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

BTW, the following was posted on Baidu, a Chinese forum, on July 7. What do you think?

Let me talk about the intelligence I know (source of information Yantai xx Kang)

There is no oled version of the lite, and the Lite and battery versions are retained as low-end lines, presumably until the NS is retired.

The new machine is an enhanced version, not a replacement. The panels and product lines of Oled are directly used, and only the chips are upgraded.

The assembly line of oled was only replaced with a new "enhanced version" in May. It took half a year to produce and distribute goods, and it was too late to launch this year.

In the first half of this year, two Oled version limited machines were produced to clear the stock of old chips. One has now been announced.
within expectations. there's nothing really out of the ordinary to really discuss
 
BTW, the following was posted on Baidu, a Chinese forum, on July 7. What do you think?

Let me talk about the intelligence I know (source of information Yantai xx Kang)

There is no oled version of the lite, and the Lite and battery versions are retained as low-end lines, presumably until the NS is retired.

The new machine is an enhanced version, not a replacement. The panels and product lines of Oled are directly used, and only the chips are upgraded.

The assembly line of oled was only replaced with a new "enhanced version" in May. It took half a year to produce and distribute goods, and it was too late to launch this year.

In the first half of this year, two Oled version limited machines were produced to clear the stock of old chips. One has now been announced.
It's not clear why they'd want to be clearing stock of "old chips" if the other two models are still being produced.
 
What's a cut-out kickstand? Like this?

HP_Pro_x2_612_q1fy17_Gallery_zoom4.jpg


... I think I might prefer the OLED one honestly.
Me too, but IIRC when the funcle began talking about the cutout kickstand a theory was floated that it was to have OLED-like sturdiness while allowing more room inside the shell (for stuff like extra cooling due to beefier hardware). So it might be necessary whether it's pretty or not.
 
Me too, but IIRC when the funcle began talking about the cutout kickstand a theory was floated that it was to have OLED-like sturdiness while allowing more room inside the shell (for stuff like extra cooling due to beefier hardware). So it might be necessary whether it's pretty or not.

I'm sure it's necessary. I just have unrealistic demands for sleek hardware that defies physics and engineering. My endgame handheld is a Vita sized Switch Drake Lite with a near bezel+less OLED HDR display, hall effect sticks, lil ergonomic grips on the back, and rumble.
 
What's a cut-out kickstand? Like this?

HP_Pro_x2_612_q1fy17_Gallery_zoom4.jpg


... I think I might prefer the OLED one honestly.
That would be it. Though it’s a stretch, we’re very broadly interpreting a translated drop from someone, it’s not even entirely clear this is what they mean
if it's sturdy enough it would be functionally identical, no?
Might be hard to grip when pulling in and out? I don’t have an opinion really.
BTW, the following was posted on Baidu, a Chinese forum, on July 7. What do you think?

I don’t think it makes any sense. They’re saying they’re keeping the base model and the Lite, and replacing the chip in the OLED, nothing else, while launching two special edition oled models to clear stock

Except you can’t just drop a new SOC in with no changes, in most cases. And I you could, then what stock are you clearing? It can’t be old TX1+ chips, because those you’re using in the Lite which this claims Ninty is going to keep making, and it can’t be any of the other parts because those are OLED parts you’re claiming they’re reusing in the new model.

I am also dubious that a manufacturing source would know Nintendo’s long term plans. We’ve seen some communiques from a (probably legit) factory employee who demonstrated absolute ignorance of what it was they were leaking

There have been two OLED special editions announced however. Best case scenario is this is a legit leak from someone who is liberally interpreting whatever they got via their game of telephone.
 
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I'm sure it's necessary. I just have unrealistic demands for sleek hardware that defies physics and engineering. My endgame handheld is a Vita sized Switch Drake Lite with a near bezel+less OLED HDR display, hall effect sticks, lil ergonomic grips on the back, and rumble.
That sounds gorgeous

Keep on dreaming, will that into existence
 
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They would have to clear the inventory anyway so they can release the next iteration.
(This is based on DeepL Translator's translation below.)
先说一下我知道的情报(信息来源烟台xx康)

没有oled版lite,Lite和续航版作为低端线被保留,估计直到NS退役。

新机是加强版,非换代。直接沿用Oled的面板和产品线,只做了芯片的升级。

oled的组装线是5月才换成“加强版”新机的,半年时间生产+铺货根本来不及今年上市。

今年上半年生产了两款Oled版限定机,清老芯片库存。现在已经公布了一款。
First of all, I know the information (information source Yantai xxcon)

No oled version lite, Lite and renewal version as the low-end line is retained, estimated until the NS retired.

