Report: Nintendo Switch's Tablet is a 720p Multi-Touch Screen

[Steven Bogos]

Report: Nintendo Switch's Tablet is a 720p Multi-Touch Screen

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The Nintendo Switch's tablet screen will reportedly be a multi-touch screen - an upgrade from the 3DS and Wii U's single-touch screens.

When Nintendo Eurogamer [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/168662-Nintendo-Switch-Revealed#&gid=gallery_6577&pid=1] has shed a bit of light on the system's tablet screen. The reveal video somewhat cleverly didn't show anyone using the tablet as a touchscreen, but Eurogamer's source is claiming that it does indeed have touch capabilities, and multi-touch ones at that.

The source claims that the screen is 6.2" in size, outputs video at 720p, and boasts a multi-touch capacitive screen. This differs from both the Wii U and 3DS, which only have single-touch resistive screens.

The Switch's screen on the other hand is a 10-point multitouch display that is similar to what we see in modern smartphones.

What does this mean? Well, given the way Nintendo revealed the Switch, we are assuming that the touchscreen will be more of an optional feature to navigate menus and such, rather than a full control scheme. As for when the system is docked, the right hand JoyCon controller reportedly features an IR sensor that could be used in a similar fashion to the Wiimote to mimic the touchscreen feature.

What do you guys think of this? Is 720p on the tablet enough? Are touchscreen controls overkill? Personally, I'm worried mostly about the damn thing's battery life, and I feel like a touchscreen would only serve to make it worse.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-10-27-nintendo-switch-has-a-6-2-multi-touch-screen]

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[Vigormortis]

720p and multi-touch?! Oh my god, you guys! This is amazing! It's like Nintendo is giving us a look at the far off future world of 2012.

You go, Nintendo! You're gonna sweep away the competition! This time, for sure.

 

[Hazy992]

Ehh, 720p is fine for a handheld, you're not holding it close to your face like a phone. Besides less pixels mean less work for the GPU.

 

[Saelune]

I know I dont care. I regularly watch Youtube videos in 420p cause it just defaulted to it.

And Im not surprised about it having a touch screen like some people were. I dont think Nintendo is giving up touch screens any time soon. Really, I dont think anyone is giving up touch screens.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Ehh, 720p is fine for a handheld, you're not holding it close to your face like a phone. Besides less pixels mean less work for the GPU.

If rumours are to be believed, the Switch is powered by a quad core 1.9ghz CPU, running with 3gb of RAM. With video capabilities comparable to a GTX 980. (Just rumours btw, so keep your salt shaker handy)

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I'm okay with the 720, but the touch screen is damn useless in my eyes.

 

[CyanCat47_v1legacy]

Brace yourselves, the graphics nuts are coming

 

[loa]

Why add a touchscreen if they don't make it eat 3ds and ds games?
It does literally nothing for people who use it as a home console.

 

[Vigormortis]

Brace yourselves, the graphics nuts are coming

Not before the deluge of Nintendo Apologists.

 

[meiam]

Well it's a portable that's going to sell for probably around 300-400 $, so asking it to do 1080P or even 4K was a bit of a stretch.

The touchscreen is a huge disappointment, such a useless feature. Now it's either going to be ignored when making games, which means it's just something that pointlessly increase the console price or it's actually going to be used, meaning it's going to lead to worse games.

 

[MonsterCrit]

Why add a touchscreen if they don't make it eat 3ds and ds games?
It does literally nothing for people who use it as a home console.

Not to mention that in all of the mobile use cases...the touch screen would be rather awkward. You'd more or less have to let go of one controller arm to touch the screen in most cases. which means the weight of the device and the pressure of your touch will rest squarely on one of those arm thingies. Sure, that won't lead to any warping or breakage. nope.

But what does that mean for the console graphics. Because it means that the docking station is likely going to be doing some rushed graphical upscaling.

