Nintendo Switch Less Powerful Than PlayStation 4

Megalith

Megalith

24-bit/48kHz
Staff member
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
13,000
To nobody’s surprise, the Switch isn’t going to be a powerhouse in the graphics department. Nintendo was supposedly in such a rush that they went with Maxwell rather than Pascal tech—I wonder how quickly we’ll see the Switch 2 with the latter.

The Nintendo Switch game console coming in March won’t be more powerful than Sony’s three-year-old PlayStation 4, according to sources familiar with the system. Two sources (who asked to keep their names out of this story) confirmed to GamesBeat that the Switch uses Nvidia’s last-generation Maxwell graphics-processing architecture. Nvidia introduced its new Pascal architecture earlier this year, but that technology is not ready for the Tegra chip going into the Switch. The custom Maxwell Tegra (which uses a 20nm process as opposed to the more efficient 16nm process of the Pascal) in the machine is still powerful enough to play Nintendo-style games that rely on quality art over horsepower, but don’t expect Switch software to match the graphical fidelity of the highest-end PS4 games.
 
nutzo said:
Another gimmicky underpowered console from Nintendo. Why am I not surprised.
Click to expand...

But it's got hundreds of thousands of engineering man hours according to nvidia so it has to be great! Seems like nvidia shoe horned old tegra tech and got a payday out of Nintendo. I think Nintendo would do far better becoming a third party developer rather than trying to be both a hardware and software company.
 
Pascal isn't a big upgrade over Maxwell. The performance impact is mostly cause it's a freakin tablet. No heatsink means no high performance. It's another Nintendo 3DS as if we needed another portable console from Nintendo.
 
Even if it was Pascal I thought it was pretty well known that it would be less powerful than the PS4. I mean hell the common speculation puts it under the XB1.
 
When you can take your PS4 on the go without some sort of ridiculous portable hack, let me know.

Otherwise, this is comparing apples to oranges, which is usual for everything anti-Nintendo nowadays where idiots have to justify buying multiplats over and over when they could've just played the same shit on PC. Stupidity at its finest.

But hey, enjoy rocking that XBone S and PS4 Pro @ 1080 30FPS, dudebros. Must be nice to play the same old garbage on either console instead of having unique experiences which aren't available elsewhere.
 
I've always felt the exact same, Joker. Nintendo is great at making first party games and peripherals. They're less impressive managing a whole ecosystem . I'd be happy to buy a ton of the kind of content that comes out for the New 3DS, WiiU, and Switch for PC and Android instead. I have little inclination nor justification for conventional consoles from Microsoft and Sony, as they're already more or less proprietary PCs locked down and priced up. However, the same goes for Nintendo. I said before if the Switch was simply a latest-generation Android tablet, with mid to high end specs, fully compliant with everything else for Android, but just happened to also come with Nintendo peripherals, a customized UI, and perhaps even their game store (though I'd also like titles to be sold on other markets etc), I'd buy it as my primary Android tablet for e-reading, gaming etc. However much like i have no inclination to buy a New 3DS just to play a couple of games there when I have a cell phone more than capable of doing so, I don't see any reason to buy a whole separate console when I could have PC or in this case, tablet already. If Nintendo started developing for 3rd party systems with PC for stationary and Android for mobile as primary, it would be fantastic. There's still the potential that the Switch could be an Android tablet but hearing about its low resolution and now its low power and possibly old tech, it seems like Nintendo can't give up old patterns even when they don't work...
 
A relatively higher end gaming tablet is still a battery powered gaming tablet. I'm not sure that there were any surprises here. Portability, and ease of docking to play on a big screen, are the main features. Nintendo hasn't seemed to hype up its performance yet.
 
Trimlock said:
If this shocks anyone, then they were probably expecting too much.
Click to expand...

Indeed. While it would be awesome to have something as powerful as the PS4 in a portable format, that simply isn't viable option right at this moment. I'm not even sure where the "as powerful as a PS4" speculation came from besides crazy fanboys.
 
Yeah, if this is true, I won't even consider getting one. As it is, I was on the fence.

I have too many games as it is now. I still have Gamecube and Wii games in the que I haven't even played.

Besides, I already know 1st party Nintendo titles will trickle out, no Metroid, etc etc etc. To me, it will be another case of under-powered, wait around on games that will never come out.

Whoever they have working at Nintendo needs to be fired and replaced.

It wouldn't have hurt them in the least to wait another 90 days to release a Pascal based console. Who cares if the Switch is coming out in Feb or Jan, or whatever. How is that any different than a few months later?
 
The last time Nintendo was relevant with consoles was the SNES. Sure, the Wii was a great seller, but who actually played it? I know plenty of people who have one, and they all ended up collecting dust. The handheld market is different. Like the NES & SNES, they controlled that. But as for portability? It looks like they're still more concerned with Japan than the rest of the world. And while tablets might be nice, I still don't find them great when it comes to portability. A small phone is still better.
 
