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Switch 2 will "likely be an iteration rather than a revolution" and launch at $400, according to a Tokyo-based game industry consultancy firm

bender

What time is it?
Nintendo and Valve merging would be a dream come true for me
spit-ew.gif
 

Knightime_X

Member
good
hopefully nintendo will get back to playing with power again.
at least before the Wiieak era of less = more
 
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Steam Deck is significantly better then the Switch and they are selling it at a loss at $399 for the very base model.

Saying that, I think a lot of people expect too much from Switch 2 regarding specs and will be disappointed.
 

StereoVsn

Gold Member
And we are able to judge its appeal to the wide audience from it's high sales ratio since launch. The fact that it had a 0% attach rate in the years before it came out tells us nothing.

We have to measure the products sales since launch.
Yep, for example PS4 Pro had estimated 20% sales rate when it came out. Compare that to OLED and you can see that OLED is selling to wide audience while PS4 Pro sold to enthusiasts.
 
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Klosshufvud

Member
At 400€ I expect Steam Deck level of power or even less.
In absolute numbers? I doubt that. Nintendo will definitely opt for a lower power profile which means that even on presumed cutting edge 4nm fab, it will have difficulties matching SD in pure theoretical performance. With that said, Switch 2 does not need to meet SD's technical performance to yield similar or even superior results. This due platform-specific game development which SD does not have the luxury of.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
I do think they will push digital... although not to the point that Sony and MS have.



That's what the Lite is... and you don't even get the option for the dock.



Steam Deck OLED starts at $549... and most (?) of the other handhelds are more than that.
I believe they'll push it but not any further than what we have now. You'll have new release games (for those just not buying physical), additional DLC and (the only one I use) demos. Thinking of this as an iteration though -- I imagine it'll be the Nintendo Store and not much will change there.

Read that at first and thought you were going to tell me the Lite could connect to a TV. I never owned a WiiU but know enough about it. Seems like the idea they had was a handheld which could only be played within proximity of the main console. Lite's slightly different as you can't pop it into a dock and play on a larger monitor or somehow connect to TV. However, if you were saying it'd be a failure to go handheld only...they'll fail hard. It may seem from reading that most are playing Switch handheld only but that's not me and many others. I play docked, handheld and like to put it on a table (play in tabletop mode with a pro control). This may also be why I've never invested in a Lite.

I know 3rd quote wasn't to me but I stated that in my first; I do not understand the complaint about a $400 price tag. We've been seeing prices like that since 7th-gen at least and consoles weren't all 'affordable' in 4th gen either when you consider things like Pioneer Laseractive or NeoGeo. Those were stupid expensive and costed nearly twice that (400)...this will 90s too. Here's one people don't want to hear: SNES launched at $200 (1990 value), current market value in 2024 would make that $200 about $435. I could make the same argument for those upset with $70 games.
 

Comandr

Member
The masses couldn't figure out the difference between the NES and Super NES?
It was a completely different size, shape, and took differently shaped cartridges, had a different controller with obviously more buttons, etc. Also people weren't all completely retarded in 1991. And there wasn’t already a precedent for enhanced consoles. This is a different world. Do I need to continue?

I strongly suspect that the switch 2 will use identical cartridges and or look remarkably similar to its current iteration.
 

tr1p1ex

Member
What do you mean? Everyone wants a Switch with better specs. That's all...what else is there to be done?
well you just asked for a faster horse. ;) That's what it means. And asking what else is there to be done shows the customer doesn't know the possibilities.

Nintendo is always busy looking at new ways of entertaining the customer. That's part of delighting the customer. That's how you got the Switch in the first place.
 
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Read that at first and thought you were going to tell me the Lite could connect to a TV. I never owned a WiiU but know enough about it. Seems like the idea they had was a handheld which could only be played within proximity of the main console. Lite's slightly different as you can't pop it into a dock and play on a larger monitor or somehow connect to TV. However, if you were saying it'd be a failure to go handheld only...they'll fail hard. It may seem from reading that most are playing Switch handheld only but that's not me and many others. I play docked, handheld and like to put it on a table (play in tabletop mode with a pro control). This may also be why I've never invested in a Lite.

