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

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Bonejack said:
Tell that to my kids. If you manage to make them understand and we can sell one or two of ours, i'll even give you a share of the money. ;D
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I still remember playing splatoon, smash and mario kart with several friends, each one with switches and their copy of the game. For games like Smash/Mario Kart couch multiplayer is a thing, but for games like splatoon it's a godsend considering that the only alternative is online multiplayer
 
None of those handheld devices have yet to match the Switch's hybrid UX. I think the only device in general that does is the Analogue Pocket and that's just a fancy FPGA Game Boy that doesn't need to change graphics settings for 3D games on the fly.

Is it an unfair comparison because handheld PC manufacturers can't mandate how certain games behave on Windows/Linux, and can't heavily customize these operating systems to behave in a precise way every single time you un/dock? Yes. But it's still a reason why I consider the Switch to be unique in its hybrid-ness.
 
Goodtwin said:
Nintendo is going to get more and more questions regarding a successor to Switch at these investors meetings. They will want to see a road map for the future. Yes Nintendo is still doing very well with Switch, but if there is good reason to anticipate a steady decline over the next few years, investors will consider selling off stock.
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Yeah this is very true. Nintendo will not have to answer said questions but they'll definitely be brought up. It would be a good idea to have something concrete to say.
 
Raccoon said:
do your kids each have multiple switches? multiple per household is intended, multiple per person is a sin
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We have an OLED (that has a big sticker saying "Dads, not yours!"), a launch model and a Lite.

While i wouldn't say "having" multiple, it's not unusual that one of the two younger ones "hoards" two of them in their room.
 
Raccoon said:
do your kids each have multiple switches? multiple per household is intended, multiple per person is a sin
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im confident many here have 2 (og and oled or lite and oled or something like that)

and to be honest, the moment i have another switch (pro, 2) and its backwards compatible, i will try to preserve my OG since it is a launch switch thats probably the easiest to hack, which i assume is a huge benefit in the future.
 
Seboss said:
How do you manage digital games? With only two Switches in the household, it's already a nightmare.
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Most games we have are physical and the kids aren't really eShop dwellers for indie games, so the few that they play too are bought via me and installed on all devices and my account is set as the head honcho on all of them.
 
Skittzo said:
Yeah this is very true. Nintendo will not have to answer said questions but they'll definitely be brought up. It would be a good idea to have something concrete to say.
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They get asked about new hardware in almost every Q&A. They're not going to change how they respond.
 
LiC said:
They get asked about new hardware in almost every Q&A. They're not going to change how they respond.
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"We are pleased with sales for the Switch family of systems. We have nothing to comment in terms of new hardware at this time."
 
Their next gen hardware has always been first announced in conjunction with some earnings release. Historically via an announcement stating they will release new hardware in the upcoming calendar or fiscal year. Not sure why there's this narrative that nothing comes from investor meetings.
 
wolftendo said:
But the switch and drake are not PCs, and while the architectures and games are different, the form factor and basic use is the same. The reason many people compared the steam deck with the switch is because of this form factor.


Contentious but I have to agree lol

* Hidden text: cannot be quoted. *
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I would love a sleeker version of this where the pro controller bottom half detaches and the tablet top half gets docked.

url
 
Instro said:
Their next gen hardware has always been first announced in conjunction with some earnings release. Historically via an announcement stating they will release new hardware in the upcoming calendar or fiscal year. Not sure why there's this narrative that nothing comes from investor meetings.
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100%.

When they have no hardware planned for the year, they say that outright. When they do, they are more vague about it. Nothing to announce at this moment, etc. That's been a consistent pattern of theirs since the DSi days.
 
Instro said:
Their next gen hardware has always been first announced in conjunction with some earnings release. Historically via an announcement stating they will release new hardware in the upcoming calendar or fiscal year. Not sure why there's this narrative that nothing comes from investor meetings.
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"Always?"

Switch: Debatable
Wii U: Yes
3DS: No (separate press release)
Wii: No (E3 2004)
DS: Yes

Shadowrun said:
100%.

When they have no hardware planned for the year, they say that outright. When they do, they are more vague about it. Nothing to announce at this moment, etc. That's been a consistent pattern of theirs since the DSi days.
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2020 was the only time they said outright there was no hardware. They did not say that when asked in 2022, and yet, no hardware released in 2022.
 