The new machine is an enhanced version, not a replacement. Directly follow the Oled panel and product line, only the chip upgrade.

Oled assembly line is only in May to replace the "enhanced" version of the new machine, half a year production + stocking simply too late to market this year.

Two Oled versions of limited machines were produced in the first half of this year to clear the old chip inventory. One has now been announced.

The problem is the Chinese rumour mentioned that Nintendo's going to continue manufacturing the Nintendo Switch Lite until the Nintendo Switch's retired.

So assuming "old chip inventory" is referring to the SoCs, if Nintendo's trying to clear inventory of SoCs with the OLED model, then Nintendo also has to clear inventory of SoCs with the Nintendo Switch Lite, since the OLED model and the Nintendo Switch Lite use the Tegra X1+ for the SoC, which is contradictory with what the Chinese rumour said earlier.
 
(This is based on DeepL Translator's translation below.)



The problem is the Chinese rumour mentioned that Nintendo's going to continue manufacturing the Nintendo Switch Lite until the Nintendo Switch's retired.

So assuming "old chip inventory" is referring to the SoCs, if Nintendo's trying to clear inventory of SoCs with the OLED model, then Nintendo also has to clear inventory of SoCs with the Nintendo Switch Lite, since the OLED model and the Nintendo Switch Lite use the Tegra X1+ for the SoC, which is contradictory with what the Chinese rumour said earlier.
Wasn't there also a rumor that Nvidia has stopped producing Tegra X1? Might be related to that.
 
Rumor about Nintendo: “we are going to keep selling the worst selling member of the family”

Also Rumor about Nintendo: “let’s cut the best sellers and get rid of stored chips.”



The Lite, V2 and OLED (SOC):





Must be a slow day in the forum rumor mill….
 
I think the next few months are going to be really slow when it comes to Nintendo news and rumors (beyond already known game releases). I imagine the next General Direct will be in or around February. We'll likely see an Indie World Direct or something before then but I think this year is basically a wrap when it comes to any exciting new news. It will be more interesting to see if the hardware rumor mill starts to pick up again by January.
 
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Rumor about Nintendo: “we are going to keep selling the worst selling member of the family”

Also Rumor about Nintendo: “let’s cut the best sellers and get rid of stored chips.”



The Lite, V2 and OLED (SOC):





Must be a slow day in the forum rumor mill….


Im not saying it’s going to happen this way, but the OLED model may find itself as the least appealing / oddest product on the market when the premium segment now has the new hardware with an OLED screen.
 
Wasn't there also a rumor that Nvidia has stopped producing Tegra X1? Might be related to that.
Yes.

But I don't think that rumour is accurate, considering the Jetson Nano, which is based on the Tegra X1, is available until January 2025. (I think the Jetson Nano is currently using a binned variant of the Tegra X1+, which is technically based on the Tegra X1 since the only difference between the Tegra X1 and the Tegra X1+ is the process node used for fabrication (TSMC's 20 nm** process node for the Tegra X1 and TSMC's 16 nm** process node for the Tegra X1+).)

** → a marketing nomenclature used by all foundry companies
 
Im not saying it’s going to happen this way, but the OLED model may find itself as the least appealing / oddest product on the market when the premium segment now has the new hardware with an OLED screen.
The weirdest model to still maintain in this modern day and age looking at just the sales figures is the V2 model, it is squished right between the OLED and the LITE. If someone wants a purely portable experience for cheaper, they get the LITE, if someone wants a superior portable experience, they’re better off with an OLED for just 50 dollars more and a better experience over all vs the V2.

While this is just Japan and not a straight forward comparison for the rest of the world at hand, the OLED out sells the V2 model and routinely faces more stock shortages than the V2 does.

There is much more demand for the OLED model than there is for the V2 model.


For argument sake, the V2 has sold 980K, the OLED has sold 1.9M YTD.

Lite has sold 484K.


(Courtesy of install base)
 
Yes.

But I don't think that rumour is accurate, considering the Jetson Nano, which is based on the Tegra X1, is available until January 2025. (I think the Jetson Nano is currently using a binned variant of the Tegra X1+, which is technically based on the Tegra X1 since the only difference between the Tegra X1 and the Tegra X1+ is the process node used for fabrication (TSMC's 20 nm** process node for the Tegra X1 and TSMC's 16 nm** process node for the Tegra X1+).)

** → a marketing nomenclature used by all foundry companies
There are sellers that marks the Jetson Nano as discontinued, though it's probably just a variant. https://www.dfrobot.com/product-2134.html

Some user said in reddit that Nvidia have not produced any new Jetson Nano for years.


