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MVG: Is it time for the Nintendo Switch to get an upgrade?

deriks

4-Time GIF/Meme God
I'm technically happy with my Switch but I am always down for more power.

If we have to wait for Switch 2 but if it has the power of a PS4 or more I'd be fine with it. Only a couple more years to go.

Switch is still selling very well and there hasn't even been a price drop yet so I dunno if Nintendo sees the urge quite yet.

If it were up to me we woulda had a Pro already.
I find it hard to believe that a Switch Pro for US$300 won't be like a PS4 mobile, but powerfull enough to play Switch games in better resolution

The wise choice should be a choice of better graphics or better performace for the users
 

LordOfChaos

Member
They haven't even needed a price drop yet.


When the world merely moves on to the point that staying with an older fabrication plant is no longer economical (and this already happened for the minor refresh), the Lite is already there for the cheaper model, while maybe a Pro could take over where the standard Switch is now, without the need for a price drop on it.
 

Soodanim

Member
After being disappointed with the 3DS XL’s display, I’m very cautious about Nintendo’s portable screens. I gave up on the chance at a cheap Switch because I was waiting on an upgraded version, but that may never come.
 

JimboJones

Member
I still can’t believe it outputs to only 720p on a TV. It’s crazy to me.
Huh? the Switch can output 1080p when connected to a TV.

Hopefully they do a NEW Switch, once the new consoles come out and ports start becoming impossible (some would say this is already the case) Switch might start to lose it relevance to a large amount of people. They failed to keep the Wii going with a WiiHD and once WiiU came around the Wii had completely lost steam, no one cared.
 
If they did soup up the Switch's Power, that would only mean the games would need more Storage in the Cartridges, which means more of the Switch Tax people know and love.

I wouldn't mind it but I can also see Third Parties making the excuse of "Well...we have to pay for more Storage if you want these Next Gen games on the Switch".
 

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
I'm still waiting for the God damn games to arrive. Seeing how the 3ds catalogue was the switch catalogue is embarrassing compared to that.
 

Andodalf

Banned
If they did soup up the Switch's Power, that would only mean the games would need more Storage in the Cartridges, which means more of the Switch Tax people know and love.

I wouldn't mind it but I can also see Third Parties making the excuse of "Well...we have to pay for more Storage if you want these Next Gen games on the Switch".

They could be bigger, but they don’t have to at all. Breath of the wild would look benefit massively from increased rendering resolution, even with the same texture quality
 
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They could be bigger, but they don’t have to at all. Breath of the wild would look benefit massively from increased rending resolution, even with the same texture quality

That reminds me, I should play my Wii U version I bought on a Sale at Argos. I bet the two Screens Set up would be wonderful on that game!
 

JimboJones

Member
But many games aren't 1080p.
Please learn to read.

That reminds me, I should play my Wii U version I bought on a Sale at Argos. I bet the two Screens Set up would be wonderful on that game!

You would think! But they stripped a lot(all?) of the original functionality out, from what I remember you just use the gamepad as a second portable screen so basically same experience as switch but on a 480p display.
 
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You would think! But they stripped alot(all?) of the original functionality out, from what I remember you just use the gamepad as a second portable screen so basically same experience as switch but on a 480p display.

Oh damn. I was expecting a Pikmin 3 scenario where you could use it as a Mini Map or a Marker with your Hearts on there instead of the screen. :LOL:
 
I'm conflicted. While I want an upgrade as powerful as xbone or PS4, those two will cease support in 2-3 years anyway. I'd rather wait longer for something more future proof in 2023. A switch 2 that uses a 5nm ampere chip, with 4, A78s at 2.0Ghz, xbone base in handheld mode and ps4 pro specs in docked mode.. as well as DLSS support.
 
Nope. Its still selling well
Lots of indie games and bad versions of current gen games are still going to be on it.
They should wait till year 2 or 3 of next gen then upgrade it. Tech will be cheaper and better to make better visuals and better battery by then.
if all current purchases don't follow you from switch 1 to 2 people are gonna flip
My opinion
 

Trimesh

Banned
Nintendo’s knack for choosing the dead end architectures with no evolution path is almost uncanny. Silicon Graphics, PowerPC, PICA 200, Tegra.

