I think that they will hit a wall on what they can innovate in the console space
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Nintendo Switch Discussion Thread (Question of the Day, Countdown, etc)
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I think that they will hit a wall on what they can innovate in the console space
Iterative redesign will be the way forward for the medium future IMO. The next release will be a more powerful dock, then a more powerful handheld and so on.
They'll do that and then release the N64 2 (N128?) along with the proper Ura Zelda and not the Master Quest bollocks.
VR/AR.
Brain wave control or holograms, in the very near future they could do motion controls with haptic feedback(although The rumors suggest it's already being implemented on the joy cons.
That's the next big splash I think.
I refuse to speculate about the Switch and its successor at same time
Nintendo will go mobile
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1150086 There is this, certainly this points to the idea of increasing performance when plugging in a device. Selling a 4K dock down the road would be in line with this idea, and would add to the modular nature of both this patent and the Switch.
Lets also remember that this could be an Nvidia Shield product, and those only cost $199 where as this coming a year after X1 powered Nvidia Shield TV is expected to be $249. There is plenty of room to speculate on Thunderbolt while still leaving room for profit. Also the best part about the Pascal version of the Tegra chip is that it wouldn't cost more, they would simply be able to increase the clocks to deliver 50% more performance, setting aside any solutions to the memory issue X1 experiences.
Jonneh3003
Banned
I don't think either of these have much of a chance of becoming the norm of gaming, they'll remain accessories, even when they become more affordable. I can see them being used in other mediums though like museums or even cinema.
The big "jump" in gaming innovation usually happens in about 2 console iterations. Should the Switch be a success, the next console will probably be just a more powerful Switch with some new features to differentiate itself from its predecessor. The next innovative console will probably appear 2 generations from now.
your face when Nintendo announces on Jan 12 that you can easily put the Switch screen into a headset with lenses (think Google Daydream) and can use the Joycons (with their built-in gyros etc.) as controllers for immersive VR experiences
The screen is too low-res, the Switch is too weak, and VR isn't there yet. Give it 5 or 6 years.
frankie_baby
Member
Had they been able to do a 1080p screen they probably would have done it but I'm sure nintendo knows only too well that releasing a sub par VR experience is a bad idea
Only technology I can think of, apart from VR - which I don't believe will be ready, even by then, and I don't believe is that commercially viable an avenue for video games -, is haptic feedback: haptic screen, haptic controller, the whole shebang. Assuming the technology is affordable enough in 2022-2024.
That, or another convenience/accessibility-based improvement. A foldable/retractable screen or something along those lines. But it's probably too far off.
Next hardware should show that NX/Switch new architecture actually do what some (most?) of us think it's supposed to do: Be backward compatible thanks to the new OS/SDK just like Android/iOS.
The pro is that all the games and VC are compatible;
The con is that you have less room for gimmick because it will split the userbase, and this kills the purpose. Not saying it can't happen tho.
Since Switch is a bit less portable than the 3DS, I believe the first, easy form factor to do after NS will be a true handheld.
Switch is honestly probably the start of a very long running platform. Don't expect Switch to be replaced, just new form factors and iterations to come out for the platform.
For instance, a smaller switch could come in 2018 that is more pocket friendly with a ~5inch screen. Also a "NEW" Switch or whatever they call it could come out that replaces the Switch much like New 3DS replaced 3DS, being able to do 1080p and 60fps on the go and being PS4+ level, something like that could happen pretty soon really. Volta is only about 6 months away and 10nm is also around the corner, so give it 2 or 3 years. A 4K dock could come out if the Switch has thunderbolt, think back to the supplementary computing device patent Nintendo did, which would be a much more appealing version of PS4 Pro/Scorpio IMO, they could even release a standalone "console" version that works as a dock for charging still.
They can add gimmicks very easily to the Switch, a VR goggles adapter, much like Samsung GearVR could be done with Switch, it already has a way to slide into other devices, so there is no reason Nintendo couldn't release a $49 - $99 head goggles adapter for the device and give a similar quality to original Oculus devkits that were 720p. These like the Samsung GearVR could later accept "NEW" Switch or whatever it is called.
I'll stop with the paraphasing of the CEO of Nvidia that said the Switch is the beginning of a 20 year relationship with Nintendo... Looking that far ahead, I think everything I mentioned above can easily fit into the Switch's future (as a platform). They carried Gamecube architecture for 15 years, and with ARM's performance ever increasing and x86 at it's road block, there is little reason for Nintendo to leave the architecture in any reasonable future (next 10+ years) Nvidia is going to continue to compete and currently they have a power envelope that exceeds any other major graphics player. Lastly Nintendo themselves said that they won't be tying their platform to hardware any longer, so a Switch family that works in this way across a decade or two is literally what they have been telling us.
Pasedo
Member
This is also why I'm thinking there will be a separate mobile Switch SKU and a Switch home console bundle. They'd do this to keep costs down on the standalone. I reckon it will be $299 AUD and the dock bundle will be $549 AUD to compete with the price of the Ps4 Pro and have graphics capabilities at close parity to show its extra value. It will also give customers the choice which is always a good thing. For example I would only ever use the standalone and I'd like it as low as possible instead of paying significantly more for a dock I'd never or hardly use.
The dock doesn't cost much though, so you are getting what you want in the Switch that comes in March. It is just a pass-through built out of plastic, so you are looking at $5-$10 at the most.
Doesn't it have a fan inside the Dock?
Pasedo
Member
Is it actually confirmed by a reliable source that's there's no additional hardware in the dock?
