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Hardware We need a Switch successor pronto

After the success* of Dread, Metroid Prime 4 can only benefit from being on the Switch

*Dread being the best-selling Metroid game despite not selling mind-blowing numbers
the worry about MP4 is weird. like you have to remind people that the last Prime game was on the Wii.

the Wii

MP4 will be fine yall
 
Hyperbole aside, sure, it's a perfectly logical time for Switch to get some form of upgrade. To all intents and purposes, I expect a Switch system which is a generational upgrade in processing power and technical capabilities, probably with some other functionality to differentiate it from the existing Switch and to let Nintendo try some different bits and pieces, and I expect it to be out globally in the next fiscal year. I've said it before, but I wonder if they might play around with augmented reality again, given that didn't feature on the current Switch. The only question in my mind is whether Nintendo market it as a successor or as an iteration.

Not that it will change things all that much. Are complaints really going to go away when frame rates and resolution has to dip in portable mode, or when docked mode doesn't feature maxed frame rates and maximum resolution? What's acceptable with Tears of the Kingdom? 1440p and 30fps? Does every game need to hit 60fps? Are Nintendo - of all companies - going to offer performance or image quality options? What hit will battery life take in portable mode? Going back to 2017 style 3 hour battery life after the bump I experienced with the OLED model would be a bummer.

Personally, I'd be happy with stable frame rates and clear image quality. It is a shame when the image quality dips noticeably in a title like XBC3 on that lovely OLED panel. 720p in portable is fine, for me; docked above 1080p doesn't really matter until I get a new TV, but it seems pretty obvious new hardware will offer resolutions above that.
 
Look better, yes, but I would be pleasantly surprised if it runs better. My expectations aren't all that high given the scope of the game.
EPD rarely puts out games that struggle to hit 30fps, let alone hover in the teens on occasion. BOTW was an exception because they didn't really care about Wii U performance and it was not built for Switch, it was ported in less than 6 months with virtually no optimization.

I absolutely expect TotK to run much, much better.
 
In terms of straight sequels to existing Switch games this year's slate probably shows there shouldn't be too much to be concerned about.

If you compare Forgotten Land to Star Allies, Xenoblade 3 to Xenoblade 2 or Splatoon 3 to Splatoon 2 they all show the typical improvements associated with developers having years of extra experience on the hardware.
 
EPD rarely puts out games that struggle to hit 30fps, let alone hover in the teens on occasion. BOTW was an exception because they didn't really care about Wii U performance and it was not built for Switch, it was ported in less than 6 months with virtually no optimization.

I absolutely expect TotK to run much, much better.
Conversely, none of EPD’s output comes close to the scope of BotW. If any of their other output failed to hit that mark, then I’d be way more concerned about that.

Until I actually have the game in my hands, I’m not buying that it’ll run at a consistent 30FPS. I just don’t see a game of that size pulling it off.
 
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Pokémon is not bad because the hardware is weak, it’s just the small experience of GF on a home console HD.

Look at Fire Emblem, same problems: TH was REALLY bad and they had to ask help to Koei Tecmo.
 
yes, but if there were ever be a time for chicanery this would be it

global pandemic, economic downturn, semiconductor shortage, etc
I mean, did you read his post? That's essentially what he's talking about, it's unfeasible to expect this to be cancelled or delayed due to those factors.
 
Nah OP this is mostly opinion. Most of the games you listed like Xenoblade 3 and Bayonetta 3 were fantastic graphical showcases. For Bayonetta 3 in particular, people forgot Platinum Game’s whole thing with making games is they will put as much as possible on screen and only ever aim for 60fps. Doing something awesome for them will always come ahead of performance. You are right we are running out of third party games that can realistically run on the system without extensive work, but those limitations have been there from the start.

We are seemingly getting new hardware next year anyway so there’s not a ton to argue about here.
 
Probably....but i have a huge backlog for years to come and im very happy with my Switch. And 2023 already looking great...so i just don't care.
 
I mean, did you read his post? That's essentially what he's talking about, it's unfeasible to expect this to be cancelled or delayed due to those factors.
...the linked post is not the one I thought it was

oops, please excuse me
 
Like I said in another thread, I am someone who probably has lower standards than the average poster here, because I don't own a PlayStation, an XBOX, or a relatively powerful PC. But I would certainly be happy if we got a graphical step forward (or maybe a leap forward) via new hardware.
 
Semi-shitposting aside it's obviously more nuanced than that. Already mentioned it but Soul Hackers 2 is a game from the same division that developed Shin Megami Tensei 5, and it's less ambitious from both a gameplay and visual perspective and has performance issues on machines much more powerful than Switch.

