Celcius
°Temp. member
No really, hear me out: The truth is that none of us know what these companies are going to do for future hardware. People have been rumoring a Switch Pro or PS5 Pro for years and none of that has happened or seems likely for the rest of this year. Nintendo's current system is a hybrid console/handheld but they certainly don't have to do this again. We all know they like to do something different each generation.
Microsoft has already said that they're not doing a "Pro" console this generation and there's a high chance that Sony follows the same path. Let's imagine that last generation is an exception and this gen base consoles are all we get.
Nintendo could absolutely make their next system console only (no handheld mode), while still maintaining backwards compatibility with the Switch - those games would just run in permanent "docked mode". If they keep nvidia as a partner again (very likely) then they would have access to superior ray tracing than either MS or Sony has access to combined with other technologies such as DLSS, and maybe even enhancements for Switch games running in backwards compatibility mode like higher resolutions or faster loading. Plus, assuming it comes out next year then they would be releasing 4 years after PS5 and Xbox which means that newer / more powerful hardware would be possible for the same price points and it could go unmatched for years until the PS6 or next Xbox in probably 2027.
Now if that were to happen and Nintendo shocks the world with a $450-$500 box that is also the world's most powerful console, how could this change the gaming world? For years having "the world's most powerful console" has been a major part of Xbox's identity and one of their main selling points over PS5. For Sony, they know that people are going to buy Nintendo games anyway but console gamers buy most multiplatform games on PlayStation because they have powerful hardware combined with their great software library.
If Nintendo had the most powerful console then many people would begin buying much more multiplatform stuff for their console to go along with their excellent first party software. They could even take a loss on the hardware because they know how many copies Pokemon sells, Zelda sells, etc... and plus their first party games stay at full price rather than going on sale. They could even get games that wouldn't normally get a Nintendo port, like Grand Theft Auto 6 or Call of Duty 2023. They could really take a bigger chunk of the market away from Sony or MS if they were to go this route.
"But Celcius, they're just going to make a Switch 2 and print money."
How much more powerful would a Switch 2 even be compared to something like the Steam Deck? Is that going to provide a much different gameplay experience to most people? Probably not. Plus that would be boring from a design perspective... it would be much more interesting for Nintendo to shock the world by going the high-power route again. They could even give it a cool name like Gamecube 2 and sell people on nostalgia. Maybe even give it a flip top lid like older disc consoles instead of just another black/white sleek media box.
"But Celcius, people would miss handheld gaming."
I recently created THIS thread here on NeoGaf to see how most people use their Switch and as of now only 31% of Switch users use their Switch exclusively in handheld mode. Most gamers (Nintendo buyers or otherwise) just aren't playing handheld most of the time these days and if their next console doesn't have portable functionality then they would certainly adapt, just like when Sony killed off the Vita. I've never docked my Switch (I'm in the 31%) but if the next Nintendo system gets rid of handheld functionality then it wouldn't be a big deal to me for example. I think most people on the go just do stuff on their phones these days.
What do you guys think... if they were to go this route then do you think they could actually take most of the market from Sony and MS? are there any other implications from this that you can imagine? does anyone want this, or do you all really just want them to slap more power into the Switch and call it a day?
Microsoft has already said that they're not doing a "Pro" console this generation and there's a high chance that Sony follows the same path. Let's imagine that last generation is an exception and this gen base consoles are all we get.
Nintendo could absolutely make their next system console only (no handheld mode), while still maintaining backwards compatibility with the Switch - those games would just run in permanent "docked mode". If they keep nvidia as a partner again (very likely) then they would have access to superior ray tracing than either MS or Sony has access to combined with other technologies such as DLSS, and maybe even enhancements for Switch games running in backwards compatibility mode like higher resolutions or faster loading. Plus, assuming it comes out next year then they would be releasing 4 years after PS5 and Xbox which means that newer / more powerful hardware would be possible for the same price points and it could go unmatched for years until the PS6 or next Xbox in probably 2027.
Now if that were to happen and Nintendo shocks the world with a $450-$500 box that is also the world's most powerful console, how could this change the gaming world? For years having "the world's most powerful console" has been a major part of Xbox's identity and one of their main selling points over PS5. For Sony, they know that people are going to buy Nintendo games anyway but console gamers buy most multiplatform games on PlayStation because they have powerful hardware combined with their great software library.
If Nintendo had the most powerful console then many people would begin buying much more multiplatform stuff for their console to go along with their excellent first party software. They could even take a loss on the hardware because they know how many copies Pokemon sells, Zelda sells, etc... and plus their first party games stay at full price rather than going on sale. They could even get games that wouldn't normally get a Nintendo port, like Grand Theft Auto 6 or Call of Duty 2023. They could really take a bigger chunk of the market away from Sony or MS if they were to go this route.
"But Celcius, they're just going to make a Switch 2 and print money."
How much more powerful would a Switch 2 even be compared to something like the Steam Deck? Is that going to provide a much different gameplay experience to most people? Probably not. Plus that would be boring from a design perspective... it would be much more interesting for Nintendo to shock the world by going the high-power route again. They could even give it a cool name like Gamecube 2 and sell people on nostalgia. Maybe even give it a flip top lid like older disc consoles instead of just another black/white sleek media box.
"But Celcius, people would miss handheld gaming."
I recently created THIS thread here on NeoGaf to see how most people use their Switch and as of now only 31% of Switch users use their Switch exclusively in handheld mode. Most gamers (Nintendo buyers or otherwise) just aren't playing handheld most of the time these days and if their next console doesn't have portable functionality then they would certainly adapt, just like when Sony killed off the Vita. I've never docked my Switch (I'm in the 31%) but if the next Nintendo system gets rid of handheld functionality then it wouldn't be a big deal to me for example. I think most people on the go just do stuff on their phones these days.
What do you guys think... if they were to go this route then do you think they could actually take most of the market from Sony and MS? are there any other implications from this that you can imagine? does anyone want this, or do you all really just want them to slap more power into the Switch and call it a day?