Too bad the Australian Open starts later. Would've been a great way to past the time with some tennis.
Laura Kate Dale gave us no additional hardware in the dock, same time she leaked all the other stuff last week iirc.
You as a consumer can buy fans for $0.50, so no, I don't think that should add to the price much at all, I think $5 to $10 is all this could cost.
A twitter account for the 25 years of Kirby (next year) has been opened :
https://twitter.com/Kirby25thJP/status/808143124908257281
It's safe to say that a new Kirby game will release in 2017.
https://twitter.com/Kirby25thJP/status/808143124908257281
It's safe to say that a new Kirby game will release in 2017.
Retail or BOM? $5-10 retail seems a bit crazy but for a BOM that seems about right. I'd expect replacements to be $20-30 retail.
Pasedo
Member
Can this LKD be trusted?
She's the goddess of this thread.
Maybe they should release a compilation disc of Kirby games... and release it in Europe this time.
She is batting 100% on switch, even confirmed things afaik.
BOM, if the Switch costs $249, and Switch is under $199 BOM a year after Nvidia Shield TV was $199 retail, with newer and cheaper hardware, then there is still $45+ unaccounted for, and I believe Nvidia Shield TV sold at a profit at very low yields compared to Switch as well.
Would be cool but I already played through all of them so much that I would prefer a new anniversary game this time.
Serious Sam
Member
People taking "no hardware" quote too literally. It just means dock won't have additional CPU/GPU/RAM. It will still have some basic electronics inside needed for charging and such.
😄
Pasedo
Member
Guess it's hard to believe anything until Nintendo confirms it themselves. I also followed the Wii U threads and damn we were way off the mark. Seems everyone is being much more conservative these days with the Switch. Would be good to have our expectations blown away again but this time in a positive way.
I've been looking at the dock a fair bit and that back bit is thicker than the tablet itself. Why would they need to make it that thick if there's nothing in there but minor electronics. Could be some serious shit going on in there.
I've been looking at the dock a fair bit and that back bit is thicker than the tablet itself. Why would they need to make it that thick if there's nothing in there but minor electronics. Could be some serious shit going on in there.
The dock needs to stand up without falling over. Don't delude yourself like that.
Milly Osworth
Member
31 days 🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀
Pasedo
Member
I thought Ninty believed in minimalist design. That's a massive waste of plastic if that's the case.
Skittzo0413
Member
That's what most people here mean when they say "no hardware." It'll have various connectors and controllers and the rumored fan, but nothing else.
I don't think the size of the dock is indicative of anything- it needs to have sufficient intake area for the fan, it needs to have sufficient size and width to stay up, and it needs to have space to fit the wires both while standing and lying down horizontally, so I think all of that can explain the relative heft.
But who knows- there might be something like an expansion port in the dock somewhere for putting an SCD/expansion pack a couple years down the line. I think we would've heard about such though if it was happening.
I feel the same. I don't think Monster Hunter XX is coming to Switch. It's really just a coincidence that it releases so close to the Switch release.
Although I will look forward to a new mainline Monster Hunter even though I didn't get go play MH4 much before selling it.
Something like this would have done the trick and would be alot more stable as well. Also it would have displayed the screen for some additional docking features. The dock is just a very odd design really.
I thik the dock looks cool. And do you really want to look at another screen that is located under your TV while playing on the couch? Sounds like a nightmare.
Also it looks badass how the players in the trailer dock-in their system during the eSports segment.
Pasedo
Member
Could be a bitch trying to align the tablet to the usb c connectors at the bottom so it clicks in. And you can't see where you're going cos it's all covered, so then you'd have to feel your way around.
Hmm I don't know if it would be a distraction. I thought it was on the Wii U coz it didn't feel natural looking up at the TV and down at the controller screen. Having a second screen right in front of you next to the TV could work. Could be for minor experiences like alerts, when someone has joined the game or for other basic queues or notifications.
Jaded Alyx
Member
That would just look like a handheld sitting on a dock. The Switch in its dock is meant to look like a home console (with joy cons removed).
Pasedo
Member
Well apparently that's exactly what people are saying it is
But if they were serious about it, it's a handheld that turns into a fully fledged home console that can compete with other home consoles and for that you need some modular smarts ;p
Cuningas de Häme
Member
But it's not, look those videos (or was it just in reveal trailer) where they do it pretty easily.
You should stop reaching, if it has some secret sauce then fine, but don't expect that or you will get disappointed if there's nothing...
Skittzo0413
Member
A) There are guide slots in the bottom of the Switch that presumably cooperate with guide pins in the dock- everything we've seen has shown how smart the engineering of the device and dock have been. I wouldn't be worried about mechanical issues like these.
B) Having a second screen constantly sitting below your TV would both get annoying and immersion breaking, as well as bring up shades of the Wii U, which Nintendo has no interest in reminding people of. EDIT: And for people who need to lay the dock horizontally to fit, any second screen functionality would no longer work. So they are better off not even having it as a possibility.
I think the dock looks very aesthetically pleasing, especially when the joycons are removed. If there was any additional hardware for boosting capabilities (besides a fan) I think we would've heard of it by now.
Yep, in March it should just be a pass-through, but we have already heard that Nintendo wants to sell docks separately, and with USB-C it is possible to have a dedicated GPU with it's own pool of VRAM for even 4K. There isn't much limit here and thanks to the patent from earlier this year, we have to accept that speculation about such a device later on, fits into what Nintendo has been researching.
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