The Lite is mainly about hitting the lower price point. No Dock, worse screen (I bet the S2L will still be 720p LCD)
 
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tr1p1ex

Member
Never cared for the Wii/ Wii U-era so Switch was a clean slate for me, just as it was for Nintendo. And the Switch brand (and hybrid concept) is too good to give up for something entirely new.
"The Switch 2 needs to have full BC, both physical and digital, otherwise I won't give a flying fuck about this system."

I always poke fun at this argument. And you broke it thrice. Wii had b/c and you didn't buy it. Wii U had b/c and you didn't buy it. Switch did not have b/c and you bought it.


So I would say you don't give a flying fuck about b/c. ;)
 
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tr1p1ex

Member
I do not understand the complaint about a $400 price tag. We've been seeing prices like that since 7th-gen at least and consoles weren't all 'affordable' in 4th gen either when you consider things like Pioneer Laseractive or NeoGeo. Those were stupid expensive and costed nearly twice that (400)...this will 90s too. Here's one people don't want to hear: SNES launched at $200 (1990 value), current market value in 2024 would make that $200 about $435. I could make the same argument for those upset with $70 games.

Well the Wii U flopped and it was $350. Price was a factor. (OK they had a version for $299 but the $350 one was the better buy. In either case, the pricepoint seemed high.)

3DS was $250 and had a slow start and needed an emergency price drop to ~$170 within ~6 months of launch to right the ship.

Gaming consoles are sensitive to high prices.

Now post-pandemic aka recent inflation might mean we have to expect (or accept) higher console prices. Most everyone (everything) else is up a lot in price from a few years ago.

and of course the Switch OLED is doing well/has done well at $350.

Still...part of that (the Switch's success) is the Switch was novel when it launched. Many of the great games were Wii U games rereleased. Also the Switch (graphics wise) was basically a Wii U so I think they were up to speed development-wise more than they would have been. And of course the pandemic gave the Switch a big boost. They won't get these tailwinds the 2nd time around.

(They will get more initial interest though. Wii U had some good interest very early from customers and 3rd parties due to the success of the Wii. )
 
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Celine

Member
A 400-dollar price tag, likely significantly weaker than the PS5 and the PS5 (digital) probably dropping in price down to as low as 350 by the time this launches is going to be a difficult market for it, especially as the PS5 starts to hit its stride with software over the next couple of years.

The advantages of being a handheld are greatly diminished at 400 dollars and the advantages of being a console aren't strong enough to compete with other consoles with the tech and price.

Unless they release a handheld version day 1 for less, this won't perform anywhere close to the Switch did.
"A 300-dollar price tag, likely significantly weaker than the PS4 and the PS4 (base) probably dropping in price down to as low as 250 by the time this launches is going to be a difficult market for it, especially as the PS4 starts to hit its stride with software over the next couple of years.

The advantages of being a handheld are greatly diminished at 300 dollars and the advantages of being a console aren't strong enough to compete with other consoles with the tech and price."

hvqynDd.jpg


The Switch successor may succeed or fail (nothing about it is publicly known at the moment so even guessing is hard right now) but let's not act as Nintendo haven't already kicked asses in the past.
 
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Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
"A 300-dollar price tag, likely significantly weaker than the PS4 and the PS4 (base) probably dropping in price down to as low as 250 by the time this launches is going to be a difficult market for it, especially as the PS4 starts to hit its stride with software over the next couple of years.

The advantages of being a handheld are greatly diminished at 300 dollars and the advantages of being a console aren't strong enough to compete with other consoles with the tech and price."

hvqynDd.jpg


The Switch successor may succeed or fail (nothing about it is publicly known at the moment so even guessing is hard right now) but let's not act as Nintendo haven't already kicked asses in the past.

What an absolutely garbage post.