The most incredible thing is that this seemingly prophetic ability to pick doomed architectures long predated their lust of ‘withered technology’, it also applied for the most cutting edge tech they picked.

So I would say that the biggest obstacle for a follow up for Switch is finding a tecnhology that is even more dead end than Tegra is.

All of those choices were sensible at the point they were made. You seem to be forgetting that the N64 wasn't the only console that used a MIPS CPU - the PS1, PS2 and PSP all did too.

With the Power PC in the Gamecube, Nintendo were in fact ahead of the curve - both Sony (with the PS3) and Microsoft (with the Xbox 360) adopted PowerPC main CPUs in the next generation.

By the time the Switch came out, there were really only two competitive processor architectures - x86 and ARM. Despite attempts to improve perf/W on x86 the power consumption is still unacceptable for portable operation so that really only leaves ARM. Tegra was the ARM SoC with the most fully-featured GPU so it was the obvious choice.

The only time I can see that Nintendo hung onto the architecture too long was the WiiU - which used a triple-core Power PC at a point where the performance was clearly lagging. This was presumably influenced by the desire to provide backwards compatibility for the Wii.
 

otakugamer

Neo Member
Well

what i want in new switch
1- console edtion with 4k support
2- support cartridge for old games only and bluray drive for new games
( bluray cheaper for big data games and 4k constant )

what Nintendo will do

1- new portable with enhance screen support 1080p
2- new improve joy con
3- new battery up to 8 hours
4- new enhance dock support 1440p
 

ZywyPL

Banned
It prints money, a lot of them, so why change something that works just too damn well? Besides, Lite is already a very welcome update. I know we all would like to see a 1080p-capable console, both docked an in handheld mode, but that would come at a cost, the whole console would have to be designed with a way more capable battery in mind, better cooling for more powerful chip, and so on.
 
The biggest issue is that the switch is making too much money and most owners aren’t bothered about 720p/ 1080p. It is an odd one because nintendo games tend to cater for the hardcore, but they are also actively watering down their games. I wonder what their developers must think, developing for a console that is 10 years out of date. They’re hardly going to get jobs elsewhere if they’re stuck working on this ancient tech.

I believe nintendo will likely roll out a new nintendo switch that will allow slightly better resolutions and then they will release a proper upgrade in 5 years time. Maybe we might get a docked mode only small console packed in with a switch pro controller for £399?
 

Kokoloko85

Member
I think by end of 2021, spring 2022 we’ll get a decent upgrade to it.

I wonder what Nintendo will do after The next switch.

Another hybrid?
Will all there handhelds have hybrid options?
A full console?
VR?
Some next innovation?
 

TheWisp

Member
I would probably buy it in a heartbeat. It would really make a difference for ports of current gen.
 

jts

...hate me...
Battery power is the biggest hurdle (They even have to downclock regular switch games to save battery).

I expect any "Pro" version to be docked-only because of this.
Not necessary because chip efficiency you can get today is night and day compared to the Switch 2017 model. Switch 2019 already trounces it in battery life. I games targeted that, there wouldn't be a need for downclocking. Having to also target the original Switch and Switch Lite is the problem.

But yeah, a year or 2 after Switch v2 and factoring in a price increase for a "Pro" model ($400) Nintendo could get nuts performance targeting the same or higher battery life as the original Switch. But they would have to also come up with a new performance mode for developers.
You can't judge a Nintendo product's value by price drops. The Wii U never got one.
It did, the Deluxe model dropped from 349 to 299 and the base model was discontinued. Technically the barrier of entry stayed the same but no one was buying the base model (even more so than no one was buying the Deluxe either) so the only model that somewhat appealed to people got a price drop.
 
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Portugeezer

Member
Nintendo will continue to be 1.5 generations behind with the concept for the Switch (which is fine). Maybe in 3 years we will get something equivalent to a PS4 for the Switch 2.

