Nintendo Switch is powered by NVIDIA

[NTMBK]

Or the livingroom dock could have a second SoC in it to facilitate splitscreen play (when the console is pushed the hardest).

That would be a total mess, you would need to split the load between the two and perform a lot of co-ordination of game state. Think PS3 level of pain in the backside to program.

 

[antihelten]

Then that is not good news for a mobile device. People are used to at least a nice 326 to 401 PPI crisp screen like their phones, this would look archaic in comparison.

And how do you know the NX wouldn't have that with a 720P screen? As far as I know there has been no indications on what the screen size is for the NX.

 

[ioni]

not really, gaming on my iPhone 6s Plus is pretty fun when I'm stuck on a bus or a plane.

I'm sure it's more fun than staring at the back of the seat in front of you, but like wicka is saying, phones suck down battery while gaming at a ridiculous rate, their input method is atrocious, and the phone will get uncomfortably hot to use, which will cause your hands to sweat and mess up the touch screen input.

When I game on my handheld on a plane, I'm gaming for the entire ~5 hour flight. You can't do that on a plane without bringing extra batteries, and if you're going to bring a 2nd device, why not bring one that actually does the job well?

Gaming on a phone vs a handheld is like eating a McDonald's hamburger vs a a filet at your favorite steakhouse, except in this case the filet is actually cheaper since a phone is $600-800 and a handheld is ~$200.

 

[finbarqs]

It's probably because of the success of Pokemon Go... Their stock literally increased in what seems to be their last breath of the video game industry..

 

[railven]

Without more info, I still think it's going to be two units, not just one.

My prediction

Nintendo NX Mobile - $X
designed for mobile play, 720p/30 performance target
Cartridge based with removable storage
Not sure if they will focus on two screens or one large, I'd hope they got for a clamshell again (just easier to protect) but it will def be touch screen (stylus included)
WiFI/possibly 4G capable
Internal non-removable battery
OS features of current 3DS and most likely Wii U (so Netflix/Youtube/Hulu/Etc)
Compatible with most likely newly designed BT controller (which 1 will come with the Console)

Nintendo NX Console - 50-75% of $X
designed for at home play, 1080p/60 performance target
-->because of performance target, will be actively cool and have a power supply
Cartridge based with removable storage
1 standard controller (most likely BT if not RF, system compatibility with all Wii/Wii U gamepads (such as Wii U Pad Pro, basically any of the pads that can wire to the unit, not the RF/BT devices)
Wifi ready
OS features same as Wii U

Cross-functions
Controllers work on both units, handheld works as a controller for Dock/Console unit
Handheld can be used to stream content from Dock/Console allowing player who has both to get 720p/60 on device (1080p downscaled to whatever resolution the handheld uses, improved framerate from beefier hardware rendering) (This would improve battery time of mobile unit since it's not using own hardware to render).
Games possibly work on both, with profile settings fine tuned to allow different IQ/Performance for each unit)


-Dev time cut in half due to focusing on one set of instructions hardware profiles. Nintendo would have to create guidelines to allow lower IQ settings for hand held, should be easy considering it's what happens on PC anyways.
-Consumer encouraged to buy both units as there is no fear of segregation of software (there are tons of 3DS games I'm sure people wish were on Wii U and vice versa)
-Separation of total cost, one of Wii U's biggest complaint was the Gamepad wasn't properly used in many games so it felt like a tacked on cost to the overall package. This concept basically separates the Console and Gamepad but still allows them to work as one if the user has both. (Think of MSFT responding to removing the Kinect from the Xbone bundle. Except where Kinect basically died, here Nintendo can still support Console or Handheld without alienating their users).
EDIT: OOps, wrong console.



How I'd handle hardware/cost. Not sure if mobile works like GPUs, but if there is any binning in the process, using the same hardware on both would allow any units with say faulty GPU cores to be used on the handheld. Since it will be targeting a lower performance. The fully functional chips will go straight to the console. Depending on yields, some fused chips will go to mobile at start.





That's basically how I envisioned what Nintendo could possible do since Miyamoto started going on about unifying the platform. I think Nintendo can pull it off, but they'll have to bring their strong library day 1. Not 2 years later like the Wii U did. Wii U basically wasted its year launch lead and then missed out on buyers facing PS4/Xbone droughts during year 1 (of which the majority of games were remasters.)

 

[dogen1]

Then that is not good news for a mobile device. People are used to at least a nice 326 to 401 PPI crisp screen like their phones, this would look archaic in comparison.

Hasn't stopped people from buying 400x240 3DSs.

I'm pretty sure those same people will be ok with 10x the resolution, even if the screen is bigger.

 

[swilli89]

Then that is not good news for a mobile device. People are used to at least a nice 326 to 401 PPI crisp screen like their phones, this would look archaic in comparison.

Huh? 1280x720 progressively scanned is a great resolution for a ~6-7" screen. Phones screens encounter websites, blogs and lots of small text, we are talking about gaming here and gaming only on this device.

And as Poofy said, Vita was much less and was heralded as having a great screen.

I just hope Nintendo uses OLED, but that's probably wishful thinking....

