What should Nintendo do with the Switch?

CriticalGaming

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This article got me thinking about the Switch. The Switch was an amazing platform in 2017 when it launched, but basically since the system launched people were talking about needing an upgraded system, a SwitchPro, or a Switch 2, or maybe a boosted Switch that was dock only but more powerful as a trade off.

Well we did get new Switches. We got a less powerful Lite, and a slightly bigger OLED which I'm not sure is more powerful or not.

But we also got a Steamdeck which by all accounts is a pretty sick handheld machine capable of running a wild amount of games on it. Including tutorials for any number of emulations to run basically whatever you want outside of current gen console games.

Now this isn't a direct comparison because Nintendo has always been in a weird independence state when it comes to the gaming market. They haven't needed to push for power or bring there games up to a 4K HD standard because Nintendo games have their own little following and niche in which that kind of thing doesn't matter. However with the new Pokemon games it seems that the Switch is only going to struggle harder as Nintendo titles become bigger and more grand games come forward. Pokemon might have it's problems due to development, but the switch doesn't exactly handle other games great either. Breath of the Wild runs and it's fairly stable but explosions and big set pieces still caused the system to chug and at best that 30fps wasn't exactly solid.

As 60fps becomes more and more the standard, what do you think Nintendo will do about it? Will we see a Switch U/2? Or will they reveal a new system entirely but one that remains backwards compatible with Switch titles?

Or will they do absolutely nothing? My money's on nothing tbh.
 

BrawlMan

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Who the hell even cares? Other than the grifters and gossip spreading pretending to be as news on YouTube?

Nothing's going to happen until Nintendo actually says something. I really don't care right now, cuz I'm enjoying the games I got already or I'm about to get later. Also, most games on the switch can run out of state of 60 fps, there's not the graphical powerhouses the other consoles and pcr. Like I mentioned before, most of the games on my Switch are smaller games anyway. I have some 3D ones, most are either 2.5D or 3D. That said, most of the games on the switch or built for the console online looking run great. To all the people complaining, either just shut up and enjoy the console you got, trade it in for something better, or stop yapping and move on to something else.
 

CriticalGaming

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Who the hell even cares? Other than the grifters and gossip spreading pretending to be as news on YouTube?

Nothing's going to happen until Nintendo actually says something. I really don't care right now, cuz I'm enjoying the games I got already or I'm about to get later. Also, most games on the switch can run out of state of 60 fps, there's not the graphical powerhouses the other consoles and pcr. Like I mentioned before, most of the games on my Switch are smaller games anyway. I have some 3D ones, most are either 2.5D or 3D. That said, most of the games on the switch or built for the console online looking run great. To all the people complaining, either just shut up and enjoy the console you got, trade it in for something better, or stop yapping and move on to something else.
Does Bayonetta 3 run at 60fps?
 

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Does Bayonetta 3 run at 60fps?
Yes. Especially during gameplay. The only time it really chugs is during certain cutscenes, and that's barely ever happens. What made you think it didn't after most of the reviews? I still appreciate you asking me.

😲 Shocker of shocks, they jump on the bandwagon. I'm not even going to give this any attention.
 

Phoenixmgs

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Switch hardware was dated when it launched let alone now. Better hardware is not something just for shinny graphics either, Marty was complaining about things like bringing up maps and menus taking some time to "load" in a game where you're constantly doing that in the Slightly Something Else. Even indie/AA games don't run the best on the Switch, Divinity Original Sin 2's target FPS on the Switch is only 30 fps for example, that's an isometric CRPG that doesn't take that much resources to run the game, an AMD APU without a video card can run that game better.
 

hanselthecaretaker

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With all of Nintendo’s billions they should have no problem offering something that lasts a comparable amount of time as other console hardware. The only reason they don’t is because they’ve gotten away with it ever since the Wii.

Monay monnnay!!
 
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Chimpzy

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I quite like the Switch. I'm playing on it right now actually. But I do agree it is long in the tooth, and could use an upgrade, if not an entirely new system with bc. Knowing Nintendo though, a Switch 2 will not be on par with PS5/XsX. My guess would be something roughly in the same ballpark as base PS4.
 

Gordon_4

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This article got me thinking about the Switch. The Switch was an amazing platform in 2017 when it launched, but basically since the system launched people were talking about needing an upgraded system, a SwitchPro, or a Switch 2, or maybe a boosted Switch that was dock only but more powerful as a trade off.

Well we did get new Switches. We got a less powerful Lite, and a slightly bigger OLED which I'm not sure is more powerful or not.

