You can see a cable plugged into the bottom of the device in the trailer.
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Laura Dale: NX battery 3 hours max on dev kit, dock improves performance, touchscreen
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You can see a cable plugged into the bottom of the device in the trailer.
Starchasing
Member
out of the docens of Switch threads, this is the one trending the most.
you guys really care that much for battery life of that thing?
here a tip, just forget nintendo said you should play it during flights, consider it the next nintendo home console and be done with th problem.
the Dualschosk dies pretty much as fast if not earlier than that, and yet you enjoy your PS4,
get over it.
you guys really care that much for battery life of that thing?
here a tip, just forget nintendo said you should play it during flights, consider it the next nintendo home console and be done with th problem.
the Dualschosk dies pretty much as fast if not earlier than that, and yet you enjoy your PS4,
get over it.
SinCityAssassin
Member
Or accept the fact that you're not gonna play a taxing console game 3 hours straight outside your home anyways and just wait and see what the final battery life is and consider what you had to do with the 3DS or Vita with a similar battery life.
Running on the battery will probably mean a lesser resolution and pre/post image processing.
ShadowFox08
Member
Saint Gregory
Member
Yeah, I was pretty upset by this news at first but then when I thought about it there are power outlets literally everywhere because of the mobile device culture that we have now. The chances of being somewhere for longer than a couple hours without access to a plug is pretty slim. Still kind of bothersome that it not truly mobile in the sense that you can go for hours without being tethered to a single spot for a while but if the performance is really home console-like then the trade off will be worth it.
its funny how all the Sony fans making a big deal about the battery life, its 2016, battery life its not much of an issue as before. Although technology in battery have not improve, other things improve.
We have
Rapid Charging
USB C
and
Battery Banks
all these are good choices to carry around with you, and before you say why carry a Battery Bank, well if you carrying the Nintendo Switch I know for sure its not in your pockets, it will be in a bag, so the battery bank can fit in the same bag as the Nintendo Switch or you can keep it in your pocket since its same size as a wallet or more thin..........best part of battery banks is that they cheap.......on Amazon you can get a 30,000 MAH battery bank that have rapid charging and USB C charging for 40 dollars on some sales you may get it for 30, on black friday or christmas sales, you may even get it cheaper.......all you have to do is connect the wire and do not act like a child, a wire will not stop your chances of playing a game..........a 30,000 MAH battery can charge a iphone 7 ...11 times before it needs to charge so it will give Nintendo Switch over 10 to 25 hours of gaming on the go........not that everyone need that much.........its just an option
Rapid charging pretty sure everyone heard about it, lets your galaxy phone or any phone with it built in to charge quickly, so you can get 60 to 80 percent of your battery life in just 30 minutes of charging
this is the same with USB C but it charges much faster than Rapid charging since its a newer technology
so even if your battery get low, and you carry a battery bank, it will only take you 30 minutes to get you back most of your battery, and it will only take 1 hour to charge it back all the way
I look at Nvidia shield tablet they selling it have rapid charging which i read take only 1 hour to fully charge.......
so regardless what any sony fans say.......Battery is not an issue like GameBoy days.....we have options and things are much easier for us now......its 2016......anyone with battery issues just like to complain grow up, do you see all the millions of galaxy s7 edge owners complain about their battery??? and its a phone something you have to use more........this why samsung add rapid charging, even if its low, just 30 mins or even 10 or 20 mins will give you enough power to get back home allowing you to use your phone
I bet they ignore my post because they know i'm right, but go ahead, hopefully the resonable and smart people who do need extra power save 20 to 30 dollars since black friday coming soon and you might even get a bigger battery bank 50,000MAH.......
just make sure it have rapid charging or USB C
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F8IRIN0/?tag=neogaf0e-20
I prefer this one for 50 on amazon.......both Rapid Charging and USB C is on it.....my phone use USB C and its a god send, to have it charge so fast
it can quick charge or usb c charge two device at one time, and it fit in back pocket, so its pretty cool
We have
Rapid Charging
USB C
and
Battery Banks
all these are good choices to carry around with you, and before you say why carry a Battery Bank, well if you carrying the Nintendo Switch I know for sure its not in your pockets, it will be in a bag, so the battery bank can fit in the same bag as the Nintendo Switch or you can keep it in your pocket since its same size as a wallet or more thin..........best part of battery banks is that they cheap.......on Amazon you can get a 30,000 MAH battery bank that have rapid charging and USB C charging for 40 dollars on some sales you may get it for 30, on black friday or christmas sales, you may even get it cheaper.......all you have to do is connect the wire and do not act like a child, a wire will not stop your chances of playing a game..........a 30,000 MAH battery can charge a iphone 7 ...11 times before it needs to charge so it will give Nintendo Switch over 10 to 25 hours of gaming on the go........not that everyone need that much.........its just an option
Rapid charging pretty sure everyone heard about it, lets your galaxy phone or any phone with it built in to charge quickly, so you can get 60 to 80 percent of your battery life in just 30 minutes of charging
this is the same with USB C but it charges much faster than Rapid charging since its a newer technology
so even if your battery get low, and you carry a battery bank, it will only take you 30 minutes to get you back most of your battery, and it will only take 1 hour to charge it back all the way
I look at Nvidia shield tablet they selling it have rapid charging which i read take only 1 hour to fully charge.......
