Nintendo Switch Tech Speculation discussion

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I would say $300 is a good value if it came with the pro controller. I think this hd rumble is a mistake, they had a brilliant innovation with the wii mote and its ir pointer, hate to see it forgotten. Without the hd rumble the cost would be lower.

HD rumble seems to be impressive once you have experienced it. I'm sure when the N64 introduced rumble, there was certainly a level of skepticism on just how important the feature would be. I think the same will happen with HD rumble. After the Switch, it will become an industry standard going forward.
 
They could make it like DualShock 2, where every button was analogue.
Sony removed analogue buttons on DS4. They must have had a reason for this (proportion of games and gamers that actually used it versus cost). You could use those face buttons as analogue for GT3, but few people did I imagine as the control and dexterity required was beyond the typical gamer (which went beyond the typical person already!). 3DS shoulder buttons aren't analogue, right?
 
Sony removed analogue buttons on DS4. They must have had a reason for this (proportion of games and gamers that actually used it versus cost). You could use those face buttons as analogue for GT3, but few people did I imagine as the control and dexterity required was beyond the typical gamer (which went beyond the typical person already!). 3DS shoulder buttons aren't analogue, right?
The reason was devs did not use it. Nintendo could use it for shoulder buttons only.

I do not know why "HD rumble" was not done ages ago. Is not it just a solenoid with ferromagnetic rod? It does not even cost more than a motor. Very primitive tech.
 
The reason was devs did not use it. Nintendo could use it for shoulder buttons only.
Oh, you mean the analogue face buttons on PS2 means small-travel analogue is possible. Yes, but it's still hard to control, and few games benefit. Mariokart doesn't need progressive acceleration, and I doubt Nintendo's target audience can be trusted to have sub-millimetre accuracy on their presses, so I can see why it was avoided.

I do not know why "HD rumble" was not done ages ago. Is not it just a solenoid with ferromagnetic rod? It does not even cost more than a motor. Very primitive tech.
Sony mentioned next-gen rumble last gen. Perhaps the lost lawsuit with Immersion over Rumble put an end to it?
 
http://www.techhgeeks.com/2017/02/nintendo-switch-final-hardware-specs-4417.html

Not sure if Anything new.


Console:
  • Display: 6.2 inch 1280×720 LCD
  • Chipset: Nvidia Tegra processor
  • Memory: 32GB of Internal Memory, Expandable via microSD card
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Brightness Sensor
  • Headphone jack: Yes Stereo Output
  • Battery: Non-removable 4310mAh battery (Approx. 3 Hours backup)
  • Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, WLAN through an adapter
  • Media output: 1920×1080, 60 fps via HDMI, 5.1channel audio
  • USB Type-C Port for charging and docking
  • Stereo speakers
  • Weight: 280 grams
  • Dimensions With Joy-Con: 102mm x 239mm x 13.9mm
Joy-Con Controller:
  • Left Buttons: Joy Stick, Directional L/ZL/SL/SR/- Buttons, Capture Button, Release Button, SYNC Button
  • Right Buttons: Joy Stick, A/B/X/Y/R/ZR/SL/SR/+ Buttons, HOME Button, Release Button, SYNC Button
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, IR Motion Camera on the Right Joy-Con
  • Vibration Motors
  • Battery: Non-removable 52 mAh (Approx. 20 hours backup)
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 3.0, NFC (Right Joy-Con)
  • Weight: Right Joy-Con 52 grams, Left Joy-Con 49 grams
  • Dimensions: 102mm x 35.9mm x 28.4mm
Dock:
  • Ports: Three USB 2.0 ports (3.0 support to be added soon), System connector, HDMI, AC Adapter port
  • Weight: 327 grams
  • Dimensions: 104mm x 173mm x 54mm

What caught my eye was the dock utilizing 3 USB 2.0 ports. WTF does it mean that 3.0 support to be added soon???

Are they releasing another dock version 2 that uses USB3.0 in the future?
 
What caught my eye was the dock utilizing 3 USB 2.0 ports. WTF does it mean that 3.0 support to be added soon???
Most likely that the dock has three USB ports that currently operate at USB2.x speeds but will eventually work a USB 3.x speeds, presumably with with future firmware update.

