Report: Nintendo Switch Isn't as Powerful as a PS4

[Steven Bogos]

Report: Nintendo Switch Isn't as Powerful as a PS4

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The Nintendo Switch reportedly uses the older Maxwell Tegra chips, rather than the Pascal chips that power Nvidia's new 10 series of graphics cards.

Nintendo has been very quiet on info regarding its new Switch console, but the folks over at Venture Beat reportedly [http://venturebeat.com/2016/12/14/nintendo-switch-specs-less-powerful-than-playstation-4/] have the scoop on one of the most important details: the specifications. The big news is that the Switch apparently uses the older Maxwell Tegra chips, rather than the more powerful Pascal ones that were released this year. This means that the machine won't even be as powerful as the vanilla PS4.

Nvidia's Pascal architecture powers the 10 series of graphics cards. If you've been following the graphics card scene you'll know that they represent a tremendous leap in efficiency and power. So why wouldn't Nintendo use them? Venture Beat's source says the company is in such a rush that it can't wait for the Pascal version of the Tegra. That's both because the publisher wants to replace the failing Wii U and because it wants to strike quickly with its hybrid concept before a competitor can introduce a better product.

We previously learned that the Switch's tablet screen will only boast 720p resolution [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/168746-Nintendo-Switch-Tablet-Screen-Details], which means that the slower internals wouldn't really make that much of a difference, unless you were using the device with a 1080p or higher monitor.

We've reached out to Nintendo for comment but we expect that they will not divulge any further details on the Switch until its January event.

Source: Venture Beat [http://venturebeat.com/2016/12/14/nintendo-switch-specs-less-powerful-than-playstation-4/]

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[Rangaman]

Not surprising. Nintendo themselves said that they were aiming to outperform the vanilla Xbox One. A figure of 1.5 TFLOPs comes to mind.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

the publisher wants to replace the failing Wii U and because it wants to strike quickly with its hybrid concept before a competitor can introduce a better product.

Wow. Just wow.

That'd be a new low for Nintendo. Maybe if Nintendo didn't insist on "leaking" all the information about the system so early on, they wouldn't have to bring some half-assed product to market.

 

[Shadowsetzer]

Wasn't it Shiguru Miyamoto that said something about it being better to release a good game later than a bad game now? I think that Nintendo could stand to apply that to its consoles as well...

 

[Xman490]

Well, it is just a tablet with attachable buttons and sticks.
It is an original system.
And it is going to flop.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

It just keeps on getting better and better, doesn't it?

 

[mysecondlife]

Well... yeah... I know its only been a rumor (still is) but I thought this was already established.

the publisher wants to replace the failing Wii U and because it wants to strike quickly with its hybrid concept before a competitor can introduce a better product.

Wow. Just wow.

That'd be a new low for Nintendo. Maybe if Nintendo didn't insist on "leaking" all the information about the system so early on, they wouldn't have to bring some half-assed product to market.

At least Nintendo knows it doesn't do hardware as well as its competitors. +1 point for self awareness. -3 points for lack if intention to improve upon its self awareness.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

The controller looking about as comfortable to hold as a Dreamcast one isn't going to help much either.

Hopefully it will amount to more than being the "Breath of the Wild box."

 

[EndlessSporadic]

Once again Nintendo is behind the times and out of touch with anybody outside of their microscopic circle. Nintendo has too much of a business mindset to do well in the games industry. Their draconian practices, artificial scarcity, and blatant disdain for their fans is finally starting to catch up to them and it will quickly sink that ship.

The creators at Nintendo deserve better.

 

[Guffe]

The console is far from released and the event to show the console of and give fans/media information about the coming product is still a month away and we're already in the doom and gloom of Nintendo won't survive another year in the business...
Well, I guess if you're a pessimist you won't be dissapointed.

Then again, I really wonder who actually thought Nintendo would come out with a some sort of superpowerful machine. Hasn't really been part of their MO, so to say.
If the device works and actually acts the way it does in their teasers, I think it might even sell quite well? Depends also on the games they get to the console, that was the biggest mistake of the WiiU, not enough games.

If someone who is real tech-savvy sees this, can someone answer me if consoles are going to get much more powerful than the Ps4/Xbox1?
I just feel like consoles are quite at their peak, if you want to go more powerful you'd have to go with PC?