Nintendo seems to think they are being clever and coy about this but anyone savy knows that they are positioning this as market integrator. Pulling their 3ds and console markets into one. Which means they are cannibalizing their hand heldmarket to bolster their console.. Think about it. All the mobile use cases for the Switch are the exact scanarios a body would use a 3ds.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

They really don't want me to get one do they?

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Ehh, 720p is fine for a handheld, you're not holding it close to your face like a phone. Besides less pixels mean less work for the GPU.

If rumours are to be believed, the Switch is powered by a quad core 1.9ghz CPU, running with 3gb of RAM. With video capabilities comparable to a GTX 980. (Just rumours btw, so keep your salt shaker handy)

Even if that's true, welcome to bottleneck city. Population: Nintendo.

IMO 720p is just not enough in a world where my Shield tablet is 1080p and my phone is 1440p. I notice a big quality difference when looking at 720p screens.

But what does that mean for the console graphics. Because it means that the docking station is likely going to be doing some rushed graphical upscaling.

I think the rumors are actually pointing to the opposite. That the Switch's docking station doesn't add any computational power. Here's an article from polygon that has someone from Nintendo saying the dock is only for charging and output to the TV
http://www.polygon.com/2016/10/21/13360010/nintendo-switch-dock-power-tv-output

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Why add a touchscreen if they don't make it eat 3ds and ds games?

Lack of a second screen.

Why do people want so badly for the Switch to be the 3DS? Just get a 3DS and call it a day. No point in wanting the new console to just be another way to play old games.

 

[Borty The Bort]

Well, here`s hoping for it being optional then...

 

[Weaver]

I'm very concerned the dock is just going to upscale a 720p image to 1080p now.
Quite frankly, if this thing thing can't output native 1080@60 to my television I won't be getting it.

 

[bluegate]

720p gaming, sweet! Finally cracking that HD Ready nut there, aren't we? Also with the astounding PPI of 240, this going to be so killer!
Can't wait for those 720p graphics to be upscaled to 1080p either, Nintendo is onto something here.

 

[munx13]

Ehh, 720p is fine for a handheld, you're not holding it close to your face like a phone. Besides less pixels mean less work for the GPU.

If rumours are to be believed, the Switch is powered by a quad core 1.9ghz CPU, running with 3gb of RAM. With video capabilities comparable to a GTX 980. (Just rumours btw, so keep your salt shaker handy)

I'm keeping my salt sack next to me.
No way can they squeeze a 980 in there and keep your hands from melting. There is a reason video cards these days have heavy copper heat-sinks.
Also GHz means nothing. Most phones these days have a 1.4 GHz quad core and most still have trouble producing PS2 level graphics, which were running on a 300MHz single core. Numbers without an architecture mean 0.

 

[loa]

Why add a touchscreen if they don't make it eat 3ds and ds games?

Lack of a second screen.

Why do people want so badly for the Switch to be the 3DS? Just get a 3DS and call it a day. No point in wanting the new console to just be another way to play old games.

Yeah because why would people want to do things like play their 3ds games on their TV or have an extended game library full of great games right at day 1?
And of course everyone has a bag of holding+1 and can store all the consoles too.
Besides, it's super convenient to have to dig out another console.

Truly, nobody will solve this enigma of why one would want this.

 

[Rednog]

Ehh, 720p is fine for a handheld, you're not holding it close to your face like a phone. Besides less pixels mean less work for the GPU.

If rumours are to be believed, the Switch is powered by a quad core 1.9ghz CPU, running with 3gb of RAM. With video capabilities comparable to a GTX 980. (Just rumours btw, so keep your salt shaker handy)

I really wonder who propagates these kinds of rumors...
The 980s are only a year old.
I have 2 980s they are massive bricks as thick as an arm and they produce tons of heat. There is no way they're jamming something equivalent into a handheld. Hell I think 1 card is probably as big as the card itself. It's like the people who propagate these rumors have no concept of how technology works. It is the Ouya all over again, people were out there saying oh the rumors are saying it's going to play the latest and greatest games, but fail to realize a tiny box is in no way going to compete.If you could get such power in such a small device people wouldn't have massive cases.