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

[Terrell]

Q: But-
A: 50% of Nintendo's install base are majority handheld players, or handheld exclusive players. I'm not saying Nintendo will never release another TV only console. I'm saying that if they release a "Switch 2" it will not launch with a TV only version, because Nintendo would be shooting themselves in the foot sales wise. Half the people who own a Switch would not buy a TV only console. 75 million people bought the 3DS, 13 million bought a Wii U.

More to the point, a 2017 data set from Nintendo laid out pretty clearly that there is a much larger market overall for the hybrid. This isn't about "more people like handhelds", it's "more people like versatility", which is why Switch has already outsold Wii U and 3DS combined and why the majority of owners in 2017 used it both docked and handheld.

These WW stats are clear, but have unfortunately never been updated since this was released (I can only assume it's because the statistics haven't changed much). More than 50% of owners used their Switch as the versatile device it was marketed as. That 30% is why they made the Lite. But as of September 2022, Lite had shipped 19.32 million units, which is 26.59% of all Switches sold between Nov 1 2019 to Sept 30 2022 (72.66 million), meaning it's been able to effectively capture near the entirety of that 30% preference since its launch. Part of the reason for that is 43% of Lites bought were as the purchaser's secondary/replacement system, which is why Lite sales were additive, rather than redistributing existing sales figures across 2 products (part of this is likely attributable to Switch holding its resale value due to no price drops).

I bring this all up because... even at 18% of people buying a Switch and using it almost exclusively as a console, that'd be 20.5794 million units that could potentially sell (18% of the current install base). Priced low enough and you'd see a TV-only model bought as a secondary/replacement device in far greater numbers than either the Lite or the OLED as other Switch models find their way into the secondary market or given as hand-me-downs, while also having an even lower entry point for new customers that would overall (if the introduction of the Lite is anything to go by) be additive to hardware sales figures.

This seems like it would be true no matter when it were to be introduced, so (while I admit it's not super likely) launching new hardware with a hybrid and a TV-only model (that share uniform specs) side by side is something I could see happening, because the hybrid is an easy sell for people who want and value the versatility that the hybrid model offers and there's another cheaper option from day one for the 18% of buyers who don't.

I will agree, however, that a TV-only model would never launch on its own, it'd have to be paired next to a hybrid model. And it seems we can agree that it may not be a bad idea to introduce such a model in Switch's sunset years, either.

Q: It could be cheaper!
A: Maybe? The Switch Screen costs 40 bucks to individuals, Nintendo probably gets a deal. But they'd need to package a Pro controller or equivalent, which also probably cost about that to make. But even if it was cheaper - do you think it would be a smart business move to launch a TV only console, make your most successful line of hardware sit idle for 8-9 years, then launch the first handheld in Nintendo's history that was more expensive than the TV console?

There's no maybe about it.
Take out the screen (which, I remind everyone here, is the second most expensive single part in the whole product), replace the battery with a much cheaper power supply unit, trade out pricier pair of Joycons for a cheaper Pro controller (or special-build a non-Pro controller with a 20hr Joycon battery in it instead?), take out the metal pieces of the chassis, the dock chassis, about 90% of the integrated circuits from the dock and a very minor IC reduction/swap in the device itself, add in an HDMI out to replace the USB-C port. The screen is one of the priciest bits and the battery is no slouch in cost either, so removing one outright and replacing the other with something far cheaper alone would undoubtedly bring you a substantial bit lower in cost than the Lite in terms of bill of materials, never mind the savings you gain from the rest.

EDIT: Forgot about audio, you can also remove the speaker assembly and headphone jack.

 

[Aether]

More to the point, a 2017 data set from Nintendo laid out pretty clearly that there is a much larger market overall for the hybrid. This isn't about "more people like handhelds", it's "more people like versatility", which is why Switch has already outsold Wii U and 3DS combined and why the majority of owners in 2017 used it both docked and handheld.

These WW stats are clear, but have unfortunately never been updated since this was released (I can only assume it's because the statistics haven't changed much). More than 50% of owners used their Switch as the versatile device it was marketed as. That 30% is why they made the Lite. But as of September 2022, Lite had shipped 19.32 million units, which is 26.59% of all Switches sold between Nov 1 2019 to Sept 30 2022 (72.66 million), meaning it's been able to effectively capture near the entirety of that 30% preference since its launch. Part of the reason for that is 43% of Lites bought were as the purchaser's secondary/replacement system, which is why Lite sales were additive, rather than redistributing existing sales figures across 2 products (part of this is likely attributable to Switch holding its resale value due to no price drops).