  • The Switch didn't have a high barrier to replacement with the 3DS, especially since that device didn't perform nearly as well as the DS.
  • The PS4 was NOT 250 when the Switch launched, it was still selling for 300 dollars
  • The 3DS launched for 250, so 300 for a handheld that also worked as a hybrid was not out of reach.
    • 400 dollars however is a large jump from 250
    • Switch Lite launched just 2 years later with a launch price of just 200 dollars.
  • The more expensive a hybrid is the less likely it will sell as a handheld
  • The weaker a hybrid is the less likely it will sell as a console
  • 400 dollars puts it square in the realm of consoles rather than handhelds and likely a weak console at that
  • That's an expensive upgrade for a lot of people who don't care about graphics in the first place
 

Mr Hyde

Member
"The Switch 2 needs to have full BC, both physical and digital, otherwise I won't give a flying fuck about this system."

I always poke fun at this argument. And you broke it thrice. Wii had b/c and you didn't buy it. Wii U had b/c and you didn't buy it. Switch did not have b/c and you bought it.


So I would say you don't give a flying fuck about b/c. ;)

No, I didn't give a flying fuck about Wii and its successor, but since I gave a fuck about Switch, naturally I want BC from its successor since I've invested a lot in the platform. Don't be dense.
 
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Baki

Member
"A 300-dollar price tag, likely significantly weaker than the PS4 and the PS4 (base) probably dropping in price down to as low as 250 by the time this launches is going to be a difficult market for it, especially as the PS4 starts to hit its stride with software over the next couple of years.

The advantages of being a handheld are greatly diminished at 300 dollars and the advantages of being a console aren't strong enough to compete with other consoles with the tech and price."

hvqynDd.jpg


The Switch successor may succeed or fail (nothing about it is publicly known at the moment so even guessing is hard right now) but let's not act as Nintendo haven't already kicked asses in the past.
Sony basically stopped manufacturing PS4s during the pandemic despite the pandemic highly inflating the gaming market. While Switch best years were due to a black swan event that kept people indoors and they were fortunate enough to manufacture and ship consoles to meet that demand. I don’t think $400 is a bad price for Switch 2 considering OLED model success but I wouldn’t use Switch success as an indicator for whether the successor will have the same heights. Especially as dev time and budgets will increase for Nintendo, likely leading to fewer releases, and a challenging economic environment in Japan where the Yen has lost 30% of its value in 18 months.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
The Lite is mainly about hitting the lower price point. No Dock, worse screen (I bet the S2L will still be 720p LCD)
I think they'll go beyond 720p. Although if they start there, I doubt there will be much complaint. When they launched the OG, it's hard telling how far in advance they knew they'd release the OLED.
Well the Wii U flopped and it was $350. Price was a factor. (OK they had a version for $299 but the $350 one was the better buy. In either case, the pricepoint seemed high.)

3DS was $250 and had a slow start and needed an emergency price drop to ~$170 within ~6 months of launch to right the ship.

Gaming consoles are sensitive to high prices.

Now post-pandemic aka recent inflation might mean we have to expect higher console prices. Most everyone else is up a lot in price from a few years ago.

and of course the Switch OLED is doing well/has done well at $350.

Still...part of that is the Switch was novel when it launched. And all the great games that have been launched on it. Many of which were Wii U games ie great games they already had completed. Also Switch...graphics wise was basically a Wii U so Nintendo was there development wise. And of course the pandemic gave the Switch a big boost. They don't get that boost this time around.
I mean, there's the ancient marketing trick of just subtracting a dollar down which is likely how people will see it (e.g. -- Switch 2 $399.99). With inflation it seems reasonable to do so if they're investing decent hardware into it. Most consoles (and many here know this), cost a couple hundred more sometimes to produce that what's getting absorbed at the retail price point.

WiiU was risky to place at that price point because it was indeed and iteration but a really poor iteration. I know many loved WiiU but that was one of the Nintendo consoles I skipped. All I could see was a Wii with a new LCD screened control which I felt would have been better priced lower.

