Nintendo Switch “Pro” GPU to be Based on Volta Architecture; 4K Support, Massive Performance Improve

erek

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Dec 19, 2005
Messages
10,785
You hooking it up?

"Earlier this month, DigiTimes also revealed that a new Nintendo Switch model would be released this year. It has not been specified it would be a major hardware revision or a minor one, like the revised base model released last year with improved battery life. Considering the release of the Nintendo Switch Lite, it's being assumed that the next model could be a more powerful version of the regular model in the vein of the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X. With Nintendo often releasing revisions of its consoles, a release of another Nintendo Switch model is more than likely."

https://wccftech.com/nintendo-switch-pro-gpu-volta-4k/
 
I got the v2 not knowing if I'd care to even have a Switch and didn't want to gamble on a higher priced pro, even if it would be released soon...

Should have waited, the Switch is awesome with its versatility. Will almost definitely get the pro assuming it's released reasonably soon.
 
Nintendo is meh to me now. I will probably never buy another Nintendo console from them. I haven't touched mine in probably a year. I don't even find Nintendo's 1st party games fun. BotW is the worst Zelda game.
 
I’ve had one since launch and love it. When I traveled a ton for work a couple years back it was very handy. Not to mention the first party Nintendo exclusives are still fantastic which makes me keep it.

I’ll pick up the “Pro” version in a heartbeat since my TV is 4K and would love a graphic boost.
 
Will this be based on the Drive Xavier, a 12nm 30watt chip ?


https://wccftech.com/nvidia-next-gen-gpu-architecture-powered-orin-soc-announced/

NVIDIA-Drive-Roadmap.jpg
 

I thought for the last year it would be Pascal TX2, but then they did a die shrink on Maxwell, killing any benefit. The Pascal GPU is only 30% faster, and you wouldn't gain any power savings.

Volta 512-sp is the only way to efficiently improve GPU performance, but they will have to cut power elsewhere. You can drop all the specialized DSPs, half the CPU cores, drop CPU seeds from 2.2 to 1.65 ghz, and drop GPU from 1.3 to 1.0 in docked mode, and should be okay!

See the massive diffeerence 128 -> 256 -> 512 gets you, (despite major architectural changes.)

https://www.fastcompression.com/blog/jetson-benchmark-comparison.htm

Apparently the Xavier device has a 10w mode, but that probably leaves everything enabled at half-clocks. They would still have to drop half the CPU cores to get it into a portable power capability (7w), and they can use the spare power to clock CPU aand GPU back up in docked mode.
 
Last edited:
I thought for the last year it would be Pascal TX2, but then they did a die shrink on Maxwell, killing any benefit. The Pascal GPU is only 30% faster, and you wouldn't gain any power savings.

Volta 512-sp is the only way to efficiently improve GPU performance, but they will have to cut power elsewhere. You can drop all the specialized DSPs, half the CPU cores, drop CPU seeds from 2.2 to 1.65 ghz, and drop GPU from 1.3 to 1.0 in docked mode, and should be okay!

See the massive diffeerence 128 -> 256 -> 512 gets you, (despite major architectural changes.)

https://www.fastcompression.com/blog/jetson-benchmark-comparison.htm

Apparently the Xavier device has a 10w mode, but that probably leaves everything enabled at half-clocks. They would still have to drop half the CPU cores to get it into a portable power capability (7w), and they can use the spare power to clock CPU aand GPU back up in docked mode.
Considerthat they have recently been increasing the CPU speeds in firmware updates. Even allowing devs to apply a massive CPU overclock during loading screens: I seriously doubt they will dump CPU mhz.
 
