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[martino]

So, I was updating our game's UE4 branch from 4.13 to 4.14 and I noticed something weird in the device profiles ini file.

This file contains graphics/performance settings overrides for specific devices, so devs can make adjustments that are applied automatically based on the GPU, iOS device, Android device/GPU or console (XB1, PS4, PS4 pro).

In 4.14 there's a new platform called "Wolf" with two variants, "WolfSea" and "WolfAir". The latter has a resolution scale set to 0.6666 along with slight reduction in shadow quality and other effects.

I couldn't find anything about any device with "Wolf" in its name and the 0.666 resolution change between the variants got me wondering if these profiles are meant for the Switch docked and undocked modes (that's the exact ratio between 720p and 1080p). A code name, perhaps?

Take this with a mountain of salt, of course.

this could be great news. If portable mode is wii u level i could definitively deal with 1080p better shadow / iq of them when docked.
If they manage to bring this, paper tech numbers will not matter in the end for me.

 

[z0m3le]

I cannot see the Switch running games like this, we are comparing two different architectures. Still the games look like a blurry mess.

Here is Doom 2016 running at 30fps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFjPf1p5vxw

2 differenct architectures sure, but they are completely compatible with one another, that is GCN, Maxwell is a known difference, and the link I gave is pretty much 1:1 what an UNOPTIMIZED port would do, that is only using 1GB "VRAM" so the blurry texture mess is a product of a lack of higher quality textures that Switch should be capable of.

That Doom link is for the more powerful HD 7850k, you need to look for the HD 7650k, there is one for doom 2016 but it is again using low quality textures where Switch should be capable of running much higher quality ones.

 

[Skittzo0413]

This looks like a "setting number 2" and not a 2x to me, which I think fits better.

Ah you're right, that would make more sense. Still, this indicates that those settings can change when docked, which is indeed more than a boost to 1080p.

 

[ultrazilla]

I'd say this is threadworthy as soon as someone can make sense of these settings.

Agreed. He confirmed these were in fact "Switch" settings. Threadworthy. New "news" and confirmed by a dev, just hope they don't get any heat for this.

 

[LordRaptor]

This looks like a "setting number 2" and not a 2x to me, which I think fits better.

Yeah, post processing techniques all scale in different ways, sometimes multiple ways in the same technique.

Just one of the options for Shadow quality ranges from a 512x512 texture to a 4096x4096 sized texture for shadows

 

[M3d10n]

Actually I'd say this says a lot more than that. Previously we assumed the 2.5x change in clock speed would essentially be a free boost to 1080p with nothing else, but this seems to be saying that you can double the:

• View Distance Quality
• Anti Aliasing Quality
• Shadow Quality
• Post Process Quality
• Texture Quality
• Effects Quality

I'd say postprocess quality and effects quality are very broad categories but this seems to indicate you get a lot more increased performance than just a bump to 1080p...

Those settings are indices, not scale values. Check the linked pastbin to see the actual variables each setting group changes (some are scale values, like LOD distance, others are indices, like AA quality, which changes to different AA presets).

Not exactly. You have to remember that modern games do a lot more rendering other than simply plotting pixels to the framebuffer. So a GPU clock reduction along with a small RAM clock reduction would require all GPU processing to be scaled down proportionally, simply reducing the resolution wouldn't account for everything. So reducing buffer sizes for shadow and post processing buffers, as well as bringing LOD transitions a bit closer (reduces number of vertices being processed), is necessary as well.

 

[DaSorcerer7]

Looking at them, I can tell a few things already:

- The Switch seems to be using the full blown UE4 deferred renderer path, not the "mobile" renderer
- UE4 defaults to use "faster FXAA" in handheld and "FXAA" in console mode.

Really interesting stuff man.

 

[BY2K]

I decided to look at the file in the master branch and... Wolf, WolfSea and WolfAir all got renamed to Switch, SwitchConsole and SwitchHandheld, respectively! My hunch was right, LOL!