ShaunSwitch said:
I would love a sleeker version of this where the pro controller bottom half detaches and the tablet top half gets docked.
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God, the dream

Bosintang said:
I leave this forum for 24 hours, and now Elon Musk is about to buy Nintendo. What a time to be alive.
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He would probably complain that Nintendo is too woke because splatoon and Pokemon SV don't ask you for your gender or something. Also switches would grow in price 4 times and explode for no reason
 
Serif said:
None of those handheld devices have yet to match the Switch's hybrid UX. I think the only device in general that does is the Analogue Pocket and that's just a fancy FPGA Game Boy that doesn't need to change graphics settings for 3D games on the fly.

Is it an unfair comparison because handheld PC manufacturers can't mandate how certain games behave on Windows/Linux, and can't heavily customize these operating systems to behave in a precise way every single time you un/dock? Yes. But it's still a reason why I consider the Switch to be unique in its hybrid-ness.
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"There is no way that Switch 2 outperforms the Steam Deck!" yeah, well, in which mode?

Steam Deck is honestly a really incredible machine, and the fact that developers are starting to target it directly with optimized settings and control layouts is already an amazing level of support. But you're right, the ability to dock isn't the ability to Switch.

I was thinking about this last night, but the fact that the whole ecosystem is built for that two-mode setup allows Switch to sip power in handheld mode while potentially out performing other handhelds in docked. Meanwhile, these other (sometimes excellent) handhelds are stuck with big, thick operating systems and loads of abstractions just to support one use case. Even if one of these managed to beat Nintendo's device on every objective level - battery life, performance, form factor, cost - the bespoke software stack really does give Switch the edge.
 
wolftendo said:
But the switch and drake are not PCs, and while the architectures and games are different, the form factor and basic use is the same. The reason many people compared the steam deck with the switch is because of this form factor.


Contentious but I have to agree lol

* Hidden text: cannot be quoted. *
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The form factor as a whole is simply "handheld". Switch and Drake are Handheld Consoles. Steam Deck and Aya Neo are Handheld PCs.
 
LiC said:
"Always?"

Switch: Debatable
Wii U: Yes
3DS: No (separate press release)
Wii: No (E3 2004)
DS: Yes


2020 was the only time they said outright there was no hardware. They did not say that when asked in 2022, and yet, no hardware released in 2022.
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We're not at the end of the FY for Nintendo quite yet.
 
0
LiC said:
"Always?"

Switch: Debatable
Wii U: Yes
3DS: No (separate press release)
Wii: No (E3 2004)
DS: Yes


2020 was the only time they said outright there was no hardware. They did not say that when asked in 2022, and yet, no hardware released in 2022.
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I don't think the Switch is particularly debatable, it was 100% discussed with investors first. When it came time to start revealing the hardware in 2016, they first announced at their FY briefing that it would be released the following March. 3DS was only announced a month or 2 early due to forthcoming leaks. They were obviously intending to first announce new hardware was coming it in conjunction with the FY briefing, and then to reveal it at E3.

The Wii/Revolution situation is similar to the NX. Prior to E3 2004, Iwata and co were already talking about how the follow-up to the GameCube would be like the DS, something new/different, attract new users, etc, leading into the announcement of the Revolution codename at E3 2004. Obviously the Wii had a very long lead up time till it's launch after that, but one critical thing of note is that before E3 2006, where they publicly announced the launch date and pricing, they had already stated in their previous FY briefing that the Wii would launch in 2006.
 
Hush said:
I would think they would want to have some sort of Direct by then due to the Switch sales decline and pressure from investors to answer how they plan to give a resurgence on the gaming side (they are growing the business through film and theme parks this year, but Im sure investors want to see where the future of their gaming plans is going)



I dont think thats the case really because they can very much say that they are readying themselves for whats next or launching new hardware/Switch model in the next fiscal year to at least reassure investors that they are prepared for whats next rather than relying on the current Switch
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As others have said I would expect the announcement to be connected to some kind of Direct or Presentation with games. It's not like Switch where the reveal of the hardware and its games will be months apart. I predict at most a week, more likely 1-2 days.
 
oldpuck said:
"There is no way that Switch 2 outperforms the Steam Deck!" yeah, well, in which mode?

Steam Deck is honestly a really incredible machine, and the fact that developers are starting to target it directly with optimized settings and control layouts is already an amazing level of support. But you're right, the ability to dock isn't the ability to Switch.