If they just up the clocks the original models will get like 1 hour of battery...
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Consoles are a one time experience, yes SONY and Microsoft have a pattern of upgrades so yes it would be interesting to see if Nintendo makes an upgraded Switch console, in this moment in time an upgraded Switch would have to be for a specific game like Breath of the Wild 2, exiting from a generation for whatever reason is a big situation for consoles. PC gamers know they can upgrade any part at any time.
 

BigBooper

Member
I would like a cheaper non portable version this Christmas. They are still selling so many, I don't expect anything new.
 

jaysius

Banned
A more powerful Switch would be as fruitless as the "New" 3DS, it have very few games that really supported it, it was a cash grab for a dying system.

Switch has so few games released any given time, splitting that userbase with a new SKU would be a mistake right now, on top of brand confusion.

Does it NEED this more powerful upgrade? YES? Is it a good idea? NO.

They need Switch 2 at this point, or a machine that has 0 gimmicks and is competitive with PS5 XSX, ROFL like that would EVER happen, they need ANYTHING to bring 3rd party devs back into the fold.
 

Thurible

Member
Maybe a switch pro, but I think a huge upgrade is probably out of the cards (and that is cool with me).
 
I'd prefer they iron out their shitty controllers before attempting hardware revisions. I've had 4 joycons fixed by Nintendo only to break again within a few months. I'm over Nintendo and their shitty online as well. They're lucky they have nostalgia and a great (although under performing this year) first party lineup or I'd be out for good.
 

JimboJones

Member
You can't make this stuff up.
Happy now? Not sure how a typo is relevant or comparable to someone purposefully misunderstanding the fact that the Switch can output 1080p is not the same as games rendering 1080p. Seems petty on your part 👍
 

kiphalfton

Member
Only 3 years old, and needing a major overhaul. Yikes. No way it lasts an entire console cycle (5-7 years) without nintendo releasing an overhauled version. Not a bad console, game wise, it's just hardware is completely lacking.
 

CamHostage

Member
I think maybe good reasoning for a boosted Nintendo Switch would be around something different than just beefier CPU or GPU or whatever we usually talk about (though if Nintendo could squash controller drift, that would be a godsend...) That'd be all good, but with PS5 and Xbox Series X, the hot talk has centered around storage, and how a revolution in data accessing is a big deal for next-gen.

Could the Nintendo Switch use a boost from next-gen storage as well?

Maybe. If a new Nintendo Switch could make use of new storage/delivery technology, it could benefit in some similarly significant ways that the next-gen consoles are promising. Switch has some basic problems in just taking too long to load (an extra burden for gamers running on a battery in Portable mode), and some advanced problems of texture loading might also be tackled with faster storage. Whether you're running 4K/120 or just playing 720-subnative on a 5" screen... squelch loading, and gaming is just better.

(*I'm not a tech guy, so please excuse/refute any stupidity in my post here...)

Portable storage apparently is said to be on the verge of a revolution similar to what Sony and MS are exploring with their consoles. I'm not sure what improvements are in the works for the eMMC-type storage system that Switch uses in its base, but there are high-speed MicroSD Express Memory Cards coming soon that take advantage of faster lanes (NVMe/PCIe) of data transfer. Those M.2 expansion cards that PS5 will use for high-speed expansion? These MicroSD Express cards are kind of the baby version of that.

Speed of data transfer with MicroSD Express goes up to almost 1GB/s (500MB/s write); today's Extreme SD cards do like 160MB/s. In real-world tests, they were getting 4.5-5X improvements over the fastest cards on the market with the new Express cards. That's not the "100X" that PS5 is claiming, but it's a big deal. And that's for expansion memory; I'm assuming the onboard memory and even Game Cards (while remaining compatible with original models) could be improved as well with an overhaul of the data bus/protocol.

(In addition to adopting MicroSD Express readers, there's activity with mobile device makers going towards PCIe 3.1 bus / NVMe v1.3 protocol, and Samsung's eUFS 3.1 breaks the 1GB/s barrier. So things are going that way, with or without Nintendo keeping up.)

r59twFH.jpg


Nintendo Switch will never be able to compete graphically with PS5/XSX, but most Nintendo fans aren't focused on being bleeding-edge; they just want the games they get to be as good as possible. And with faster loadtimes and less annoyance of graphical aberrations in texture availability, an improved Nintendo Switch would keep up with demand where it counts.