Here are the settings:

[Switch DeviceProfile]
+CVars=sg.ViewDistanceQuality=2
+CVars=sg.AntiAliasingQuality=2
+CVars=sg.ShadowQuality=2
+CVars=sg.PostProcessQuality=2
+CVars=sg.TextureQuality=2
+CVars=sg.EffectsQuality=2
+CVars=r.ScreenPercentage=100

[SwitchConsole DeviceProfile]
DeviceType=Switch
BaseProfileName=Switch


[SwitchHandheld DeviceProfile]
DeviceType=Switch
BaseProfileName=Switch
+CVars=sg.ViewDistanceQuality=1
+CVars=sg.AntiAliasingQuality=1
+CVars=sg.ShadowQuality=1
+CVars=sg.PostProcessQuality=1
+CVars=sg.TextureQuality=1
+CVars=sg.EffectsQuality=1
+CVars=r.ScreenPercentage=66

Now, detailing those settings would take a while (the "sg" settings are actually triggers for scalability setting groups specified in BaseScalability.ini, which you can read here: http://pastebin.com/Vh25Lpzm).

Anyway, the SwitchConsole settings are a notch lower than the UE4 defaults used on PC, PS4 and XB1. They probably serve as a good starting point to get a PS4/XB1 UE4 game to run acceptably on the Switch.

I'd say this is threadworthy.

 

[z0m3le]

Agreed. He confirmed these were in fact "Switch" settings. Threadworthy. New "news" and confirmed by a dev, just hope they don't get any heat for this.

everyone has access to UE4 4.14... I downloaded it a few days ago.

 

[Tripy73]

Looking at them, I can tell a few things already:

- The Switch seems to be using the full blown UE4 deferred renderer path, not the "mobile" renderer
- UE4 defaults to use "faster FXAA" in handheld and "FXAA" in console mode.

Thanks for this informations. Is it possile to check the Ps4/X1 profil to comparing with Switch profil ?

 

[EVH]

2 differenct architectures sure, but they are completely compatible with one another, that is GCN, Maxwell is a known difference, and the link I gave is pretty much 1:1 what an UNOPTIMIZED port would do, that is only using 1GB "VRAM" so the blurry texture mess is a product of a lack of higher quality textures that Switch should be capable of.

That Doom link is for the more powerful HD 7850k, you need to look for the HD 7650k, there is one for doom 2016 but it is again using low quality textures where Switch should be capable of running much higher quality ones.

You are right. Here is it with the HD7650k that we are talking about:
DOOM 2016 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpffDBOHwhM
Battlefield 1 looks extremely low poly on environments - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP_UqiGiyX8

What's the VRAM for Switch btw? The 4GB we are talking about?

 

[Skittzo0413]

Not exactly. You have to remember that modern games do a lot more rendering other than simply plotting pixels to the framebuffer. So a GPU clock reduction along with a small RAM clock reduction would require all GPU processing to be scaled down proportionally, simply reducing the resolution wouldn't account for everything. So reducing buffer sizes for shadow and post processing buffers, as well as bringing LOD transitions a bit closer (reduces number of vertices being processed), is necessary as well.

Interesting, I guess all this talk about docked/undocked and resolution scaling had convinced me that simply scaling resolution (and nothing else) will account for that 2.25x GPU requirement change. Like everything about programming I guess it's a lot more complex than that.

 

[DaSorcerer7]

I'd say this is threadworthy.

Definitely, we just need someone to present it concisely.

 

[Waji]

Thanks for this informations. Is it possile to check the Ps4/X1 profil to comparing with Switch profil ?

We might finally have something to temper down this recent crazyness. ; )

 

[Skittzo0413]

You are right. Here is it with the HD7650k that we are talking about:
DOOM 2016 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpffDBOHwhM
Battlefield 1 looks extremely low poly on environments - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP_UqiGiyX8

What's the VRAM for Switch btw? The 4GB we are talking about?

Both of those look pretty decent actually. I would imagine with proper optimization a Switch version could run a bit better (if that GPU comparison is accurate).

And I think the rumor (from one source) is that the Switch has 3.2GB of RAM for games.

 

[JnFnRu]

Am i the only one that loves "Wolf" as switch codename?????

 

[Astral Dog]

Great specs and a huge leap forward...

...as a successor to the 3DS.

This isn't Nintendo's next home console despite what NoA may have suggested. I believe they said that to avoid negative headlines such as 'Nintendo pulls out of the home console market'. There's also the factor of them not wanting to take away from sales of the 3DS and Pokemon Sun/Moon.

Makes no mistake about it, this is a portable console with a dock so you can play the games on a TV as well. If you ask me to bring you a dog but I bring you a cat and call it a dog, it's still a cat and this is still a portable console.

For me, barring an absolute miracle gimmick, there is no real chance of Nintendo being moderately successful in the home console market, so a system of this style is 100% the right choice for them.