I bring this all up because... even at 18% of people buying a Switch and using it almost exclusively as a console, that'd be 20.5794 million units that could potentially sell (18% of the current install base). Priced low enough and you'd see a TV-only model bought as a secondary/replacement device in far greater numbers than either the Lite or the OLED as other Switch models find their way into the secondary market or given as hand-me-downs, while also having an even lower entry point for new customers that would overall (if the introduction of the Lite is anything to go by) be additive to hardware sales figures.

This seems like it would be true no matter when it were to be introduced, so (while I admit it's not super likely) launching new hardware with a hybrid and a TV-only model (that share uniform specs) side by side is something I could see happening, because the hybrid is an easy sell for people who want and value the versatility that the hybrid model offers and there's another cheaper option from day one for the 18% of buyers who don't.

I will agree, however, that a TV-only model would never launch on its own, it'd have to be paired next to a hybrid model. And it seems we can agree that it may not be a bad idea to introduce such a model in Switch's sunset years, either.

There's no maybe about it.
Take out the screen (which, I remind everyone here, is the second most expensive single part in the whole product), replace the battery with a much cheaper power supply unit, trade out pricier pair of Joycons for a cheaper Pro controller (or special-build a non-Pro controller with a 20hr Joycon battery in it instead?), take out the metal pieces of the chassis, the dock chassis, about 90% of the integrated circuits from the dock and a very minor IC reduction/swap in the device itself, add in an HDMI out to replace the USB-C port. The screen is one of the priciest bits and the battery is no slouch in cost either, so removing one outright and replacing the other with something far cheaper alone would undoubtedly bring you a substantial bit lower in cost than the Lite in terms of bill of materials, never mind the savings you gain from the rest.

.... There is a ton of reengineering, new Mainboards, keeping the pipeline for multiple products...

Wouldnt a slightly bigger housung and just putting both boards in there / sothering the in and outs be the easier way?
Joy cons are more expensive then the pro controller , but you loose the multiplayer aspect, a huge + for docked mode...i would put joy cons with the charging joy con grip in there.

Removed screen, battery, simpler case, 1 unit instead a unit and a dock, smaller package... Yeah, i could see this getting as low as 130€. Max 150€.

There is also a limit how low you can go since the controllers cant be to close to a whole system with them. 150€ sounds about right.

This take also opens them up to move boards around to the system that needs them more because of sales, and only the case needs reengineering.

 

[Intoxicate]

.... There is a ton of reengineering, new Mainboards, keeping the pipeline for multiple products...

Wouldnt a slightly bigger housung and just putting both boards in there / sothering the in and outs be the easier way?
Joy cons are more expensive then the pro controller , but you loose the multiplayer aspect, a huge + for docked mode...i would put joy cons with the charging joy con grip in there.

Removed screen, battery, simpler case, 1 unit instead a unit and a dock, smaller package... Yeah, i could see this getting as low as 130€. Max 150€.

There is also a limit how low you can go since the controllers cant be to close to a whole system with them. 150€ sounds about right.

This take also opens them up to move boards around to the system that needs them more because of sales, and only the case needs reengineering.

The calculation is even easier when you just take the Switch lite.

 

[Terrell]

.... There is a ton of reengineering, new Mainboards, keeping the pipeline for multiple products...

Wouldnt a slightly bigger housung and just putting both boards in there / sothering the in and outs be the easier way?
Joy cons are more expensive then the pro controller , but you loose the multiplayer aspect, a huge + for docked mode...i would put joy cons with the charging joy con grip in there.

Removed screen, battery, simpler case, 1 unit instead a unit and a dock, smaller package... Yeah, i could see this getting as low as 130€. Max 150€.

There is also a limit how low you can go since the controllers cant be to close to a whole system with them. 150€ sounds about right.

This take also opens them up to move boards around to the system that needs them more because of sales, and only the case needs reengineering.