Whatever the pricing is, people are likely going to pay regardless. You have a valid point and no...next Nintendo likely won't get that same boost. Nintendo's marketing has been hard not to let first party games drop below $50 after 7-8 years (some of which were just WiiU ports). It'd be very Nintendo to sit on a high price without getting to intimidated. How long did it take before they started lowering the price of the OG Switch? Seems like at least 5-years.
 

Woopah

Member
Sony basically stopped manufacturing PS4s during the pandemic despite the pandemic highly inflating the gaming market. While Switch best years were due to a black swan event that kept people indoors and they were fortunate enough to manufacture and ship consoles to meet that demand. I don’t think $400 is a bad price for Switch 2 considering OLED model success but I wouldn’t use Switch success as an indicator for whether the successor will have the same heights. Especially as dev time and budgets will increase for Nintendo, likely leading to fewer releases, and a challenging economic environment in Japan where the Yen has lost 30% of its value in 18 months.
Dev times will certainly increase, but with Nintendo's action's around internal expansion and growing their list of external partners, I'm expecting roughly the same level of releases for Switch 2.
 

Baki

Member
Dev times will certainly increase, but with Nintendo's action's around internal expansion and growing their list of external partners, I'm expecting roughly the same level of releases for Switch 2.
This will be their first time producing 4K AAA content. There will be growing pains.
 

Buggy Loop

Member
Smartest move Nintendo has made in ages if true. Stop reinventing the wheel and focus on games.

Yup

Look where WiiU revolution got them,

They nailed the hybrid concept. DON’T CHANGE IT

In fact, remove some crap like the sensor for pulse. Fix the goddamn joycons drift. New Nvidia processor in, voila.
 

RickMasters

Member
400 bucks...Im gonna take a realistic expectation to this......


clearly they are still going with the hyrbid poratble approach, and will no doubt be more powerful...but Im thinking, a good amount of the cost is down to making the portable part more powerful too..probably an even better quality OLED....power-wise I reckon...more powerful than PS4..less powerful than PS4 pro. I think it will be a 1440P console, and maybe use a lot of modern rendering tech to clean the image up on a 4K screen. the art style of nintendo games will make the most of it I think and nobody will care that it cant do native 4K. if it does 60FPS and 1440 with good image IQ and nintendos artstyle that may be all it needs. and maybe all it need to do descent ports of 3rd party games AAA games that never went to switch.


If its got backwads compat that will be a bonus because I missed the first switch. Will get switch 2 and catch up though.
 
I know people say this is all they have to do, but every time Nintendo has just been iterative, they have sold less. SNES sold less than NES. N64 sold less than SNES. GameCube sold less than N64. It wasn't until the revolutionary Wii that they made a comeback. And then the Wii iteration, Wii U, flopped.

Same goes for their handhelds. GBA sold less than the GameBoy. They did the revolutionary DS and had a big hit. Then, the 3DS sold half of what the DS did.

Now, we have a revolutionary hybrid console, which was a huge hit. History tells us that if they just stick to the same model, they will lose a big chunk of their audience this go around. Which I think is why we had reports last year that internally Nintendo was scared to death to announce and launch their next system.

Also, that $400 is going to be a steep asking price if this thing isn't a gigantic leap in graphical fidelity.
 
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Marvel14

Banned
Base PS4 1080p portable LETS GO.

Switch 2 just being PS4 level of power would be lame as hell, considering the original was much more powerful than the PS3.
Since it will have DLSS 2.0 at least and ray tracing there's no chance it will be as low as base PS4 in capabilities.

Steam Deck + ( with more modern features and better battery life) is a more likely target.

Also, that $400 is going to be a steep asking price if this thing isn't a gigantic leap in graphical fidelity.

It needs to be enough of a leap to get the user base to migrate but not such a leap that the price point is prohibitive. Its a tricky balance.
 