The Switch may be bigger than the usual portable Nintendo systems but things have changed and people are now used to carrying tablets and smaller slimmer laptops around with them. To be honest, I even carried my 3DS in a bag with me if I went away rather than have this huge bulge in my pocket.

All Nintendo can do now is focus on just the one system. Rather than make Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS and Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, they can now make just one Mario Kart game and use the spare time and resources to make a completely different game instead.

So as well as getting more games from Nintendo themselves, we should also be getting the best of their portable and home console games. So Pokemon in HD and playable on the TV, as well as a huge new Zelda adventure.

This system will potentially have Nintendo's best ever software library in that regard. Kinda sad I won't be playing a Metroid game with graphics on par with the new Doom game though.

That was always a Dream son, but at the same time, having a MP game running at blissful 60fps on Switch is something to look forward to, remember how the last one was on the original Wii? Its going to be a massive jump.

Spoiler

Metroid has been dead for years anyways, team new ip

 

[M3d10n]

Posted the UE4 find as a new thread per requests:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=226970048

 

[Mpl90]

Am i the only one that loves "Wolf" as switch codename?????

Well, that's because the Switch smells blood in the iar, and it's ready to take the world by storm. Yes, Switch is in Wolf mode now.

 

[LordRaptor]

Am i the only one that loves "Wolf" as switch codename?????

Can't let you say that starfox

 

[Deadbeat]

Then I am not sure what your point is.

You: It doesn't matter that the Switch can't play games as good as a dedicated home console because as a hybrid device it can do so much more.

Me: But wait. Using that logic, it doesn't matter if a mobile phone can't play games as good as a dedicated handheld because as a hybrid it can do so much more.

My point boils down to this question. What is the selling point of the Switch that would make people buy it over its competitors? It is stuck in the middle between two better options. On the home console side by the PS4 and XB1, and on the mobile side by mobile phones. It is really a stretch to say that combining the losing position in two separate markets makes for a strong position. That is especially true since the phone is basically required equipment nowadays.

The Switch's selling point is whatever franchises Nintendo has left hostage that they didnt destroy through stupid gimmicks and abandonment. Thats not to say they wont ruin new entries to series with gimmicks once again.

 

[Matbtz]

So when we give you examples your response is to move goalposts because for some reason those games don't count, right? Because that would destroy the narrative you are trying to create. Fact of the matter is I can play Nintendo games on my phone and with the money they are making it's only logical to assume that we will get more games in the future that will have greater scope and depth as they become accustomed to mobile development.

3DS doesn't stop working either when Switch comes out. It's not like their new console is the only place to play Nintendo games on the go no matter how you want to slice it.



You really think mobile gamers are going to play Run, a $10 max iPhone game, and suddenly want to drop $250+ on a console/handheld hybrid? I don't think you get the mobile market. Many are saying Run kind of goofed by pricing that high and that it should have gone F2P because that's what they majority of mobile gamers want.

Say that to the Pokemon Sun/Moon and 3DS sales. Nintendo said it already, they are releasing mobile games mainly to promote their IP. Of course you can play Pokemon or Mario on the go but I don't think people are as naive as you say there are. It's not because the game is called Mario that they will not want to play anything else Mario related, the experience with mobile games is clearly not the same that with mainline games.

ps : we don't know for how long the 3DS will coexist with the switch, not for long imo, it could be a GBA/DS situation.

 

[Air]

Am i the only one that loves "Wolf" as switch codename?????

Wolfsea and wolfair are badass codenames

 

[KevinG]

I decided to look at the file in the master branch and... Wolf, WolfSea and WolfAir all got renamed to Switch, SwitchConsole and SwitchHandheld, respectively! My hunch was right, LOL!

Here are the settings:

[Switch DeviceProfile]
+CVars=sg.ViewDistanceQuality=2
+CVars=sg.AntiAliasingQuality=2
+CVars=sg.ShadowQuality=2
+CVars=sg.PostProcessQuality=2
+CVars=sg.TextureQuality=2
+CVars=sg.EffectsQuality=2
+CVars=r.ScreenPercentage=100

[SwitchConsole DeviceProfile]
DeviceType=Switch
BaseProfileName=Switch


[SwitchHandheld DeviceProfile]
DeviceType=Switch
BaseProfileName=Switch
+CVars=sg.ViewDistanceQuality=1
+CVars=sg.AntiAliasingQuality=1
+CVars=sg.ShadowQuality=1
+CVars=sg.PostProcessQuality=1
+CVars=sg.TextureQuality=1
+CVars=sg.EffectsQuality=1
+CVars=r.ScreenPercentage=66

Now, detailing those settings would take a while (the "sg" settings are actually triggers for scalability setting groups specified in BaseScalability.ini, which you can read here: http://pastebin.com/Vh25Lpzm).