Honestly, so much of the design of Switch is made more complex due to form factor. You'd free up a fair bit of real estate if you add some height and use a vertical fin-based heat dispersion (like you see with Wii U) to trim its footprint. This also presents options to move certain components vertically, like Game Card and SD slots.
Main boards are a lot easier to design when you're not accommodating as many ICs, maneuvering around heat pipes and can rely on a simpler form factor like a taller rectangular interior. A redesign to trim/replace ICs is going to be the cheaper option.
Also, controller prices are outrageous and have been for a while, but it's another one of those razor-and-blades things, the console is generally priced to make no money at launch and make it up in software and accessories which never really change in price throughout the lifespan of the console. Like, no one bats an eyelash that a 1st-party controller is currently nearly a third of the price of a Switch, and when PS2 was $99, a wired controller, the cheapest kind possible to make, was 1/4 of the console price. It's just something we've accepted (unnecessarily) and factoring pricing around an accessory with a heavily ballooned margin that has no value without the hardware itself is not a smart play.

 

[Smash Kirby]

I think with the Xbox and PS4/PS5 they are both multimedia devices. Switch is missing Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+, Peacock, and a whole bunch of other platforms. It doesn't have Spotify or a podcast service. A docked/TV only switch can't play Blu-ray disks. It would be an enthusiast device, a bunch of ill-informed people returning their Nintendo Switch mini/TV because they can't do movies off of it even though their TV supports those options.

 

[LinkURL]

About a TV-only Switch 2 before releasing the hybrid model.
I think it would even make sense if the Switch were losing sales fast due to low third party support, so advance the development of the chip to launch without battery and heat restrictions, to later reduce the node and make a hybrid and lite version, in this situation maybe it was a strategy to think about.
But that is not what has been happening recently for sure.
However, a Switch 1 TV only, something like that for 150 dollars or even less would be very successful in emerging countries.
Imagine a box of 150 dollars that runs Fortnite and Nintendo Games, I can really see it being successful, at least here in Brazil, a normal Switch is sold for about 1.5 minimum wage (about 1800 Reais), a Switch only TV under 1000 Reais would be a perfect Christmas present.
It could easily be Nintendo's Ps2, something cheap and easy to use with the games people want to play.

 

[lexony]

50% of Switch Users play mainly on TV Mode yet Nintendo released a Handheld Only Version.

Someone playing TV Mode only would still more likely buy a Hybrid Switch because well they can use it in TV Mode. Though most Handheld only players would have no interest in such a device. Like Oldpuck said, Nintendo would just miss out a huge part of their Userbase. That‘s the biggest reason for me why there will be no TV-Only Switch 2. especially not before they do a hybrid device.

I would say most users play the Switch still as a hybrid device. Many Singleplayer games (Animal Crossing, Mario Odyssey,…) in handheld mode and local multiplayer (Mariokart, Marioparty,…) on TV.

 

[KeijiKG]

i am not saying the Switch TV will happen for sure , but also i don't see why not ?

So we've been talking a LOT about the Switch 2's probable hardware but I don't think any of us can speak for certainty what features (read: gimmicks) the system would have. Even an updated pro controller that matches the new system's joycons might have some extra stuff your garden variety Switch Pro Controller may lack.

Writing on the wall is also saying that the handheld part of the userbase is a part that shouldn't be ignored since they make a significant part of the market. Not to mention a home system that can be sold multiple times to the same household (intentionally and without a failure rate in mind) seems like the better horse to back since that ensures return customers. Nintendo while a company that may be mindful of its broad userbase knows families are the real market because Switch can be used with or without a living room or bedroom TV so it doesn't have to be the one system the family has to share. Depending on the use of the system, it could potentially be up to one system per kid + the living room TV which makes for a juicier sale.

On paper, even if it's the same hardware, splitting up handheld and console just seems confusing for the consumer. If Switch's successor doesn't launch as a hybrid, what ensures it'll have sales that are just as healthy? Brand recognition didn't save the Wii U or the Virtual Boy, so the fear of alienating the current userbase is probably considered as an deterrent of launching with a TV-Only platform if I had to guess.

