I think he means GPU tech not screen tech. No point in having a 1080p screen if no games run at that resolution.
Let's ignore the fact that Nintendo, of all companies, can easily produce multiple Switch games that run at 1080p. Let's also ignore the fact that there is no written rule, anywhere, that prohibits developers from making a 1080p game on a 1080p capable device. Beyond gaming, there's
absolutely a point to having a modern screen in the device. Video playback, app support, web browsing -- these are the three biggest reasons why a 2017 portable should have a modern screen. The Nvidia internals should have more than enough juice to support a modern resolution and screen.
I totally get it -- there's something old school to wanting a gaming device that does just that, gaming. But releasing a handheld device without hi-res video playback or internet browsing capabilities, in 2017, is the equivalent of showing up to a naval battle equipped with a Super Soaker. Think about marketing the device to an audience of people who want more than just an old school gaming handheld. An audience of people who, thanks to Apple's brilliant marketing of the Retina display many years ago, care more about resolution and clarity of the display than ever before.
There are a ton of factors that need to be weighed. Battery life being the most substantial of all. 1080P for phones etc. exist not for gaming but for displaying text and video. Even The iPad Pro with its 9 hour video time,10 hour web browsing etc., drops to under 4 hours when gaming on it and the stuff its playing is nothing close to what Nintendo will be pushing
Including a higher than 720p screen would be beneficial to more than just gaming. The Nvidia K1 tablet -- another portable device running on a Tegra -- includes a full 1080p screen that adds more than just extra clarity when gaming. Releasing a mobile device that looks outdated in one of the most prized features of a modern mobile device (i.e. The display) is a path towards guaranteed failure in a wider market. In the same way it's not difficult for me to understand that a higher resolution screen means less battery life and a potentially higher price, it should not be difficult for you to understand that for almost 2 decades now, people have been buying gaming devices and using them for more than just gaming, and a 720p screen does more harm than good for a 'new' portable platform in 2017.
Phones with 1080 p barely last 2 hours playing a less intensive game. The Switch playing a console game will drain battery real quick with 1080 p.
We should be grateful to even have 780 p.
No, we shouldn't, and you're 100% incorrect about the phone part. This is how companies get away with being cheap under the guise of passing on benefits to the end consumer. I don't disagree that managing power consumption from the screen is a challenge. But to pretend that a 1080p screen would result in 10 seconds of gaming and about 5 minutes of media playback is a complete lie. The Nvidia Tegra architecture prides itself on efficiency. With that in mind, there are multiple techniques that Nintendo can employ to get a reasonable battery life out of a modern screen. Temporarily downclocking the internal components could lead to better battery life, right? What about brightness and background process management? Dynamic resolution and scaling techniques? On my 2 year old Note 4 1440x2560 resolution phone I
easily get more than 4 hours of gaming on any game -- be it 3D gaming or 2D gaming.
Obviously the Switch is pushing improved graphics, but let's cut through the nonsense. A 1080p screen won't lead to such a dramatic decrease in battery life that would make the device unusable -- especially if the games are running at a resolution below 1080p. For media playback -- local HD video playback, streaming -- the exact same Note phone powering a 1440x2560 screen easily hits 5 hours and more.
Obviously the Note isn't using a Nvidia chip like the Switch, but at a certain point, you must realize that a 2 year old portable device -- that can and is used for gaming -- should not be able to run circles around a brand new portable gaming device.
What should be clear by now is that something's off with the picture and it's not the frame. Now, if the argument is that including a 1080p screen or newer battery technology in the Switch could lead to a more expensive handheld then I 100% agree. But that just leads us back to the problem of Nintendo going the cheap route with their chosen components and system design, which raises a tremendous amount of questions on whether or not the company has learned anything from the failures of the Wii U and 3DS
and on whether or not the company realizes how advanced the portable market has become. I'm not even trying to be funny, but claiming a 720p screen in a 2017 handheld is incredible is the equivalent of claiming a car having a disc drive is a magical feat of engineering that demands coverage from TIME and Al Jazeera.
When 4k gaming is widespread is a good guess. There's a factor of 4 between 1080p and 4k, which is about the difference between Switch and PS4. PS4 is still nowhere close at doing actual 4k rendering, just like pro. Scorpio May be able to do it, but at what price? 400W TDP most likely, and a portable can't afford anything more than a~10 W TDP . That's also ignoring the fact that sadly batteries aren't really getting better so it May still not be worth it in 5 years from now to do 1080p native gaming because batteries would Last an hour top.
In 5 years time, portable devices will be pushing 4K screens without breaking a sweat. I'm struggling to understand what is leading you to believe Nintendo can't put a modern screen in the Switch. Is it because of power/heat concerns or am I missing something else entirely?
1080 would hardly even be a noticeable improvement on this small screen for most, but it would be a massive detriment to performance and battery life. It would the dumbest decision in the company's history . It's beyond foolish to demand 1080 on a small portable screen when current gen powerhouse consoles can't always do it as big boxes.
Launching a portable device next year that is closer to portable devices from 5 years ago than from 5 months ago could be the most backwards and business illiterate move they pull in 2017 and beyond. The idea that Nintendo can do just fine by releasing underpowered devices should have been put to bed after the catastrophic failure of the Wii U and the less catastrophic but still massively underperfoming results of the 3DS. You cannot sit there and argue that modern technology in handheld devices is not desirable and demanded by people who buy handheld devices. I get it -- it's easy to believe Nintendo when they claim they're not competing with anyone, but reality does not agree with them. Apps, internet, gaming, music -- these are all things that people who get on planes with a device in their pocket expect their device to be able to do. The screen (and obviously the speakers) are the output components for the features. When one of the output components is an unfunny joke, what does that do to the chances of success of the device?
Do you think consumers will care more about the presence of an Nvidia logo somewhere inside the device or will they care more about the screen that they have to interact with everytime they use the device undocked? Be honest. If someone has a Galaxy phone or an iPad and they purchase the Switch, do you actually believe they will be impressed by the screen in the Switch?
I apologize for the wall of text, but I think it's important to be able to discuss and address some of the issues with the Switch that could be dealbreakers for people who are hesitant to drop hundreds of dollars on a new portable platform. The Switch running on the capable Nvidia architecture is good, but the Switch failing to include modern components that can take full advantage of that architecture is bad. Perhaps we're all completely wrong and the Switch comes equipped with a modern screen with great battery performance, but everything we've heard thus far makes me question how Nintendo can fail, yet again, to deliver a modern gaming device. It makes me question who they're listening to, and if they're still listening to the same group of people who swore that the Wii U and 3DS's lack of modern specs would be fine, then I hope they have a new marketing team that is out of this world.