Star Ocean 6 is another example of a mid tier game with performance struggles on hardware much more powerful than Switch, with the image quality on PS4/XBO arguably being worse than Xenoblade 3 on Switch. One of the key criticisms in reviews was its poor production values too.
Oh yeah. some are just strugling, be it production problems, be it budget problems. its obviously that they expected less sales from a side project thats not nintendo backed, and they obviously reused a ton of models.

SO6... i was honestly suprized that it got greenlit. But yeah, going by the trailers that game really doesnt look much better or even better then XC3. theres only so much brute force (compute power) can do.

Yet i still stand by my opinion that switch is at the point where it limits game design and world design to such a degree that its time for a sequell.
Just thinking how the devs feel when every gadget they have (laptop, tablet, phone, pc) is probably stronger then the hardware they develop for. Probably somewhat limited. (at least those that do more then indie development, especially those that wana build big worlds)
There is a reason why we still dont have Genshin Inpact, having the game on switch would make future development some form of hell when they expand the world in ways the switch cant handle.

Like I said in another thread, I am someone who probably has lower standards than the average poster here, because I don't own a PlayStation, an XBOX, or a relatively powerful PC. But I would certainly be happy if we got a graphical step forward (or maybe a leap forward) via new hardware.

Switch is my strongest gaming hardware, my Laptop has 16GB of ram, but the integrated intel iris graphics card is not stronger.
But i really feel like its time for a bump on the switch. I played the Wii u on an 1080p screen, and 720 felt okay.
switches 720-900 in most cases (rarely that it gets to 1080) feels worse now.
Games that do run at 1080 usually look crisp enough for me (smash, nier atomata), but those are rare.
 
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I have pretty low standards for graphics, as long as the game runs smoothly. I'm far more interested in gameplay and design than anything else. This is why I am able to say that the Switch is my #1 favorite console ever.

But I dream of a day where we can have more 1080p / 60fps titles.
 
I have pretty low standards of graphics, as long as the game runs smoothly. I'm far more interested in gameplay and design than anything else. This is why I am able to say that the Switch is my #1 favorite console ever.

But I dream of a day where we can have more 1080p / 60fps titles.
I really, really, really wanted Kirby to be 60fps
 
I'm of two very conflicting minds:

1). Switch has become long in the tooth, and in my opinion is overdue for an upgrade. This year would've been perfect, but even as a lapsed gamer that returned to the medium because of Switch I've honestly lost interest because of the technical foibles, and it makes me sad.
2). I recently bought a New 3DS, and many of those games hold up despite those screens having hilariously low resolutions even back when the thing released.

The way to reconcile these points is this: if a game is tailor-made for a platform, technical deficiencies can be worked around. Mario Kart DS, A Link Between Worlds on 3DS and Splatoon 3 on Switch are great examples: run great, look good. However, with the industry moving forward technologically it's become less viable to squeeze games into Switch's power budget. Now that that's becoming evident on Switch exclusive games it's becoming a real sticking point.

If Nintendo wants to hold on to the hybrid console concept - something that's on a tight energy budget, but with a modern architecture - they're going to have to support modern rendering tools like UE5 and Unity's high fidelity renderer. I feel like that window is closing, so hope an update really is due in Q1 2023 as rumoured.
 
I sure am glad that we’ve got old PT here to tell us how time works and that the Switch is, in fact, 6 years old. Truly insightful.
 
Don’t read all thread but Zelda TOTK, Pikmin 4 and Metroid Prime 4 are all slated to release on current Switch.

I’m really sure most Nintendo mid/low budget games will be release on both models.

Maybe there is a little hope next big Tokio EPD, NLG, Monolith Soft, Platinum Games projects are exclusive to next HW.

But you will likely deal with dated hardware for 1/2 years more with most games. Switch actuals specs are more than enough for Nintendo for a great variety of their ambitions. There are exceptions of course.
 
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I can’t wait for the next system to come out because it’s gonna be funny seeing all the people complain about it even though it’s actually fine. And then they start wanting the next next system two years after release.
 
I can’t wait for the next system to come out because it’s gonna be funny seeing all the people complain about it even though it’s actually fine. And then they start wanting the next next system two years after release.
seeing the xbox series s already getting called a potato two years into its lifespan 👀
 
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The real reason I want a successor pronto is so we can stop getting "We need a successor pronto" threads and posts
Pretty much where I'm at.

We are objectively entering this system's seventh year on the market in a few weeks. Nintendo needs to have a successor ready to go, and soon. Or a lot of what they achieved with the Switch will be in needless jeopardy
First, it's the sixth year, not seventh.