Nintendo needs to start getting much better on the console hardware or they need to exit hardware all together. They are still living in the 90-00 where most games where exclusive...now games are running mostly cross platform and Nintendo hardware sucks.
The switch for what it is is cool but it should never have been the main console
 
Nintendo needs to start getting much better on the console hardware or they need to exit hardware all together. They are still living in the 90-00 where most games where exclusive...now games are running mostly cross platform and Nintendo hardware sucks.
The switch for what it is is cool but it should never have been the main console
I agree for the most part but it works for them. They turn a profit from each console sold. Typically it is the most affordable console and sales tons of units. Nintendo games sell 8 million+ each and they don't have to pay any royalty fees to someone. They have complete control over everything and that's how they like it. So what benefit would it be to become 3rd party developer? People buy Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games.
 
Nintendo needs to start getting much better on the console hardware or they need to exit hardware all together. They are still living in the 90-00 where most games where exclusive...now games are running mostly cross platform and Nintendo hardware sucks.
The switch for what it is is cool but it should never have been the main console
Should never have been the main console?---Switch has been selling like mad. They basically own the portable console market and they acknowledge that by doubling down on it, with Switch Lite. Which is portable only. And as mentioned, their brands are VERY strong. It makes sense for them to keep it all first party, for as long as people will keep buying hardware. Switch is also a very good way to play indy games. I've seen many people say they prefer stuff like Hollow Knight, on Switch.

Things Nintendo really needs to do:

get with the times on internet/multiplayer service and features
be more aggressive with offering ports of old games on their e-shop
not be so slow with Pokemon. I don't even like Pokemon. But, Nintendo has basically made Pokemon fans wait large amounts of time, with each console release. And half the time, they've been weird partial games. Its really strange.

It doesn't make sense for them to have a dedicated living room box. As that would just crowd the market further for ports, etc. There just isn't room for 4 cross platform port machines. There's barely room for 3. I would much rather MS and Sony join to make one uber console and Nintendo stays focused on the hybrid/portable market.
 
Last edited:
Switch is the only console worth owning IMO, switch + great gaming PC is pretty much all you need.

Also, should note for those that only read title, assuming it cut off , it is NOT expected to get big updates according to this.

Nintendo Switch “Pro” GPU to be Based on Volta Architecture; 4K Support, Massive Performance Improvements Not Expected
 
Last edited:
Switch is the only console worth owning IMO, switch + great gaming PC is pretty much all you need.

Also, should note for those that only read title, assuming it cut off , it is NOT expected to get big updates according to this.
Sony exclusives>>>>>>>> Nintendo exclusives. In my opinion anyway.
 
Sony exclusives>>>>>>>> Nintendo exclusives. In my opinion anyway.
Having a style preference is fine. But I think its very much worth noting that there's very little crossover. Nintendo is usually doing very different kinds of games, than what we see from, well....anyone else.

Nintendo is still doing fitness games, for crying out loud. And they just struck gold on that.

Splatoon is one of the best multiplayer shooters this decade. A lot of that comes from how it hardly resembles the usual suspects.
 
Considerthat they have recently been increasing the CPU speeds in firmware updates. Even allowing devs to apply a massive CPU overclock during loading screens: I seriously doubt they will dump CPU mhz.

That boost clock increase is only short-lived (to improve loading times of games). see here:

https://www.imore.com/nintendo-switch-boost-mode-everything-you-need-know

Making it permanent would result in the Switch overheating (even in docked mode)! There's no reason they won't maintain these boosts on the new Xavier console (but again, they will remain TEMPORARY during loading)

The CPU cores in Xavier are Carmel cores (Denver revision 2.0). They are MUCH faster per-clock than the old A57s in the Maxwell TX1 (and more efficient).

They can keep raising the clock speeds of TX1 (thanks to the die shrink reducing power), but the performance/clock is pretty low (compared to newer options). And it's capped at 2.0 ghz!

By losing half the cores on Xavier, they can use the same 4-core setup they've always used, but it should be able to be clocked higher in docked mode, and get more done.
 
Last edited:
If it can do full 1080p docked and undocked count me in. Otherwise I don't really care.
 
The CPU cores in Xavier are Carmel cores (Denver revision 2.0). They are MUCH faster per-clock than the old A57s in the Maxwell TX1.

