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Where does Nintendo go from here?

Iceman83

Iceman83

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Oct 27, 2017
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With Sony and Microsoft both releasing consoles with teraflop figures in the double digits, where does this leave Nintendo? Will their next console be another hybrid ala "Switch 2"? Or will they go back to doing a console strictly for home use? Nintendo's developers have some of the best art direction in the industry, but that only goes so far. What can they realisticaly release in the hybrid model to compete with the other two? They could just as easily do a Switch Pro so to speak as what's been rumored for a while, and also do a dedicated home console at around 6TF or so sans Raytracing. Thoughts?
 
SharpX68K

SharpX68K

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Nov 10, 2017
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At least a TeraFlop in their next console, be that Switch 2 / Super Switch or whatever else.

Would I be happy with 1 TFLOP for Nintendo's next system? Not really, but they have yet to even come close to that.
Baby steps? I dunno. It would be a start.

Nintendo has a partnership with the absolute performance leader in GPUs, Nvidia, who's R&D budget per GPU architecture team (they have at least 2) probably surpasses all of AMD.
 
Napalm_Frank

Napalm_Frank

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Oct 27, 2017
5,761
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It'll be Switch 2 110%. I'd imagine the only real thing PS5/SeX influences it takes is the upgrade to faster format from emmc, possibly requiring install for all games.
 
skeezx

skeezx

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Oct 27, 2017
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pachinkos/gyms/cbd oil

serious answer best bet is probably iterate switch. simple switch 2 no "disruptive market" stuff. meanwhile invest in some kind of mobile/streaming infrastructure
 
Maple

Maple

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Oct 27, 2017
11,855
Switch 2 in 2023.

8 core ARM Cortex-A78 CPUs.
Ampere based GPU with RT.
1+ GB/s read speeds.
1080p OLED display.
Bluetooth Audio.
16 GB LPDDR4
Full BC with Switch titles.
 
Renna Hazel

Renna Hazel

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Oct 27, 2017
11,774
Continue to make some of the best games in the industry. That's working for them right now regardless of teraflops.
 
Fat4all

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scaling performance will be important, but another important factor is a bit out of their hands, and that's the advancement of battery tech

even a small bump in capacity, size, or performance of batteries going forward could alter how they handle the Switch 2
 
Meelow

Meelow

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Oct 31, 2017
9,213
Keep improving the Switch, releasing first and third party games and they will be fine. Once late 2022/early 2023 hits focus on Switch 2.

That's how.
 
LewieP

LewieP

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Oct 26, 2017
18,181
I think they do another budget focused revision in like 18 months and then a successor another couple of years after that, and probably get more current chips from Nvidia for the successor machine, maybe with a bespoke custom chip design with a successor to the Switch in mind.


Edit: and maybe expansion into additional form factors like a TV only version or a larger screened version or whatever.
 
IDontBeatGames

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Oct 29, 2017
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Like other's said, probably the Switch 2 or whatever they decided to call it. I would love if they released a dock that gave the Switch more power to support up to 4k and make games perform better before then though. That would be nice instead of having to buy a whole new Switch model that does this (if they ever made one). I think Nintendo knows they have their own market and it's their dominant corner right now, plus odds are Sony & Microsoft won't go in that direction for gaming. So, they can keep building on this foundation and hopefully have a future model where... joycons don't drift. But yeah, probably Switch 2.
 
Muppet of a Man

Muppet of a Man

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Oct 27, 2017
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Hybrid is their bread and butter and they make the games exactly suited to it. They are perfectly positioned to just keep doing what they are doing with a next gen switch
 
AgeEighty

AgeEighty

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Oct 25, 2017
11,727
Of course it's going to be another hybrid. Why would they stray from that formula? When you look at it, the direction of all their hardware for the past 20 years has been leading up to this format.

It's easy to sell people on the concept of a hybrid machine, and it's also far easier to justify not competing in the specs war on that basis. Plus, Switch is intended to be a platform that they can keep evolving, but like PlayStation and Xbox now are.

Stop looking for them to dive back into the raw-power console game. It won't happen.
 
Lua

Lua

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Aug 9, 2018
1,956
Make the switch concept better. Make it better to hold, with better controls, interface, eshop, user interaction, etc.
 
New Donker

New Donker

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Oct 26, 2017
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Stay hybrid for a LONG time. I feel like Nintendo has hit a rhythm they haven't had in years.
 
OP
OP
Iceman83

Iceman83

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Oct 27, 2017
379
United States
IDontBeatGames said:
Like other's said, probably the Switch 2 or whatever they decided to call it. I would love if they released a dock that gave the Switch more power to support up to 4k and make games perform better before then though. That would be nice instead of having to buy a whole new Switch model that does this (if they ever made one). I think Nintendo knows they have their own market and it's their dominant corner right now, plus odds are Sony & Microsoft won't go in that direction for gaming. So, they can keep building on this foundation and hopefully have a future model where... joycons don't drift. But yeah, probably Switch 2.
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But they would need something with some grunt for third party games.
 
9-Volt

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Oct 27, 2017
12,930
Switch is here to stay. I don't expect to see a successor in 4 years. They'll keep it going even if all the third support is gone. If that ever happens shitloads of Mario games everywhere. Mario. Mario. Mario. And couple of others. That's what happened with 3DS.
 
Laserbeam

Laserbeam

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Oct 27, 2017
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I don't know, but I really, REALLY hope it's a "Switch 2" because I adore my Switch and its portability. I want more of that, just make it more powerful in whatever efficient way they can.

