Nintendo Switch Technical discussion [SOC = Tegra X1]

Dunno why, but you can change the vsync of many games by patching the executable, and maybe do some benchmarks on various vsync settings.

I'm too lazy to hex edit and try it myself tho.
 
Here's the SoC showing on the Switch Lite:

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And here's a roughly scaled comparison between the old TX1 and the new SoC:


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Using pixel counting, the new SoC seems to be around 20% smaller.
Considering the fact that there's no area reduction between TSMC's 20nm and 16FF, nvidia definitely took out a bunch of stuff from the original TX1.
With reports of the Shield TV not being able to use the Cortex A53 module either, I guess they took that out, along with most of the ISP which is useless because the switch has no camera. The video encoder should be greatly simplified too, as the Switch only records gameplay videos at 720p30 (probably H264) whereas the original hardware supported 4K HEVC.
 
Wonder why they didn't put in a camera. Don't they have some game where they map your face to some avatars or something?
 
4K switch rumored for next year. Some rumors say as early as Q1.

Reports from both Bloomberg and the Taipei outlet United Daily News allege that this system's specifications are currently in flux, according to sources familiar with Nintendo's plans. Bloomberg's late Monday report claims that Nintendo is considering upgrades like "more computing power and 4K high-definition graphics," and those details line up with a machine-translated version of UDN's report from earlier in the day.

Games? Portability?
Intriguingly, the UDN report points to an aggressive release schedule as early as "Q1 2021," with hardware production beginning by the end of 2020, but Bloomberg's report does not mention such a timeframe. Both reports mention a dearth of announced software for Nintendo Switch this holiday season, and Bloomberg reporter Takashi Mochizuki claims this is intentional on Nintendo's part, in order to bolster "launch" software for the upgraded Switch next year.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/08/reports-4k-nintendo-switch-revision-slated-for-2021-launch/
 
I don't see the point of a "switch pro". If they want be able to have 3rd party port from next gen, they will need an impressive amount of power/functions, I don't see an tegra x1 based console do that...
 
I don't see the point of a "switch pro". If they want be able to have 3rd party port from next gen, they will need an impressive amount of power/functions, I don't see an tegra x1 based console do that...
Why would Nintendo care? Has the utter lack of EA titles hurt the Switch? They don't need big 3rd party to win at the game they are playing
 
Until I bought my Switch I had absolutely zero interest in Nintendo games. But when I saw that I could play the Witcher 3 on the move it was an instant buy. And even though the one I received sounded it was chewing a bag of rocks whenever it got stressed, and even though it took me 5 weeks to source a new fan from a Chinese website, I was still blown away by the experience.

So as long as games like that (Witcher, Crysis, Skyrim) can make the move I don't see why any up and coming games couldn't make the move either. So they have to cut down and pared back but as long as the underlying experience doesn't change that doesn't matter. And in a way it's gauge on how good the game actually is, if the loss of some shinies ruins the experience then the core game isn't that good to begin with...
 
So long as [5+ year old games] can make the move I don't see why [new] games can't? Really?

Look at the port of Outer Worlds, there are hard limits to what can be squeezed onto those ARM cores, hell even the school bits of FE:TH were rooouuuggghhhhh. I think Switch has passed the time when cross-platform ports were a realistically doable thing.

If the Pro brought faster cores and a process shrink you may see some XB1/PS4 titles but even then I wouldn't expect any revision of Switch to be a default 3rd platform for every AAA title. I just look at the history of DS/DSi and 3DS/New 3DS it seems more likely to me to be a minor power boost over Switch as Nintendo seems to have been doing the .5 gen thing long before Sony and MS got in on the game
 
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Well it seems like the latest generation of games and engines are all about supporting multiple platforms from the lowest to the highest, especially from MS's viewpoint, so in fact there should be an even higher likelihood of such a transfer been done. Unless of course the multiplatform, play anywhere, idea just pans out to hot air :/
 
I think MS is relying on their Cloud Platform to cover non MS platform access, I remember when Minecraft and Cuphead launched along with Xbox Live support in the former it seemed like we might get an actual Xbox client app on Switch but that seems to have cooled off as I'd imagine Nintendo probably share Apple's concerns about revenue loss to the app.
 
Look at the port of Outer Worlds, there are hard limits to what can be squeezed onto those ARM cores, hell even the school bits of FE:TH were rooouuuggghhhhh. I think Switch has passed the time when cross-platform ports were a realistically doable thing.
There are some very technically accomplished games on Switch, I think the Outer Worlds was a bad port, whether it was because the original code/assets weren't suited to the Switch's hardware/SDK, or maybe it was lack skill of the dev team or lack of time or a combination of all three.
 
There are some very technically accomplished games on Switch, I think the Outer Worlds was a bad port, whether it was because the original code/assets weren't suited to the Switch's hardware/SDK, or maybe it was lack skill of the dev team or lack of time or a combination of all three.

Absolutely there is but I think that is the precise reason we won't see Switch or Switch Pro become a default 3rd launch platform, the gulf between the grunt on hand between ARM and Jaguar let alone Ryzen is too great for it to be a thing that can happen without dedicating disproportional resources to it. The Outer Wilds port appears to have been the product of a port team thinking that the port really would be a case of fiddling with some sliders and getting caught out badly by badly underestimating the task, no doubt not helped by the existing issues with UE and open worlds. The DF video that dug into the port by fiddling with CPU and GPU showed that it was held back by the CPU in most scenarios and that's a lot of code fiddling to adjust for one particular platform, I mean x360/PS3 class graphics can look amazing as Nintendo shows again and again it's just not a great match for that "realistic" aesthetic. I think the XIII remake should look great on Switch, make Switch the cel shaded shooter platform of choice
 
Absolutely there is but I think that is the precise reason we won't see Switch or Switch Pro become a default 3rd launch platform, the gulf between the grunt on hand between ARM and Jaguar let alone Ryzen is too great for it to be a thing that can happen without dedicating disproportional resources to it.
I agree and I think some engines are just easier to port than others but with the popularity of the Switch, having surpassed the Xbox One in terms of sales, I think more game developers are thinking about this during development rather than it being an unfortunate surprised once they're finished with the PlayStation, Xbox and PC builds. I do think it'll get better over time but equally that doesn't help the Switch as it exists today.
 
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