They can keep raising the clock speeds (thanks to the die shrink reducing power), but the performance/clock is pretty low (compared to newer options). And it's capped at 2.0 ghz!

By losing half the cores, they can use the same 4-core setup they've always used, but it should be able to be clocked higher in docked mode, and get more done.
Its tough to judge those benchmarks, since its 8 core Vs. 4 core, as well as a lot more MHZ on that 8 core. Assuming there is at least some favorable scaling in that program for the 8 cores----then I'd say the architecture may not actually be a large improvement. Which might be why the rumors are saying the next Switch still wouldn't be a big upgrade. Because there isn't suitable hardware yet?
 
Its tough to judge those benchmarks, since its 8 core Vs. 4 core, as well as a lot more MHZ on that 8 core. Assuming there is at least some favorable scaling in that program for the 8 cores----then I'd say the architecture may not actually be a large improvement. Which might be why the rumors are saying the next Switch still wouldn't be a big upgrade. Because there isn't suitable hardware yet?


That was when they assumed it would be TX2.
 
Nintendo is meh to me now. I will probably never buy another Nintendo console from them. I haven't touched mine in probably a year. I don't even find Nintendo's 1st party games fun. BotW is the worst Zelda game.

You had me until you said BotW was the worst Zelda game.

I also haven’t touched my Switch in damn close to a year, but I’d argue Breath of the Wild is not only the best Zelda game in 20 years but one of the best games of all time.
 
Every console I've ever owned had less than 10 exclusives I wanted to play by the end of it's life. That's just the nature of consoles. The Switch was still worth it for Fire Emblem and Pokemon. I'm patiently awaiting Shin Megami Tensei V.
 
You had me until you said BotW was the worst Zelda game.

I also haven’t touched my Switch in damn close to a year, but I’d argue Breath of the Wild is not only the best Zelda game in 20 years but one of the best games of all time.

I don't feel Breath of the Wild plays like a Zelda game. I was very disappointed in it. To me, it was very boring. I agree it was the worst Zelda game.
 
You hooking it up?

"Earlier this month, DigiTimes also revealed that a new Nintendo Switch model would be released this year. It has not been specified it would be a major hardware revision or a minor one, like the revised base model released last year with improved battery life. Considering the release of the Nintendo Switch Lite, it's being assumed that the next model could be a more powerful version of the regular model in the vein of the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X. With Nintendo often releasing revisions of its consoles, a release of another Nintendo Switch model is more than likely."

https://wccftech.com/nintendo-switch-pro-gpu-volta-4k/


Nintendo said on their investor call, no new switch model in 2020.


Maybe i should start a website and just start making shit up, so others can post on message boards.
 
Nintendo said on their investor call, no new switch model in 2020.


Maybe i should start a website and just start making shit up, so others can post on message boards.

That doesn't mean we won't see it next year. 384 or 512 shader Volta is the future of the Switch mid life upgrade! they're just waiting for self drive demand to fall (and pick it up for a discount like TX1)
 
You had me until you said BotW was the worst Zelda game.

I also haven’t touched my Switch in damn close to a year, but I’d argue Breath of the Wild is not only the best Zelda game in 20 years but one of the best games of all time.

I'm with you on Botw. It's my favorite zelda game of all time. The game play was by far the most engaging and there was a lot more stuff to explore.

I would be down to buy the switch pro or whatever if it had 4k support and developers updated the games for it. I'd like to play Fire emblem, Shin Megami Tensei V etc. in actual HD with good textures.
 
You had me until you said BotW was the worst Zelda game.

I also haven’t touched my Switch in damn close to a year, but I’d argue Breath of the Wild is not only the best Zelda game in 20 years but one of the best games of all time.
It is not just bad Zelda game. It is a bad game period. If it didn't have the Zelda name attached to it no one would of gave it a 2nd though. If you like is it fine. Just my opinion.
 