Why doesn't it already? Because it's Nintendo. :yep2:
 

Rehash of old info. "Nvidia Tegra Processor" is like saying "Intel Inside" - it doesn't tell us anything useful about the chip itself.

What caught my eye was the dock utilizing 3 USB 2.0 ports. WTF does it mean that 3.0 support to be added soon???

Are they releasing another dock version 2 that uses USB3.0 in the future?

Possibly the drivers aren't ready for launch. There's supposed to be 2x USB 2.0 on the side, and 1x USB 3.0 inside the back cover between the AC adapter and HDMI ports. The concealed location makes me think they'd want to use it for a more permanently attached device, but given the Switch's nature of docking and undocking, expanded storage seems silly. USB LAN adapter? GameCube controller adapter for Smash Switch Edition?

Anandtech has a nice breakdown of the info we can glean about the display output though:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/11039/nintendo-switch-hardware-launch-details

Since there's four high-speed lanes in a USB-C port (plus 2x USB 2.0 channels) the presence of a USB 3.0 host port on the dock itself means that the video signal is coming over DisplayPort 1.2 (which pairs up with the max res of 1080p60/4Kp30) and being actively converted to HDMI by a chip in the dock itself.

So Nintendo's not charging you $90 for just plastic after all.
 
Rehash of old info. "Nvidia Tegra Processor" is like saying "Intel Inside" - it doesn't tell us anything useful about the chip itself.

That's true, but rumors were largely suggesting Tegra X1. Even if its a custom TX1, we can still safely assume that its 256 Cuda core GPU and 4 A57 CPU cores. These assumptions seem reasonable when judging the early software. Nintendo running into trouble getting Zelda BoTW up to 1080p in docked mode even though the game runs flawless at 720p portable suggest to me they were running into a bottleneck, and settled on 900p. I'm guessing its the memory bandwidth, seeing as how Digital Foundry noted performance dips with heavy alpha effects and depth of field, both effects are taxing on the memory bandwidth. Tear downs and dye photos should give us a good indication if its a stock Tegra X1 or not. We know Nintendo will never reveal the nitty gritty details.
 
Rehash of old info. "Nvidia Tegra Processor" is like saying "Intel Inside" - it doesn't tell us anything useful about the chip itself.



Possibly the drivers aren't ready for launch. There's supposed to be 2x USB 2.0 on the side, and 1x USB 3.0 inside the back cover between the AC adapter and HDMI ports. The concealed location makes me think they'd want to use it for a more permanently attached device, but given the Switch's nature of docking and undocking, expanded storage seems silly. USB LAN adapter? GameCube controller adapter for Smash Switch Edition?

Anandtech has a nice breakdown of the info we can glean about the display output though:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/11039/nintendo-switch-hardware-launch-details

Since there's four high-speed lanes in a USB-C port (plus 2x USB 2.0 channels) the presence of a USB 3.0 host port on the dock itself means that the video signal is coming over DisplayPort 1.2 (which pairs up with the max res of 1080p60/4Kp30) and being actively converted to HDMI by a chip in the dock itself.

So Nintendo's not charging you $90 for just plastic after all.



Yes, it's a $90 USB hub/switch that also has a HDMI out.
Everybody's expecting the dock to contain at least SOME electronics, but $90 for a USB hub is still expensive as hell.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/164-0531931-2725324?url=search-alias=computers&field-keywords=usb-c+multiport+macbook+pro

I know that on Amazon there are products that have much more functionalities don't go over the $50 mark.

It's also an odd design choice that they've opted to use A/C adapter in for the dock instead of going USB-C there as well.
If they had made that small change, you could simply take the adapter on the go to charge your switch anywhere.

Oh well, it's Nintendo being Nintendo.
 
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Yes, it's a $90 USB hub/switch that also has a HDMI out.
Everybody's expecting the dock to contain at least SOME electronics, but $90 for a USB hub is still expensive as hell.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/164-0531931-2725324?url=search-alias=computers&field-keywords=usb-c+multiport+macbook+pro

I know that on Amazon there are products that have much more functionalities don't go over the $50 mark.