I was thinking about this last night, but the fact that the whole ecosystem is built for that two-mode setup allows Switch to sip power in handheld mode while potentially out performing other handhelds in docked. Meanwhile, these other (sometimes excellent) handhelds are stuck with big, thick operating systems and loads of abstractions just to support one use case. Even if one of these managed to beat Nintendo's device on every objective level - battery life, performance, form factor, cost - the bespoke software stack really does give Switch the edge.
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Oh yeah. i can manually change the settings every time i "switch" on something like the steamdeck (like, overclock that type of hardware and chose a higher render resolution in the games settings), but thats a huge hurdle. the benefit of having those 2 distinct profiles, the software telling the game what profile is currently selected, and the game having a designates configuration for that profile made by the developer makes the experience that special.
back, when i was thinking about such a concept (way before switch, i think still wii), i was not thinking about this posibility, and just wished for a handheld console that i can put in a dock (like some laptop docks back then) and play with a controller on the big screen, then take the game to the couch, and pause it like the DS could. (well, the ds did run, but it had an early form of suspension when you closed it).
But i don't think that it something that cant be added.
It shouldn't be tooo hard to have the OS set a flag when docked, and the game to check on a regular basis (say every half second) for the flag.
(not really an optimal way, don't know how far it would need to go for the system to be able to send interrupts that the games receives ...?)
but the variant i mentioned would at least be easy to implement it would be up to the developers to use it.

But as it stands only the switch has it.
 
Concernt said:
As others have said I would expect the announcement to be connected to some kind of Direct or Presentation with games. It's not like Switch where the reveal of the hardware and its games will be months apart. I predict at most a week, more likely 1-2 days.
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Im just saying it would be a very awkward earnings call. With Switch turning six the next month and sales declining, while competitors are entering their third year of new gen consoles, I feel like the atmosphere is going to be ¨So where is the Switch 2?¨. Hopefully we have a clear answer by then
 
Hush said:
Im just saying it would be a very awkward earnings call. With Switch turning six the next month and sales declining, while competitors are entering their third year of new gen consoles, I feel like the atmosphere is going to be ¨So where is the Switch 2?¨. Hopefully we have a clear answer by then
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That is what I would expect!
 
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YugamiSekai said:
Kinda hoping Nintendo does in fact go the UFS route and has a premium 512GB model, even if it does cost $500.
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I'm fairly sure of UFS, this thread has convinced me of that, but I expect 450 dollars with 256GB.

I also think there's no chance in hell of multiple SKUs at launch. They don't want to repeat ANY aspect of the Wii U release. Not the timing, not the different SKUs, not the anything
 
Concernt said:
While I broadly agree, I don't think they'll be pressed to avoid a 2023 reveal for an early 2024 release, just like they didn't worry Switch would suppress 3DS
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3DS had already been sliding for a long time, so there wasn't nearly as much to lose. By late 2016 it was pushing about a third the hardware and less than a fourth the software Switch is now.
 
Concernt said:
I'm fairly sure of UFS, this thread has convinced me of that, but I expect 450 dollars with 256GB.

I also think there's no chance in hell of multiple SKUs at launch. They don't want to repeat ANY aspect of the Wii U release. Not the timing, not the different SKUs, not the anything
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Anecdotal, but when I talk to all my switch-owning friends about upgrading their switches to a $400 MSRP backwards compatible successor most of them are not in a rush to get one. Out of everyone only me and another friend got our switches on 2017 (V1 model), and thus we are the only ones who are looking to upgrade ASAP. So outside of enthusiast circles the mainstream view is that switch is good enough for now. These people will eventually get one in years 2, 3 4 or more of the next system lifecycle but they are not really interested in upgrading so far.

To be fair, the same could be said of the PS5, which is so prohibitively expensive that the only one of my friends and acquaintances in my country who owns one basically bought it in the US.
 
Aether said:
Oh yeah. i can manually change the settings every time i "switch" on something like the steamdeck (like, overclock that type of hardware and chose a higher render resolution in the games settings), but thats a huge hurdle. the benefit of having those 2 distinct profiles, the software telling the game what profile is currently selected, and the game having a designates configuration for that profile made by the developer makes the experience that special.
back, when i was thinking about such a concept (way before switch, i think still wii), i was not thinking about this posibility, and just wished for a handheld console that i can put in a dock (like some laptop docks back then) and play with a controller on the big screen, then take the game to the couch, and pause it like the DS could. (well, the ds did run, but it had an early form of suspension when you closed it).
But i don't think that it something that cant be added.
It shouldn't be tooo hard to have the OS set a flag when docked, and the game to check on a regular basis (say every half second) for the flag.
(not really an optimal way, don't know how far it would need to go for the system to be able to send interrupts that the games receives ...?)
but the variant i mentioned would at least be easy to implement it would be up to the developers to use it.