Xinmosni said:
When you can take your PS4 on the go without some sort of ridiculous portable hack, let me know.

Otherwise, this is comparing apples to oranges, which is usual for everything anti-Nintendo nowadays where idiots have to justify buying multiplats over and over when they could've just played the same shit on PC. Stupidity at its finest.

But hey, enjoy rocking that XBone S and PS4 Pro @ 1080 30FPS, dudebros. Must be nice to play the same old garbage on either console instead of having unique experiences which aren't available elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Nintendo I honestly think recruited some of Apple's marketing people. Just kinda has that same feel to it doesn't it?
 
DPI said:
The Switch is essentially a gaming tablet, so you kind of expect tablet performance.
Click to expand...

I see this as a replacement for the 3DS, much like the DS was for the GBA. Although back then Nintendo claimed they were co-existing platforms and the DS would not "replace" the GBA it certainly did. Same situation with the 3DS and the Switch. It just happens to have a dock for at home use, which is rather nifty. But it clearly isn't a dedicated home console. This signals Nintendo's exit from the home console market, unless they bring something else more powerful in the next couple of years but I think the chances are rather slim. Historically there have really only ever been two major consoles competing at any one given time. The exception being the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox. The Wii was competition but was largely different.

I don't think the game developers/publishers want to make a 4th version of every major game either.
 
serpretetsky said:
N64?
Click to expand...

The N64 sold 33 million compared to 50 million with the SNES. While the NES sold 62 million, it makes sense for the drop, as the Genesis sold 31 million. The PlayStation sold 100 million by comparison.

There's population growth, plus Nintendo focuses on the children's market rather than trying to maintain gamers who were now becoming adults.
 
Yea, for us PC people this is a joke, but this will sell like crazy, I want one already, cause it's nintendo, and it's not a fake underpowered PC.
 
I still plan on pre ordering one. The Switch looks like it is going to kill. What kid or adult doesn't want to be able to play a game on their TV and then pick up the screen and start playing again in the car on the go. This is the main reason I want one of these. I can play at work on my break or while I am in between college classes and then play the same saved game on my big screen TV. After seeing the Switch on Jimmy Fallon a few weeks ago, I am sure it will sale very well. Mainly for multi player on the go part of it. I am not saying that graphics aren't a big part of a game because they are, but game play is another big part of it. Watching Zelda being played on Jimmy Fallon on the switch, it looks perfectly good for me. There is no way you can get 4k 60fps or even 30 fps out of a portable gaming device right now. Thats why the PS4 Pro and the new XB1 coming out will be stuck at home in front of your TV unable to be played in your hand in the car.
 
Prod1702 said:
I still plan on pre ordering one. The Switch looks like it is going to kill. What kid or adult doesn't want to be able to play a game on their TV and then pick up the screen and start playing again in the car on the go. This is the main reason I want one of these. I can play at work on my break or while I am in between college classes and then play the same saved game on my big screen TV. After seeing the Switch on Jimmy Fallon a few weeks ago, I am sure it will sale very well. Mainly for multi player on the go part of it. I am not saying that graphics aren't a big part of a game because they are, but game play is another big part of it. Watching Zelda being played on Jimmy Fallon on the switch, it looks perfectly good for me. There is no way you can get 4k 60fps or even 30 fps out of a portable gaming device right now. Thats why the PS4 Pro and the new XB1 coming out will be stuck at home in front of your TV unable to be played in your hand in the car.
Click to expand...

I am sure it will sell well, their handheld division always does. I think the mistake is thinking it is going to take place of a gaming pc or console. It is going to take their 3ds to the next step, the gaming tablet. nvidias portable gaming tablet was decent it just doesn't have nintendo selling it. They do have great IP I just hope they utilize it instead of just getting a handful of decent games, making a system purchase not really worth it. As long as they don't launch another 3ds type system, they will do well. If they are aiming to take out xb or ps4, that is not likely to happen.
 
This just in - "nintendos nes classic console is not as powerful as a ps4!". More obvious news at 11.
 
Nintendo has the right idea. Fixed devices have faced declining interest for years now and graphical horsepower is sufficient to make fantastic looking games on portable devices as long as there is good art direction. Sony and Microsoft may have more powerful hardware but they still can't pull off a proper 4K experience so it doesn't really matter. The best graphics will always be found on the PC, and consoles are all about exclusive games you can't get anywhere else.
 
They could always "Switch" to a new graphics processor mid console cycle. That being said though. Dumb move by Nintendo to go with older tech, taking notes from Apple it seems.
 
jeremyshaw said:
Venturebeat... the same people who claimed Nintendo was going with an AMD APU for the NX. Very reliable.

http://venturebeat.com/2015/07/16/more-hints-that-amd-is-building-nintendo-nxs-processor/

If anything, I take this to mean the Switch is NOT using Maxwell, lol.
Click to expand...

