The successor to Nintendo Switch named Switch 2 will continue to be a hybrid console that can be played on TV and in portable mode, it will be launched without an OLED screen (it will have an LCD) and it will have cartridges/cards for physical games , according to various sources. Anonymous to VGC, where they say that the device is “likely” to hit stores in the second half of 2024. They add that there are already development studios outside the Japanese company with the development kit.
I do not care about the screen tech one bit, I think LCD is fine for handheld if the price is low, but what I DO care about is using somewhat modern cpu/gpu so games don’t constantly lag even trying to hit 30fps. That’s by far my biggest complaint about the Switch 1. So if they can fix that then I’m on board! If not, I’ll probably just honestly pirate everything and play it on my computer where it won’t run like dog ass.
Exactly. It’s like when you start an RPG game where you choose how many points to put into each category. If Nintendo has $300 and puts most into CPU/GPU and not as much into screen, then I’m gonna be super happy. People forget that when the OLED switch came out, the other components were cheaper to buy, making room in the budget for the OLED screen.
When components for the Switch 2 get discounted for Nintendo to buy, then they will add an OLED screen.
Yeah it can barely handle Breath of the Wild. Some of the new AMD APUs are really impressive, so I hope they make the jump. However for compatibility and cost I think they’ll just go with an upgraded Tegra.
Yeah, BotW was cutting it close, while Tears of the Kingdom really is too much for the Switch. I got real tired of the framerate taking a dive every time I used Ultrahand.
I’m really surprised I haven’t had any major framerate drops in TotK. I’m using my launch-day system, so as old as they get, and playing hand-held almost exclusively it’s been pretty darn smooth.
For the few hours I bothered with totk I never had any lag either, also a launch switch. Maybe I didn’t go in far enough, but it ran smoothly all the time.
ARM chips have seen massive gains too. If they use a sufficiently powerful chip, then I’m sure they could easily match the performance of a PS4.
It would be interesting if they made the jump to x86, but in addition to what you mentioned, I don’t think they’d go for it due to the extra power and thermal requirements. I think people would bash on Nintendo if the Switch 2 was way beefier in form factor compared to the Switch 1.
I think you’re right on all counts, but RDNA 3, due out next year, is claimed to achieve a 54% increase in performance-per-watt. They could limit clocks/power and achieve similar levels of battery life with significant performance gains; all while keeping thermals down. One can dream!
I hope those rumors are true! Those RDNA 3 performance gains could do wonders for the handheld PC market as well.
Since the steam deck 2 will make use of the amazing gains, I wonder if people will really start considering the Deck as an alternative to Switch 2. There’s already a TON of overlap in the indy game scene. SO many of those release on both Steam and Switch.
Obviously the hardcore Nintendo IP fans will stick with Switch 2, but outside of that … ???
The Deck has really been a game changer!
I wouldn’t mind a beefier switch, the original always feels so fragile in my meaty mitts
Yeah it has to be 4KHDR 30fps and 4KSDR/QHD 60fps docked to even market its difference. That’s the standard now. It’s like having an SD console during the Xbox/PS3 gen. So it needs a proper APU to be able to keep every game stable or have the new dock have an eGPU.