The dock has NO additional processing power.
Nintendo said: CLICK ME
I can't make this any clearer Any difference in performance will likely come from the Nvidia SOC down clocking while portable to promote better battery life. Any increase in performance while docked will not be from additional processing power on the dock itself.
To that, I reply that they repeatedly use the words main function and Main Console here which still leaves a lot of room for clarity. I believe these statements were aimed at clarifying the Switch was not another Wii U style console rather than saying the dock wont in any way alter game performance. You cant play the dock without the handheld, but that doesnt mean the dock wont improve game performance.
This information again came from sources A (Nintendo), B (Ubisoft) and D (Manufacturing). None could confirm whether the dock is a PlayStation VR-style processing box which helps power higher resolution play when docked, or if docking the console simply allows the handheld to overclock and provides better performance that way. All sources claim the hardware has an easier time running docked compared to when out and about as a portable.
The expectation is going to be alot more than 3 hours since people have other tablets to compare it to. If thats true this thing is dead on arrival
So based on this thread, people game so little on the go that a 3 hour battery is sufficient, yet still enough to justify the over-design, cost increases and sacrifices of a 2 in 1 system?
Calling bullshit on this "additional processing" when docked.
This quote still doesn't say that the dock DOESN'T provide a bump in one way or another."The dock is not the main console unit of Nintendo Switch. The main unit of Nintendo Switch is the unit that has the LCD screen, which the two Joy-Con controllers can be attached to and detached from. The main function of the Nintendo Switch Dock is to provide an output to the TV, as well as charging and providing power to the system."
Actually, they do. The problem is those tablets have batteries as large as 9,000mah. This thing probably has 3,000mah, unless they pull another WiiU gameplay nonsense , and stick 1,500mah.Tablets don't run huge 3D games with high definition graphics for longer than three hours.
LolLet's hope it's a short flight. LOL.
The only thing it will do is unlock cores that are already there in the portable when running on mains.
On batteries those cores will be shut down to help with battery life.
So you guys are in agreement if it was overclocking/underclocking.
Calling bullshit on this "additional processing" when docked.
Why?
Yeah, I was originally disheartened by the 3DS's similarly low battery life, but I never ended up needing to play it any longer than that in one stretch, and when you're done, just charge it back up again. We were spoiled by battery life years ago, but that ain't ever coming back without a major scientific advancement.Portable play (IMO) seems to supplement the primary function of dock play. So while I will play it on the go, I'm not planning on spending 4 straight hours playing Zelda or Elder Scrolls off the dock. If 3 hour battery life helps keep the cost of the system to $200-$250, sounds fine to me
I think it depends on the game. The chip is probably designed to underclocked and overclock based on the game.
Something like Web browsing and 2D Mario will last 6 hours
Their ninjas are slacking. :3If Nintendo doesnt give more info this year all their shit will leak before christmas
If the dock gives it extra power wouldn't it be possible for Nintendo to come out with a "Pro" dock with better hardware that improves the power in console mode?
If this thing uses micro USB to charge can't we just get power banks though? Doesn't seem like an issue
Doesn't it have a micro USB port? or was that incorrect?battery pack accessory incoming. either that or at least give use a port to plug in our own 10000mAh+ external battery the way we can do with smartphones/tablets.
That's true. I hope replacing the battery is user replaceable. Who knows, maybe Nintendo will release a larger one.I think there is a stigma against low system battery (3h) as it means that as the battery fades after 6-12 months it will degrade to 1 or 2 hours.
Well let's not panic and wait for the retail version. I'm sure the end product will be able to squeeze out 1/2 additional hours.
Because when it's something seemingly bad nothing else matters... apparently.Apparently the "max 3 hours" comes from a source within Ubisoft, so maybe it's 3 hours with particularly intensive games.
Oddly enough, nobody is giving two shits about the fact that apparently the console has better performances when docked.
I agree with you. And like I said, Neogaf has some of the most notorious amount of Conclusion Jumpers I've seen on a site. They take things with sugar, not salt.Exactly.
There are a lot of variables that dictate battery life.
I can't see it being 3 hours maximum regardless of what you're doing with it. A game like Skyrim at max backlight is obviously going to take up more juice than playing downwell in the dark at minimum backlight.
But again NeoGaf have taken what Laura says as hard fact.
Me personally I'll wait for hands on from media and gaming outlets who at that point will provide context e.g playing Mario Kart online gave x amount of hours, playing x game gave x amount of hours etc.
Before anyone jumps on me, yes she's been right in some cases, but no leaker is 100% accurate 100% of the time.
The only difference between a good leaker and a bad leaker is that the good leakers will try and verify a rumour from more than one source. But they're not always right.
I agree it may be part of why they have yet to announce details like battery life.
I game a ton on the go, but my house, car, job... pretty much anywhere I go has a power source nearby. And I rarely have the time to put in more than 3 hours of gameplay in one sitting. I dunno, I know it won't work for everyone but I have a hard time believing that everyone complaining in this thread isn't next to a power source for most of their free time.
If the dock DOES have processing power, even minimal, it would be truly amazing if it functioned as a reverse Wii U and allowed streaming from the tablet to the TV, allowing dual screen play or Wii U support via VC. Also, it would be very cool to have media apps on the dock while playing games on the tablet, like running Netflix solely on the dock and watching TV Shows while grinding in Fire Emblem on the tablet. Cool use case right there.
Like the "extra processing" stuff has already been reported as false, so why would we even take her word for the 3-hour stuff?
Mario Maker would be incredibly lame if you had to keep docking and undocking as you switch between playing levels on the TV and designing them on the tablet. Yeah you can just play on the tablet screen but it's not the same.
Do we have any precedent on how dev kit battery life compares to final retail consoles?
Ex. 3ds?
Because three hours is very short. I get more than six hours of gaming on my Vita 2000 on a single battery charge.