The links does not really confirm it but since this is a speculation thread, then might as well put it here.
 
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BTW, the following was posted on Baidu, a Chinese forum, on July 7. What do you think?

Let me talk about the intelligence I know (source of information Yantai xx Kang)

There is no oled version of the lite, and the Lite and battery versions are retained as low-end lines, presumably until the NS is retired.

The new machine is an enhanced version, not a replacement. The panels and product lines of Oled are directly used, and only the chips are upgraded.

The assembly line of oled was only replaced with a new "enhanced version" in May. It took half a year to produce and distribute goods, and it was too late to launch this year.

In the first half of this year, two Oled version limited machines were produced to clear the stock of old chips. One has now been announced.
Sounds plausible enough, but what do I know? (Nothing)
 
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Rumor about Nintendo: “we are going to keep selling the worst selling member of the family”

Also Rumor about Nintendo: “let’s cut the best sellers and get rid of stored chips.”



The Lite, V2 and OLED (SOC):





Must be a slow day in the forum rumor mill….


I think it makes sense to be fair. When the next device rolls around it's expected that most of Nintendo's production lines will be moved to the next device (it happened for PS4 and XBO), and historically Nintendo kept a very cheap old-gen device SKU in production. After the launch of the Switch the only 3DS model in production was the New 2DS XL essentially as it reached the magic $99.99 barrier.
When the Switch 2 rolls around it would make sense to still leave the Switch Lite as a cheap entry point at $199.99 and then convert all the other lines for the new model (and we all expect it to start at a minimum $399.99).
 
Started in May? that's way too early considering all the last models shipped in 3-4 months tops after being announced.
Actually, yeah I know it's a different situation here because we are talking about a product that hasn't been announced yet.
But I'm still speculative about how long would it take N to finish a first production batch and other ordeals to make the product public.
Well, we still have 3 months for an announcement. We'll see.
 
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Started in May? that's way too early considering all the last models shipped in 3-4 months tops after being announced.
Actually, yeah I know it's a different situation here because we are talking about a product that hasn't been announced yet.
But I'm still speculative about how long would it take N to finish a first production batch and other ordeals to make the product public.
Well, we still have 3 months for an announcement. We'll see.
Don't spend too much mental time on it, we know that engineering samples for Drake were at the earliest released in April this year, there is no way they shipped engineering samples to production lines. It's a fake rumor.
 
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It just dawned on me why BOTW2 is the perfect showcase for Drake.

Imagine being in a hanglider or free fall thousands of feet above Hyrule, seeing the landscape below in crisp 4k and great draw distances. That's when 4K will truly shine.
 
It just dawned on me why BOTW2 is the perfect showcase for Drake.

Imagine being in a hanglider or free fall thousands of feet above Hyrule, seeing the landscape below in crisp 4k and great draw distances. That's when 4K will truly shine.
You'll even be able to see each and every one of the Pikmin hiding between the blades of grass
 
After the launch of the Switch the only 3DS model in production was the New 2DS XL essentially as it reached the magic $99.99 barrier.
This made me curious. So, worldwide shipments of all 3DS models from April 2017 - March 2019.
Original: 0
LL: 0
New: 0
New LL: 1.93m
2DS: 2.87m
New 2DS LL: 4.14

Not quite majority N2DSLL, but majority cheapy models.
 
I think it makes sense to be fair. When the next device rolls around it's expected that most of Nintendo's production lines will be moved to the next device (it happened for PS4 and XBO), and historically Nintendo kept a very cheap old-gen device SKU in production. After the launch of the Switch the only 3DS model in production was the New 2DS XL essentially as it reached the magic $99.99 barrier.
When the Switch 2 rolls around it would make sense to still leave the Switch Lite as a cheap entry point at $199.99 and then convert all the other lines for the new model (and we all expect it to start at a minimum $399.99).
It only makes sense until you realize that the switch lite, the V2, and the OLED model all use the same chip. If the reason is getting rid of the remaining SoC, the Lite shouldn’t really continue because there is no more after that.

For the record I do expect the Lite to remain for long term though.

But this “leak” doesn’t make sense when you factor the reasoning they gave.
 
It only makes sense until you realize that the switch lite, the V2, and the OLED model all use the same chip. If the reason is getting rid of the remaining SoC, the Lite shouldn’t really continue because there is no more after that.

For the record I do expect the Lite to remain for long term though.

