Nintendo Switch: Powered by Custom Nvidia Tegra Chip (Official)

Half Life and Doom 3 are pretty old games now. And wasn't Doom 3 BFG missing a bunch of effects from the PS360 versions? Modern games have a lot more effects going on, they will require more bandwidth.
No missing effects, you might be thinking of other Nvidia Android ports (RE5, MGSR).
 
A standard Tegra X1 cannot deliver a much better experience than, say, last gen consoles.

I fully recommend people to low your expectations down.

Switch will probably end up being an enhanced Wii U. More that than a weaker Xbox One, if that makes any sense.
 
I don't think anyone would dare think it's a screamer, it's single threaded performance is very low. But the other poster was saying people had called it 'balanced', and that I agree with actually...If you look at the integer performance, the floating point performance, the memory performance, the SIMD it has on tap, it's 'balanced' for what it is, what it is is just low end. For its class, it's probably far better thought out than Bulldozer.

It's the 2013 Microsoft's definition of Balanced, in short :P

It's hard to argue with it being "balanced". The design is much more sane than say, a Pentium 4, but from a performance standpoint it's like Ford when it first introduced the V6 Mustang. Yeah, it looks like a sports car from the outside, but step on the gas and it's a trail of tears.
 
A standard Tegra X1 cannot deliver a much better experience than, say, last gen consoles.

I fully recommend people to low your expectations down.

Switch will probably end up being an enhanced Wii U. More that than a weaker Xbox One, if that makes any sense.

Even based on this thread, people are going to be sorely disappointed.
 
Does this mean that third party publishers that develop for Switch can relatively easily port their software to ARM based devices (Android, iOS?).
That'd be mostly a matter of engines and tools, the ISA here is of secondary (or even ternary, if we count hw performance) importance.

It's hard to argue with it being "balanced". The design is much more sane than say, a Pentium 4, but from a performance standpoint it's like Ford when it first introduced the V6 Mustang. Yeah, it looks like a sports car from the outside, but step on the gas and it's a trail of tears.
When assessing a chip you should consider the alternatives at the time. Jaguar was a clear enhancement of the bobcat design and arguably the best in its power bracket. Sony/ms would chose the best there was, and rightfully so did not go with a bonnell (if they ever entertained the possibility, that is). Yes, ARMv8 has virtually exploded since then, but that does not somehow invalidate the decisions of the original timeframe.
 
A standard Tegra X1 cannot deliver a much better experience than, say, last gen consoles.

I fully recommend people to low your expectations down.

Switch will probably end up being an enhanced Wii U. More that than a weaker Xbox One, if that makes any sense.

Well, it's at least 3x as powerful as the Wii U, even if it's a bog standard Tegra X1. I think at the end of the day it will end up being more powerful than that, but Nintendo was able to accomplish amazing things with the Wii U regardless.
 
A standard Tegra X1 cannot deliver a much better experience than, say, last gen consoles.

I fully recommend people to low your expectations down.

Switch will probably end up being an enhanced Wii U. More that than a weaker Xbox One, if that makes any sense.

It's likely running a custom variant of Tegra Parker, not X1. Also we have insiders who have gotten a lot of this right saying it's much closer to XB1 performance than Wii U performance.

I think the partnership with Nvidia is showing a slightly different attitude from Nintendo than we're used to. This device may not be inexplicably handicapped like their past two consoles were judging from the amount of support Nvidia is providing.

I believe Laura Buzz (from LPVG) reported that a spec sheet will actually be released before the end of the month, and if that's actually true then Nintendo seemingly has something to brag about. So let's wait and see if that happens.
 
A standard Tegra X1 cannot deliver a much better experience than, say, last gen consoles.

I fully recommend people to low your expectations down.

Switch will probably end up being an enhanced Wii U. More that than a weaker Xbox One, if that makes any sense.

This isn't a standard Tegra X1, we still don't know if it's the X1 or even if it's Maxwell or Pascal. We can't say for sure if that's the case or not. All we know is it's powered by Tegra and it uses the same assets as the Geforce series.
 
It's hard to argue with it being "balanced". The design is much more sane than say, a Pentium 4, but from a performance standpoint it's like Ford when it first introduced the V6 Mustang. Yeah, it looks like a sports car from the outside, but step on the gas and it's a trail of tears.