 

[Salah Kalajo]

Someone playing TV Mode only would still more likely buy a Hybrid Switch because well they can use it in TV Mode. Though most Handheld only players would have no interest in such a device. Like Oldpuck said, Nintendo would just miss out a huge part of their Userbase. That‘s the biggest reason for me why there will be no TV-Only Switch 2. especially not before they do a hybrid device.

I would say most users play the Switch still as a hybrid device. Many Singleplayer games (Animal Crossing, Mario Odyssey,…) in handheld mode and local multiplayer (Mariokart, Marioparty,…) on TV.

i agree with you that if you offer the Switch TV for the same price or a little bit cheaper than the Hybrid version it will make little to no sense , but if the price difference lets say $100+ then some customers who don't care much about handheld maybe they will prefer to get the TV Version with Extra 2 Games instead of the Hybrid One which they might not use much .

 

[MP!]

Again
A tv only device would only be made if nitendo’s planned user experience dictated that it needed to be one
For now as far as we know their user experience wants the device to be hybrid.

I would accept that potentially they have come up with a new user experience that would require a design change but we just don’t know.

Certainly all this “cancelled product” talk has opened the possibilities back up to be some other form factor. But until we get some hard evidence I think we’re safe assuming it’s still a hybrid.

Spoiler

I do think we can entertain the possibility of a tv only device … because who said a tv only device will just be a box that plays games and does nothing new/interesting… the Wii U for all its faults, was a “tv only device” but was it?Bad example I know because the device failed to capture the market… but even still a tv box plugged into the wall could offer so much more than “play a game on a tv and that’s it”
The question is would such a device be more or equally as compelling as “play on a tv, take the experience with you” which is what we currently have. That may be hard to beat.

 

[Gotdatmoneyy]

With how many units the Seitch has moved I have no idea what the point of a TV only Switch is. All you would do is significantly trim down your revenue generation. The market has already shown it will pay premium price even if they only use one mode. The sales of the lite do not compare to the hybrid model. A portable only system doesn't draw direct comparison to the other consoles on the market which is its competitive advantage. Unless there is proof that there is an untapped market of consumers who only want a TV only Switch at the same power draw and performance as the hybrid who refuse to buy the hybrid model, this really has no market value.

And frankly, a console that will move 140+ million units is not missing some super secret consumer base just waiting to be exploited. This is just a waste of engineering time to generate less revenue

 

[l-dawg979]

can we cancel people who make these videos now?

 

[lexony]

A tv only device would only be made if nitendo’s planned user experience dictated that it needed to be one

That‘s only one reason. Main reason why they even have a hybrid device in the first place is that a huge part of their userbase seem to play on a handheld. 3DS all things considered still made big numbers. I don‘t feel like that there is space for a third TV-Only console, especially when the third option will maybe be less powerful or would have arguably worse user experience when it comes to features. I don‘t want to say that Nintendo wouldn‘t be able to compete, I mean they have their big IPs, but judging how they handle their services and everything else, they could end up being very fast in a position close to WiiU.

That Nintendo does flexible hardware and that you can take their games with you is one of their main USPs for years and I don‘t see changing that with future hardware.

 

[Apopheniac]

In the event of a hypothetical EOL Switch Home, I feel like Nintendo could get away with not selling any controllers in the box to try to get it down to $150 or less. People buying a TV box as a secondary or replacement Switch would be able to use their existing controllers, so they don't need anything included. First-time Switch buyers would be able to choose whether they want a Pro Controller or Joy-Cons, or they could save even more money by buying a third-party controller.

PS TV's $100 price point didn't include a memory card or a controller, those were sold in a $140 bundle along with a game. In spite of it being attached to the Vita, I think it's a reasonable model for Nintendo to emulate if they wanted to go that route. $150ish gets you a Switch Home, $200+ includes peripherals you probably need/want and maybe Mario Kart or something. The bundle seems like a steal compared to the base version because they want to upsell people, and Mario Kart itself can upsell NSO, more controllers, its DLC.

 

[Dekuman]

I do wonder what kind of market Nintendo will find with a sub $100 Switch.
The lite is already $199
But $120-$80 range, was the old stomping ground of their portables pre DSlites. My gut tells me that segment is way too low for Nintendo to bother with 20 years on, $150 is the new $99.99 pricing. and we may see $150 EOL Lites and $250 newSwitches.