But this “leak” doesn’t make sense when you factor the reasoning they gave.
Considering the sales of the Lite I wouldn’t be shocked if it was the first to go.
 
given it's the cheapest entry to the Switch, it'll be the last one to go. the OLED has parts that can be reused in Drake and is the closest in price to it. shit's gonna get cut
Considering sales trajectories of all the devices I think it may be the Lite even if it is the cheapest. OLED is still outpacing it in sales while V2 is still goin strong. If the Drake is hard to get for awhile then OLED may still exist even if it shares similar parts. If they do a small price drop as well then Lite is going first imo.
 
Considering sales trajectories of all the devices I think it may be the Lite even if it is the cheapest. OLED is still outpacing it in sales while V2 is still goin strong. If the Drake is hard to get for awhile then OLED may still exist even if it shares similar parts. If they do a small price drop as well then Lite is going first imo.
The Lite doesn't exist purely to sell Lites. It allows them to say "Starting at 179.99", which gets you into the store, where you can be upsold from a refurbished Lite to a new OLED and walk out having paid 350.

It's like McDonald's. Nobody gets a medium, you order a medium then get upsold to a large.

2DS was never the best selling model of 3DS and wasn't meant to be, it was meant to be the CHEAPEST model, so they could say "starting at 79.99 with a game" but have prices up to 250 in some regions for the top end. Or the Wii Mini and the Wii U coexisting, the Super Famicom Jr. and the N64, the Famicom AV and the Super Famicom, etc.
 
The current Lite will only 'die' when they have another hardware to sell for that same price. It's not about how much each unity is selling but how each unity is expanding their market. Someone who bought the Lite maybe wouldn't have bought a switch at all if there wasn't that option.
 
I can tell none of you have bought your preteens a gaming device :)

The Lite serves a market that doesn't get served by the other models. Eliminating the Lite won't turn those buyers into OLED buyers, they just won't buy a Switch at all. A significant chunk of Lite owners are experiencing consoles for the first time. Kids who are just getting into Pokemon and Splatoon, "casual" players who might love Animal Crossing, Picross, Captain Toad, but won't pay more than they did for their phone for a device, and are likely to never play on the screen. That is the post-smartphone "blue ocean" and turning them into Nintendo fans is still a priority.

If a model gets retired before the others, I can't imagine it being the Lite.
 
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That’s kind of missing my point. What I’m saying, and what’s been implied by others since my post is that the current landscape looks like this:
  • Lite - <= $200
  • Redbox/V2 - <= $300
  • OLED Model - $350-$360
Currently, the OLED model represents the highest tier of Switch. Unless you can tell me otherwise, I suspect a good deal of these sales are from repeat buyers / core consumers replacing their models. If somebody has waited this long into the generation to buy their first Switch it probably wasn’t specifically the OLED screen and $50 price increase that tipped them over. If they aren’t as strapped for cash, they might very well be purchasing it incidentally ie. I’m interested in games now and might as well get the newest model.

Now let’s say we release a new Switch for $450. My previous post was just saying that I could see OLED sales to repeat buyers or core consumers tanking. It’s no longer the premium product, it’s just the most expensive version of the older product. Other consumers not looking to buy the latest and greatest have an entirely different decision to make. These remaining buyers, either cost conscious or late adopter aren’t going to obviously buy the OLED model; the V2 and/or Lite are perfectly viable depending on the features they seek.

Edit: and to be clear, again, I’m not saying this will happen. I just think that the OLED model sales now don’t really imply anything about how they will sell in the future. A brand new premium device stands to shift Switch sales composition in big ways
 
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The V2 and OLED are definitely on their last legs if next Switch is within $400.
I expect 450USD minimum for Super Nintendo Switch. I just can't see it not having at least 100 dollars on the OLED. That or the rest of the line comes down in price (never say never, Europe has had two price cuts in the last 12 months, V2 from 330 to 300 and OLED from 365 to 350 per store.nintendo.ie ), in which case I could see 400USD Super, 300USD OLED, 250USD V2, 170 USD Lite, which I think makes a lot of sense.

However if they choose to dispose of the V2 and just have Lite, OLED and Super at 200, 300 and 400, that'd make a lot of sense too. Especially since the V2 uses an older, less cost efficient design compared to the Lite and OLED, which have hugely more compact motherboards and more integrated components. Probably more than makes up for the better build quality and OLED panel's pricetag.
 
Looks like PSVR2 is starting production or has already started for a March launch.

Hopefully we get a similar article for Drake soon.
 
Looks like PSVR2 is starting production or has already started for a March launch.

Hopefully we get a similar article for Drake soon.

