Topic: Switchmas Eve Rumors and Speculations Thread

[MysticGohan]

Because amd has socs and a few they can't talk about yet.NX fits in that camp.

You flat-out said Nvidia does not have SOCs which is entirely false.

That may be but amd had socs  Nvidia does not, this is reason to believe it'll be  amd for the home console.

We'll see But don't be surprise if it's AMD, keep in mind I've been talking of the Home Console and not the handheld, and yes they are two different devices.

[Kairon]

I wouldn't mind at all if AMD is doing the chips for it, honestly. I prefer them for PCs for family members too because I'm so price conscious plus I love me an underdog.

It's just that if I had to choose between the two rumors, I just feel like there's more "truthiness" on the Nvidia side of things... based on absolutely nothing objective, lol.

But as for Nintendo using them BOTH? (NVidia for Handheld AMD for Console) My mind can't wrap itself around that idea! @_@  I thought a major point of the NX would be to make it EASIER for Nintendo/devs to develop a game ONCE and then release it across more than a single piece of hardware!

Also I'm starting to dislike the "Hybrid" moniker for a lot of these ideas because I feel it might be misleading. If there's a handheld AND a console unit and they both play the same games more or less, that's not a hybrid, that's a single ecosystem which gives consumers their choice of form factor/power.

[MysticGohan]

We'll see, but everyone's just piggy backing on this rumor. EG was wrong on the successor to the DS, I believe it's the same scenario. Evidence contradicts everything we've heard in the last year. Just have to wait for Nintendo to announce the unveiling.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I just did some digging back into the Hybrid speculation (mostly just what I was saying... because it was easier to search for myself) and damn, was I putting up the argument for the for that powerful Handheld w/ a "tvbox" attached to the TV for home play... all the way back in October 2013.

I will be juiced if this Hybrid idea is what ends up happening.
I'm all for a "customized" Tegra X2 based system, and a Roku-like docking system.
especially if this dock allowed for massive local storage for game/app/data management and allowed hot-swapping of content on and off of your portable device

I think removable controllers (that function like wiimote+'s?) sounds pretty awesome

I also think it would be dope AF if Nintendo eventually released a full fledged home console that worked hand-in-hand w/ this hybrid portable. But it would be even more awesome if it wasn't even needed because they just handled the Hybrid right from the start and it was adopted across the industry.

and for something that is supposedly launching in March of next year, they really don't have a lot of time left to announce the thing properly. It was speculated that since Nvidia is revealing the X2 sometime in August, that is when the NX has it's coming out party.

I guess the waiting game continues.

[MysticGohan]

For Honor will not run on Tegra, just a thought.

[ThePerm]

We're really thinking of this in terms of tegra only. If there is a dock console it could very well have some sort of other nvidia chip.

https://youtu.be/Xn1EsFe7snQ?t=1196

watching this video Nintendo and Nvidia might have some synergy.

[Agent-X-]

We're really thinking of this in terms of tegra only. If there is a dock console it could very well have some sort of other nvidia chip.

That is my hope and is something I suggested earlier in this thread. The Tegra chip doesn't have to be the primary GPU in the home console...

[BranDonk Kong]

Nvidia has had SoCs for years. X1 is their 6th generation Tegra SoC.

[MysticGohan]

Not in the console sector, and not since the original Xbox.

[Louieturkey]

Not in the console sector, and not since the original Xbox.

So we're moving the goal posts now?  I have a feeling the NX will be revealed this month and we'll all find out what's up at that point hopefully.

[MysticGohan]

Not in the console sector, and not since the original Xbox.

So we're moving the goal posts now?  I have a feeling the NX will be revealed this month and we'll all find out what's up at that point hopefully.

Indeed, but it won't be what EG is leading it to be.

[ShyGuy]

So that Brazilian forum rumor talked about how the NX was very modular, with interchangeable CPU, GPU, and LCD screen.

I think ideally, Nintendo doesn't not want to again marry itself to a specific chip, like it did with the PowerPC. A software platform that can move, using technology like GLES and Vulkan, to x86 or ARM, Nvidia or AMD. That's easier said than done.

[MysticGohan]

hmmm....

[BranDonk Kong]

The original Xbox did not use an SoC. It was basically a custom micro ATX motherboard with a custom 733 MHz Intel Pentium 3, custom Nvidia GeForce 3 GPU, standard IDE HDD, standard IDE DVD-ROM and custom USB controllers.

[Oedo]

Not in the console sector, and not since the original Xbox.

So we're moving the goal posts now?  I have a feeling the NX will be revealed this month and we'll all find out what's up at that point hopefully.

Indeed, but it won't be what EG is leading it to be.

If I was pressed to make a choice I wouldn't bet on Eurogamer's information being completely on the mark, but I don't see how you can categorically declare that they're wrong given the general lack of concrete information out there.

[Wah]

Take anything the media tells you with a grain of salt.

[Soren]

Take anything the media tells you with a grain of salt.

Do trust Gaf posters who have been "vetted" by mods.

[Wah]

Take anything the media tells you with a grain of salt.

Do trust Gaf posters who have been "vetted" by mods.

Maybe, I'm just sceptical of a lot of the stuff on this thread.