It wouldn't surprise me. While Nvidia's announcement made it sound like Pascal, they were vague enough in their wording that it could be Maxwell also. The more reliable rumor sources haven't said one way or the other if they agree with the rumor.
 
The reasoning from Venturebeat is wrong though, the development could had started with with Tegra X1 development boards and the actual end product could had easily been manufactured as the Pascal Tegra.
In fact I cannot see a reason why Nvidia could not manufacturer the Pascal Tegra for Nintendo by Q3-Q 2016, leaving nearly a quarter to populate through for large manufacturing-logistics stock and distribution before actual going on sale.
The argument against it could possibly be the bespoke low level and complete API, but I do not see that holding back being able to use Tegra X1 development boards and then special custom dev boards (that could had been available to Nintendo by early Summer 2016) pertaining to Switch.
Now that does not mean it is using Pascal Tegra, just that the primary reason given in Venturebeat seems incomplete.
Worth noting the Maxwell Tegra SoC they would be using is not going to be that much more powerful than the next gen mobile GPUs from ARM and Qualcomm.
Given enough power they would also put the Shield under pressure as they are definitely more aware of gaming development going forward.

Cheers
 
The switch wasn't designed to "take on" the PS4. They cater to completely different market segments.
 
Darunion said:
If they are aiming to take out xb or ps4, that is not likely to happen.
Click to expand...
I don't think that Nintendo has been trying to do that since the Gamecube. People forget that the Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2 but design (the way it looked and the fact they went with mini dvd) and lack of 3rd party titles kind of killed it. I think since then,they've been forging their own lane. I think the Switch will sell pretty good though, considering what it is and how apparently, some 3rd parties are showing interest. Time will tell...
 
A portable system isn't as powerful as a TV-based console that came out less than 3 years prior? Oh my god, the world is ending! Let's burn Nintendo's offices to the ground!

Seriously, I can't understand some people's magical thinking.
 
While I don't think people were expecting the forthcoming Nintendo Switch to have been a gaming powerhouse, at this point , the PS4 has been out over 3 years, so the fact that a console that isn't even out yet isn't going to have at least as much power as the PS4 is justifiably disapointing.

People knew that PS4 was pretty much a underpowered option for 1080p console gaming when it's spec were released but they were close enough that most people understood it might be ok once the optimization got better like it normally does after a few years into a console launch and it has been a decent console but even Sony knew going forward that it could benefit from a spec bump with the PS4 "Pro" even if they mainly changed specs to protect profits.

Now Nintendo, knowing that the WiiU didn't sell well because it didn't offer a compelling upgrade over the Wii for the price have decided to power their next console with a tablet solution that isn't as powerful as a underpowered solution available since late 2013 and hope it will sell well or compete for peoples gaming dollars seems like it might not be the best way forward.

I'm sure that if the Switch was slated to at least match the PS4 or slightly outpace it, that it would seem to be a console that will have some longevity and potential to leverage that power to make for good gaming experiences, but if it launches with tablet like specs, Nintendo will be forced into being the gimmicky niche console and the good game options will have to be 1st part offerings once again, and that is a disappointing outlook for a console that hasn't even launched yet regardless if it only needs to be good enough for "kids" games.
 
Xaeos said:
I've always felt the exact same, Joker. Nintendo is great at making first party games and peripherals. They're less impressive managing a whole ecosystem . I'd be happy to buy a ton of the kind of content that comes out for the New 3DS, WiiU, and Switch for PC and Android instead. I have little inclination nor justification for conventional consoles from Microsoft and Sony, as they're already more or less proprietary PCs locked down and priced up. However, the same goes for Nintendo. I said before if the Switch was simply a latest-generation Android tablet, with mid to high end specs, fully compliant with everything else for Android, but just happened to also come with Nintendo peripherals, a customized UI, and perhaps even their game store (though I'd also like titles to be sold on other markets etc), I'd buy it as my primary Android tablet for e-reading, gaming etc. However much like i have no inclination to buy a New 3DS just to play a couple of games there when I have a cell phone more than capable of doing so, I don't see any reason to buy a whole separate console when I could have PC or in this case, tablet already. If Nintendo started developing for 3rd party systems with PC for stationary and Android for mobile as primary, it would be fantastic. There's still the potential that the Switch could be an Android tablet but hearing about its low resolution and now its low power and possibly old tech, it seems like Nintendo can't give up old patterns even when they don't work...
Click to expand...
to say that a company like nintendo cant sustain an ecosystem is a bold ignorant statement right there. It would be suicide to stop making consoles it would dilute them as a company.
 
This shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone, but I know some people were expecting this (for some unknown reason).

What matters to me is how much less powerful it is. If it's too difficult to port over to, 3rd party support is going to die quickly like with the Wii U.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top