I guess they might do what Nintendo did and announce the price 2 months before it releases. Or it most likely will leak.

Mochizuki might still have nightmares over his drake articles lol
 
The V2 and OLED are definitely on their last legs if next Switch is within $400.
I do think $400 is possible for an entry level model. I can see Nintendo cease productions of the red box V2 and drop Switch lite to $270, OLED down to $300 (MAX) at the time of Drake's launch, if switch sales slow down enough. They could also release OLED models at a less discounted price or at $350 by bundling it with a game.

I really hope Nintendo offers two models for Drake. Entry level $400 (at the most) with 128 GB SSD (lol) and a higher end model at $450 for 256- 512GB storage.

I guess they might do what Nintendo did and announce the price 2 months before it releases. Or it most likely will leak.

Mochizuki might still have nightmares over his drake articles lol
PSVR is not that big when compared to a console though. I can't see Nintendo giving shorter than 3 months notice for a brand new console. I feel confident we'll hear something but end of January if it does get released with LoZ: TotK
 
I guess they might do what Nintendo did and announce the price 2 months before it releases. Or it most likely will leak.
I wonder if a higher, unreasonable price will leak a few weeks before announcement of a lower, slightly more reasonable price is announced.
 
PSVR is not that big when compared to a console though. I can't see Nintendo giving shorter than 3 months notice for a brand new console. I feel confident we'll hear something but end of January if it does get released with LoZ: TotK
Oh I dont mean console reveal, more like what Nintendo did with the switch price. The official reveal was Jan 13, 2 months before release. But yeah I agree with you on the Jan thing.
I wonder if a higher, unreasonable price will leak a few weeks before announcement of a lower, slightly more reasonable price is announced.
Ohhh I can see that happening. Leak out a 550$ price, comes out at 425$, Sony PR wins.
 
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Probably nothing but I find it interesting that the games I am seeing recently that make me think "this would be a great Drake title" are using temporal reconstruction on base switch.


Could be early leg work to ensure a Drake patch is easier to implement?
 

On the Intel side, there are many questions about whether or not Intel will cut spending on their capacity expansion as their business slows down significantly. This week, Dr. Randhir Thakur and Pat Gelsinger responded to these questions at the Intel Innovation conference.
"When is the last time that a recession lasts for four or five years? Its impact on the industry may last several quarters like two, three or four quarters. You cannot be driven by near-term financials. We are investing for the long term. That's our strategy."

Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO
This quote is in stark contrast to what they are telling some suppliers. We know suppliers who have already received cancellations in orders. Others have already received pushbacks in order delivery dates. These cuts pertain to both the Malaysia packaging facility build-out and wafer fabs in other geographies. While most media fawned over the prior quote as proof Intel will not waiver on spending, we want to draw special attention to this portion of that same response.
"Yes, we need to manage our cash carefully."

Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO
Intel must manage its working capital very closely due to the implosion of the PC business and major share losses in servers. We believe the "short-term" business issues have affected their original buildout plans. Through multiple sources within the supply chain, SemiAnalysis can confirm that the recent significant demand decrease is causing Intel to undergo a review of all supplier purchase orders. Intel is at least partially driven by short-term working capital concerns.
Moving onto the industry giant of TSMC, they are slowing their buildout due to an overcapacity of 7nm wafers in Q1 next year. The 3nm node is also having very slow uptake. The buildout plans for N3 are much more tepid versus what may have been planned previously. For reference, we expect TSMC to ramp up to 45,000 wafers per month for the N3 process family ~1 year after initial shipment. Compare this to the N5 and N7 buildouts, where wafer starts eclipsed 45,000 wafers per month within only ~6 months of initial shipment.

While 5nm buildouts are still going strong, despite Nvidia cuts, we believe other TSMC expansion projects will be slowed. The small Arizona fab was already behind schedule. In particular, we believe the buildout of giga-Fab 22 (28nm/7nm) in Kaohsiung Taiwan is slowing significantly on the 7nm capacity front.
We believe Samsung is cutting buildouts significantly as well. This pertains not only to memory. This is due to a major slowdown in mobile, share losses in foundry, and system LSI. In particular, we hear their expansions into equipment for Pyeongtaek's P fabs are slowing down. As a reminder, Samsung has no real flagship Exynos product for their 3nm node. As we reported in the past, even the 2024 flagship smartphone chip, Exynos 2400, is still based on their older 4nm class technology. Oddly Samsung is picking up on orders for wafer-level packaging equipment in a new Vietnam facility despite the packaging industry slowing much more significantly than the wafer-level fabrication industry.
 
Please read this staff post before posting.

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