It doesn't try to look anything like a sports car though, it's an econobox outside and you get what you expect inside :P
 
Honestly, what makes you think this?
I think this because it uses a custom Nvidia Tegra chip and the Digital Foundry analysis of this architecture has shown it as pretty capable (and modern).

Furthermore, leaks have suggested that it compares favorably with the power of the XB1.

I see nothing that would indicate otherwise at this moment in time.
 
It doesn't try to look anything like a sports car though, it's an econobox outside and you get what you expect inside :P

LOL, fair point. I just meant the way it was presented by MS and Sony was "8 Cores - Holy shit!" and then it sort of amounted to a fart in the wind.
 
When assessing a chip you should consider the alternatives at the time. Jaguar was a clear enhancement of the bobcat design and arguably the best in its power bracket. Sony/ms would chose the best there was, and rightfully so did not go with a bonnell (if they ever entertained the possibility, that is).

Yeah, they were essentially faced with a shit sandwich. AMD's CPU portfolio at the time was either really slow if you wanted low power, or somewhat faster CPU's that ran really hot with ludicrous TDP requirements.
 
When assessing a chip you should consider the alternatives at the time. Jaguar was a clear enhancement of the bobcat design and arguably the best in its power bracket. Sony/ms would chose the best there was, and rightfully so did not go with a bonnell (if they ever entertained the possibility, that is). Yes, ARMv8 has virtually exploded since then, but that does not somehow invalidate the decisions of the original timeframe.
Jaguar was likely chosen because it is cheap, power efficient, and small (leaving more room for the GPU). So it was probably the best choice given their criteria, but that criteria didn't have single-threaded performance anywhere near the top of their priorities.
 
lmao i hope you don't believe everything you say.
Yes, I usually jest when I apply basic principles of linear scaling.

Jaguar was likely chosen because it is cheap, power efficient, and small (leaving more room for the GPU). So it was probably the best choice given their criteria, but that criteria didn't have single-threaded performance anywhere near the top of their priorities.
I'm far from the thought that price was not an essential criterion. I hope my post did not create the wrong impression. But yes, I agree with you completely - they were likely looking for good IPC for certain power bracket and die area.
 
1. You don't know that. You are basing your entire argument on presumptions

2. No, it's not. See MGR and RE5.

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

Nvidia said:
Nintendo Switch is powered by the performance of the custom Tegra processor. The high-efficiency scalable processor includes an NVIDIA GPU based on the same architecture as the world’s top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards.

2. It doesn't work like that. You have much better PS360 ports already on X1. The fact that poorer ports exist doesn't prove anything except that the developer considered it's OK to launch it like that.

It's like judging a PC GPU based on a Batman game.

I'm not even touching the mess that is Android and games optimisation.
 
Cycle? Please, elaborate.
1. Rumours of new system.
- Fans immediately wonder if this will finally have hardware to match or even rival current generation.
- Vague leaks on potential concepts.
- New Twitter accounts claiming to be insiders spread lies.

2. New Console Announced
- Strange gimmicks
- Underwhelming hardware
- List of Publishers and third-parties on board to support the library

3. Console Released
- People briefly enjoy the gimmicks and eventually get fed up.
- Third-party support dries up. System rarely gets ports, if any.
- People blame the above on crappy hardware. Mass second-hand sales of console begin.
- Fans insist they won't be fooled again.
 
The Nintendo Cycle

1. Rumours of new system.
- Fans immediately wonder if this will finally have hardware to match or even rival current generation.
- Vague leaks on potential concepts.
- New Twitter accounts claiming to be insiders spread lies.

2. New Console Announced
- Strange gimmicks
- Underwhelming hardware
- List of Publishers and third-parties on board to support the library

3. Console Released
- People briefly enjoy the gimmicks and eventually get fed up.
- Third-party support dries up. System rarely gets ports, if any.
- People blame the above on crappy hardware. Mass second-hand sales of console begin.
- Fans insist they won't be fooled again.
This is shitposting more than anything else, sadly.

I'd love a discussion re: Nvidia Tegra technology and the potential graphical possibilities of such a product.

Shame it is hampered by this style of responses.
 
1. Rumours of new system.
- Fans immediately wonder if this will finally have hardware to match or even rival current generation.
- Vague leaks on potential concepts.
- New Twitter accounts claiming to be insiders spread lies.