But we also got a Steamdeck which by all accounts is a pretty sick handheld machine capable of running a wild amount of games on it. Including tutorials for any number of emulations to run basically whatever you want outside of current gen console games.

Now this isn't a direct comparison because Nintendo has always been in a weird independence state when it comes to the gaming market. They haven't needed to push for power or bring there games up to a 4K HD standard because Nintendo games have their own little following and niche in which that kind of thing doesn't matter. However with the new Pokemon games it seems that the Switch is only going to struggle harder as Nintendo titles become bigger and more grand games come forward. Pokemon might have it's problems due to development, but the switch doesn't exactly handle other games great either. Breath of the Wild runs and it's fairly stable but explosions and big set pieces still caused the system to chug and at best that 30fps wasn't exactly solid.

As 60fps becomes more and more the standard, what do you think Nintendo will do about it? Will we see a Switch U/2? Or will they reveal a new system entirely but one that remains backwards compatible with Switch titles?

Or will they do absolutely nothing? My money's on nothing tbh.
Well the Switch is superior to the Steam Deck for me of only because I can buy it. According to Valve, I can’t even reserve it because I’m a southern hemisphere peasant. And I can probably look forward to a $150 to $200 increase in price depending on rate of exchange as time goes by, plus the 10% GST.

Now could the Switch use a bit more juice? Sure it can. But I don’t expect or want it to compete with the PS5 on power and performance because it will be a cold day in hell when I pay $800 for a Nintendo console.
 

meiam

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Was the 3DS as strong as the PS4? Or the DS comparable to PS3? Or the GBA as good as the PS2? Or the GB rival to the PS1? Yet were any of those failure?

Look at pokemon, the game looks like an early PS3 game (and thats being generous) yet it sold more than twice God of war Ragnarok, which was itself one of the strongest launch of a sony exclusive game.

Nintendo would be stupid to do anything, all they should do is rest on their laurel and rack in the cash. They'll probably launch an update a year before the switch 2, to soak up any cash from the hardcore, but doing so any earlier would just risk dividing the playerbase.

Honestly I'd be surprised if the steam deck even gets 5% of the switch number.
 
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CriticalGaming

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Was the 3DS as strong as the PS4? Or the DS comparable to PS3? Or the GBA as good as the PS2? Or the GB rival to the PS1? Yet were any of those failure?
Well to be fair, The 3DS did get a hardware upgrade with the NEW 3DS, which helped a lot of games run much better especially later in the console's life cycle. So this upgraded console system is not unheard of for Nintendo.

Nintendo would be stupid to do anything, all they should do is rest on their laurel and rack in the cash. They'll probably launch an update a year before the switch 2, to soak up any cash from the hardcore, but doing so any earlier would just risk dividing the playerbase.
Pokemon struggling to run is one thing, but if more and more games come out with more struggles people will start to take notice. Microsoft is already facing this issue with their stupid Xbox Series S. I think the point in which an upgrade or outright new system will need to come out is soon.
 
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BrawlMan

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Was the 3DS as strong as the PS4? Or the DS comparable to PS3? Or the GBA as good as the PS2? Or the GB rival to the PS1? Yet were any of those failure?

Look at pokemon, the game looks like an early PS3 game (and thats being generous) yet it sold more than twice God of war Ragnarok, which was itself one of the strongest launch of a sony exclusive game.

Nintendo would be stupid to do anything, all they should do is rest on their laurel and rack in the cash. They'll probably launch an update a year before the switch 2, to soak up any cash from the hardcore, but doing so any earlier would just risk dividing the playerbase.

Honestly I'd be surprised if the steam deck even gets 5% of the switch number.
Thank you. This is really just another Nintendo doomsday topic that people are jumping the bandwagon again. Nothing new here.
 

BrawlMan

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I think the point in which an upgrade or outright new system will need to come out is soon.
It will at some point come out. It's just a matter of how long until it's going to wait to show anything, and the patience of gamers in the audience. I got all the time in the world, cuz I have little concern. So long as they don't get arrogant again like they did during the Wii and Wii U era. It happens, then it happens and then history will repeat itself.
 

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I'd say it's about time for them to release a new console, if traditional console release cycles are anything to go by. And in that Bayonetta 3 post-ZP stream the graphics felt dated.
 

Elvis Starburst

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Was the 3DS as strong as the PS4? Or the DS comparable to PS3? Or the GBA as good as the PS2? Or the GB rival to the PS1? Yet were any of those failure?