 

[Stinky Horse]

.... There is a ton of reengineering, new Mainboards, keeping the pipeline for multiple products...

So long as they are producing the LCD model, keeping the pipeline for multiple products doesn't seem to be the biggest of deals.
And they have to give their hardware teams something to release now and again, Mario Kart Live, the new Game & Watch, every type of NSO retro controller all needed boards designing for them.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

I do wonder what kind of market Nintendo will find with a sub $100 Switch.

That is basically uncharted territory. I don't think turn-of-the-century Game Boys ever went below $70 new, and $100 today is like less than $60 back then.

My gut tells me that segment is way too low for Nintendo to bother with 20 years on, $150 is the new $99.99 pricing. and we may see $150 EOL Lites and $250 newSwitches.

Sounds about right.

 

[Stinky Horse]

That is basically uncharted territory. I don't think turn-of-the-century Game Boys ever went below $70 new, and $100 today is like less than $60 back then.

Sounds about right.

2DS went down to $80 with a pre-installed game, which is close enough.

 

[Concernt]

2DS went down to $80 with a pre-installed game, which is close enough.

Definitely not uncharted territory, since accounting for inflation a 2DS would be 100 today. Pre-installed games don't cost Nintendo anything. The cheapest configuration of official controllers would be a single Pro Controller. Pro Controller, AC Adaptor, USB and HDMI cable would have to be in the box, but that's a helluva lot cheaper than the Lite's battery, screen and so on.

I'm not saying Switch Home/Mini/TV Stick is super likely but I wouldn't discount it out of hand, Nintendo has a storied history from Famicom AV to 2DS, and most relevantly, Wii Mini and its sub-100 dollar launch after the successor was already out. It could be an easy way for them to:

Scrape the final scraps out of the barrel for Switch 1 ownership.
Penetrate developing markets with the cheapest "up to date" console by a mile and a half.
Experiment with digital only.

#Calicolives.

 

[HankyPanky]

Happy Lunar New Year to all the lovely people & especially Uncles out there. May the new year present all the good fortune & assemblage of Drake Switches to launch with Zelda Tears of the Doubters in a few months time.

#2023

it's getting desperate out here.

 

[Angel Whispers]

-and what prevent Switch 2 from Being unique in a way ? no need to be more powerful alone .

- i answered your Point about why to make half of your market wait on my answers to oldpuck.

- regarding oldpuck Post i think i replied to all of his point , it is Fine if you read them all and still find my answers weak and not convincing.

-again , i can totally understand why are you skeptical about TV Only Switch after the tremendous success of Switch Hybrid , but i am not saying to release a console alone and Handheld alone as in the past , it is just the same system with the same games , accessories , services etc , it is just another option for a customers with different preferences.

Errrm…!? You CAN leave it in the dock, and Voilà!! Home Console...

 

[KeijiKG]

can we cancel people who make these videos now?

That's not what we do here, and I for one am not a soldier of your personal army.

 

[Concernt]

That's not what we do here, and I for one am not a soldier of your personal army.

Think they were joking.

 

[kimbo99]

Between a more powerful Switch model and Frank Ocean's new album, I dunno which one will drop first.

 

[Angel Whispers]

About a TV-only Switch 2 before releasing the hybrid model.
I think it would even make sense if the Switch were losing sales fast due to low third party support, so advance the development of the chip to launch without battery and heat restrictions, to later reduce the node and make a hybrid and lite version, in this situation maybe it was a strategy to think about.
But that is not what has been happening recently for sure.
However, a Switch 1 TV only, something like that for 150 dollars or even less would be very successful in emerging countries.
Imagine a box of 150 dollars that runs Fortnite and Nintendo Games, I can really see it being successful, at least here in Brazil, a normal Switch is sold for about 1.5 minimum wage (about 1800 Reais), a Switch only TV under 1000 Reais would be a perfect Christmas present.
It could easily be Nintendo's Ps2, something cheap and easy to use with the games people want to play.

See, the trouble with that is smartphones and tablets are already more of a norm in these “emerging markets”, and in turn, the portable life. On top of that, the hybrid option is more appealing because power cuts can be frequent occurrences in some of these parts. In the event of one, your save isn’t lost because it switches to the portable mode. Can’t do that on a traditional tethered-to-the-wall-socket home console.

