Switch 2 - predictions, guesstimates and other SWAGs

[Dcubed]

A few extra minor deets… Apparently, two demos were shown off; one first party and one third party (probably a UE5 demo).  Said to be very impressive graphically.

Finally, Nintendo seem to be coy about whether or not Switch 2 will have backwards compatibility or not (uh-oh…).

That’s all I know. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Dcubed

[Josh64]

I do hope it is backwards compatible with upgrades as even first-party games could do with it. While Pikmin 4 looks nice, it does look like bit of a blurry mess at times, and the slow moving camera is really choppy - It feels like it was made for a more powerful console and then a bunch of settings were pared down to get it working on the Switch. While this is commonplace for third party software, it feels weird, especially for Nintendo, to be doing this kind of thing with their own releases. It makes me wonder if a Switch 2 was planned earlier and then pushed back due to chip shortages/the unexpected continued success of OG Switch /COVID. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Josh64

[Dcubed]

On 26/08/2023 at 7:31 PM, Dcubed said:

A few extra minor deets… Apparently, two demos were shown off; one first party and one third party (probably a UE5 demo).  Said to be very impressive graphically.

Finally, Nintendo seem to be coy about whether or not Switch 2 will have backwards compatibility or not (uh-oh…).

That’s all I know. 

https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-demoed-switch-2-to-developers-at-gamescom
 

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sources-nintendo-showed-switch-2-demos-at-gamescom/
 

Yup.  This all matches up with what My Uncle At Nintendo (MUAN?) told me.

Probably gonna come out November 2024 I reckon (just a gut feeling, nothing concrete).

Edited September 7, 2023 by Dcubed

[killthenet]

Really looking forward to seeing what EPD and Monolith can do with the new hardware, Odyssey, TOTK and Xenoblade 3 are already stunning - could get some absolutely jaw dropping titles 

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Dcubed said:

Probably gonna come out November 2024 I reckon (just a gut feeling, nothing concrete).

Yeah, I think anywhere from September to November of next year makes sense. Personally I'd like for it to be September (because October/November is typically already so busy for new game releases)...which probably means it'll drop in November 

Kind of crazy to think we're probably going to see this thing in 6 months or so. Really, really curious to see if Nintendo goes for the easy wins with marketing (a clear separator from the Switch for starters) and what they have planned for launch. 

On 8/26/2023 at 7:31 PM, Dcubed said:

Apparently, two demos were shown off; one first party and one third party (probably a UE5 demo).  Said to be very impressive graphically.

I hate how the UE5 demo is so obviously going to be coming from Square Enix lmao. Secretly hoping it's DQ XII (thinking back to when XI was announced for the NX, would just be a nice way to tie it all together)

A lot of obvious big wins if they can make porting high(er) spec games relatively easy to this thing. GTA V Online seems ripe for it, and then all of the other third party big hitters of the last generation like Red Dead Redemption II, the Assassin's Creed RPGs, Elden Ring, the Star Wars Jedi games, and so on. Really curious to see what Square Enix's plans are going to be seeing as they seem to have a lot of deals going on with PlayStation for Final Fantasy at the moment. 

On 8/26/2023 at 7:31 PM, Dcubed said:

Finally, Nintendo seem to be coy about whether or not Switch 2 will have backwards compatibility or not (uh-oh…).

I like to think this is them just mulling over dedicated DX versions or offering upgrades  I was actually thinking about it last night: while DX versions of games less than 6 years old with additional/complete content would kind of really suck rather than just offering upgrades to first party titles through BC and a fixed cost, if any company can get away with it, it's Nintendo. Their first-party stuff so rarely goes down in value that so long as the RRP is around the same as the original Switch versions, no-one is really going to give it too much thought from a pricing POV. 

[EEVILMURRAY]

26 minutes ago, Julius said:

Kind of crazy to think we're probably going to see this thing in 6 months or so. Really, really curious to see if Nintendo goes for the easy wins with marketing (a clear separator from the Switch for starters) and what they have planned for launch. 

1..2.. (console name here)!

[Julius]

4 minutes ago, EEVILMURRAY said:

1..2.. (console name here)!

1..2..Wii U 2!! 

[Happenstance]

Wii Switch 2 U

[bob]

Switch Too

[MindFreak]

Switch Up

[Ike]

And here come the “Switch 2 is as powerful as __” rumours, right on cue.

[Glen-i]

43 minutes ago, Ike said:

And here come the “Switch 2 is as powerful as __” rumours, right on cue.

Just take the rumours, lower it by one generation, and that's how powerful it will actually be.

[Ashley]

Switch 2 is as powerful as two Wiis stuck together that's snacked on some quinoa and coffee beans. 

[S.C.G]

Going by the logic that the Wii is a GameCube and a half in terms of power...

Switch 2 is as powerful as Six GameCube's (stacked in two towers of three) plus an N64... with the Expansion Pak...  and a Pokémon Pikachu... colour.

[killthenet]

Thing is the leaked specs show that even at the same clock speeds as the original Switch the successor will be more powerful than a PS4 Pro when docked so when you consider the more modern CPU and graphics technology things could be much closer to PS5/XS than the original Switch was to the likes of the PS4. 

