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[ggx2ac]

First off, here is Nvidia's revenue from their Tegra processors for the quarter, don't know how much exactly came from Nintendo Switch. It was $257 million in the previous quarter.

Tegra processor business revenue, which included gaming development platforms and services, was $332 million, up 108 percent from a year ago and up 29 percent sequentially. Tegra business revenue includes SOC modules for Nintendo Switch.

And then here's the only Switch related question from Nvidia's earnings call:

Atif Malik - Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.
Great. As a follow-up, with your win and success in Nintendo Switch, does that open up the console market with other console makers? Is that a business that is of interest to you?

Jen-Hsun Huang - NVIDIA Corp.
Consoles is not really a business to us. It's a business to them. And we're selected to work on these consoles. And if it makes sense and the strategic alignment is great and we're in a position to be able to do it, because the opportunity cost of building a game console is quite high. The number of engineers who know how to build computing platforms like this – and in the case of the Nintendo Switch, it's just an incredible console that fits in such a small form factor. And it could both be a mobile gaming device as well as a console gaming device. It's just really quite amazing, and they just did an amazing job.
Somebody asked me a few months ago before it was launched how I thought it was going to do. And of course without saying anything about it, I said that it delighted me in a way that no game console has done in the last 10 – 15 years. And it's true, this is a really, really innovative product and really quite ingenious. And if you ever have a chance to get it in your hands, it's just really delightful.
And so in that case, the opportunity to work on it was just really, really too enticing. We really wanted to do it, but it always requires deep strategic thought because it took several hundred engineers to work on, and they could be working on something else like all of the major initiatives we have. And so we have to be mindful about the strategic opportunity cost that goes along with these. But in the case of the Nintendo Switch, it's just a home run. I'm so glad I did it, and it was the perfect collaboration for us.

 

[Dictator93]

Jen-Hsun Huang - NVIDIA Corp.
Consoles is not really a business to us. It's a business to them.

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

That quote continues the idea that Nvidia put a lot of effort into the Switch. Wasn't it concluded it's just a stock X1? Are there other elements of Switch's chips that Nvidia would have had to work a lot on?

 

[Peterthumpa]

CTRL+F "man-years".
Disappointed.

 

[ggx2ac]

That quote continues the idea that Nvidia put a lot of effort into the Switch. Wasn't it concluded it's just a stock X1? Are there other elements of Switch's chips that Nvidia would have had to work a lot on?

Development tools among other things software related.

The Nintendo Switch’s gaming experience is also supported by fully custom software, including a revamped physics engine, new libraries, advanced game tools and libraries. NVIDIA additionally created new gaming APIs to fully harness this performance. The newest API, NVN, was built specifically to bring lightweight, fast gaming to the masses.

Gameplay is further enhanced by hardware-accelerated video playback and custom software for audio effects and rendering.

We’ve optimized the full suite of hardware and software for gaming and mobile use cases. This includes custom operating system integration with the GPU to increase both performance and efficiency.

https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/10/20/nintendo-switch/

 

[Zedark]

That quote continues the idea that Nvidia put a lot of effort into the Switch. Wasn't it concluded it's just a stock X1? Are there other elements of Switch's chips that Nvidia would have had to work a lot on?

They worked on creating the API and other software support for the Switch specifically, which I would assume constituted the lion's share of the 500 man-years.

 

[J@hranimo]

I think this is a huge win too because consumers and enthusiasts will be able to see what these Tegra X1 chips can really do inside of a popular, mainstream product.

It really does seem like a perfect match with what Nintendo aims to accomplish with the console.

 

[Passose]

they better do a powerful X2 for the future switch right now

 

[Phoenixus]

they better do a powerful X2 for the future switch right now

I'd rather they focus on battery consumption over raw power, but yeah whynotboth.gif.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

I'd rather they focus on battery consumption over raw power, but yeah whynotboth.gif.

I wouldn't see another major revision involving an X2 for another few years.