 

[ShaunSwitch]

I've commented on this before but the only way I see Nintendo making a TV only device is if they could make it both super cheap and a compelling option vs other TV only options.

How would they do that? If Nintendo made a real push into multimedia with their own IP and also got streaming services on their platform they could do another tx1 die shrink so it could be small enough to operate in a TV stick format. Just a simple HDMI TV Stick, with a USB C cable for power that you plug into your tvs USB port and a micro sdxc port on the other side.

£100, 4K media streaming, access to the Eshop. Have some Nintendo IP TV series and movies available from the device as part of NSO.

Outside of that, I see no reason for a TV only device to exist.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

2DS went down to $80 with a pre-installed game, which is close enough.

Noted. I didn't remember any 3DS models getting that low.

 

[Corim]

Welp, Monday marks the start of the two-week stretch where I believe the Switch's successor is going to be revealed if it's going to be launched alongside Tears of the Kingdom. Now that I've had some time to reflect upon it, I don't feel as confident about it as I did before, but I'm cool with it if nothing happens, which is probably for the best.

 

[Dekuman]

Noted. I didn't remember any 3DS models getting that low.

Could just be clearance pricing. I recall DSXL sold below MSRP for a spell and that's where I got mine.

 

[Aether]

The calculation is even easier when you just take the Switch lite.

how? as a base? its missing the IC as far as i know for the video output.
and its saving money on having the joy cons not removable. no need for extra bateries and bluetooth there.

Honestly, so much of the design of Switch is made more complex due to form factor. You'd free up a fair bit of real estate if you add some height and use a vertical fin-based heat dispersion (like you see with Wii U) to trim its footprint. This also presents options to move certain components vertically, like Game Card and SD slots.
Main boards are a lot easier to design when you're not accommodating as many ICs, maneuvering around heat pipes and can rely on a simpler form factor like a taller rectangular interior. A redesign to trim/replace ICs is going to be the cheaper option.

i was less arguing that the redesign would eat up so much, but having one resource pipeline, just reusing literary the same components as the switch, and depending on the demand shufling them around for either the switch or the tv only mode. not ordering a bunch, and then being stuck with them since people are not buying them, and not havin a problem of producing them if people buy them more since the pipeline of the og switch is just already there.

Also, controller prices are outrageous and have been for a while, but it's another one of those razor-and-blades things, the console is generally priced to make no money at launch and make it up in software and accessories which never really change in price throughout the lifespan of the console. Like, no one bats an eyelash that a 1st-party controller is currently nearly a third of the price of a Switch, and when PS2 was $99, a wired controller, the cheapest kind possible to make, was 1/4 of the console price. It's just something we've accepted (unnecessarily) and factoring pricing around an accessory with a heavily ballooned margin that has no value without the hardware itself is not a smart play.

the margin is high, yeah. but thats another topic. on the one hand, yeah, they are waaay more complex and expensive then they used to be (bluetooth, sensors, microcontrollers, battery, its own charging circuit i assume). Yet still, 80$ is really high. but the price just cant be "cheap enough that you might as well buy a subsidized hardware release (or one thats not returning much profit)". And if new joy cons are 80, and a console is 100, i for sure will buy the console every time, even if i don't need it. Why? a) future investment (seing how prices of other hardware hase deveoped over the years). b) putting it in different spaces. c) reselling it, maybe somebody has a broken switch and still his old joy cons (i assume many).

So long as they are producing the LCD model, keeping the pipeline for multiple products doesn't seem to be the biggest of deals.
And they have to give their hardware teams something to release now and again, Mario Kart Live, the new Game & Watch, every type of NSO retro controller all needed boards designing for them.

i may overestimate the increased cost for having another pipeline, but "having them do something" is NOT the reason to make a product that costs probably more in overhead. believe me, they are not bored, they are developing new products all the time, even if its not a tv switch or something that comes out in the end.

 

[KeijiKG]

Think they were joking.

Yes.

 

[Kise Ryota]

I see a TV only model the same way as I see the Lite model: just a cheaper option for those who are interested on what the device offers. That's the advantage over the hybrid, and that's it.

Obviously, the hybrid should continue to be their priority though.

 

[Serif]

Tabletop only console. It's a slab of metal with a screen and no joy con rails.