There are two problems (at least...) with getting excited about the portable memory speed increase. One is that MicroSD Express still isn't out (or even priced) despite being announced in Feb 2019, and it's unclear what's going on with that format. Second is, Nintendo doesn't even support UHS-3 memory card features with Switch (it's a UHS-I device), so unless the price and the benefit is clear for a new product, will the traditionally-conservative Nintendo be ready to jump to the next-next-next generation of storage?

The reverse of that, though, is that the next PS and Xbox are on that high-speed storage lane, and the benefits are said to be prominent in ways that even Nintendo gamers could not ignore. 'Zero loadtimes' is not just a bulletpoint; it's the way games should be enjoyed wherever possible. We only accepted the impact of loadtimes when discs stomped cartridges because the games could be so much richer with all that storage data, but now we're looking at the best of both worlds in massive data stores and quick injection, and nobody's going to want to look back once it hits. A future Nintendo Switch should not only look better and run faster, it should load way quicker if it wants to keep up with the expectations of gamers.
 
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CamHostage

Member
partnering with nvidia has given nintendo a rare position... they can mix and match cores to find a great balance between power and batterylife... the future loks really hopeful in that regard especially if they end up putting DLSS in it.

If and when that came to pass, I'd be interested to see if it could help. DigitalFoundry did a mock of how it might work out (using a Shield TV and also PC at 720p/low+DLSS), and it's a very rough and questionable estimate of how it'd work out (it also IMO doesn't show any true miracles being performed by DLSS to rescue the image quality,) but it's maybe worth a look to think about it.


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jadedm17

Member
I'm technically happy with my Switch but I am always down for more power.

If we have to wait for Switch 2 but if it has the power of a PS4 or more I'd be fine with it. Only a couple more years to go.

Switch is still selling very well and there hasn't even been a price drop yet so I dunno if Nintendo sees the urge quite yet.

If it were up to me we woulda had a Pro already.

Much like Xbox having an optional Elite controller, I wish Nintendo had an optional "Switch Pro".

I don't think it makes sense to replace the current unit but I'd like something we could buy.... optionally speaking.
 

Solarstrike

Gold Member
Picked up Borderlands Legendary Collection. Fired up Borderlands 2 and was quite stunned how well it looks and runs. A superb port. The Switch is capable of some truly incredible works. All it really needs in my honest opinion is some darn anti-aliasing functionality and/or slightly more powerful GPU. The thing can run pretty anything. Bring on Borderlands 3!
 

recma12

Member
Enthusiasts would say yes, but does that even matter for the Switch's core demographic?

People on gamer forums always have a hard time to understand that the Switch isn't competing with PC, PS and Xbox. It has unique selling points (portability, Mario & Zelda games) that the other don't have, so Nintendo really doesn't need to compete on the spec level.
At the end of the day Xenoblade DE boots up, runs smoothly and looks OK. That's good enough for 95% of the Switch's target audience. The other 5% don't have a choice anyways if they want to play XC DE LOL.

If I was Nintendo I would ride out my hotstreak as long as possible (system has been out for only 3 years anyways) with current hardware and release a true successor in a few years.
Instead of releasing a higher powered (= higher priced) Switch down the road they should rather focus on dropping the price to be even more appealing to kids and casuals.
 

DKPOWPOW

Member
The way it's selling now I don't see it happening for at least another year, possibly 2. Plus with Microsoft keeping the OG X1 alive for another couple years it leaves the door open for more ports to the Switch.

More likely if they do upgrade it would be in year around year 5, but by that time we might just get a successor. I think it really just depends on Nintendo.

For all we know they'll come out with another Wii. They are very hard to predict.
 
How powerful can a Switch Pro or Switch 2 be can it be PS4 Pro level cause i would think it need to be at least to be able to run next gen Games be it at low settings and get the Devs to port the games over also need a SSD inside that handheld or it will be bottleneck.
 
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