Nintendo Switch

[Flojomojo]

They're saving that for the Switch Pro version.....

It will be thinner and less heavy than the March 2017 version. It will be called .... the Light Switch

[Tanooki]

I've not read into where the person who wrote this found this nugget of info but if in fact it's real (probably is I would think) Nintendo finally extracted it's greedy head from its ass in relation to how their Nintendo accounts work.

 

Reports would have it be that the Switch (and Nintendo on the whole) is moving towards Nintendo ACCOUNTS now for all your files, and **NOT** tying your purchases strictly to just one system alone. IF this is in fact true this opens the doors to behave just like Sony where you could cross buy stuff to work over multiple formats if the developer so wishes it, and you could also if your system eats it buy another, login/pass and download your goodies again without calling NOA to beg them for the permission to get your paid licenses back.

[adamchevy]

I've not read into where the person who wrote this found this nugget of info but if in fact it's real (probably is I would think) Nintendo finally extracted it's greedy head from its ass in relation to how their Nintendo accounts work.

 

Reports would have it be that the Switch (and Nintendo on the whole) is moving towards Nintendo ACCOUNTS now for all your files, and **NOT** tying your purchases strictly to just one system alone. IF this is in fact true this opens the doors to behave just like Sony where you could cross buy stuff to work over multiple formats if the developer so wishes it, and you could also if your system eats it buy another, login/pass and download your goodies again without calling NOA to beg them for the permission to get your paid licenses back.

It's gotta be cheaper than employing people to field phone calls from pissed off customers.

[roots.genoa]

I've not read into where the person who wrote this found this nugget of info but if in fact it's real (probably is I would think) Nintendo finally extracted it's greedy head from its ass in relation to how their Nintendo accounts work.

 

Reports would have it be that the Switch (and Nintendo on the whole) is moving towards Nintendo ACCOUNTS now for all your files, and **NOT** tying your purchases strictly to just one system alone. IF this is in fact true this opens the doors to behave just like Sony where you could cross buy stuff to work over multiple formats if the developer so wishes it, and you could also if your system eats it buy another, login/pass and download your goodies again without calling NOA to beg them for the permission to get your paid licenses back.

Yes, even though having a game on Switch is already sort of like having a game on both PS4 and Vita with cross-buy, cross-save and cross-platform... That's why I feel Switch will be popular among indie devs.

[adamchevy]

Yes, even though having a game on Switch is already sort of like having a game on both PS4 and Vita with cross-buy, cross-save and cross-platform... That's why I feel Switch will be popular among indie devs.

I really just want to have a game to use my Shovel Knight Amiibo with.

[Guest LiqMat]

Hmmmm...

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/17/sony-files-patent-for-what-looks-like-a-switch-esque-handheld

[Flojomojo]

Neat. Of course, patents don't always grow into products. See also http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2013/09/broadcom-apple-and-gaming-possibilities.html

[Andromeda Stardust]

It's gone now.

 

26 gigs after formatting and OS is crazy low.

Who the hell is Flosports?

This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Flosports.

BTW, what on earth made Nintendo think 32Gb was still a good idea when the Wii-U deluxe launched over 4 years ago with 32Gb and people even complained about that?

[Andromeda Stardust]

Neat. Of course, patents don't always grow into products. See also http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2013/09/broadcom-apple-and-gaming-possibilities.html

Yeah, patented devices like the Toilet Snorkel and Butt Rocket were never a commercially viable idea but somebody still felt they were worth protecting...

[Keatah]

Why wouldn't the toilet snorkel work?

[Tanooki]

Couple of fun links here for you all.