Hey, at least there's an ethernet port

 

[Apopheniac]

Could just be clearance pricing. I recall DSXL sold below MSRP for a spell and that's where I got mine.

No, it was a thing they started in 2016. There were red and blue models with MK7, a white-and-red model with NSMB2, and a green model with OoT3D.

Nintendo 2DS System Drops to New Low Suggested Price of $79.99

The entry point to Nintendo 2DS and Nintendo 3DS games and franchises has never been more affordable. On May 20, Nintendo will lower the price of its

www.businesswire.com

 

[Concernt]

Tabletop only console. It's a slab of metal with a screen and no joy con rails.

Hey, at least there's an ethernet port

Hey, it has HDMI!

Honestly that dev kit is super weird design wise. A Wii U Power Adaptor? A Wii Accessory Port (and no USB ports)?

Why the extra ventilation on the right? What even ARE those connectors on the right? External antenna ports?

Can it actually stand up like in the image? Does it have a kickstand? A big flat bottom? Or is it just positioned like that for the tender?

Then given the port selection, no USB C port?

 

[ezidro3]

Hey, it has HDMI!

Honestly that dev kit is super weird design wise. A Wii U Power Adaptor? A Wii Accessory Port (and no USB ports)?

Why the extra ventilation on the right? What even ARE those connectors on the right? External antenna ports?

Can it actually stand up like in the image? Does it have a kickstand? A big flat bottom? Or is it just positioned like that for the tender?

Then given the port selection, no USB C port?

Nintendo Switch Developer Hardware

The back of the console bulges outwards due to a built-in dedicated PCB for adding additional ports. The SDEV console has no battery and instead must be powered constantly by a Wii U AC Adapter (WUP-002) via the power port on the back. There's also an Ethernet port, a HDMI port and a Wii remote external controller port, which allows you to test games using the Classic Controller Pro (RVL-005-02) which comes packaged with the SDEV console.

Extra ventilation is probably because it doesn't need a dock to output to a TV + the Tegra can be overclocked to 1.2GHz

 

[Dakhil]

Can it actually stand up like in the image? Does it have a kickstand? A big flat bottom? Or is it just positioned like that for the tender?

No kickstand for SDEV.

(SDEV on the left and EDEV on the right.)

 

[Foltzie]

Tabletop only console. It's a slab of metal with a screen and no joy con rails.

Hey, at least there's an ethernet port

You can’t fool me that’s clearly a Steam Deck prototype.

/s

 

[Discostew]

Tabletop only console. It's a slab of metal with a screen and no joy con rails.

Hey, at least there's an ethernet port

Hold on. Is that a Wii accessory port in the middle?

 

[Raccoon]

Hold on. Is that a Wii accessory port in the middle?

yes, the NES Classic used the port too so they might've intended it to have a future somehow

 

[Terrell]

i was less arguing that the redesign would eat up so much, but having one resource pipeline, just reusing literary the same components as the switch, and depending on the demand shufling them around for either the switch or the tv only mode. not ordering a bunch, and then being stuck with them since people are not buying them, and not havin a problem of producing them if people buy them more since the pipeline of the og switch is just already there.

But the resource pipeline for the current board includes ICs that would have no use in such a device, it’d be literally wasted silicon. And you can’t just pop ICs off the board and have it work the same. Between the dock and console, I count 10 ICs at least that could be removed (all related to USB-C multi-function port or the battery) and replaced with one HDMI out. This is what I mean by the hybrid being more complex to design, it needs all those chips to do what it does as a hybrid with a single USB-C port for power, video and accessory passthrough from the dock. Save those ICs for the other models.

The margin is high, yeah. but thats another topic. on the one hand, yeah, they are waaay more complex and expensive then they used to be (bluetooth, sensors, microcontrollers, battery, its own charging circuit i assume). Yet still, 80$ is really high. but the price just cant be "cheap enough that you might as well buy a subsidized hardware release (or one thats not returning much profit)". And if new joy cons are 80, and a console is 100, i for sure will buy the console every time, even if i don't need it. Why? a) future investment (seing how prices of other hardware hase deveoped over the years). b) putting it in different spaces. c) reselling it, maybe somebody has a broken switch and still his old joy cons (i assume many).