2. New Console Announced
- Strange gimmicks
- Underwhelming hardware
- List of Publishers and third-parties on board to support the library

3. Console Released
- People briefly enjoy the gimmicks and eventually get fed up.
- Third-party support dries up. System rarely gets ports, if any.
- People blame the above on crappy hardware. Mass second-hand sales of console begin.
- Fans insist they won't be fooled again.
Nice. Can you please elaborate how any of this applies to NX now?
 
1. Rumours of new system.
- Fans immediately wonder if this will finally have hardware to match or even rival current generation.
- Vague leaks on potential concepts.
- New Twitter accounts claiming to be insiders spread lies.

2. New Console Announced
- Strange gimmicks
- Underwhelming hardware
- List of Publishers and third-parties on board to support the library

3. Console Released
- People briefly enjoy the gimmicks and eventually get fed up.
- Third-party support dries up. System rarely gets ports, if any.
- People blame the above on crappy hardware. Mass second-hand sales of console begin.
- Fans insist they won't be fooled again.

TIL The Wii U is a repeating cycle.
 
That machine can run Skyrin Remaster, so, yes, it's more powerful than previous generations machine and closer the actual gen.
 
... do you not see the hypocrisy in what you just said?

Nope. Just saying that Tegra X1 is not capable of delivering that much of power.

And with that in mind, and knowing Nintendo, I'm suggesting you guys to low down your expectations. That's all what I'm saying.
 
1. Rumours of new system.
- Fans immediately wonder if this will finally have hardware to match or even rival current generation.
- Vague leaks on potential concepts.
- New Twitter accounts claiming to be insiders spread lies.

2. New Console Announced
- Strange gimmicks
- Underwhelming hardware
- List of Publishers and third-parties on board to support the library

3. Console Released
- People briefly enjoy the gimmicks and eventually get fed up.
- Third-party support dries up. System rarely gets ports, if any.
- People blame the above on crappy hardware. Mass second-hand sales of console begin.
- Fans insist they won't be fooled again.
Oh I see. Well, your model breaks at (2) - the bolded part.

Is he? I thought he was a hardwarethingy
A former gamedev. I still do sw optimisations and thus scrutinize uarchs for a living, though.
 
Huge grain of salt:
Pascal based.
3 times less powerful than XB1 mainly by being greatly memory bandwidth starved.
504p is the minimun resolution required by Nintendo and what most games will use:

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads...#post-38530757
If that's what they're shooting for, then I hope it's 504p in portable mode at all times with a screen resolution to match (rather than the rumored 720p).

Non-native resolution games on Vita looked disgusting, and I don't want another 5-8 years of fuzzy, blurry assets.
 
Sadly, Skyrim Remaster isn't confirmed. Bethesda showed it to give an idea of the concept.

It's been heavily suggested that they haven't "confirmed" it because they don't want it to detract from Skyrim Remaster sales in the next few weeks.

If that's what they're shooting for, then I hope it's 504p in portable mode at all times with a screen resolution to match.

Non-native resolution games on Vita looked disgusting, and I don't want another 5-8 years of fuzzy, blurry assets.

There's apparently a lot of misinformation in that post, so it's unlikely to be legit.
 
So if anyone knows the power levels are like this:
Wii U = Robin (Tim Drake)
Switch = Nightwing
Xone= Batman

So what you're saying is:
Wii U: Physically weak and rather inexperienced, but with a lot of untapped potential.
Switch: Slim and sexy, can squeeze into smaller spaces than you'd think, and punches far above its weight.
Xbone: Old and highly capable, backed up mainly by the family money. More popular than it should be, with daddy issues up the wazoo.
 
Nope. Just saying that Tegra X1 is not capable of delivering that much of power.

And with that in mind, and knowing Nintendo, I'm suggesting you guys to low down your expectations. That's all what I'm saying.

You are claiming the chip is a Tegra X1, even though Nvidia says it's a custom Tegra chip without saying if it's X1 or Parker. You claimed he doesn't know what it is, neither do you.
 
Seriously, even Nintendo isn't that stupid. Come on now. They traditionally aren't the company to pull a bait and switch on their systems graphics.

Worth noting that 2K Sports wouldn't confirm it was NBA 2K17 running either. I'm guessing this has a lot to do with Nintendo saying they're not speaking about software until after the holidays. If they don't speak about it, no one does.
 
That machine can run Skyrin Remaster, so, yes, it's more powerful than previous generations machine and closer the actual gen.