Supposedly the final specs got leaked (again): http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/all-of-the-nintendo-switch-specs-may-have-just-leaked/


CPU: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57, maximum 2 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA Maxwell processor (2nd Gen) 256 CUDA cores, maximum 1 GHz
Display: 6.2″ IPS LCD screen at 720p. 10-point multi-touch capability
Video Decoder: H.265, H.264, VP9, and VB8 at 60fps at 4K
Video Output: 1080p at 60fps / 4K at 30fps
Audio Output: 192 kHz, 24-bit 7.1 channel surround sound
Built-in Speakers: 48 kHz, 16-bit, Stereo
RAM: 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM
Storage: 32 GB internal / microSD, SDHC, and SDXC card support
Network: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible Wireless LAN
Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port



And the second item...it appears that Capcom helped in some small part to guide and develop the Switch (if some tweets that fed this info aren't bullcrap.)
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/02/nintendo_switch_dev_kits_are_nice_and_affordable_according_to_reports_from_game_creators_conference

Highlights here:
For example Ijuin-san spoke about Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers utilising Capcom's MT Framework, an engine that was also supported on the 3DS and Wii U. The process of porting it to Switch was apparently relatively easy, with a small team completing the initial work quicker than they could on Wii U and 3DS. Capcom seemed to work quite closely with Nintendo during the early development of the hardware in terms of providing feedback on technical aspects; initially the Joy-Con controllers weren't even a part of official documents about the console, apparently.

The tweets also suggest that Capcom is pleased with the resources offered by the NVIDIA GeForce-based technology in Switch, in terms of developing through PC software tools / emulation, and the flexibility it offers in high power performance when docked and lower power consumption in the handheld / tabletop modes. Capcom reportedly raised early concerns in the past related to the amount of memory available in the system for running applications, which was then addressed by Nintendo in subsequent builds. This isn't unprecedented - there were once reports that the Circle Pad Pro for 3DS was only developed in order to appease Capcom ahead of the portable's first Monster Hunter title in Japan.

According to these tweets, there's also an intention to adopt the RE Engine for Switch - this is Capcom's resource used for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, a title that's been in the rumour mill for a while in terms of a version on Nintendo's console.

This is quite fascinating to me since this is the word of those Capcom employees at that developers show. Also amazing, the Switch dev kit costs only $450. This means anyone can afford to be a developer for this thing and make games, this is huge as dev kits normally go into the thousands to ten thousands+ historically speaking. Here it's as low priced as a big end home console for a consumer and as we know it's so easy to develop for or port stuff (android, etc) it's like you have to be a hater not to want to make something.

[Osgeld]

Why wouldn't the toilet snorkel work?

 

Modern turlets have different trap systems, and besides that once you are past the water trap, you are inhaling sewer gas, which aside from being unpleasant, wouldn't do you much good even if your goal is a methane high

[+frankodragon]

It will be thinner and less heavy than the March 2017 version. It will be called .... the Light Switch

 

 

I was looking up "China knockoffs" of the Switch and surprisingly, some other manufacturer had the same idea only a year earlier:

http://kotaku.com/china-already-has-a-handheld-like-the-nintendo-switch-1788056087

[Andromeda Stardust]

Couple of fun links here for you all.

 

Supposedly the final specs got leaked (again): http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/all-of-the-nintendo-switch-specs-may-have-just-leaked/

 

 

CPU: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57, maximum 2 GHz

GPU: NVIDIA Maxwell processor (2nd Gen) 256 CUDA cores, maximum 1 GHz

Display: 6.2″ IPS LCD screen at 720p. 10-point multi-touch capability

Video Decoder: H.265, H.264, VP9, and VB8 at 60fps at 4K

Video Output: 1080p at 60fps / 4K at 30fps

Audio Output: 192 kHz, 24-bit 7.1 channel surround sound

Built-in Speakers: 48 kHz, 16-bit, Stereo

RAM: 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM

Storage: 32 GB internal / microSD, SDHC, and SDXC card support

Network: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible Wireless LAN

Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port

 

 

2Ghz CPU (max) and 1Ghz GPU? If so, there's quite a lot of potential headroom for this thing while on the dock. The tablet appears to have exhaust vents on the top and bottom which indicates an active cooling fan inside. If these specs are true, then why are they limiting the GPU to 700Mhz when docked, and why not clock the CPU up to 2Ghz docked as well?

 

Or were the initial specs misleading?

[Andromeda Stardust]

I really just want to have a game to use my Shovel Knight Amiibo with.

LOL. Chibi-Robo and even Wolf Link work on Mario Maker, but Waluigi is the most recent Amiibo I know of that works, but none of the other Wave 2 MP exclusives Daisy, Boo, etc...) function with the game. Shovel Knight does nothing in any game I'm aware besides Shovel Knight.

