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Post by anayo on Jan 17, 2023 10:09:47 GMT -5
The Nintendo Switch is almost 6 years old. That's getting on in years by video game standards. There have been rumors and speculation about a Switch replacement, but no concrete announcements from Nintendo.
While we still have nothing official at hand, what form would you expect the next gen Nintendo Switch to take? What features would you want it to have? Do you think Nintendo can sustain their present success with new hardware?
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Post by Ex on Jan 17, 2023 10:37:48 GMT -5
what form would you expect the next gen Nintendo Switch to take? Modern Nintendo is cold calculated boring, beholden to its shareholders' expectations, and values profit far beyond innovation. That doesn't mean modern Nintendo can't still produce good games. Nintendo can still produce good games that meet nostalgic expectations. But what modern Nintendo won't do in these turbulent economic times, is take a big risk. A big risk like say, make the Switch successor drastically different than its predecessor. No way, no how. Nintendo is not going to rock its money boat. Regarding the above, I expect the Switch 2 to be basically a Super Switch. It will have the same form factor, but will have a more powerful (still mobile based) chipset, higher resolution support (and higher resolution internal screen), and will absolutely be retro-compatible with the original Switch's games. Nintendo isn't going to make the Switch 2 dramatically different than its competitors, insofar as the way it plays games, because Nintendo wants to be able to get (slightly watered down) console ports. Joy-Con analog sticks that don't break. A new F-Zero game. I believe the Switch 2 as described above, will continue to be profitable. But it will not be as dramatic of a success as the original Switch was. The original Switch had two unusual factors in its favor: 1. The portable/console hybrid concept was novel for many consumers. Even though this wasn't actually a new idea in the realm of video games (for instance, Sony already did that with the PSP), this was a new idea to legions of casual gamers. But when the Switch 2 offers the same technology, it will no longer be new to legions of casual gamers, and thus not as appealing. Most consumers are beholden to argumentum ad novitatem and they won't get that this time. 2. The Switch's sales massively spiked during the pandemic era. Millions and millions of people were in lockdown, with not much to do indoors. So video games in general exploded in sales, and Nintendo's sales did especially. This is because Nintendo is the most well known video game brand for the average consumer. And also because, Nintendo hardware is less expensive than Sony or Microsoft's, and tends to be more readily available in real life. However, the Switch 2 won't have the same benefit of millions of people locked down indoors, desperately needing indoor entertainment, this time around. Taking those two aberrations into consideration as bolsters for the original Switch, one can't extrapolate them to the Switch 2's success vector. So while the Switch 2 will surely sell, it's highly unlikely it will reach the same peak as its predecessor. If the Switch 2 were drastically different than its predecessor, and not just a Super Switch, I would be astounded. If Nintendo were to do something dramatically different, like abandon the Switch concept entirely, I'd be blown away. Such chutzpah would restore my faith in a company that has become overtly corporatized. But that won't happen. I swear on Iwata-san's grave.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 17, 2023 13:58:23 GMT -5
I think Nintendo going a completely different direction would be an absolute disaster for them. I think it would be fine if they innovated in some way beyond "Switch 2", but they've found their market niche as a hybrid console/handheld manufacturer, especially now that the 3DS is gone. They won't go back to trying to compete toe-to-toe with Sony/MS, nor should they.
One thing I'd like to see is that the dock has extra hardware that significantly boosts the on-screen performance. Right now, it only enables boosting the system's GPU clocks, but a dock that actually contained more hardware to boost performance (especially given how USB-C graphics card expansions are a thing) would be really cool to see. It could also provide a vector for an upgrade path that wouldn't require replacing the entire console - a mid-gen upgrade could be a more powerful dock, instead.
Another question is whether they try to get into the burgeoning (maybe?) VR market. Maybe they're the company that could truly get it into the mainstream.
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Post by Xeogred on Jan 19, 2023 0:27:35 GMT -5
I just want more poweraaaaah and for the Switch 2 to be fully backward compatible, cartridge and digital library wise. The WiiU could do Wii games, but the VC didn't carry over. Their handhelds often had backward compatibility. It all seems like a flip of a coin, but I think I did see an interview a year or few back that the current president and suits are more focused on retaining this install base going forward and focusing on software sales. So that would lend some credibility to everything carrying over nicely...