Last edited:
I never got the love for BOTW. Feels like 95% of other open-world sandbox games, but heavier on the puzzles and inventory management. It's not bad or anything, but I never got all of the "it's revolutionary" chatter.

As far as a new Switch goes, I'm going to need some concrete reasons for upgrading. Game consoles usually avoid dividing their audiences when possible. That tends to limit what better SKU's are allowed to do. If this is true, I think I'd rather have this be a totally new system that just happens to play existing Switch games, too. Nintendo's hardware department never ceases to disappoint me, so I'm sure I won't be happy with whatever it ends up being. Yet because I love Smash and Mario Kart I'm going to get stuck buying whatever they end up selling.
 
Sadly, I bought my switch because of BotW. I can't think of a game that would cause my to want to upgrade to a newer one. Zelda games were usually the driving force for me to buy systems.
 
Nintendo needs to start getting much better on the console hardware or they need to exit hardware all together. They are still living in the 90-00 where most games where exclusive...now games are running mostly cross platform and Nintendo hardware sucks.
The switch for what it is is cool but it should never have been the main console

Nintendo has typically been about first party games selling the system, and the Switch is no exception. Nintendo is an EXCELLENT game maker, creating some of the most iconic and memorable games out there. The Switch itself isn't too competitive spec wise when it comes to third party games that aren't exclusive to the system. 99% of the time, it's just a better game on the XB or PS. But, those first party games are top notch and really sell the system.

I would really love to see them come out with a new console that really competes with the XB or PS. But, I don't see the switch as a direct competitor. It's on a different level. Bringing out a non-gimmick, box & controller style, console with specs that rival the others with a good game library would be awesome. It's just not what's going to sell for Nintendo. That isn't their niche anymore. They adapted to the gaming landscape, and they are doing really well with it.
 
I haven't played the xbone but comparing my roommate's PS4 to the Switch shows it to be the superior console in every aspect except for raw power. Saying Nintendo should get out of the hardware business is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen said here. Compared to the Switch the PS4 takes forever to boot and forever to shut down. Any time I'm playing a game on it and ready to take a break I miss the instant sleep mode and wakeup that the Switch has. Nintendo does software really well and their hardware gimmicks are actually useful. I play my Switch docked 99% of the time but being able to take it with me when I went out of town a few months ago and play Fire Emblem on the plane was really nice. I just wish it could do full 1080p docked if not undocked but I'm not a graphics whore when it comes to consoles. If I want to be a graphics whore that's what my expensive PC is for.
 
I don't comprehend your confusion. Nintendo only said no new releases in 2020. I'm referring to 2021.

The article clearly says "this year," as do all my posts. Are you sure you meant to reply to me? IDGAF about next year, it has no relevance to the orignal post or any of mine.
 
BotW is the worst Zelda game.

You've lost your marbles. BUT I'm am glad I just upgraded my PC to ryzen which included 32gb ram so I could play it on my computer for free. Was tempted to pick up a switch just to play it and prob still wouldnt have been disappointed. I think it's frickin awesome!
 
Volta doesn't really make sense for a portable gaming device. Volta is pretty much Pascal + Tensor cores so its much bigger and a little bit more power hungry: so for a gaming device is much less efficient.

I hoped the rumored switch pro (which turned out to be the switch lite) was pascal based. Its more power efficient than Maxwell, even with the die shrink. I guess they went for battery life instead of performance.
 
Nintendo needs to start getting much better on the console hardware or they need to exit hardware all together.

I think they should ditch hardware and go all IP based. They have the base of games that people like. Its already running on a version of Android. Let other people worry about the hardware and concentrate on your IP. It would break from the norm of console gaming though. Most people have some kind of media player. Only a matter of time before they all get balls like an Nvidia Shield TV. In the future you could potentially buy a TV that is capable of playing Nintendo games? That could be cool?

But Nintendo has always done extremely well on selling their own hardware. I guess their answer would be why stop when its worked this far? A lot has changed though in a few short years with cell phones and what they pack GPU wise.
 
Back
Top