 

I picked up the Chibi Robo Amiibo on the 'Bay for peanuts since it's bundled with the 3DS game that most older 3DS owners can't use (and I've never seen the Amiibo portal anywhere but never really looked for it), I got it for like $6 shipped.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Why wouldn't the toilet snorkel work?

Why not build a butt-rocket? You are not morally opposed to sticking things up your bum, like i dunno, the collection tube?

 

The toilet snorkel is meant to save lives? Sorry but if a building is filling with toxic gases, I've a better shot at holding my breath and run like hell for the exit (paramedics can resuscitate me outside if necessary) than sticking a tube down a commode and attempting to breath potentially equally toxic sewer gas.

[Guest LiqMat]

Yeah, patented devices like the Toilet Snorkel and Butt Rocket were never a commercially viable idea but somebody still felt they were worth protecting...

 

 

Well I know what I want for Christmas next year!

[BillLoguidice]

First confirmation that some Nintendo Switch games will REQUIRE use of external storage: https://techraptor.net/content/nintendo-switch-eshop-software-sizes-revealed-and-dragon-quest-i-ii-already-requires-an-sd-card

 

Presumably, in this particular instance, it's because Dragon Quest I/II take up the current full 32GB game card size limit.

 

In any case, this is not an unexpected development. It again highlights how inadequate including only 32GB of onboard storage really is for a system like this.

[adamchevy]

First confirmation that some Nintendo Switch games will REQUIRE use of external storage: https://techraptor.net/content/nintendo-switch-eshop-software-sizes-revealed-and-dragon-quest-i-ii-already-requires-an-sd-card

 

Presumably, in this particular instance, it's because Dragon Quest I/II take up the current full 32GB game card size limit.

 

In any case, this is not an unexpected development. It again highlights how inadequate including only 32GB of onboard storage really is for a system like this.

I'm sure they couldn't have used an SSD drive for storage because of space constraints, but a couple more ram chips soldered onto the motherboard should have been possible. Or possibly they could have used chips with more memory. Of course with SDXC becoming increasingly more common and cheaper they decided to pass the cost on to the consumer. It is strange that they couldn't have done atleast 64GB.

[Tanooki]

Well good that means if they're already pushing the 32GB envelope it's a fantastic thing of sizes to expect in the future. People decided to play the assumption game that since Nintendo noted a 32GB card at the top of their list that was it. I really don't think so, not like Nintendo to blow out the largest card size for a system out of the gate. That means it's just the largest size they'll allow currently for production purposes (likely based on cost.)

 

DQ Heroes I'd love to get my hands on so that's a must whenever it's localized.

[CPUWIZ]

(likely based on cost.)

 

I don't know about that, the 720P screen is probably about $3.00 and RAM as well as flash memory is dirt cheap. Yet it costs $300.

 

I got a XB1-S 2TB + 4 games for $300, brand new (bonus, it plays 4K Blu Ray's). It isn't about size of the board etc., either. All iPhone models of one generation are the same size, from 16GB to 128GB, for instance.

[cimerians]

Ridiculous.

 

I think I've said that already....

 

[Guest LiqMat]

First confirmation that some Nintendo Switch games will REQUIRE use of external storage: https://techraptor.net/content/nintendo-switch-eshop-software-sizes-revealed-and-dragon-quest-i-ii-already-requires-an-sd-card

 

Presumably, in this particular instance, it's because Dragon Quest I/II take up the current full 32GB game card size limit.

 

In any case, this is not an unexpected development. It again highlights how inadequate including only 32GB of onboard storage really is for a system like this.

 

I just can't see making mom, dad and the kids juggle storage right out of the gates like this. This is just stupid on Nintendo's part especially at that price point.

[adamchevy]

 

I just can't see making mom, dad and the kids juggle storage right out of the gates like this. This is just stupid on Nintendo's part especially at that price point.

I think we live in a time when mom and dad are used to it by now. Speaking as a Dad. Edited February 20, 2017 by adamchevy

[Tanooki]

I second that, as I have a five year old who got her first v-tech digital purple and pink go-pro for kids wannabe camera that had no memory so we had to shop for a nice little microSD card for it. Anyone complaining about buying a memory card at this point when it's been expected for years in this market is just looking for something to complain about.