so regardless what any sony fans say.......Battery is not an issue like GameBoy days.....we have options and things are much easier for us now......its 2016......anyone with battery issues just like to complain grow up, do you see all the millions of galaxy s7 edge owners complain about their battery??? and its a phone something you have to use more........this why samsung add rapid charging, even if its low, just 30 mins or even 10 or 20 mins will give you enough power to get back home allowing you to use your phone
I bet they ignore my post because they know i'm right, but go ahead, hopefully the resonable and smart people who do need extra power save 20 to 30 dollars since black friday coming soon and you might even get a bigger battery bank 50,000MAH.......
just make sure it have rapid charging or USB C
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F8IRIN0/?tag=neogaf0e-20
I prefer this one for 50 on amazon.......both Rapid Charging and USB C is on it.....my phone use USB C and its a god send, to have it charge so fast
it can quick charge or usb c charge two device at one time, and it fit in back pocket, so its pretty cool
I don't think there's any need to worry.
Games will be designed for one architecture. I think the best case scenario (and most realistic) is that the only change will be resolution. Going from 1080p on your tv, to 720p on the handheld.
If we use Mario Kart "switch" as an example, I can see that looking the same (resolution aside) and running at 60fps regardless of where you play. The most comparable scenario would be the Wii U gamepad in terms of the game looking the same and running at the same framerate regardless of where you play, the only difference being the lower resolution of the gamepad display.
I can't forsee a situation where developers (and Nintendo) are in a position where they are focusing development on a certain power state, and adding extra graphical fidelity depending on whether you are docked or not. It would just add a layer of complexity that isn't needed. Changes in resolution in itself would be solved by simply reducing or raising the frequency of the SoC.
The 3ds scenario you mention was slightly different, as it was not as simple as reduced clock speeds, it was physically different hardware. I believe the New 3DS had a quad core processor.
dickgumshoe
Member
As long as you can use a power bar, I'm ok with the battery life.
Ammogeddon
Member
3 hours doesn't bother me and is probably part of the reason why they are empthasising that it's a home console first and foremost.
For me it's only going to be used as a portable on these occasions
1) Wife watching the TV
2) Laying in bed
3) Sat on the throne
For me it's only going to be used as a portable on these occasions
1) Wife watching the TV
2) Laying in bed
3) Sat on the throne
Trying again
She was making enquiries on whether you can use an external gpu via USB C.
She was also trying to link whether switching to external graphics would cause a delay the same way the Switch has a delay when being docked. I guess ultimately trying to insinuate that the dock has an external gpu that connects via USB C, and when you dock the Switch it has a brief delay while switching to the external gpu.
She really needs to stop with that.
Any "delay" when docking is likely just the normal hdmi handshake time when connecting a device and changing resolution.
I'm confident that Nintendo only has one Nvidia SoC on the system, that has different power states and clock frequencies. Any perceived performance difference when portable is down to the SoC downclocking. Although again I'm not necessarily convinced of visible performance differences in games, a game like Mario Kart wil run at 60fps regardless, the only difference in my mind will be resolution. I'm doubtful games will have better AA, textures etc when docked.
If the Switch dock contains an external GPU that connects via USB C (lol) I'll film myself eating a piece of dog shit and put it up on YouTube.
Starchasing
Member
Also her new article is totally absurd, the switch doesnt have rails on the back, and her proposed solution would cause too much friction and stress in the usb c port in the dock making it to break sooner than later.
More than probably the "misterious" connector is a frictonless propietary connector with hdmi out and charge. The usb port is to charge on the go( nothing to do with the dock) and the other two things are a reference to dock the switch.
Yeah this dock is nothing more than a glorified breakout box.
I think what's happened is there were talks of different performance between the Switch being docked and undocked, and someone along the way has assumed that must mean the dock must provide a boost in performance, as opposed to the more likely scenario that the Nvidia SoC clock frequency reduces when undocked.