 

[Karadalis]

No matter how i look at this thing.. i just dont see it succeeding...

The controllers look flimsy and uncomfortable, there are to many slidable parts that can break or become lose on the damn thing... the portable nature means weaker hardware and a whole host of limitations...

Their salespitch was to be a portable console that you can take everywhere. However my question is: Who does that? Who takes their highly priced piece of tech out into the wild where the chances of it being damaged or stolen are so damn high? Heck i barely take my DS with me nowadays and you can take an educated guess how often i see people play their DS handhelds out in public... wich would be close to "never"

Hanhelds havent been a thing since the days of the gameboy advance.. the psp and vita have prooved that.. and the DS success is more based on its unique library then it actually being a handheld... (fpr the record i do like my DS very much thankyou)

If i want to take my console with me to a friend (for a gaming evening or something) i can just as easaly take my PS4 or Xbone, the mobile part of the switch doesnt even seem able to recharge without its station... so whats the point of just taking the tablet part with you? So you can play for 3 hours and then cant use it for the rest of the evening because the batteries have run out?

And that its rather lackluster in the hardware department was a given, you cant exactly slap state of the art hardware into such a small thing, since the tablet is the actual console and the rest is just a piece of plastic recharge station.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

If someone who is real tech-savvy sees this, can someone answer me if consoles are going to get much more powerful than the Ps4/Xbox1?

To hear Sony and Microsoft say it, the future of consoles is going to be upgradeable components. At which time they will cease being consoles, and become just very restrictive PCs. So they will be more powerful, eventually, but they will always be behind PCs.

 

[Cold Shiny]

(sigh) Am I the only person on God's green earth that understands that graphical power has nothing to do with how good the games are?


I am?


Well, my mom always said I was special.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

Nintendo has been very quiet on info regarding its new Switch console, but the folks over at Venture Beat reportedly [http://venturebeat.com/2016/12/14/nintendo-switch-specs-less-powerful-than-playstation-4/] have the scoop on one of the most important details: the specifications. The big news is that the Switch apparently uses the older Maxwell Tegra chips, rather than the more powerful Pascal ones that were released this year. This means that the machine won't even be as powerful as the vanilla PS4.

Uhh, unless I'm missing a trick, the vanilla PS4 doesn't use the one year old Pascal chips either, due to the vanilla PS4 being developed...*counts on fingers*... more than a year ago.

What's the dealio?

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

People needs to remember that the problem is not the grapics is not as powerful as the PS4 and Xbone.

The problem is 3rd Party Support because AAA developers love to push graphics and the latest technology.

 

[immortalfrieza]

Once again Nintendo is behind the times and out of touch with anybody outside of their microscopic circle. Nintendo has too much of a business mindset to do well in the games industry. Their draconian practices, artificial scarcity, and blatant disdain for their fans is finally starting to catch up to them and it will quickly sink that ship.

The creators at Nintendo deserve better.

This is what happens to a company has little to no actual competition for most of it's existence and when their target demographic is largely made up of kids too young to know what a good game and a bad game is and are replaced constantly with new kids. Nintendo's consoles are much less powerful because all it's for is making these colorful looking games with little to no actual substance which have barely changed much at all from installment to installment. Breath of the Wild is by all indications the most innovative game Nintendo has made in years, and that's not saying much.

Nintendo grew complacent long ago and now doesn't know how to handle being challenged.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I thought this was already established. Not sure why it's portrayed as doomed to fail reveal.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

(sigh) Am I the only person on God's green earth that understands that graphical power has nothing to do with how good the games are?


I am?


Well, my mom always said I was special.

I agree, their games always look great because they know how to use what they have got and play well since they make that their priority. However, the third party support will suffer, since they don't know how to do anything but try push the limits on the visuals etc. That's why this might fail, it needs to be something third party devs can make stuff for without making a special version. That's where the problem lies.

As someone who bought and enjoys their Wii U, the lack of third party was an issue for the system, luckily I have a gaming PC as well.

I thought this was already established. Not sure why it's portrayed as doomed to fail reveal.

I'm not sure either, people seem to want Nintendo to fail for some reason I guess? I don't know.