Gaming @beehaw.org QuentinCallaghan @sopuli.xyz 1 yr. ago

Developers and Analysts Sound Off: Does the Next-Gen Nintendo Switch Need to Happen in 2024?

nordic.ign.com Developers and Analysts Sound Off: Does the Next-Gen Nintendo Switch Need to Happen in 2024?

Rumors are swirling over a possible Switch successor in 2024. But does Nintendo even need one?

28 comments

If it has backwards compatibility then yes. If not then I guess it doesn't really matter. I won't have much interest if they don't finally embrace backwards compatibility like everyone else.
- And any form of game save backup that doesn't require a subscription. Since their current offering blatantly anti-consumer.
- There are games right now that could use a boost in performance. If they don't have backwards compatibility it will be a huge disappointment, and I doubt I'll be buying it anytime soon.
- Agree that this needs to happen. But given the brand power of Nintendo, they will just do whatever they want to screw over their fans and we will still be willing to pay.
I'm probably not the target demo for Nintendo, but I won't lie...the Switch feels very long in the tooth at this point.

Great concept, great delivery, but it's showing its age and it's time for an upgrade at the very least.
- Most definitely. Zelda TotK is the late-in-lifetime masterpiece — we are ready for the next generation.
  
  One problem Nintendo faces here is that last time they had Nvidia Tegra, a chip that didn’t really find any other use at scale so Nintendo could source it for pennies. AMD owns the console grade SoC market, and won’t be selling Ryzen 8000 series for cheap — maybe Nintendo could again source something from the previous generation to keep the BOM down?
  
  I think the more severe issue here is that an architecture change would make the new device incompatible with the Switch. So they should preferably stay with something arm-based that can ideally mimic the original SOC closely.
- I've basically been holding onto the hope I'll be able to play Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on co-op without a drastic drop in resolution and framerate once this new console comes out. Because that was not a level of performance appropriate for an exclusive game.
If you’ve ever emulated switch on a modern machine with buttery smooth 1440 or 4K, you know the answer.
I do like the way Nintendo reinvent the console on each gen. I do hope it’s fully backwards compatible at the very least
- When Sony and Microsoft have more of an incremental approach, Nintendo operates more like a toy company.
Can't wait fot Nintendo's next console that will be severely under powered and basically obsolete as soon as it is released. Used to love them but they have become so toxic and tone deaf.
- Nintendo has had underpowered/old hardware compared to their competitors for almost my entire life, raw processing power isn't really why most people buy Nintendo.
  
  I think it's because they want to appeal to a younger audience, too. They want a 10 or 12 yo to be able to play Pokemon and Mario, and it's hard to get parents to buy a $500 console for a pre-teen. So they need to hit a lower price-point than PS or xbox
I wonder if they'll go with something that beats the Asus and steam deck handhelds.

Now that I'm thinking... If they used a Linux os base that could play steam and Nintendo.

Bringing a larger age group to it...
- Very unlikely. Nintendo is going for the mass market and the bulk, power draw and cost of handheld PCs makes them unsuited for that. Nintendo has never been very successful going after the high-end market. They'll no doubt use something like an upgraded Tegra again.
  
  Nintendo has never been very successful going after the high-end market.
  
  This is 100% correct and worth emphasizing, since I think a lot of people don't understand Nintendo's history with this.
  
  They tried to aim for a more premium console with the N64 and the Gamecube, and the result was Sony ate their lunch. Then they came out with the Wii -- widely derided for being underpowered and gimmicky -- and it was a hugely popular financial success. Nintendo knows by now what works for them and what doesn't.
  
  The upgraded mobile chip they use will likely be as powerful as our current Steam Decks but with better power draw, since they're mobile architectures and not x64. That said, you couldn't pay me to buy another Nintendo console at this point.
- Nintendo would never let anyone else access their hardware like that. They're near fanatical about functionality and bulletproof UIs, integrating steam would only add the chances of something not flawlessly working 24/7 for all users.
- Beat the steamdeck? Lol I'llbelievve it when I see it. I give them credit for rock solid IPs, but the switches hardware was already dated when it was first released. They don't go for power with their hardware

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