I don't even know why this is being made more complicated than it needs to be, every single cpu, gpu and SoC changes frequency depending on the load. Portable devices change frequency all the time to promote better battery life and obviously reduce heat.
The positive thing with the Switch could be that Nvidia have designed a powerful SoC that wouldn't normally make sense in a portable only device due to the heat and battery considerations, but when docked it wouldn't apply, and then when portable they'd simply reduce the clock frequency to fit inline with a portable device. The other advantage would also be that the Switch is actively cooled, so the SoC could run at an even higher frequency than if it was in a portable only, passively cooled device.
The only reason phones and tablets aren't even more powerful than they are, is because manufacturers need to balance battery life and heat. Phones nowadays get extremely hot, passive cooling can only do so much, and it's not as though they can get a fan in there lol, and then there's battery life, what good is a portable device that lasts 30 minutes.
ronaldthump
Member
3 hours is pretty abysmal. Let's hope this isn't true.
Otherwise, battery packs for those flights
Otherwise, battery packs for those flights
Hyperbole at it's finest.
hydragonwarrior
Member
Well it's certainly a big selling feature back in the day - one of the strengths of a Nintendo handheld over the others was definitely the battery life.
That could be why they are still not advertising it completely as a 3DS successor.
That could be why they are still not advertising it completely as a 3DS successor.
Interesting, so basically (assuming it does underclock when in portable mode) the system is actually probably slightly stronger than it ever could've been if they'd released it as a pure portable. If this is the case it kind of kills the whole theory that it's a "glorified portable with a TV out." I never bought into that myself because I think the detachable controllers and the convenience of "switching" were enough to justify calling it a hybrid. But it sounds like the specs are probably also only practical on a hybrid machine.
ShadowFox08
Member
Yeah absolutely. By having a different performance mode when docked it removes the two major factors that effect power of SoC's and what frequency they can operate at: Battery life and heat, those things would be irrelevant when docked so the clocks could go as high as the SoC is capable of. The only limitation would be the cooling, and obviously what the silicone itself is capable of operating at.
However as we know heat and battery life would be very important when portable, no one wants a device that's going to get too hot to touch, or so hot that it overheats and the cooling isn't capable of managing heat dissipation. So the way around that is by reducing the clock frequency the SoC operates at.
Although one thing to bear in mind is that doesn't necessarily mean Nvidia and Nintendo have created a massive difference in operating frequencies between docked and undocked, but in theory when heat and battery life aren't really factors to consider they absolutely could run at very different frequencies.
What I would like to know though is whether the active cooling (i.e fan) is located on the dock or the handheld itself. I would prefer it to be on the dock, as I'd hate a tiny fan spinning at full rpm during an intensive 3d game while playing in bed for example. But would having passive cooling limit the performance too much due to heat, that the only option is having the fan on the handheld.
Noise is an issue for me personally, it's one thing having a console a few feet away, and sound from the tv drowning it out, but a handheld inches away from your eyes and a small fan spinning at high rpm is going to sound like shit, ok maybe an exaggeration, realistically it'll sound like a fan found on a typical netbook etc. Guess I'd be using headphones anyway so....
edit: Just to add that when I say heat would be irrelevant when docked, obviously cooling still plays a part in a console, and the heatsink and fan need to be able to manage heat dissipation appropriately, but the heat output would be less of a consideration on the switch when docked than when portable.
As I've said before that's the reason phones and tablets etc aren't even more powerful than what they are, manufacturers need to take into account heat and battery life. I'd say those two factors are what's holding back the speed at which mobile processors etc are progressing at.
When I asked Emily about it a few weeks ago, she said it would be a handheld with active cooling, meaning the fan is in the tablet.
Godzilla's Left Toe
Member
Seen the video at 1:03 to 1:06 I see no serial number sticker on the back
Nvidia claims 10 hours browsing the web etc and 5 hours for gaming.
Which again goes some way to rubbish the "3 hours max" claim. Not because I think the Nvidia Shield represents what sort of battery life the Switch will get, but more that battery life depends on the actual usage of the device. As we all know a battery will decharge quicker depending what we do with the device. We still don't know what the Switch can last 3 hours doing.
Was it 3 hours playing something like Assasin's creed, or Rayman? Was the brightness on full? Was wi-fi and bluetooth enabled? How long does it last for media usage?
What I'm surprised by is the way it's being taken at face value. If I said my iphone/ipad/vita battery lasted x amount hours the first thing people would do is ask me what I was doing with my device to get that battery life. Not many people have asked what the Switch was apparently doing, just said "Lol Nintendo".