Anyway, the SwitchConsole settings are a notch lower than the UE4 defaults used on PC, PS4 and XB1. They probably serve as a good starting point to get a PS4/XB1 UE4 game to run acceptably on the Switch.

Whoa. This is really neat.

 

[Tripy73]

We might finally have something to temper down this recent crazyness. ; )

Yes more interesting than of simple frequencies without knowing the modifications makes to the hardware by Nintendo/Nvidia.

 

[EventHorizon]

Can't play Pokemon, Zelda, Mario, Monster Hunter, etc. elsewhere.

Can't play multiplatform games on the go elsewhere.

That is just the "Nintendo games will save us" argument which has proven not to be true. The audience is there but it's not that big.

That assumes

#1: The Switch will be getting multiplatform games. Nintendo has a very poor record attracting them
#2: Gamers want to play those games mobile so much that they'll play inferior versions at home. The more rational choice, unless you only game on mobile, is to play the best version on the dedicated home console, and play something else when away from home.

then I'll requote it;

I mean, its just as easy to look at a multipurpose device through a negative lens and say "Its not as good as a specialist device!" as it is to look through a positive lens and say "No other device can do all this!".
It's simply a question of value, and Nintendos job is to demonstrate that value. Attacking it for not outcompeting a niche product in its own niche is spectacularly missing the point.

The first paragraph is generic to all devices.
Claiming there is no value in its capabilities because someone is willfully ignoring its capabilities to focus on one specific aspect is just Blind Men with The Elephant.
Likewise whatever value there is in being multipurpose needs to be demonstrated, it isn't automatic.

That is like throwing your hands up in the air in defeat claiming we can't evaluate anything based on current knowledge. Every discussion on this board about the future could be undercut by simply saying we don't know the future. That's a given. We still have those discussions based on the best information we have at the time, and intelligently extrapolate from past and current events into the future.

Sure Nintendo could come out with a game or hardware feature that'll have an unprecedented Wii like motion controller success, but it's not likely. Odds are they will continue to have relatively high prices, poor support from third parties, and games that have a dedicated but niche following. But hey, something crazy could happen. We could also all get hit by an asteroid and die tomorrow making all of this pointless.

You know how the story goes. The first bowl of porridge was too hot, the second bowl of porridge was too cold, and the third bowl of porridge was combining the losing positions of both.

The Switch doesn't combine the features of dedicated home consoles and mobile phones. It takes a subset of each, which is why it is inferior to those options in the first place.

 

[PdotMichael]

Does it mean it upcales in mobile mode?

screenpercentage is normaly rendering in lower resulotion -> upscale it to output resolution

 

[brochiller]

Where are those comments?

For example, Todd Howard said regarding the handheld and docked modes of Skyrim that it's "the exact same game."

 

[MIMF]

I believe some of those settings look to be not adjusted or simply defaulted.

I say this because what is the point in reducing the texture quality if the memory size is the same and the memory bandwith available for handheld mode regarding the pixels number for 720p/handheld mode is higher than for docked/1080p mode?

 

[LordRaptor]

That is like throwing your hands up in the air in defeat claiming we can't evaluate anything based on current knowledge.

If by that you mean every new device gets judged on its own merits by how well it serves the market, yes, exactly.

 

[Manmademan]

But many of the people who Nintendo would want to buy a Switch are already carrying around that high end phone. Nintendo has to convince them that the Switch can do enough to justify buying another device and carrying it around in addition to their phone. That's why dedicated mobile gaming in general is becoming a much harder sell.

The $700 phone argument is not a good one.

Phone manufacturers are setting those MSRPs where they are because they have to make their profit entirely on the hardware. Consoles don't work this way- Nintendo has a revenue stream from software that allows them to price that hardware much lower.

CARRIERS on the other hand gain revenue from monthly recurring phone bills, and will happily subsidize the cost of a phone down to the $200 level or below, or even allow users to spread that subsidized cost over several months.