But as it stands only the switch has it.
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I don't think games supporting it is super hard, though there are still games out there requiring a total restart when visual settings change, so it really is per-game. But it's not really a technical hurdle, it's baked into the concept. Steam Deck's killer feature is making PC gaming possible on the go. PC gaming, as a whole, doesn't have anything that looks like the Docking concept. So even if Valve offers something like this, it won't be available in most games.
 
JoshuaJSlone said:
3DS had already been sliding for a long time, so there wasn't nearly as much to lose. By late 2016 it was pushing about a third the hardware and less than a fourth the software Switch is now.
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2016 was one of 3DS' biggest years. It can't stand up quite so well next to a phenomenon like Switch, but 2016 was big for it. And only one year after they brought out major revisions, too.

They didn't even worry Switch would suppress New 2DS XL sales, and it didn't. I expect the same to happen, per:

wolftendo said:
Anecdotal, but when I talk to all my switch-owning friends about upgrading their switches to a $400 MSRP backwards compatible successor most of them are not in a rush to get one. Out of everyone only me and another friend got our switches on 2017 (V1 model), and thus we are the only ones who are looking to upgrade ASAP. So outside of enthusiast circles the mainstream view is that switch is good enough for now. These people will eventually get one in years 2, 3 4 or more of the next system lifecycle but they are not really interested in upgrading so far.

To be fair, the same could be said of the PS5, which is so prohibitively expensive that the only one of my friends and acquaintances in my country who owns one basically bought it in the US.
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A lot of casual users aren't interested in a 400+ dollar super-premium Switch, at least not at launch, and many people who never got a Switch before it launched may be happy to jump on the Switch 1 as its price tumbles post-Switch 2 release.
 
wolftendo said:
Anecdotal, but when I talk to all my switch-owning friends about upgrading their switches to a $400 MSRP backwards compatible successor most of them are not in a rush to get one. Out of everyone only me and another friend got our switches on 2017 (V1 model), and thus we are the only ones who are looking to upgrade ASAP. So outside of enthusiast circles the mainstream view is that switch is good enough for now. These people will eventually get one in years 2, 3 4 or more of the next system lifecycle but they are not really interested in upgrading so far.

To be fair, the same could be said of the PS5, which is so prohibitively expensive that the only one of my friends and acquaintances in my country who owns one basically bought it in the US.
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I mean they haven't seen it yet

I'm in no hurry to buy a new phone but once one is announced I'm drooling over it
 
oldpuck said:
I don't think games supporting it is super hard, though there are still games out there requiring a total restart when visual settings change, so it really is per-game. But it's not really a technical hurdle, it's baked into the concept. Steam Deck's killer feature is making PC gaming possible on the go. PC gaming, as a whole, doesn't have anything that looks like the Docking concept. So even if Valve offers something like this, it won't be available in most games.
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wont be available in most games... ti'll now.
but if the concept keeps going forward i could see it becoming a standard feature (and if valve implements it as a feature that games know in which profile they are running) then i could see fans releasing mods for older games that take that into account.

but yeah, as it stands thats still far out if steamdeck (and similar devices) keep coming.
Also: developers don't actually have to provide multiple profiles, that can be done through the community (so that different devices can be taken into account), and the developers just implement the "profile switching" into the game.
 
0
wolftendo said:
Anecdotal, but when I talk to all my switch-owning friends about upgrading their switches to a $400 MSRP backwards compatible successor most of them are not in a rush to get one. Out of everyone only me and another friend got our switches on 2017 (V1 model), and thus we are the only ones who are looking to upgrade ASAP. So outside of enthusiast circles the mainstream view is that switch is good enough for now. These people will eventually get one in years 2, 3 4 or more of the next system lifecycle but they are not really interested in upgrading so far.
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I think this is normal for literally every console. If it wasn't, consoles would sell the majority of units in year one.

But let's be honest, "I want an upgraded Switch, even though I have not been told what games I could play on it" is a sort of insane, super enthusiast desire anyway. Take those same people who don't want to upgrade now, show them Super Ray Tracio Brothers running on a bezel free screen embedded in pearlescent body with gently ergonomic joy-cons that no longer slide into place but click automagically to the side with powerful electromagnets... and they'll want one. Maybe not at that price, but they'll want it.
 
wolftendo said:
Anecdotal, but when I talk to all my switch-owning friends about upgrading their switches to a $400 MSRP backwards compatible successor most of them are not in a rush to get one. Out of everyone only me and another friend got our switches on 2017 (V1 model), and thus we are the only ones who are looking to upgrade ASAP. So outside of enthusiast circles the mainstream view is that switch is good enough for now. These people will eventually get one in years 2, 3 4 or more of the next system lifecycle but they are not really interested in upgrading so far.