I certainly want to believe they'll follow this path going forward, but it IS Nintendo, so who the hell knows what is next

I have no desire for them to produce a console trying to be a PS5, personally.
 
AquaWateria

AquaWateria

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Oct 25, 2017
7,533
Honestly continue what they have been doing tbh. The Switch rn is selling out everywhere and software is through the roof.

Switch 2 is gonna continue with the console/handheld hybrid especially since mobile chips are continuing to progress.
 
SharpX68K

SharpX68K

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Nov 10, 2017
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Iceman83 said:
Isnt the Switch right at 1TF?
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Click to shrink...

lol No.

393 GFlops max when docked. That's less than 40% of 1 TFLOP (1000 GFLOPS).

The Tegra X1 SoC is capable of 512 GFLOPS (fp32) but in Switch, the GPU clock is lower.

Less with its various handheld performance profiles. I think 153 to 192 GFLOPS.

For comparison, the original 2013 PlayStation 4 GPU is 1.84 TF (1840 GFLOPS)
and the OG 2013 Xbox One is 1.31 TF(1310 GFLOPs.

I understand TFLOPs is not the be-all-end-all of performance/power. It's just one measurement and it's not that useful comparing different architecture, especially from different GPU makers. Switch GPU is Nvidia Maxwell architecture, which is better than GCN 1x in PS4/XBone.

Sorry for the worthless spec talk.
 
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SpookyTango

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Mar 1, 2020
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Since the Wii, Nintendo's hardware considerations no longer factor in what the competition is doing.

The Switch will probably see an upgraded version relatively soon, but you probably won't see their next generation hardware for at least three years.

And people will continue to complain about their hardware lacking power.
 
Samanosuke Akechi

Samanosuke Akechi

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Oct 28, 2017
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Lyre

Lyre

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I genuinely don't know, to be honest. Is the tech even there for a Switch 2 to achieve a substantial power jump while maintaining its size and battery life?

Perhaps a way for Switch 2's dock to make a huge difference (rather than a minor one) is the only way forward? Is that even possible?
 
Sandfox

Sandfox

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Oct 25, 2017
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It makes the most sense to do a Switch 2 with improvements.

The Switch and its software are absolutely dominating and doing something different would be dumb.
 
Lylo

Lylo

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Oct 25, 2017
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Nintendo is in a really good position in the market right now, i think it's more obvious than never that Nintendo doesn't compete directly with any of the other console manufaturers, i think none of them feel threatened by Nintendo and yet the Switch is a huge hit, so a more powerfull console following the same basic idea of the Switch is the way to go.
 
Meelow

Meelow

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Oct 31, 2017
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ArkhamFantasy said:
If teraflops mattered to Nintendo's target audience the switch wouldn't be breaking records right now.
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Click to shrink...

I disagree, the reason the Switch is selling so well is because of the games, and the fact that the Switch is solid hardware, it doesn't feel "fisher price" like the Wii U was and it's shaping up to be one of my favorite systems ever made.

If the Switch released being a powerhouse it would of sold the same, possibly even better if it got all the AAA games the PS4/One got.

I have been a Nintendo buyer since the NES and I would love even more power.
 

Deleted member 63122

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Nintendo has always been doomed, no matter how much records they break, But we are all doomed, that's life.
 

cnorwood

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Oct 28, 2017
3,345
The successor should be a more powerful version of what we have today plus should be able to turn into a full 6dof VR system
 

Deleted member 4034

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They'll be fine, tho a Switch 2 would have some diminishing returns so it does need that extra thing no one was asking for.
 
Lobster Roll

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Sep 24, 2019
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They'll go wherever they want, same as always. They went where they wanted with the Wii and in response Sony and Microsoft did their best to imitate that experience. They went their own way with the Switch and it's a delightful first-party and Indie machine. They don't need to "go" any particular direction. I'm sure they have a vision for their next console, and I'm excited to see where it takes us.
 
Lord Fanny

Lord Fanny

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Apr 25, 2020
26,174
The Switch is the last gasp of a dying empire. After 2022, it's done. Nintendo has nowhere to go, nowhere to turn. It was their last chance, their last resort. The lost their sight years ago. They'll be cut into pieces. Nothing they are doing is fine. Nothing they are doing is alright. It's a downward spiral.
 
Twister

Twister

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Feb 11, 2019
5,125
They just keep releasing Switch games. People who play Nintendo games are typically not the type who care about graphics to that extreme, and Nintendo's software is compelling enough to drive sales of the console (look at Animal Crossing, Smash Bros, and Pokémon among others). Nintendo isn't going to release a new console until 2023 at the earliest and even then it will likely just be a Switch 2. They have their own niche, they don't ever really compete with the others directly
 
Myself

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Nov 4, 2017
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Speaking as someone who has no idea it doesn't seem sensible for them to abandon the hybrid system. It brought them back from trouble with Wii U and gimmicky shit like Wii won't cut it any more I don't think. As far as home consoles go, if they go that route they will be compared even more to the others although I don't think that bothers Nintendo too much and certainly not people that like their games (me).

I see them making a Switch 2 if it comes this year, with everything suped up and fixing the shitty joycons. I actually don't expect much from them if it's not their "next gen" machine because they are sort of doing their own thing and the Switch is really successful so they'll just make some nice changes.

If it doesn't come out until 2022+ then they will fully realise the SCD and release a supped up Switch (2 TF) with a 4 port USBC resource sharing dock so I can have essentially an 8TF Nintendo machine.
 
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