"3 hours" means nothing to me. It's like someone saying "20mpg" when talking about a car, what sort of driving gained that sort of fuel consumption? Highway driving? Around town? Drag racing?
CoffeeJanitor
Member
Honestly considering the size of the console, 3 hours is impressive if we're talking demanding titles.
My question is how will developers have to work around it if that's the case?
Work around what? They just need to make the game run at 720p when in portable mode and 1080p (or lower) in docked mode. The GPU will probably downclocked itself for that, the CPU would run at the same speed though
That's assuming they'll be able to hit 1080 or 900 or whatever while docked.
Honestly in this trailer it looks like Zelda's FPS take some a big ol dip on the go. Wouldn't surprise me.
I honestly think the difference between docked and undocked will come down to different resolutions.
I'd also like to think that given that to be the case, the clock frequency difference between docked and undocked would be minimal so we wouldn't find ourselves in a position where developers are working to a much higher performance "docked mode".
I'd be very surprised if we end up seeing games running at higher framerates, with better AA, higher resolution textures etc when docked.
I can see games like Mario Kart running at the same 60fps framerate, the only difference being 720p undocked and 1080p docked.
I think the vision for Nintendo is providing the EXACT same experience regardless of how you play, and developers don't like to fragment development when it can be avoided.
With the new Nintendo Switch, you can now squeeze in a few minutes of gaming while waiting for that one dick on NeoGAF to reply to you. Never miss a shitpost.
AquaWateria
Member
How long do you think a IPad playing intensive games last?
Battery length has been a major issue for the industry as a whole.
Karspankey
Banned
You're not gonna get more powerful hardware from the dock, you guys. Might as well give up on the idea now while you can. Giving the system more power, that's not just an adjustment to the clock, while docked would defeat the entire purpose of the Switch.
EDIT: Specified that I meant hardware and not just a change to a clock!
EDIT: Specified that I meant hardware and not just a change to a clock!
More power suggesting a resolution bump like people are predicting?
It's plausible and would have no effect on the purpose of the system and be a welcome feature.
How so? They specifically stated that this is a "home console first". More power when docked makes the most sense. Which is why it's an issue. Though, I think being clocked higher when docked is fine if that means we'll get some nice looking games when connected to the TV.
If you mean the dock containing additional hardware then I agree.
If you mean no difference in power states on the Nvidia SoC then I'm not so sure. I could see the SoC running at a different frequency when docked and undocked.
However to simply everything there might not be any difference in performance at all in terms of frequency the SoC operates at. The clock frequency could just be set for "optimal undocked mode" permanently, aside from normal frequency changes depending on load obviously, i.e a processor will operate at different frequencies on the main u.i when compared to running a 3d application.
So in other words the maximum frequency the Nvida SoC operates at would be capped to whatever is appropriate for portable usage, as opposed to having a different "ceiling" when docked and undocked.
One thing that there will be 100% regardless of different power states is a different output resolution when docked and undocked, I'd bet my life on that.
Karspankey
Banned
You know, I should have specified what I mean by power
I agree that a downclock like what the PS4 Pro uses to remain compatible with all PS4 games before it would be feasible . A downclock could in theory provide a resolution decrease and a minor battery improvement; perfect for a portable system! What I really meant was a significant power increase that I still see being discussed on various sites. The Switch's purpose (at least to me) is to provide the same experience no matter where you are playing it. A resolution decrease does not affect that experience at all.
Yes the above I fully agree with.
As I said earlier I can't see a scenario where we end up with games running at different framerates, more AA, higher resolution textures etc while docked and undocked.
As you say Nintendo want to provide the exact same experience while docked and undocked.
If Mario Kart Switch runs at 60fps, it will run at 60fps regardless of where you play. The difference being the resolution of the gamepad vs your tv.
The benefits from running at different frequencies would come down to less heat, and better battery life while undocked, and higher resolution while docked.
The one thing that's not been discussed much though is 4k, there were rumours of 4k output for media etc and I can see the Switch providing similar functionality to the Xbox one S in terms of resolution.
The tegra SoC in the shield is capable of 4k HDR, so the hardware in the Switch is more than capable of that. I think that would also be a nice bullet point for Nintendo too, although not really their style....
No. From the looks of things you can think of it like a laptop. The portable is like battery saver mode when a laptop is unplugged. Lower clock speed and such to reduce power consumption. And the dock is like plugged in high performance mode
I just watched the question and I only ever see a plug in the dock itself. I was wondering the same thing. I wonder if you can charge it outside of the dock.
While not their style, I think it would cost very little extra to implement. You need no extra processing power and just a slightly more modern port it would be stupid not to do it. Imagine botw and Mario switch in 1080p hdr mode.
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