 

[Sweepr]

Some leaks, earlier 2016:

The closest in terms of “power” it gets to is the Xbox One, but an app idea is Wii U x50 and Playstation Vita x100. The key is that all the tech is exactly the same hardware layout as the PS4 and Xbox One which then combine it with the OS’s strong emulation functions and compiler means that any game that can run of a Playstation 4 or Xbox One can easily run on the NX with near-zero modification to the original source code, especially if it runs in Android OS or Unreal Engine 4. This is allegedly why Nintendo has given out the dev kits so late, as one 3rd Party dev put it “It’s the easiest device we’ve ever developed for. You just take your code, compile it and it works.”

This one is new:

Early online speculation about pricing for the NX expects it to be cheaper than current consoles, but from what we’ve heard it’s going to be cheaper than even the vast majority expect. This is a machine that is targeting the mass market, and Nintendo certainly plans for it to have a mass market price. Price is one Wii U mistake Nintendo is determined not to repeat. This could be NX's single biggest win.

 

[Headfoot]

The tech enthusiast in me really hopes they're doing some crazy translation on 16nm Denver 2 cores. They probably wont be. But it would be super cool. I hope that rumor about cross compatibility and ease of use is true, Nintendo would have learned the lesson then

 

[Stormflux]

The tech enthusiast in me really hopes they're doing some crazy translation on 16nm Denver 2 cores. They probably wont be. But it would be super cool. I hope that rumor about cross compatibility and ease of use is true, Nintendo would have learned the lesson then

I know it's not what Nintendo has done since the Gamecube, but I think because the nature of this new "platform" (console/handheld hybrid) they have to take the most bleeding edge tech right now. Has to have a shelf life of 4 years at least. Anything less than the Tegra X2/Parker will be a misstep in my book. I sincerely hope this isn't Tegra X1.

I also want to chime in, that I don't game on my mobile phone, despite being a big console/pc gaming enthusiast and gamer, mobile gaming on my phone isn't even a thing. So much so that I just have a $250 phone, instead of the $800 juggernauts.

Maybe it's because of no standard physical controls, or no real meaty game experiences. I do feel I would enjoy this hybrid from Nintendo though which would remedy both those issues.

 

[R0H1T]

You know, all this talk of a mostly standard ARM+NVidia SoC just sounds too logical to be Nintendo. I expect much more stupid hardware decisions. Maybe the bit that we haven't found out yet is that NVidia doubled down on their "special relationship" with IBM, and they're making a special Tegra with shrunk PowerPC 750CL cores, for backwards compatibility with the Wii U.

Surely even Nintendo can't be that dumb, though the cat's not out of the bag yet so :whiste:

 

[agfkfhahddhdn]

.

 

[railven]

Please, Nintendo, just don't give it a horrible name...

Oh that's a given. It's going to have double i's too.

 

[Stuka87]

Please, Nintendo, just don't give it a horrible name...

Well we have...

Wii

WiiU

Time for WiiMe? WiiUs?

 

[RadiclDreamer]

The NX is powered by a TEGRA chip? LOL. What a joke. and Nintendo wonder why nobody develop games for them. Don't get me wrong. Nvidia makes fine desktop class gpus; but the Tegra line is one of the worst mobile chips on the market.

I love nintendo, always have but the guys at the head of the ship need to go, first WiiU and no investment into online store or multiplayer, a screen for a controller that would have been cool had it not been for the single touch aspect, I cant have my games on more than one device and have to go through an arduous process to move my license i paid for etc etc.

I know people have been saying it for years, but i really think nintendo is going to be either dead or out of the hardware business soon, and that pains me to say because they have always been my favorite gaming company.

 

[swilli89]

I also want to chime in, that I don't game on my mobile phone, despite being a big console/pc gaming enthusiast and gamer, mobile gaming on my phone isn't even a thing. So much so that I just have a $250 phone, instead of the $800 juggernauts.

Maybe it's because of no standard physical controls, or no real meaty game experiences. I do feel I would enjoy this hybrid from Nintendo though which would remedy both those issues.

I'm the exact same, I commute to and from work, and I'm rarely riding in a car long enough as a passenger to warrant gaming on my phone. I do take occasional road trips and flights where I just resign to watching movies on my phone as I hate on screen buttons.

Has to have a shelf life of 4 years at least. Anything less than the Tegra X2/Parker will be a misstep in my book. I sincerely hope this isn't Tegra X1.

Anything less than the X2 is a misstep, absolutely, for BOTH power efficiency and raw grunt I agree totally.

However, Nintendo has historically redsigned their mobile system fairly frequently and erratically:

• 1989 Gameboy
• 1998 Gameboy Color
• 2001 GameBoy Advance
• 2003 Gameboy Advance SP
• 2004 Nintendo DS
• 2006 Nintendo DS lite
• 2008 Nintendo DSi
• 2009 Nintendo DSi XL
• 2011 Nintendo 3DS
• 2014 Nintendo New 3DS

So yeah they are probably shooting for 3-4 year timeframe, depending on lots of factors obviously. Some reports claiming a $199 or $249 price point brand new which would make a quicker upgrade cycle a lot easier.