Nintendo isn't competing with some theoretical reality where users are making the decision of paying $700 in cash up front for a high end phone or buying a switch instead. Actual buying behavior and the reason for pricing is a lot different.

 

[Rodin]

Just to add to the above that in my OpenCL experience IntelHD flops translate to ~0.5x Kepler flops, and a comparison to Maxwell would not turn any more favorable to IntelHD.

This is great news, thanks.

The benchmarks posted are a bit encouraging, but i'm worried about 2 things:

1) The CPU side. These benchmarks run on a more powerful AMD APU CPU wise, will the A57 cores be a problem here? I would assume maybe not too much seeing how CPU intensive games on PC can run decently on Jaguar cores, so it's possible that they can adjust the code (especially of less intensive games) for the NS CPU as well.

2) Will the portable GPU clock be a problem? Let's say that they can have mid-low DS3, Doom and BF1 at 720p/30fps when docked, like in these videos. They'd run ok and still have current gen graphics, although downscaled. Will devs take their time to lower assets for the standalone GPU clock, take full advantage of fp16, use maybe temporal reconstruction etc to ensure good gameplay and the best possible graphics on the go as well, or will they just cut resolution down to 540p with shitty frame rates and call it a day? I think this is key to the success of certain multiplatform games on the Switch, because if they'll just make bad ports nobody will buy them, and the system will likely see a few Wii U-like shitstorms. The system having 3SM would help a lot i think.

EDIT: wow that UE4 stuff is very interesting.

 

[tebunker]

I believe some of those settings look to be not adjusted or simply defaulted.

I say this because what is the point in reducing the texture quality if the memory size is the same and the memory bandwith available for handheld mode regarding the pixels number for 720p/handheld mode is higher than for docked/1080p mode?

It is just a baseline adjustment. Developers can go in and optimize accordingly. What using those presets do is give a starting point for handheld mode.

 

[Astral Dog]

I can play Pokémon and Mario on my iPhone right now. Only a matter of time before more Nintendo IPs hit mobile so your argument doesn't hold.

Mario and Pokemon are on mobile now too. Also 3DS (with a much higher install base) will still be around after Switch releases.

LOL, sorry this is hilarious, good that those series came to iOS but you two sure know what he meant.they wont be the same experiences at all and Nintendo goal is for all platforms to coexist, thats clear as day coming from them.

It could go wrong, of course but we already saw a small positive outcome with Pokdmon MOON/SUN much increased sales compared to the previous version.

 

[PdotMichael]

I believe some of those settings look to be not adjusted or simply defaulted.

I say this because what is the point in reducing the texture quality if the memory size is the same and the memory bandwith available for handheld mode regarding the pixels number for 720p/handheld mode is higher than for docked/1080p mode?

Do we know that ram will run the same in both modes?

It would also provide devs an easier way to not just adjust the resolution but also several rendering options to provide the best subjective visuals in console and mobile mode.

 

[MIMF]

Do we know that ram will run the same in both modes?

It would also provide devs an easier way to not just adjust the resolution but also several rendering options to provide the best subjective visuals in console and mobile mode.

If we can take as "known" what Digital Foundry said, memory bandwith can be 1333/1600 for both modes, and the available memory for textures will always be a little bit more for 720p than 1080p because of the reduced size of the G buffers and framebuffers.

 

[PdotMichael]

If we can take as "known" what Digital Foundry said, memory bandwith can be 1333/1600 for both modes, and the available memory for textures will always be a little bit more for 720p than 1080p because of the reduced size of the G buffers and framebuffers.

I see.

Well, I would see it as possible options for adjustments not just between mobile and console mode but cross several platforms.
It shouldn't be used to determine the power between modes and other systems.

Though the screenpercentage line is still confusing.

 

[Oregano]

You're again missing the fact that all modern phones and tablets throttle their processors to give them any sort of battery life. There is absolutely no way Nintendo would have included a fan unless it was 100% necessary- so I wouldn't call that garbage design.

Also please find me a rumor which said the fan ran in portable mode. LKD's rumor stated that there was a fan in the dock in addition to the one in the handheld, but said nothing about a fan running when portable. Some rumors indicated an active fan in the devkit, but nothing about it running when portable.

Right but generally they throttle from a higher frequency than Switch will be running. From what people have said iPhone don't throttle either.

As to the rumour I'm on mobile at work so I'll look later but I'm fairly it was something that had been thrown around before the patents.

