Nintendo Switch is powered by NVIDIA

[Mercennarius]

Ever since the original Wii each generation Nintendo seems content dropping further behind Microsoft/Sony in GPU performance. The Switch is 3.5 years newer than the PS4/Xbox One and still only a little more than 50% of the power. And the PS4 Pro is nearly 4 times as powerful and the XBox One Scorpio is expected to be at least 6 times as powerful...

 

[crisium]

But it's portable.

Though if you don't mind the input lag and image degradation you can stream console games to your portable PC, I guess, with mobile hot spotting... though it'd be terrible.

Nintendo feels they have no choice but to purse gimmicks. The Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2 and consistently cheaper than both the PS2 and Xbox and did not sell well. I think graphics + gimmicks would be better, but they don't apparently.

But personally, I'd prefer Nintendo go third party. Release their big games for PC + Playstation + Xbox. As for portable, they can make a deal with Nvidia to release versions of their games on Shield if they think it can sell enough copies to recover development cost. New Pokemon for PC + PS4 + Xbone, and buy a Shield if you want portability. Nvidia wouldn't complain.

Sega quality of games suffered after the Dreamcast died, but that doesn't make it inevitable.

 

[poofyhairguy]

The obvious potential option was a tegra running pascal. More money/chip and some technological risk involved of course so you can see why not.

That chip exists and it's about 20-30% faster (only on GPU side the CPU is same) at best. And that is even assuming Nintendo wouldn't take even lower clocks and therefore better battery life instead. Would that really have made a huge difference if it raised the price $50-$100?

 

[Headfoot]

Whether this thing turned out a fail or a success depends on your viewpoint. As a home console going neck to neck with Xbox One + Scorpio, PS4 + PS4 Pro, PC - definitely underwhelming, far too slow, far too low of resolution.

If you view it as a souped up successor to the 3DS (and PSP, in a spiritual sense) that has a special super-clocked docked mode then it's really cool and massively faster than any other portable before it. But its far less mobile due to its size compared to any flavor of DS.

 

[DamZe]

As much as I respect the reviews for Zelda BoTW and it really seems to be a fantastic Zelda game I don’t think it’s worth $300. I tried the Switch in a tech store where it was on demo, and let me tell you, $300 for such an underpowered hybrid handheld/console monstrosity is just not worth it to me, and I even own the OG 3DS, but that made more sense to me than this, also the dock is so poorly designed with zero padding that it will almost surely scratch the screen from continued use. The Switch is going to fail, it may sell just enough to make a good profit but it will have nigh zero third party support and non-Nintendo fans won’t ever consider it for the exclusives alone.

 

[Sonikku]

I think it could have incredible support, but not from AAA big budget developers. It could be the early start up/home brew indie game Renaissance.

 

[Mercennarius]

I think it could have incredible support, but not from AAA big budget developers. It could be the early start up/home brew indie game Renaissance.

I doubt it. Nintendo has never done a good job at attracting small indie developers.

 

[antihelten]

I doubt it. Nintendo has never done a good job at attracting small indie developers.

It looks like they have changed this for the Switch though, with their new "Nindies" strategy.

 

[Chiropteran]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iga/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night/posts/1818045
"During our Kickstarter campaign, the Wii U was at the height of its popularity, but the situation has drastically changed after the release of Nintendo Switch. "

 

[Face2Face]

I'd like to see some more local multiplayer indie games. BroForce, Castle Crashers, Terraria, Don't Starve Together, and more. Also games like Rocket League, Darkest Dungeon, Dark Souls, Grim Dawn would be great on the Switch. Just would suck having to buy them over again...

 

[poofyhairguy]

It looks like they have changed this for the Switch though, with their new "Nindies" strategy.

Yeah that comment makes no sense to me. With the Switch they are going out of their way to court indies. From getting Unity to work great with the Switch, to promoting indie games coming out for the Switch with their marketing, to getting some great exclusive indie games like Snipperclips, Blaster Master Zero, or Graceful Explosion Machine (I can't even express how excited I am about that game). Hell courting indies is one of the few things Nintendo has really done well with the Switch.