To be fair, the same could be said of the PS5, which is so prohibitively expensive that the only one of my friends and acquaintances in my country who owns one basically bought it in the US.
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oldpuck said:
I think this is normal for literally every console. If it wasn't, consoles would sell the majority of units in year one.

But let's be honest, "I want an upgraded Switch, even though I have not been told what games I could play on it" is a sort of insane, super enthusiast desire anyway. Take those same people who don't want to upgrade now, show them Super Ray Tracio Brothers running on a bezel free screen embedded in pearlescent body with gently ergonomic joy-cons that no longer slide into place but click automagically to the side with powerful electromagnets... and they'll want one. Maybe not at that price, but they'll want it.
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im with oldpuck here. That is normal and to be expected.
And to see, that the "enthusiasts" are enough for the start:
the oled, that could only play the same games and did cost more was hard to get and sold out on release.

Now think of a console that really CAN do more, and will probably get exclusives.

btw: in my country i still haven't seen a PS5 just in a store.
If you want one, you can order it online...
the cheapest delierable: 830€
the cheapest option: digital PS5 GoW bundle, 524,36 €, available in MARCH.
The cheapest standard ps5 GoW edition? 620€, available in 3 days: 800€
Standard PS5, 3-7 days delivery: 780-950€....
so yeah, when people talk about ps5s under performing, they clearly are ignoring that it is STILL hard to get one, and that kinda worries me in regards to what would be possible for switch. i feel like switch would have the same problem, so they might as well just dont release it till later, even if they have the SoC.
 
Aether said:
im with oldpuck here. That is normal and to be expected.
And to see, that the "enthusiasts" are enough for the start:
the oled, that could only play the same games and did cost more was hard to get and sold out on release.

Now think of a console that really CAN do more, and will probably get exclusives.

btw: in my country i still haven't seen a PS5 just in a store.
If you want one, you can order it online...
the cheapest delierable: 830€
the cheapest option: digital PS5 GoW bundle, 524,36 €, available in MARCH.
The cheapest standard ps5 GoW edition? 620€, available in 3 days: 800€
Standard PS5, 3-7 days delivery: 780-950€....
so yeah, when people talk about ps5s under performing, they clearly are ignoring that it is STILL hard to get one, and that kinda worries me in regards to what would be possible for switch. i feel like switch would have the same problem, so they might as well just dont release it till later, even if they have the SoC.
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The Switch 2 is probably a lot easier to manufacture. It would have a lot less silicon and would probably reuse a lot of components from the OLED model which are already supplied at scale.
 
Cybergatuno said:
The Switch 2 is probably a lot easier to manufacture. It would have a lot less silicon and would probably reuse a lot of components from the OLED model which are already supplied at scale.
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yeah, it would not be as supply constrained as the PS5, but i think that it will be heavily supply constrained for at least the first year.
 
Even though I have strong opinions about what format/timing makes sense for announcing or revealing new hardware, I feel like I should acknowledge that we actually have a very small sample size to base our assumptions on. Nintendo has revealed only a single "new" system* since Nintendo Directs even existed, the Switch, which had already been announced previously and whose timeline was dictated by circumstances that are not going to be repeated. The last hardware announced before the Switch was back when they still did in-person E3 presentations!

* Note that the iteration/successor/cross-gen/etc. debate has no bearing on this. I just mean a system that becomes the only place new games get released, whether it's as similar to its predecessor as the GBC or as different as the DS.
 
LiC said:
Even though I have strong opinions about what format/timing makes sense for announcing or revealing new hardware, I feel like I should acknowledge that we actually have a very small sample size to base our assumptions on. Nintendo has revealed only a single "new" system* since Nintendo Directs even existed, the Switch, which had already been announced previously and whose timeline was dictated by circumstances that are not going to be repeated. The last hardware announced before the Switch was back when they still did in-person E3 presentations!

* Note that the iteration/successor/cross-gen/etc. debate has no bearing on this. I just mean a system that becomes the only place new games get released, whether it's as similar to its predecessor as the GBC or as different as the DS.
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also worth pointing out we've not had a new hardware/generaiton since new management at Nintendo. So we don't know if they will behave the same as before or chart their own course.
 
Dekuman said:
No predictions so I assume they will discuss the Switch performance in 2022, strong sales, games they like etc.

Can we.expect new info if they explicitly say no predictions?
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This clearly sounds to me as the Hardware talk he has announced here some weeks ago. Predictions is for the Games in 2023, just like the Xbox podcast
 
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