Yeah, it's a "concern" to them to retain the install base:
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Post by Moulinoski on Jan 19, 2023 7:57:41 GMT -5
I’d rather have minor iterative upgrades to hardware, kind of like with phones, than a brand new Switch 2. The only real new thing they could bring is more power and pressure sensitive buttons. Maybe a speaker on the controllers but that’s never done anything positive in my experience. Most importantly, retain physical and digital backwards compatibility with existing software.
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Post by Ex on Jan 20, 2023 12:13:29 GMT -5
Most importantly, retain physical and digital backwards compatibility with existing software. I agree, and I'm 99% sure Nintendo won't screw that up with the Switch 2. There is that 1% possibility that Nintendo could be so greedy as to entice people to buy Switch game ports to the Switch 2. And millions of idiots would do it, but I'm going to give modern Nintendo the benefit of a doubt that they have more class than that.
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Post by anayo on Jan 22, 2023 10:44:00 GMT -5
My controversial take is that I don't want a next-gen Switch at all. These are my Switch games I have either beaten or spent quality time with: These are my Switch games I have either barely touched or not even removed the shrink wrap: Obviously I am not wanting for anything new to play. What I find the Switch library to be lacking is more physical releases of Gamecube games. As you can see, the ones that are available I've already bought, such as Super Mario Sunshine, Resident Evil 4, and Ikaruga. But I still want F-Zero GX, Metroid Prime, Mario Kart Double Dash, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. That's not a "our hardware isn't strong enough" problem, it's a "Nintendo isn't making their software available to people willing to buy it" problem. I find that gaming on a mobile screen makes the graphics harder to notice. I can't parse really fine, granular details the same way I can on a large monitor. So, the appeal of PS4-level graphics is lost on me if the screen is too small to appreciate them. I mainly use the Switch as a de-facto retro gaming machine that uses physical carts anyway. I acknowledge that this makes me an outlier, but it still isn't clear how more power will improve the Switch experience for someone like me. More power wouldn't address my concerns with battery life, either. That's my main hangup with the Steam Deck, too. I find it really neat how Steam Deck can integrate with my Steam library. But with only 1 or 2 hours of untethered playtime, I just don't see the use. I catch myself thinking back to the days when handheld games actually fit in your pocket and could last for double digit hours on a pair of AA batteries. Maybe a die shrink of the current Switch would do something for me. Just take the current Switch, shrink it to 4 nm, and raise the battery life to 18 hours or so, and make it passively cooled. Given Nintendo's track record of variants for their handheld consoles, I wouldn't rule that out. But that isn't the form I expect the next-gen Switch to take.
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Post by Ex on Jan 22, 2023 22:10:40 GMT -5
Nice collection of mostly neo-retro stuff. Some real winners in there, but not much that is Switch exclusive overall. More like "this can be played elsewhere, but it's quite convenient on Switch for portability". The Switch is not "PS4 level graphics" my dude. The Switch couldn't even begin to render say, Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Last of Us 2. I mean, the Switch makes concessions to even run PS3 era games like Dark Souls or Skyrim. This is because the Switch's GPU is mobile chipset based and weaker inherently. It may come to pass the Switch 2 can near PS4 level graphics though, we'll see. Yeah I doubt that as well. I think the biggest competitor challenging the Switch 2 is not the PS5 or XBX. Rather it's the Steam Deck 2. Valve's new handheld/TV hybrid is the serious threat to the Switch's successor. Nintendo has given up competing with Sony or Microsoft directly, in order to carve their own niche. But Valve is coming after Nintendo's niche.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 22, 2023 22:38:55 GMT -5
The Switch runs games like Dark Souls and Skyrim better than the PS3/360 did. They're also based on Remastered and Special Edition, respectively. The Switch, despite not being a powerhouse, is quite a bit beefier than the 360/PS3. It's somewhere between those and the PS4.
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Post by Ex on Jan 22, 2023 22:53:35 GMT -5
Notice that DS video you posted has no motion going on. Can't get frame drops with no motion. The PS4 can run The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition and Dark Souls Remastered at 60FPS, whereas the Switch cannot. A 30FPS disparity is not paltry. I agree the Switch's graphical capability lies somewhere between a PS3 and PS4, though closer to the PS3 side of the scale. It isn't legitimate PS4 level graphics parallel by a mile.
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