Samsung 8nm, with Samsung 8nm we will have SD size
 
Cheppito said:
Was OreXda proven to be a non-reliable source? Take a look at this:

Click to expand...

I’m curious with how early 2025 release mean, like we might see it launch in January or 3rd of march.

Also a shard display makes sense, because weren’t they the one doing the switch display at the beginning of the switch life.
 
FancyFluker said:
Who is vandal?
Click to expand...
It’s a Spanish website that talks about gaming news.

Like I think when it comes to manufacturing they are quite reliable, since they were pretty spot on with the switch Oled.
Vandal's reporting on the Switch OLED was spot on
Here’s some guy on Reddit mentioning it
They reported in May of 2021:

• ⁠larger OLED screen thanks to thinner bezels (true)
• ⁠new Surface-style stand (true)
• ⁠new dock with USB 3.0 ports and ethernet port (true)
• ⁠launch in late november (1 month off)
vandal.elespanol.com

Nuevos detalles exclusivos de Switch Pro: pantalla, tamaño, dock, llegada a Europa...

Os traemos en exclusiva información inédita hasta ahora de la nueva Switch, con detalles como su nuevo dock, que tendrá algunas novedades, y cómo será la pantalla y el cuerpo de la consola.
vandal.elespanol.com vandal.elespanol.com
 
Reader mode
You must log in or register to reply here.
Please read this staff post before posting.

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


Back
Top Bottom