[ThePerm]

If you look at it, what were some things that worked with Wii U?

The controller was great, but it needed improvement...it would be nice if you could take it more than a few feet away from the console. It needed dual touch.

The system had augmented reality, but it was rarely used. I have an augmented reality game idea, but i have no idea how I would program it.

Nintendo actually released 2 version of wii u. A deluxe version and a cheaper shittier version. The only difference was storage space, but Nintendo could theoretically decide to have a few models of NX each with different levels. Nintendo could release systems that have different levels of power. They would scale down depending on how much you want to pay. Nintendo wouldn't usually do this, they would rather have a mass market version and push that. However, Nintendo does kinda do this with the DS line. Having a few models does two things. It give 3rd parties no excuse, and it allows some flexibility.

[Stogi]

Reading through the thread, I still see no compelling reason to have one hybrid console rather than a handheld and console that share the same game format.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Reading through the thread, I still see no compelling reason to have one hybrid console rather than a handheld and console that share the same game format.

I didn't read through this thread, but maybe you could revisit an old thread for a more compelling reason?
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=43282.msg819203#msg819203

I think it's just as valid now, even though it was made almost 3 years ago.

[Kairon]

I think in the Hybrid versus two-form factor discussion, Nintendo might be able to have their cake and eat it too.

What if the NX Handheld was close to what Eurogamer described, and could dock to a TV if so desired at little to minor graphical bump? Then the NX Console was a beefier version of the exact same, but could play the exact same game media at higher resolutions?

You don't need to force a handheld-console hybrid to do two different things well, it might end up doing neither (power for a console experience being a counter-force to longer battery life). It's one of the reasons the rumors about an actively-cooled Devkit sounds so crazy, why are you overclocking a Tegra X1? You can't stick fans in a portable handheld! And if you go with a Tegra X2, aren't you increasing the price above mass market? And can you get enough power from the Tegra X2 to make a powerful experience when the hybrid is in console mode while making sure it can still down-power for handheld mode?

Instead, have two distinct products, different form factors that play the exact same game so you get the expanded unified library, but with a really great handheld that downscales visuals with a cheaper processor (Maybe a die-shrunk Tegra X1?) and a beefy console that upscales visuals (with a Tegra X1.5 or Tegra 2?). That would explain the overclocked Tegra X1 dev kit rumors, the dev kit would HAVE to be able to do console level development, and then just downscale to Handheld for the "handheld" mode of the game. Nintendo would even double dip with consumers like me who would want both even though I wouldn't actually need both.

Now, maybe the "NX Console" takes a slightly different form, like a "Super Dock" as opposed to the simple no-improvement dock that comes with the handheld. Or maybe the Handheld launches first, and the Console/SuperDock comes to market 6 months later?

Still, the advantage of committing to two distinct form factors is that each can do its natural purpose better, but if they play the same media and share the exact same game carts, then they continue to reap all the benefits of a single "Hybrid" (focused development, combined library).

I personally find a single Monolithic Hybrid less interesting than games that I can take from my Handheld, plug into my Console, keep gaming on TV, and plug back into my Handheld to continue gaming on the Go. It even makes sense because the saved games will be on the Game Cartridge itself!

[Stogi]

Kairon's officially on the hype train



Also Kairon, since the handheld can actually process gameplay, it could stream it to the dock ala the Wii U in reverse, allowing for apps and games to be thrown on the TV. And it's not farfetched to think they could be used as controllers for the console, allowing for the evolution of the Wii U idea, ie multiple tablet ideas.

[Kairon]

Hey, I dig the "Buy lots of portables then use them as controllers" idea. That's money in Nintendo's pocket, supports two-screen gaming, and is just too synergistically sweet!

And I forgot about the streaming to TV tech. Hmm... though I don't see the point honestly. Why not just plug it in, detach the controllers, and sit back on the couch?

The thing I'm having trouble wrapping my head around is how Nintendo can get cost savings on the handheld if they use a die-shrunk Tegra chip, even if it was just based off of the X1. I had assumed that all the savings Nintendo has is because NVidia was stuck with extra 20nm inventory, but if they go to newer 16nm chips for the extra power efficiency, then where are the savings coming from? Would Nvidia have been that hungry for a place at the console table?

This is bouncing around in my head because my hype-train dreams are that the portable is cheap right at launch. $249 is the highest I can imagine the NX Handheld being, and that's at the very very high end. Can you imagine launching a $199 piece of tech that plays the newest Zelda both on the go and plugged into the TV? WOW!

Then also let everyone know they can play the same game (even same game cartridge) in more beauty on an optional $$350-400 home console/super dock. The Console would be the fancy schmancy power unit that's targeted at the enthusiast market, less popular but there to assuage power-hungry spec shoppers. Those sorts of consumers wouldn't normally buy a super-pricey Nintendo console, but this one would ride the software library coat-tails of its mass-market priced little brother and... AHHH HYPE TRAIN!

[BlackNMild2k1]

Handheld first.  Nintendo NX>go
Hybrid portable with TV dock

Then Xmas of the following year. Nintendo NX>home
Home console that doubles as super dock for popular NX>go portable.

I could see it happening.