Look at pokemon, the game looks like an early PS3 game (and thats being generous) yet it sold more than twice God of war Ragnarok, which was itself one of the strongest launch of a sony exclusive game.

Nintendo would be stupid to do anything, all they should do is rest on their laurel and rack in the cash. They'll probably launch an update a year before the switch 2, to soak up any cash from the hardcore, but doing so any earlier would just risk dividing the playerbase.

Honestly I'd be surprised if the steam deck even gets 5% of the switch number.
Funny enough, they did a 3DS 2 in a way with the New 3DS. The improvements were excellent, I am glad they did it. The hardware improvements helped existing games with texture and FPS benefits. But developers barely made exclusives for it. We got a grand total of 16 New 3DS games. And yet people were terrified of dividing the fanbase (which is also probably why we didn't get many New 3DS exclusives). I don't think Nintendo would be keen on repeating the same situation considering that we barely got anything out of it in terms of games.

Pokemon struggling to run is one thing, but if more and more games come out with more struggles people will start to take notice. Microsoft is already facing this issue with their stupid Xbox Series S. I think the point in which an upgrade or outright new system will need to come out is soon.
Pokemon struggling to run is cause they did a shit job making the game. Monolith shows what can be done with the hardware for an open world game. Resolution drops aside with the Xenoblade Chronicles games on Switch, the fact we have games that look this amazing on the Switch shows what it can do in the right hands. I wouldn't put the blame on Nintendo's part for the recent Pokemon games looking and playing like ass. I put the blame squarely on The Pokemon Company not putting their billions upon billions of dollars of cash into their game projects and giving them the time and effort they need
 
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The Rogue Wolf

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With all of Nintendo’s billions they should have no problem offering something that lasts a comparable amount of time as other console hardware. The only reason they don’t is because they’ve gotten away with it ever since the Wii.

Monay monnnay!!
Nintendo only competes with itself. As I like to say, it marches to the beat of its own xylophone.
 

RhombusHatesYou

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Well the Switch is superior to the Steam Deck for me of only because I can buy it. According to Valve, I can’t even reserve it because I’m a southern hemisphere peasant. And I can probably look forward to a $150 to $200 increase in price depending on rate of exchange as time goes by, plus the 10% GST.
And the random 'fuck you, Australia' increase they slap on top because 'reasons'.
 

Silvanus

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However with the new Pokemon games it seems that the Switch is only going to struggle harder as Nintendo titles become bigger and more grand games come forward. Pokemon might have it's problems due to development, but the switch doesn't exactly handle other games great either. Breath of the Wild runs and it's fairly stable but explosions and big set pieces still caused the system to chug and at best that 30fps wasn't exactly solid.
Pokemon's issues are nothing to do with the capabilities of the Switch. It's not bigger or more grand; it's significantly less demanding and lesser in scope/size/fidelity than BOTW, Xenoblade, Witcher 3 etc, which run fine.

The issue is that their team is a quarter the size of the team that worked on BOTW, and they were expected to produce it in less than a year... while also developing another game. They were stretched way too thin by stupid production demands.

The Switch doesn't need more power. Design philosophy beats power 95 times out of 100, and they have that down pat. The console continues to sell very well: it's not suffering for its shortcomings.

That said, an alternative model with greater power sure would be nice. Open it up to a few more cross-platform current gens.
 
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Chimpzy

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The issue is that their team is a quarter the size of the team that worked on BOTW, and they were expected to produce it in less than a year... while also developing another game. They were stretched way too thin by stupid production demands.
Aside from that, Gamefreak also strikes me as just kind of behind the curve. Up until not too long ago they were still making games on what is essentially weak 6th gen tech with some shader capabilities to make it look more advanced than it really is. They remind me a lot of how a lot of developers struggled with the switch to HD early in the PS360 era. I think a lifetime of developing for handhelds has left them ill prepared for working with modern game tech, which the Switch does use despite its lack of raw power.
 

sXeth

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Nothing until someone gives them a reason too, probably. is what they will do.


Steamdeck, regardless of what it does or doesn't do, is still the "handheld for people who already played on PC", a niche crowd to this day. Its not heavily marketed and your average joe (or parent thereof) on the street has no idea what it is. When you literally mention tutorials on how to do things on it as a selling point you've already lost Nintendos main demographic.

(Its also notably more expensive, and doesn't appear to be sold in any actual retailer (online or otherwise) other then Steam itself. So they couldn't even be bothered opening an Amazon storefront, which literally *I* could do if I wanted)