 

[MIMF]

I see.

Well, I would see it as possible options for adjustments not just between mobile and console mode but cross several platforms.
It shouldn't be used to determine the power between modes and other systems.

Though the screenpercentage line is still confusing.

Well, the way I see it: 1920 * 0.666666 = 1280 and 1080 * 0.666666 = 720, so it looks like that number is the factor scale for each axis from a full HD resolution to the switch portable resolution.

 

[Astral Dog]

As for the games and platform, i can say with confidence this, and i think its something thats a bit overlooked.

Nintendo does care about delivering and making high quality videogames to the market, no matter if low or premium prices, their entire philosopy is based around this.

simply making the argument that their system is no longer necessary is flawed by itself, i say current mobile devices simply dont have what they need to deliver these experiences on their current form factor and environment.

You could make the argument they could on PlayStation /Xbox, Maybe, but that opens another can of worms entirely with its issues and chances.

 

[PdotMichael]

Well, the way I see it: 1920 * 0.666666 = 1280 and 1080 * 0.666666 = 720, so it looks like that number is the factor scale for each axis from a full HD resolution to the switch portable resolution.

Shouldn't it be still at 100 if the system changes the output resolution?

I don't think this should be interpreted as always 1080p in console and 720p mode. But it opens the door for non native resolution games in mobile games, which many people thought Nintendo wouldn't allow.

 

[Eolz]

Well, that's because the Switch smells blood in the iar, and it's ready to take the world by storm. Yes, Switch is in Wolf mode now.

Indie Wolf

 

[z0m3le]

Both of those look pretty decent actually. I would imagine with proper optimization a Switch version could run a bit better (if that GPU comparison is accurate).

And I think the rumor (from one source) is that the Switch has 3.2GB of RAM for games.

Yeah, you can even confirm when comparing RX 480 (5.8tflops) to GTX 1060 (4.3tflops) Very close to HD 7650k 550gflops to Switch's docked 400gflops, and this is all without mixed precision, so you are looking at the raw fp32 performance. You can even determine that Switch docked is ~1/3rd of PS4's performance and about half of XB1's performance without mixed precision, with mixed precision "in play" it should be about ~50% PS4's performance and ~75% XB1's, but these all depend on developer utilizations, so I'd recommend thinking about it in strict fp32 until we start to see mix precision adoption in the industry.

Yeah AMD APUs have no VRAM and the youtuber has 1GB system memory for the GPU to use as VRAM, Switch will likely use 2GB for VRAM, so much better texture quality. (basically look up any 2GB graphics card on Youtube to see the texture quality.)

 

[MIMF]

Shouldn't it be still at 100 if the system changes the output resolution?

I don't think this should be interpreted as always 1080p in console and 720p mode. But it opens the door for non native resolution games in mobile games, which many people thought Nintendo wouldn't allow.

I do not know the internals of the UE4 and that number could mean many different things, but any engine can totally decouple the G buffers /off screen buffers size from the output resolution no matter what it is. Today exists every kind of flavors in upscaling.

 

[EventHorizon]

If by that you mean every new device gets judged on its own merits by how well it serves the market, yes, exactly.

Got it. So for you every event to totally disconnected from every other event. Ok, and now back to the real world...

Nintendo isn't competing with some theoretical reality where users are making the decision of paying $700 in cash up front for a high end phone or buying a switch instead. Actual buying behavior and the reason for pricing is a lot different.

Nintendo is dealing with the reality that potential customers already own a smartphone that can play games, music, audiobooks, surf the web, chat with friends, browse Facebook, check their emails and bank account balances, and so on. Doing all that takes up a lot of time. Nintendo is hoping consumers have enough free time away from home after doing all that to justify spending $200-$300 more to fill it up.

Speaking for myself as a past mobile gamer, I have no interest in a dedicated mobile gaming device. I've fallen in love with audiobooks and podcasts. Those more than take up all the free time I have away from home. Even if I just had to play a game, there are more than enough good ones on my tablet that I buying a Switch still makes no sense.

In the end, with mobile devices there is a lot less time available for the Switch to fill up, which in turn makes it really hard to justify its price. Time is the variable people should focus in on, not games. If I spend an hour on NeoGaf, that is a hour I am not gaming. It doesn't matter how good the game is, an hour gaming is the same as an hour doing something else, and there is a finite number of free hours in a day.