I can totally see Pascal being a half-step revision soonish though.

 

[Elfforkusu]

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

I was gonna say, that's gotta be the most Nvidia quote that ever Nvidia'd.

 

[DonMigs85]

I said that it delighted me in a way that no game console has done in the last 10 – 15 years

The last time your GPU tech was in a home console, amirite?

 

[Deleted member 465307]

Development tools among other things software related.



https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/10/20/nintendo-switch/

They worked on creating the API and other software support for the Switch specifically, which I would assume constituted the lion's share of the 500 man-years.

Ah, right, I'd forgotten. Thanks.

 

[Renekton]

Consoles is not really a business to us. It's a business to them.

Arrogant as hell <_<

 

[SalvaPot]

I am expecting to see something purely portable in a year or two from know, but fully compatible with all the Switch games.

And be launched with the new Monster Hunter and Pokemon.

Also the quote makes it sound like they really did give as good a deal as they could to Nintendo, sounds like they are not making mad bank but they are making up for it in success and promotion.

 

[E-phonk]

Also the quote makes it sound like they really did give as good a deal as they could to Nintendo, sounds like they are not making mad bank but they are making up for it in success and promotion.

Strategically it also "locks" nintendo to their cpu/gpu for the coming 10-15 years. So it will be a continued (hopefully successful) business for them for the next decade.

It will also let them further develop the tegra line in other businesses like the car industry etc.

 

[primasaurus]

The Switch only uses 16 watts of power with incredible results, it's a marvel of engineering, I can understand his admiration for it

 

[GinoFelino]

Nintendo and Nvidias partnership has given us an awesome console.

I'd be happy to see them collaborate on a revision/follow-up.

 

[Mifec]

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

I mean my boy Jen Hsun flexes on stage. He has become too powerful.

 

[Soph]

The way it''s meant to be played

 

[KingBroly]

I'd rather they focus on battery consumption over raw power, but yeah whynotboth.gif.

Considering how battery tech is holding up major advances right now, it's hard to get around.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

I am expecting to see something purely portable in a year or two from know, but fully compatible with all the Switch games.

So a Switch?

I expect a smaller form factor of the Switch but why wouldn't it be able to have TV out through USB-C with a dock?

 

[Graphics Horse]

So a Switch?

I expect a smaller form factor of the Switch but why wouldn't it be able to have TV out through USB-C with a dock?

It's conceivable that a smaller one wouldn't have a fan, and have internals not designed to run at docked mode temperatures. 720p output might be an alternative if they couldn't do that.

 

[klier]

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

What other product is making them 400 million next year??

The last time your GPU tech was in a home console, amirite?

LOL

 

[Hermii]

That quote continues the idea that Nvidia put a lot of effort into the Switch. Wasn't it concluded it's just a stock X1? Are there other elements of Switch's chips that Nvidia would have had to work a lot on?

They put a lot of effort into the software and dev enviroment.

 

[Hermii]

I'd rather they focus on battery consumption over raw power, but yeah whynotboth.gif.

An X2 clocked to be on par or slightly better than the Switch hardware wise, would have awesome battery life.

Edit: Sorry.

 

[MTC100]

The Switch doing well is so important for Nintendo and even the industry as a whole, it will make it easy for nvidia to justify R&D expenses for their tegra chips to their investors. Which means we will likely see a Switch II with roughly the performance of a PS4 in the next ~5 years I guess.

Nintendo is closing in to that sweet spot, where graphics stop selling products, I expect the PS5/Xbox2 to be the last consoles that considerably push graphics to new heights and for most consumers it will be getting harder and harder to tell the difference.

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

It is, yet it isn't -coming from nvidia. They tried with their shield and failed, they know its best to stick to what they're good at and that's creating GPUs.

The quote might also hint at them not profiting much of the Switch but given nvidias track record they sure made a good amount of cash out of the deal with Nintendo.