Second, it's fine to want a successor without insinuating that not releasing a successor "soon" would "jeopardize" Nintendo, because if you look at the hard numbers Nintendo is still going strong. Switch this year is selling more than PS4's peak year.
 
My only take on this is that I just upgraded to a Switch OLED a few weeks ago thanks to the mistakenly priced bundle from Dell, so I fully expect a full Switch 2 to be unveiled any day now.
 
Pokémon is not bad because the hardware is weak, it’s just the small experience of GF on a home console HD.

Look at Fire Emblem, same problems: TH was REALLY bad and they had to ask help to Koei Tecmo.

TH wasn't bad at all, it looked like a game that was designed with the reality that it was going to be the latest entry in a B tier series that up to that point sold 2-3 million. Not everything is going to look like or have the same investment as breath of the wild and games like fire emblem/Xenoblade/Pikmin/... Are always going to have obvious seams you could nitpick at that could have been fixed with higher budgets, but that's just A/B tier development instead of AAA games

They also didn't "have to ask for help", they just couldn't develop multiple HD games at the same time and as we now know, the staff were busy with Origami king, so the legwork was outsourced to one of Nintendo's trusted partners. It was either that or they'd have to have waited for the paper mario development to finish.
 
I want the Switch 2 to come out so all of the "We need a successor" threads can take a hike for a few more years until folk complain that a 2023/2024 handheld isn't as powerful as a 2020 console

Honestly, I don't disagree that some games absolutely do need it but I mostly feel that in docked mode more than anything else because of 4KTVs. Even there, its more so games like FE:TH or the musou stuff that I feel that way towards than something like XC3 or Bayonetta 3. The latter in particular makes me feel like I'm in crazy town because I'm having ZERO issues with it whereas I still noticed framerate drops in games like BotW. As for XC3, I find it a lot more appealing to the eye than XC2
 
The real reason I want a successor pronto is so we can stop getting "We need a successor pronto" threads and posts
I'm with you, but you know this conversation will start again a year after new hardware is released. It still won't be as technically capable as the PS5 and Series X so people who really care about this stuff still won't be satisfied.
 
TH wasn't bad at all, it looked like a game that was designed with the reality that it was going to be the latest entry in a B tier series that up to that point sold 2-3 million. Not everything is going to look like or have the same investment as breath of the wild and games like fire emblem/Xenoblade/Pikmin/... Are always going to have obvious seams you could nitpick at that could have been fixed with higher budgets, but that's just A/B tier development instead of AAA games

It looks very bad, nothing else. Xenoblade is also a B series to Nintendo (in terms of sales) and still looks miles better than FE which wasn’t even an open map game.

And I’m a huge fan of FE TH. Intelligent System and GF weren’t ready for HD development, meanwhile Xenoblade, Mario, Zelda and friends teams already have much more experiences.
 
I'm with you, but you know this conversation will start again a year after new hardware is released. It still won't be as technically capable as the PS5 and Series X so people who really care about this stuff still won't be satisfied.
I'm waiting for the gamers(tm) to turn on the Steam Deck as being "long in the tooth".
 
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I really love that while I'm almost every day reading the main hardward thread, other threads like this one pop up and reinforce how much I desperately want Drake news
 
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Was SMTV really that bad? I haven't played it since launch, but I don't remember it running particulary bad.
In handheld, the resolution is comparable to the worst of Xenoblade 2's dips. Lol at these "actually Xenoblade 3 was worse" hot takes, SMTV mostly looks awful.
 
Honestly, more than the games -which are mostly fine- the thing that makes me wish for a revision of the switch (or a succ) or whatever is the fact that if I open the eshop while I have a game open it's impossible to browse anything. Would also like a revamp to the eshop while we're at it thanks nintendo
 
I sold my switch 1.5 years ago due to graphics/performance frustration(tv only player).

While I'm a graphics enthusiast my priority for their next system isn't next gen graphics. The only thing I want is no distracting jaggies pop-ins lod change, smooth frame rate and increased resolution. That's why I would be happier with a pro option than successor. The successor focus would likely be on shine new graphics.
 
I sold my switch 1.5 years ago due to graphics/performance frustration(tv only player).

While I'm a graphics enthusiast my priority for their next system isn't next gen graphics. The only thing I want is no distracting jaggies pop-ins lod change, smooth frame rate and increased resolution. That's why I would be happier with a pro option than successor. The successor focus would likely be on shine new graphics.
Well you're getting the latter rather than the former
 


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