Actually, what it can and can't run is completely up in the air right now, seeing as all the trailer footage was edited in and not actually running on a Switch.

But if you guys are adamant that a battery-powered portable tablet like this is going to be able to push graphics similar to a big, boxed, actively cooled current-gen console that's powered by a wall socket at all times, then I don't know what to say. The tech really does not work like that, and expecting that outcome is foolish to say the least.

Expect a handheld Wii-U. And even that is quite an achievement in this form-factor, honestly. The form factor alone would make it nigh impossible for the chips to reach their theoretical maximum performance anyway.
 
Actually, what it can and can't run is completely up in the air right now, seeing as all the trailer footage was edited in and not actually running on a Switch.

But if you guys are adamant that a battery-powered portable tablet like this is going to be able to push graphics similar to a big, boxed, actively cooled current-gen console that's powered by a wall socket at all times, then I don't know what to say. The tech really does not work like that, and expecting that outcome is foolish to say the least.

Expect a handheld Wii-U. And even that is quite an achievement in this form-factor, honestly. The form factor alone would make it nigh impossible for the chips to reach their theoretical maximum performance anyway.

I don't think the last bit is true necessarily. It's quite a big device and has some form of cooling. The Shield TV isn't that big and the internals look like they were built with a smaller, portable shell in mind.
 
Actually, what it can and can't run is completely up in the air right now, seeing as all the trailer footage was edited in and not actually running on a Switch.

But if you guys are adamant that a battery-powered portable tablet like this is going to be able to push graphics similar to a big, boxed, actively cooled current-gen console that's powered by a wall socket at all times, then I don't know what to say. The tech really does not work like that, and expecting that outcome is foolish to say the least.

Expect a handheld Wii-U. And even that is quite an achievement in this form-factor, honestly. The form factor alone would make it nigh impossible for the chips to reach their theoretical maximum performance anyway.

A handheld Wii U is somewhere close to 1/5 of the theoretical maximum performance of Parker.

Pixel C, that is a tablet without active cooling runs a Tegra X1 at 850MHz.

It's not like we don't have real life examples of how Tegra runs.
 
1. Rumours of new system.
- Fans immediately wonder if this will finally have hardware to match or even rival current generation.
- Vague leaks on potential concepts.
- New Twitter accounts claiming to be insiders spread lies.

2. New Console Announced
- Strange gimmicks
- Underwhelming hardware
- List of Publishers and third-parties on board to support the library

3. Console Released
- People briefly enjoy the gimmicks and eventually get fed up.
- Third-party support dries up. System rarely gets ports, if any.
- People blame the above on crappy hardware. Mass second-hand sales of console begin.
- Fans insist they won't be fooled again.

giphy.gif
 
The Nintendo Cycle of people using the "ah but it'll be able to do PS_/XB_ graphics, just at lower resolutions!!" started with:

The Wii
Didn't happen.
Entirely different versions made of other games.

then

The WiiU
Belief if would be on par with PS4/Xbone. Obviously wasn't.
Special sauce, obsession with chipsets and GPU comparisons.

and now

Switch
People misunderstanding that because its a portable, that sets a specific baseline for ALL games to run on.
More of that clinging to GPU names, assuming all graphics cards are made equal.
Fingers in ears over every single true rumour source also mentioning its below Xbox One by a fair tick.

Mix in with a little "grafix dont matter anyway m8" and bang, THE CYCLE.

I mean this thing is gonna be a cool portable. A sequel to the Vita's principles! A Monster Hunter that doesn't look like dogshit! It's just not, however, going to be getting those mid-gen third party PS4/Xbone games because they're too far out of its comfort zone. Just like the WiiU really. It will remain to be seen what can be done/nerfed/gutted with the UE4 versions of Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy 7, and Dragon Quest 11 to get them onto NX, if they happen. Expect the Switch versions to be like the PS3/Xbox 360 versions of things like Tomb Raider and others rather than expecting on-par.

The draw here is that its portable, so ya'll have to leave home console expectations behind. Nintendo ain't making those boxes no more, they're out.
 
Oh I see. Well, your model breaks at (2) - the bolded part.
Come on, Wii, Wii U, DS, and 3DS is a rather long series of hardware that was underwhelming as fuck compared to its respective competition.

If anything, Switch would break that trend with ~512 GFlops in a portable.
 
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