 

[Cow Mengde]

I'd rather they focus on battery consumption over raw power, but yeah whynotboth.gif.

I'll take battery life. I'm honestly still on the fence for the Switch due to battery life.

 

[MTC100]

Considering how battery tech is holding up major advances right now, it's hard to get around.

True, sadly I don't see lithium ion batteries to go away anytime soon and while they are indeed getting better every year it's only a marginal increase. Perhaps the successor to the switch will have some amoled displays they are said to consume a little less power and by then we might also have much smaller production nodes so the GPU/CPU won't consume much power anymore.

That said, it's already insane how the Switch runs at only ~14 Watt per hour, while delivering about 1,5 times the performance of the PS3 that drew 200 watt and didn't have a 720p screen built in...

 

[SalvaPot]

So a Switch?

I expect a smaller form factor of the Switch but why wouldn't it be able to have TV out through USB-C with a dock?

A smaller Switch and with TV out, sure. Really it just needs to be smaller to be as portable and simple as possible.

 

[Hermii]

True, sadly I don't see lithium ion batteries to go away anytime soon and while they are indeed getting better every year it's only a marginal increase. Perhaps the successor to the switch will have some amoled displays they are said to consume a little less power and by then we might also have much smaller production nodes so the GPU/CPU won't consume much power anymore.

That said, it's already insane how the Switch runs at only ~14 Watt per hour, while delivering about 1,5 times the performance of the PS3 that drew 200 watt and didn't have a 720p screen built in...

Actually its 11 when fully charged and 16 while charging. Meaning the consumption is 11 watt.

And thats on a very leaky node (20nm), so if they shrunk it to 16 and use the same clocks, they could probably get by with passive cooling (no fan) which would save some power, + a significant power dechrease from more efficient node.

 

[Xenoblade]

The Switch only uses 16 watts of power with incredible results, it's a marvel of engineering, I can understand his admiration for it

It's actually 11W. Just incredible considering that number includes the screen!

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

He's not all that wrong, I imagine.
NVidia are used to huge profit margins which I can't imagine they're seeing from Switch.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

The last time your GPU tech was in a home console, amirite?

PS3 is still on the market.

He's not all that wrong, I imagine.
NVidia are used to huge profit margins which I can't imagine they're seeing from Switch.

7bln in annual revenue, near the 1bln mark in profits I believe. Definitely small potatoes but they're probably happy to see tegra uptake in general.

 

[Terrell]

7bln in annual revenue, near the 1bln mark in profits I believe. Definitely small potatoes but they're probably happy to see tegra uptake in general.

That's really it, Nvidia is just happy that a chipset they R&D'd with the expectation that people would want it finally found its way into a consumer product people actually want. I imagine that further advancements to Tegra will be performed with Nintendo in mind in the future.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

Actually its 11 when fully charged and 16 while charging. Meaning the consumption is 11 watt.

And thats on a very leaky node (20nm), so if they shrunk it to 16 and use the same clocks, they could probably get by with passive cooling (no fan) which would save some power, + a significant power dechrease from more efficient node.

I don't want to hear that. I'll be buying another one in a few years.

 

[Vanagandar]

That said, it's already insane how the Switch runs at only ~14 Watt per hour, while delivering about 1,5 times the performance of the PS3 that drew 200 watt and didn't have a 720p screen built in...

I would be carful with that statement. Because if i remember correctly botw runs in 720p and still has problems and not 1 game from the start of the ps3 had those frame issues. And yes i had the first 3 games that where launched with it.

We see later in the lifetime if switch can manage something like uncharted 3 perfomance wise.

(And yes i have a switch and am still quite skeptical about it)

I travel with trains alot, 2 hours every day, and i literally switched back to my vita after i had 40 hours with zelda.. so thats just my 2 cents about that topic.

And the key aspect that got me back to my vita is trophies, and thats no joke. I still have some work todo on WOFF and Trails of Cold steel and Sword City. I just love to farm trophies xD

 

[blu]

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

Eating-crow awesome, yes.

