Switch 2 Speculation

A single SKU also simplifies logistics tremendously on the producers side ad well if they are trying to prioritize as much on the shelves as possible.

We know a large complaint and negative optic with a lot of gaming related releases in recent history has been actual availability.
 
NVidia is too busy making money hand over fist on “AI” chips to really care that much about the Switch SOC.
 
NVidia is too busy making money hand over fist on “AI” chips to really care that much about the Switch SOC.
~140 million SoCs sold over the span of 6 years is a nice and easy stocking stuffer of extra revenue for very little investment of their time.
 
Only if they let themselves be held captive by Nvidia ...
Unless backwards compatibility is off the list then I don't see any other way if they want to retain their NVN graphic API pipeline.

Sure the current Switch supports Vulkan 1.3 and OpenGL 4.6 ...
 
Unless backwards compatibility is off the list then I don't see any other way if they want to retain their NVN graphic API pipeline.

Sure the current Switch supports Vulkan 1.3 and OpenGL 4.6 ...
They could just as easily offer them no hardware backwards compatibility and an unsuitable SoC for portable form factors if the console vendor in question is still hellbent on not opening up their tender for competition ...
 
They could just as easily offer them no hardware backwards compatibility and an unsuitable SoC for portable form factors if the console vendor in question is still hellbent on not opening up their tender for competition ...
We already know that NVN2 exists due to the Nvidia data dump (leak) as well as the probable SoC they would use for the next iteration of the Nintendo Switch.

What other option can you see this late in development? 😅
 
We already know that NVN2 exists due to the Nvidia data dump (leak) as well as the probable SoC they would use for the next iteration of the Nintendo Switch.

What other option can you see this late in development? 😅
We're not even sure if the moniker "NVN2" is exactly associated with their successor platform. Datamine isn't hard proof that it couldn't mean something else entirely ...

Why does Nintendo supposedly need a new gfx API if their new hardware is binary compatible with their old gfx API ? Does that mean that their new upcoming platform isn't hardware backwards compatible with their old platform's software ? Or does it mean that they integrated a separate Tegra X1 GPU on the new SoC ?

A new API simply just raises more questions about binary compatibility than gives answers for. We're not certain if the new API is actually compatible with the old API either. Their most successful console used their GX API while one of their least successful marketed successor used the different (incompatible) GX2 API but they just *fixed* that issue by including two different graphics processors in the final product. Based on the naming scheme alone one would make the assumption that the successor API (GX2) was a superset of it's predecessor (GX) but that is simply not the truth so we now have a solid precedent established that an iteratively named successor API is not necessarily a functional superset of it's old predecessor ...

As far as options that entirely depends on what their given mindset is ...
 
NVidia is too busy making money hand over fist on “AI” chips to really care that much about the Switch SOC.
Far too late for any 'lack of care' to matter much now. These developments and plans would have been in the works for a long time now, and more or less set in stone a couple years ago, with agreements in place no matter what Nvidia feels is top priority nowadays.

It's not really any big burden on Nvidia anyways. It wont be on any cutting edge node, so all they're really doing is using some likely 'already designed' chips and ensuring there's sufficient capacity at whatever foundry to satisfy Nintendo's volume ask. It doesn't really take away from Nvidia's ability to focus on AI and more leading edge manufacturing.
 
NVidia is too busy making money hand over fist on “AI” chips to really care that much about the Switch SOC.
Far too late for any 'lack of care' to matter much now. These developments and plans would have been in the works for a long time now, and more or less set in stone a couple years ago, with agreements in place no matter what Nvidia feels is top priority nowadays.

It's not really any big burden on Nvidia anyways. It wont be on any cutting edge node, so all they're really doing is using some likely 'already designed' chips and ensuring there's sufficient capacity at whatever foundry to satisfy Nintendo's volume ask. It doesn't really take away from Nvidia's ability to focus on AI and more leading edge manufacturing.

Reuter's report was that Nvidia's formed a new internal custom chip decision which does target consumer applications.


Nvidia officials have met with representatives from Amazon.com (AMZN.O), opens new tab, Meta, Microsoft, Google and OpenAI to discuss making custom chips for them, two sources familiar with the meetings said. Beyond data center chips, Nvidia has pursued telecom, automotive and video game customers.
Dina McKinney, a former Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O), opens new tab and Marvell executive, heads Nvidia's custom unit and her team's goal is to make its technology available for customers in cloud, 5G wireless, video games and automotives, a LinkedIn profile said. Those mentions were scrubbed and her title changed after Reuters sought comment from Nvidia.

Jon Peddie (Jon Peddie Research) is also saying he believes the unit is targeting consumer focused hardware as well.


Meanwhile, analysts are painting the possibility of an even bigger picture. Well-known GPU industry observer Jon Peddie Research notes that they believe that NVIDIA may be interested in addressing not only CSPs with datacenter offerings, but also consumer market due to huge volumes.

"NVIDIA made their loyal fan base in the consumer market which enabled them to establish the brand and develop ever more powerful processors that could then be used as compute accelerators," said JPR's president Jon Peddie. "But the company has made its fortune in the deep-pocked datacenter market where mission-critical projects see the cost of silicon as trivial to the overall objective. The consumer side gives NVIDIA the economy of scale so they can apply enormous resources to developing chips and the software infrastructure around those chips. It is not just CUDA, but a vast library of software tools and libraries."
 
Well it's possible they have, but if that's at all recent, then it likely has no real bearing on the Switch 2 plans, which would needed to have been in discussion+works years ago by now.

I also wouldn't be surprised if such 'custom chips' are more like custom ARM chips from Qualcomm or something which are basically just using basic building blocks/IP to put together what people want rather than really getting into any truly custom cores or architecture or anything like that.
 
Multiple sources confirming launch moving from Q4 this year to Q1 2025.

I know that will disappoint some, but I get it. One of Switch's keys to success was that fantastic first year library of games. Getting people to switch from the *still* incredibly popular Switch to a new one will take some big hitters.
 
One of Switch's keys to success was that fantastic first year library of games.

The Switch 2 year one lineup will be interesting.

The WiiU's failure allowed the Switch to 'borrow' it's Zelda and Mario Kart. Guess we're due a new 3d Mario and Mario Kart 9.

Third party situation will be able to offer a compelling version of many titles.
 
I know that will disappoint some, but I get it. One of Switch's keys to success was that fantastic first year library of games. Getting people to switch from the *still* incredibly popular Switch to a new one will take some big hitters.

1st party games are 100% the reason people buy Nintendo systems, and have for like almost 20 years now.

I just wonder what they are, what the system is called. Switch 2 as a name is just un-nintendo. But for titles I'll guess Minish Cap remake, Super Mario Odyssey 2, Mario Kart 9, Super Smash Bros, and (Insert Pokemon title).
 
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