You’ve presented some edge cases that I don’t believe Nintendo would care about.

First, if someone’s in the market for a controller, they’re either (in descending order of likelihood) going to buy the controller because it’s still cheaper than a $100-120 console they don’t need, or they buy the console to put in another room of their home as you say (which… more opportunities for engagement with their product and ecosystem in a single household AND still making money? Nintendo says “yes please”).

I'm... really unsure what "investment" is being made here. You mean as a collectible sealed in box? Yeah, that's not unique to any piece of hardware.

And in order to resell, it has to keep its value and be something desirable and... y'know, be worth the hassle (which, for most people, it's easier to just buy the controller when it's still less money anyways). There are only 2 ways that would likely be possible:
1) most people aren't doing the same thing and driving down resale value of a sans-controller device by stuffing resale channels with them (hence making it an edge case not worth consideration)
2) you're reselling with a controller of some variety, which means nothing is gained

And this is without mentioning that they could slap a 20hr Joycon battery in a Pro controller shell instead and it's suddenly a less desirable option than buying a Pro controller to begin with.

Tug on the threads of this idea even a little and the whole notion that it merits any significant concern unravels.

yes, the NES Classic used the port too so they might've intended it to have a future somehow

Nintendo has a long-standing habit of not re-engineering parts if they don't have to, especially if they have extra parts laying around that can be re-purposed. See example: Pro Controller using a 3DS battery, which has the added benefit of keeping production of that battery open for existing 3DS users as long as possible.

 

[ccff]

TV only model? Sony made it, but it failed. Haha

 

[ILikeFeet]

yes, the NES Classic used the port too so they might've intended it to have a future somehow

No, they just needed a wired controller and the wii classic controller was the last one they had so they reused it

 

[Raccoon]

No, they just needed a wired controller and the wii classic controller was the last one they had so they reused it

and why did SDEV have the port? maybe for the Wii Classic Controller?

 

[Kise Ryota]

but it failed

PS Vita was really good at it

 

[Pokemaniac]

and why did SDEV have the port? maybe for the Wii Classic Controller?

Probably. It wouldn't be the first time that was reused for development hardware.

 

[Terrell]

TV only model? Sony made it, but it failed. Haha

• inexplicably-poor compatibility with the pre-existing Vita library at launch (only around 140 titles, or ~30% of the total Vita library at the time)
• didn't come with a controller in the basic $100 configuration
• 1GB internal storage, required unnecessarily-expensive proprietary memory cards to expand or buying the $150 config for an paltry extra 8GB and a DualShock 3

But sure, it's the idea itself that's the failure, not the piss-poor implementation.

Remember, this is the same company that screwed up their own "Classic mini" console release, as well, that had already proven to be successful by Nintendo.

 

[Procheno]

With how low the activity has been in this channel for the past week, it really does feel like all hope is lost for Tears of the Kingdom simultaneous launch...

 

[LiC]

With how low the activity has been in this channel for the past week, it really does feel like all hope is lost for Tears of the Kingdom simultaneous launch...

The runway for that has pretty much ended. A few months of manufacturing time are needed, and Nintendo has announced every Switch model (including the original) before manufacturing began. And you wouldn't expect the time from reveal to release of a major upgrade to be shorter than it was for previous revisions.

If anyone's holding out hope, then I guess you should hope to hear some news this week from the forum uncle who speculated mass production* could begin after Lunar New Year, since that weeklong holiday ends this weekend.

* Of... something? Wasn't clear if they were talking about a console or just a part, or if we'll find out it was a colorway again.

 

[Jersh]

and why did SDEV have the port? maybe for the Wii Classic Controller?

We've only really seen it in a consumer product on the Classic console lineups, but that's remained Nintendo's go-to port for devices designed with a wired controller in mind as a primary input device since it came out. I know offhand that dev kits for the Wii, Wii U, Switch, and even 3DS dev hardware all featured it. The DS might've as well, I've just never looked into it.

Why they still seemingly haven't transitioned to USB, I'm not sure, but it might just be to avoid extra costs and/or engineering work. The Classic lineup controllers are effectively Wii classic controllers with functionality removed, and their controllers with that port are far cheaper to manufacture than their USB controllers for incidental reasons, so they're cheaper to include with a dev kit.