Note of Interest: the current new 3DS ships with a PICA200 GPU made by DMP.

PICA200:
65 nm Single Core (max. clock frequency 400 MHz)
pixel performance: 800 Mpixel/s
400 Mpixel/s @100 MHz
1600 Mpixel/s @400 MHz
vertex performance: 15.3 Mpolygon/s at 200 Mhz
40Mtriangle/s @100 MHz
160Mtriangle/s @400 MHz

Anyone know how to translate these figures to something like a 750Ti?

And for what its worth the Wii U is currently using a Radeon 3850ish GPU.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

I'm the exact same, I commute to and from work, and I'm rarely riding in a car long enough as a passenger to warrant gaming on my phone. I do take occasional road trips and flights where I just resign to watching movies on my phone as I hate on screen buttons.



Anything less than the X2 is a misstep, absolutely, for BOTH power efficiency and raw grunt I agree totally.

However, Nintendo has historically redsigned their mobile system fairly frequently and erratically:

• 1989 Gameboy
• 1998 Gameboy Color
• 2001 GameBoy Advance
• 2003 Gameboy Advance SP
• 2004 Nintendo DS
• 2006 Nintendo DS lite
• 2008 Nintendo DSi
• 2009 Nintendo DSi XL
• 2011 Nintendo 3DS
• 2014 Nintendo New 3DS

So yeah they are probably shooting for 3-4 year timeframe, depending on lots of factors obviously. Some reports claiming a $199 or $249 price point brand new which would make a quicker upgrade cycle a lot easier.

Note of Interest: the current new 3DS ships with a PICA200 GPU made by DMP.

PICA200:
65 nm Single Core (max. clock frequency 400 MHz)
pixel performance: 800 Mpixel/s
400 Mpixel/s @100 MHz
1600 Mpixel/s @400 MHz
vertex performance: 15.3 Mpolygon/s at 200 Mhz
40Mtriangle/s @100 MHz
160Mtriangle/s @400 MHz

Anyone know how to translate these figures to something like a 750Ti?

And for what its worth the Wii U is currently using a Radeon 3850ish GPU.

From the graphics of the 3ds et al I would say not even close, its really low res not not amazing effects and still struggles at times

 

[Face2Face]

I'm the exact same, I commute to and from work, and I'm rarely riding in a car long enough as a passenger to warrant gaming on my phone. I do take occasional road trips and flights where I just resign to watching movies on my phone as I hate on screen buttons.

I will say I know at least three people that were pretty avid gamers back in the day, but now only play mobile phone games. There reason is due to time restraints, kids, work, and everyday life. Not everyone has the time to sit down on the couch or at their desk and game. When they do it's either late at night, or at a time when the kids are not around to watch them slice off heads in Shadow of Mordor.

 

[nurturedhate]

Well we have...

Wii

WiiU

Time for WiiMe? WiiUs?

It's going to be named the Wii Go...

 

[Stuka87]

It's going to be named the Wii Go...

I think you may actually be right here. "Take your Wii with you!" Shows kid undock it and run off with parents.

 

[nurturedhate]

I will say I know at least three people that were pretty avid gamers back in the day, but now only play mobile phone games. There reason is due to time restraints, kids, work, and everyday life. Not everyone has the time to sit down on the couch or at their desk and game. When they do it's either late at night, or at a time when the kids are not around to watch them slice off heads in Shadow of Mordor.

They just need to play games with their kids. Nintendo is great at this. My Wii U gets used constantly for mario kart, mario party, pikman 3, 3d land, etc. Then there's WoW, Startcraft, some mini golf game from steam, age of empires, and other similar games. Agree though that battlefield/modor type games are a little much for my 8 and 3 yr olds.

 

[Sonikku]

Well we have...

Wii

WiiU

Time for WiiMe? WiiUs?

The Wii Wii.

 

[Azix]

AMD has made it pretty darn easy to build a console nowadays. There really should be no excuse for large company that already has developers and 3rd party interest to not come in strong. Why even bother building something else when you can take an AMD apu or let AMD use the R&D from ps4 and xb1 to build the core of a new console. Innovate on top of that if needed. No longer are sony and ms building completely new CPUs or using exotic designs.

Nintendo has been running funny for a while

 

[sxr7171]

It's probably because of the success of Pokemon Go... Their stock literally increased in what seems to be their last breath of the video game industry..

And then deflated over the next 3 days because nobody could figure out how the popularity of Pokemon Go translates to actual financial results. Nintendo is a goner. In 10 years they will be Pokemon company and go back to making playing cards like how they started.

 

[sxr7171]

They just need to play games with their kids. Nintendo is great at this. My Wii U gets used constantly for mario kart, mario party, pikman 3, 3d land, etc. Then there's WoW, Startcraft, some mini golf game from steam, age of empires, and other similar games. Agree though that battlefield/modor type games are a little much for my 8 and 3 yr olds.

I have to agree the "big boy" consoles have terrible games for kids. Or at least not as nicely branded and well known.