 

[Theonik]

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

Arrogant as hell <_<

I don't see it as arrogant. It is as it is. nVidia makes chips. Not consoles.
The business of a company selling SoCs is to accommodate their partner's business.
Nintendo is just a big client.

 

[AmFreak]

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

Sure, if you omit what follows ...

 

[NeOak]

This quote is amazingly arrogant and awesome.

That's Nvidia's CEO for you. He's always been like that.

 

[dr_rus]

That's really it, Nvidia is just happy that a chipset they R&D'd with the expectation that people would want it finally found its way into a consumer product people actually want. I imagine that further advancements to Tegra will be performed with Nintendo in mind in the future.

It's rather doubtful that console h/w financials will be able to justify anything for a future Tegra evolution. Tegra is basically targeted at automotive/AI/IOT now, and I don't think that this will change in the future. It does put Nintendo in an interesting position though as they may not have any "off the shelf" h/w options from NV for a Switch 2 which may prompt them to fund a development of custom SoC for them next time.

 

[Irminsul]

I would be carful with that statement. Because if i remember correctly botw runs in 720p and still has problems and not 1 game from the start of the ps3 had those frame issues. And yes i had the first 3 games that where launched with it.

1. You remember wrong, it's 900p.
2. How about comparing it to games that were also on WiiU, like MK8 or Fast? The former went from 720p60 to 1080p60, the latter from 720i60ish(!) to a variable resolution mostly around 900p60.

 

[Diablohead]

they better do a powerful X2 for the future switch right now

Thing to remember is the X1 in the switch right now is quite a bit underclocked, if there was a way to cool it down more they could increase the power by a lot on the same setup. *edit* power usage would be a problem too, forgot about that.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

That quote continues the idea that Nvidia put a lot of effort into the Switch. Wasn't it concluded it's just a stock X1? Are there other elements of Switch's chips that Nvidia would have had to work a lot on?

Tools

 

[Wamb0wneD]

A smaller Switch and with TV out, sure. Really it just needs to be smaller to be as portable and simple as possible.

Have fun trying to play something like Zelda on a screen smaller than the current Switch. I will pass.

 

[Terrell]

It's rather doubtful that console h/w financials will be able to justify anything for a future Tegra evolution. Tegra is basically targeted at automotive/AI/IOT now, and I don't think that this will change in the future. It does put Nintendo in an interesting position though as they may not have any "off the shelf" h/w options from NV for a Switch 2 which may prompt them to fund a development of custom SoC for them next time.

Well, the Tegra X1 was targeting a market, as well... and we know how that turned out. So you'll forgive me if I don't believe all of Nvidia's bluster when you consider that the Switch is the first widely-marketable product to use the X1 chipset. The only automotive company using Tegra right now is Tesla Motors, and they have such a small percentage of automobile sales that betting the chipset's future on it is questionable with several competing options.

 

[dr_rus]

Well, the Tegra X1 was targeting a market, as well... and we know how that turned out. So you'll forgive me if I don't believe all of Nvidia's bluster when you consider that the Switch is the first widely-marketable product to use the X1 chipset. The only automotive company using Tegra right now is Tesla Motors, and they have such a small percentage of automobile sales that betting the chipset's future on it is questionable with several competing options.

Not anymore.

 

[LegendofLex]

Consoles is not really a business to us. It's a business to them.

People keep saying this quote is arrogant.

Why? Nvidia's business model definitely doesn't demand that they do most of the things that are typically required to market and sell consoles. It's literally not their business.

Their business is to make chips that other companies think are suitable architectures for those companies' own businesses.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Have fun trying to play something like Zelda on a screen smaller than the current Switch. I will pass.

The people who think they had fun with Ocarina of Time on a 3.5" screen are bozo liars.

But hey, I'd pass too. I also pass on 2DS, but there it is.