Identical functionality can be had for $39 on Amazon.
 
And for the 100th time this kind of stuff is sold with very high margins. Hell, Nvidia is charging 25 bucks for the shield tv stand and that literally is nothing more than a piece of plastic.

Don't like it then don't buy one or wait for some cheap Chinese knock offs to appear. You get a dock with the Switch so its not like you need to buy another one.
 
HD rumble seems to be impressive once you have experienced it. I'm sure when the N64 introduced rumble, there was certainly a level of skepticism on just how important the feature would be. I think the same will happen with HD rumble. After the Switch, it will become an industry standard going forward.
It could be cool if it's in the pro controller, I just don't want to use those little controller nubs for gyro (joycons). HD rumble by itself sounds cool.
 
It's also an odd design choice that they've opted to use A/C adapter in for the dock instead of going USB-C there as well.
If they had made that small change, you could simply take the adapter on the go to charge your switch anywhere.

Oh well, it's Nintendo being Nintendo.

Not that strange. The dock is supposed to be stationary and most people don't have wall plugs near their tv that are easily accessible. I'd be a pain to have to unplug it the whole time.

OTOH for the past 5 years or whatever manufacturers have been including USB chargers with everything so its hard to believe people don't have at least one or two spare ones at home. I believe in Japan they don't even include chargers anymore with some phones.

People not having a USB c cable is probably a bigger issue in the near future. I suppose the Switch doesn't come with one?
 
That's true, but rumors were largely suggesting Tegra X1. Even if its a custom TX1, we can still safely assume that its 256 Cuda core GPU and 4 A57 CPU cores. These assumptions seem reasonable when judging the early software. Nintendo running into trouble getting Zelda BoTW up to 1080p in docked mode even though the game runs flawless at 720p portable suggest to me they were running into a bottleneck, and settled on 900p. I'm guessing its the memory bandwidth, seeing as how Digital Foundry noted performance dips with heavy alpha effects and depth of field, both effects are taxing on the memory bandwidth. Tear downs and dye photos should give us a good indication if its a stock Tegra X1 or not. We know Nintendo will never reveal the nitty gritty details.
It could be a Maxwell chip but using a 16/14nm process, just because 20nm was noted as being not all that great. Then again, the fact that it's running with lower clocks than the shield tv leads me to believe it's just the stock 20nm TX1. Perhaps not even with a different kind of memory (like Nintendo tends to implement) because of Zelda's fill rate issues.

But hopefully Zelda is just a case of not being able to optimize the game enough in time for 1080p, after all twilight princess on Wii was the same graphically as the gamecube version.
 
It could be a Maxwell chip but using a 16/14nm process, just because 20nm was noted as being not all that great. Then again, the fact that it's running with lower clocks than the shield tv leads me to believe it's just the stock 20nm TX1. Perhaps not even with a different kind of memory (like Nintendo tends to implement) because of Zelda's fill rate issues.

But hopefully Zelda is just a case of not being able to optimize the game enough in time for 1080p, after all twilight princess on Wii was the same graphically as the gamecube version.

Absolutely, if they were going with 16nm Finfet, it seems unlikely that they would need to reduce the clocks to this extent. I still wouldn't be shocked if we end up seeing the 28nm HPC+ process used. Its the least expensive option, and they refined the 28nm process over the years with consistent improvements to energy efficiency. The chip would be a little bigger than the 20nm TX1, but I am not convinced that's a big deal.

Zelda BoTW didn't make the move to Switch until spring of last year, so it is certainly a game optimized from the beginning for Wii U. Mario Odysey and perhaps whatever Retro has been working on will be the titles to really show off what a game designed from the ground up for Switch can accomplish. I suppose you could make an argument for Xenoblade 2 as well. Regardless, Zelda BoTW is a fantastic looking game with visuals that should hold up well to the test of time. Very similar to how well Zelda Wind Waker holds up.
 
Fantastic looking game ? Yeah thx to the art, but the texture filtering seems horrible, the jaggies too. Good art with horrible picture quality is such a waste...

And by the look of it (still no aniso and aa), I think Odysey was first developped for Wii U too.
 
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