 

[Manmademan]

Got it. So for you every event to totally disconnected from every other event. Ok, and now back to the real world...



Nintendo is dealing with the reality that potential customers already own a smartphone that can play games, music, audiobooks, surf the web, chat with friends, browse Facebook, check their emails and bank account balances, and so on. Doing all that takes up a lot of time. Nintendo is hoping consumers have enough free time away from home after doing all that to justify spending $200-$300 more to fill it up.

Speaking for myself as a past mobile gamer, I have no interest in a dedicated mobile gaming device. I've fallen in love with audiobooks and podcasts. Those more than take up all the free time I have away from home. Even if I just had to play a game, there are more than enough good ones on my tablet that I buying a Switch still makes no sense.

In the end, with mobile devices there is a lot less time available for the Switch to fill up, which in turn makes it really hard to justify its price. Time is the variable people should focus in on, not games. If I spend an hour on NeoGaf, that is a hour I am not gaming. It doesn't matter how good the game is, an hour gaming is the same as an hour doing something else, and there is a finite number of free hours in a day.

Agree completely. I own a vita and like it, but honestly have VERY few occasions to break it out and play it. I currently loaned it out to my nephew and won't really miss it honestly.

 

[Mokujin]

This was mentioned earlier as a joke, but what if the Switch Tegra SoC customization was scrapping the a53 cores and cramming WiiU Gekko CPU in their place? While this is wild speculation, that piece would solve the whole Switch puzzle for me, I know mixing Arm and PowerPC architectures seems weird, and I don't know if they could be used as extra gaming threads but intuitively at the very least it could manage OS and sound freeing the main 4 a57 from some burden plus.-

* Switch woulld get free GC, Wii and Wii U backwards compatibility
* Would explain a lot of weird Switch decisions (Clocks, handheld fan)
* It would kind of mirror Wii U mcm design
* Would explain those 500 man years fitting Gekko into Tegra X1

Now, while I thought this was scrapped when we got confirmation of Switch being Nvidia Tegra based, remember this Iwata quotes about NX.-

Absorbing the WiiU architecture adequately

* This quote is from Februry 2014, very close to the dates when the Nvidia deal was done, and would explain why the Switch SoC is basically a Maxwell based Tegra X1 used as a base to fit Gekko inside instead of waiting for later Nvidia designs.

Take this as a wild theory but it makes a ton of sense to me, I want to do a longer post about which I belive are the ideas behind Switch design but hate to write on tablet.

PD.- Kudos to M3d10n fot that UE4 finding.

 

[FyreWulff]

mobile games are great. But they can't replace tactile-button-input style gaming. You just can't do it with a touchscreen. They lack the feel and the latency, and when they do put buttons up, force you to obscure the screen with your hands.

 

[Schnozberry]

This was mentioned earlier as a joke, but what if the Switch Tegra SoC customization was scrapping the a53 cores and cramming WiiU Gekko CPU in their place? While this is wild speculation, that piece would solve the whole Switch puzzle for me, I know mixing Arm and PowerPC architectures seems weird, and I don't know if they could be used as extra gaming threads but intuitively at the very least it could manage OS and sound freeing the main 4 a57 from some burden plus.-

* Switch woulld get free GC, Wii and Wii U backwards compatibility
* Would explain a lot of weird Switch decisions (Clocks, handheld fan)
* It would kind of mirror Wii U mcm design
* Would explain those 500 man years fitting Gekko into Tegra X1

Now, while I thought this was scrapped when we got confirmation of Switch being Nvidia Tegra based, remember this Iwata quotes about NX.-

Absorbing the WiiU architecture adequately

* This quote is from Februry 2014, very close to the dates when the Nvidia deal was done, and would explain why the Switch SoC is basically a Maxwell based Tegra X1 used as a base to fit Gekko inside instead of waiting for later Nvidia designs.

Take this as a wild theory but it makes a ton of sense to me, I want to do a longer post about which I belive are the ideas behind Switch design but hate to write on tablet.

PD.- Kudos to M3d10n fot that UE4 finding.

That would require IBM and AMD to be involved with the project, and nothing has ever indicated that they were.

 

[Deadbeat]

Can't play Pokemon, Zelda, Mario, Monster Hunter, etc. elsewhere.

Can't play multiplatform games on the go elsewhere.

Nintendo games sure helped sell the WiiU. FYI the market has shown people want small bite sized games for on the go, and that is where phones have won.