And really indies shine on the Switch. I have had Shovel Knight for years but barely played my Steam version because frankly I have more expensive games to play when I get tv time. But on the Switch it's a great game to just jump in for fifteen minutes. I will probably buy indies on my Switch from now on, including rebuying a few like Overcooked because of the additional multiplayer mode they are adding. Frankly between it and my gaming PC I feel more more satisfied with my gaming situation than since when I had a PS2 and a GameCube.

 

[tviceman]

So much for all the arm chair pundits on here who said the switch would bomb. http://www.shacknews.com/article/99...-month-of-any-game-system-in-nintendo-history Best selling Nintendo console in it's history AND it was released in an off-season month. My hope is that they iterate new versions of it every 2-3 years but remain backwards compatible. So newer games can target 720p 30fps on gen 1 and 1080p 60fps on gen 2.

 

[Mercennarius]

So when Nintendo is gearing up for 1080P on the gen 2 switch Microsoft/Sony can be gearing up for 8K on their new consoles...sounds about right.

 

[NTMBK]

So when Nintendo is gearing up for 1080P on the gen 2 switch Microsoft/Sony can be gearing up for 8K on their new consoles...sounds about right.

Because moar pixels = moar fun?

 

[Sonikku]

Moar pixels might not mean more fun but moar frame rate sure would.

 

[unseenmorbidity]

Moar pixels might not mean more fun but moar frame rate sure would.

I agree. It's why this whole 4k console thing leaves me kind of baffled. If you are sitting several feet away from your tv, as most people do, the difference between 4k and 1080p really isn't that large.

I would take an HDR 1080p TV over a 4k any day of the week!

 

[crisium]

I do appreciate the few console games that give a choice between 30fps and 60fps. The penalty in 60fps is worse graphics (Last of Us PS4 reduced shadows) or lower resolution (Nioh).

But with Zelda on the Switch, I'm not sure it could be acceptably possible for 60fps. It's already 720p/900p for portable/docked, and while it looks nice artistically you can't really turn down the settings much more before it looks really aged. It would have been nice to see a 60fps option, though I wonder if they would be encroaching on Standard Definition at that point.

 

[Sonikku]

What sucks with aiming for 30fps is Zelda usually chugs at 20. If they had enough power to aim for 60 most of the time then even if there were dips they would not be as bad. This is probably my biggest frustration with Breath of The Wild. I hope emulation improves because it isn't about playing Zelda for free. (I bought two copies) It's about playing it with a buttery smooth frame rate.

 

[tviceman]

So when Nintendo is gearing up for 1080P on the gen 2 switch Microsoft/Sony can be gearing up for 8K on their new consoles...sounds about right.

You must be one of the guys who said switch would fail, so now that you've been proven dead wrong your shifting your argument.

 

[Sonikku]

Nintendo has another hit on their hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs_qbf4Nnzw&feature=youtu.be

 

[Ranulf]

So much for all the arm chair pundits on here who said the switch would bomb. http://www.shacknews.com/article/99...-month-of-any-game-system-in-nintendo-history Best selling Nintendo console in it's history AND it was released in an off-season month. My hope is that they iterate new versions of it every 2-3 years but remain backwards compatible. So newer games can target 720p 30fps on gen 1 and 1080p 60fps on gen 2.

Heh, backwards compatibility. This is Nintendo you're talking about.

 

[DeathReborn]

The Switch may be selling like hotcakes but Zelda still sells more...

http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/13/15296874/nintendo-switch-zelda-sales-numbers-us

 

[Sonikku]

You're welcome.

(Bought the Wii U copy and the Switch Special Edition)

 

[Ranulf]

Heh from the article, "Nintendo says it thinks the Switch attach rate of more than 100 percent might be explained by people who bought a limited edition version to collect and a regular version to actually play, though another possibility is that some bought the game before they could find the console itself in stock."

Ya think? I believe it was a day, two days tops after release when I saw 12 copies of Zelda switch version in a local walmart but no hardware. No Wii U copies either.

 

[Sonikku]

I got the WIi U version because I simply don't have enough for a Switch and need to play the game. But I still figured it would probably be fairly rare years down the road. I'm sure I'll get close to its asking price when I have a Switch and resell it someday.