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Thank God Seinfeld GIF by HULU

Not that I dislike Nintendo and their quirky off the wall ideas/concepts, but an improved Switch is exactly what I want. It’s too good to not keep going with.
Not only that, but things akin to Steam Deck is their only true competition.
No one here wants the Switch DS?

maxresdefault.jpg

hqdefault.jpg


There's been a recent rumor about it and of course the patent from a few months ago.

nintendo-files-patent-for-a-dual-screen-console-v0-gTMWRaE6SDQfYhRxq1abxUKtJGMTfGos6tp_y8gcxZ4.jpg
 

simpatico

Member
I'm fine with any level of processing power they choose and I'm not too picky on screens either. The one thing that Switch failed me on was the default controller.

I'm hyped either way. Nintendo is the only console maker remaining who's fulfilling my expectations for software output. If anything their stuff seems to be coming at a slightly higher clips then generations past.
 

Zannegan

Member
No one here wants the Switch DS?

maxresdefault.jpg

hqdefault.jpg


There's been a recent rumor about it and of course the patent from a few months ago.

nintendo-files-patent-for-a-dual-screen-console-v0-gTMWRaE6SDQfYhRxq1abxUKtJGMTfGos6tp_y8gcxZ4.jpg
A detachable second screen on a hinge would be cool in theory. Practically speaking though, any major increase in physical complexity, especially moving parts, is going to rachet up the price and make the system that much more fragile. With that said, if you go a little further with the concept, you could do something really interesting.

Rather than a hinged or detachable screen, why not make the entire portable console two pieces by default? In essence, make a mobile Wii U. Put mobile hardware in a case with a big battery but no screen. Then pack a 6+" 4:3 screen into every controller like a drastically slimmed down Wii U gamepad or a PS Portal with less latency. The console would be designed to operate sitting in a pocket or backpack or maybe clipped to a belt for ventilation purposes. Whatever. The point is it would be streaming the image to the controller (or controllers) with no noticeable lag, like Wii U. It could also maintain the Switch concept of docking the main unit for higher performance and a direct connection to a big screen.

Totally off-the-wall, and probably a terrible idea in its own right, but it would have all of the functionaility of a "Switch DS" (and then some), avoid some of the pitfalls, and have a pretty interesting gimmick built in. *shrug*
 

Phase

Member
If it's backward compatible it would be enticing, though I'm leaning toward getting the Steam Deck. It makes more sense with my huge pc library.

I wonder if it could potentially have 120fps capability.
 

Fake

Member
Since it will have DLSS 2.0 at least and ray tracing there's no chance it will be as low as base PS4 in capabilities.

Switch specs and DLSS have nothing to do with that.

Is probably a 1080p machine, just like base PS4, but will reach higher resolutions with DLSS.

And I don't believe Nintendo will push Ray Tracing at all. Nintendo already proved their focus in heavily art direction and their sales prove the right decision. Feel free to believe in that.
 

Marvel14

Banned
Switch specs and DLSS have nothing to do with that.

Is probably a 1080p machine, just like base PS4, but will reach higher resolutions with DLSS.

And I don't believe Nintendo will push Ray Tracing at all. Nintendo already proved their focus in heavily art direction and their sales prove the right decision. Feel free to believe in that.
DLSS allows a lower spec machine to output better visuals using machine learning- including outputting beyond 1080p. It has everything to do with that.

Even if it has a GPU/CPU with the same "Spec numbers" as a base PS4, it will be on a more efficient chip with more modern features and capabilities so no way it will be just "on par with base PS4".

Nintendo don't need to push ray tracing themselves. They will aim for a machine that can run lower spec but still viable versions of most new third party software over the first 5 years of its lifetime at least- when ray tracing will likely become the norm. If they don't do this they may as well stick with the Switch for another 5 years- what's the rationale for upgrading?

It would not surprise me if this new Switch will be the first Nintendo home console in forever to get a viable but somewhat lower spec version of the new GTA.

P.s.


If a mobile phone can deliver base PS4 performance in the next couple of years - Nintendo's machine needs to exceed it to remain relevant technically.
 
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