I don't think the Matrix demo will look as good on the new Switch as it does on a PS5 but it can clearly get close enough with DLSS for Nintendo and NVIDIA to use it to show developers what the new hardware is capable of

And by my calculations, if the new Switch is more powerful than a PS4 Pro then it would be as powerful as 478 GameCubes taped together 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by killthenet

[Dcubed]

15 hours ago, Julius said:

Yeah, I think anywhere from September to November of next year makes sense. Personally I'd like for it to be September (because October/November is typically already so busy for new game releases)...which probably means it'll drop in November 

Kind of crazy to think we're probably going to see this thing in 6 months or so. Really, really curious to see if Nintendo goes for the easy wins with marketing (a clear separator from the Switch for starters) and what they have planned for launch. 

I hate how the UE5 demo is so obviously going to be coming from Square Enix lmao. Secretly hoping it's DQ XII (thinking back to when XI was announced for the NX, would just be a nice way to tie it all together)

A lot of obvious big wins if they can make porting high(er) spec games relatively easy to this thing. GTA V Online seems ripe for it, and then all of the other third party big hitters of the last generation like Red Dead Redemption II, the Assassin's Creed RPGs, Elden Ring, the Star Wars Jedi games, and so on. Really curious to see what Square Enix's plans are going to be seeing as they seem to have a lot of deals going on with PlayStation for Final Fantasy at the moment. 

I like to think this is them just mulling over dedicated DX versions or offering upgrades  I was actually thinking about it last night: while DX versions of games less than 6 years old with additional/complete content would kind of really suck rather than just offering upgrades to first party titles through BC and a fixed cost, if any company can get away with it, it's Nintendo. Their first-party stuff so rarely goes down in value that so long as the RRP is around the same as the original Switch versions, no-one is really going to give it too much thought from a pricing POV. 

The UE5 demo shown was the Matrix demo previously released on PS5/Series X.

[Julius]

3 hours ago, Dcubed said:

The UE5 demo shown was the Matrix demo previously released on PS5/Series X.

Aye, I've since seen 

Damn it S-E, get your crap together! I just want a DQ XII update so bad 

[Julius]

It seems like Hall Effect joysticks have been patented by Nintendo, which - if used for the Switch 2 - should negate the whole Joy-Con drift issue we've seen on the Switch. Per Dexterto:

Quote

A patent filed by Nintendo suggests that they're working on Hall Effect style joysticks for the Switch 2 that would eliminate stick drift almost entirely.

Years after the release of the Nintendo Switch, more rumors of a successor to the popular handheld came to light on September 7, 2023.

[...]

On that same day, Nintendo received a series of patents in the US detailing various aspects of the new console, and one in particular stands out the most.

In one filing, Nintendo's patent details a joystick that uses a magnetic field to send its movement through the controller, which is almost definitely a hall effect joystick.

In the listing, they describe a joystick that sends a signal to the console based on how strong the magnetic pull is from the closest sensor.

Link to the patent. 

And here's iFixit's take, explaining the how and why of the Hall Effect, and how it can be used to fix joystick drift:

Can't imagine it's a particularly cheap option to mass produce, but at the same time, neither is Nintendo's current solution of replacing Joy-Cons experiencing drift! 

[Glen-i]

God, I hope this is true.

The quality of control sticks this generation has been bloody shambolic.

[BowserBasher]

1 hour ago, Glen-i said:

The quality of control sticks this generation has been bloody shambolic.

Yes, how do you go from near perfect controllers like the N64 and GC one to what we have now? I'm still on original N64 and GC controllers that have never had issues, yet people have had multiple joy cons in a few years. Although mine have never shown signs of drift.

[Dcubed]

2 hours ago, BowserBasher said:

Yes, how do you go from near perfect controllers like the N64 and GC one to what we have now? I'm still on original N64 and GC controllers that have never had issues, yet people have had multiple joy cons in a few years. Although mine have never shown signs of drift.

What magic original N64 controllers do you have!? Mine all had their sticks ground to dust! (Then again, we did play a lot of Mario Party back in the day with them, and you know how dangerous those games are ).

I had to replace all the control sticks on my original N64 controllers and my friends’ ones because they all became pretty much un-usable.

Gamecube controllers though? I’ll give you that one.  They’re made of pure Nintendium and are basically indestructible

[BowserBasher]

29 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

(Then again, we did play a lot of Mario Party back in the day with them, and you know how dangerous those games are ).

Well there’s your problem. But yeah take out the stick destroying Mario Party games and I bet they’d still hold up today. 

[Ashley]

Activision was briefed about it last year and claim the specs are in line with the Xbox One and PS4: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/18/23878412/nintendo-switch-2-activision-briefing-next-gen-switch

It was also nicknamed Switch NG (Next Generation). Close to the old NX code name. 

[killthenet]

In terms of raw power it'll comparable to PS4 & Xbox One, yeah, but the CPU will be much more modern & capable, as well as the GPU being able to take advantage of NVIDIA's recent innovations in upscaling and ray tracing which should give the Switch 2 a leg up over the original when it comes to third party ports. 

There will still undoubtedly be a gulf in capabilities between Switch 2 & PS5/XSX but the gap will be closer this time round so we should get more of the 'current gen' big hitters that won't be as compromised as games like The Witcher 3 and DOOM were on the original Switch 

[Josh64]

Why are the sticks such an issue these days when they weren't in the GameCube era? Is there a reason they can't use those sticks on modern hardware? 

 

Our of curiosity, where does the current Switch stand in relation to other consoles? I always assumed it was relatively close to base Xbox One but with the Switch 2 targeting that then I guess not. Shows how good Nintendo are at pushing their own titles for me to believe that for so long though.