Nintendo Switch Thread - Page 157

On February 11 2021 09:40 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:
It's been a few months since I last updated and posted my Nintendo Switch Tier List. Here's where I'm at, so far:

On February 27 2021 03:17 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:


I agree. I generally don't care about Nintendo trying to compete on the hardware-side of things against Microsoft and Sony, since Nintendo has its own comfortable niche, but there are some Switch games where even I'm disillusioned at the lack of progress there.

On a related note, the rumored Switch Pro / Super Nintendo Switch might have significantly better hardware, but we'll have to wait and see.

Nintendo Co. plans to adopt an upgraded Nvidia Corp. chip with better graphics and processing for a new Switch model planned for the year-end shopping season, according to people familiar with the matter.

The new Switch iteration will support Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling, or DLSS, a novel rendering technology that uses artificial intelligence to deliver higher-fidelity graphics more efficiently. That will allow the console, which is also set for an OLED display upgrade, to reproduce game visuals at 4K quality when plugged into a TV, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plan is not public.

The U.S. company’s new chipset will also bring a better CPU and increased memory. DLSS support will require new code to be added to games, so it’ll primarily be used to improve graphics on upcoming titles, said the people, including multiple game developers. Bloomberg News previously reported that the new Switch is likely to include a 7-inch OLED screen from Samsung Display Co. and couple the console’s release with a bounty of new games.

Nvidia and Nintendo representatives declined to comment.

Nintendo’s Switch games release calendar remains mostly empty for the latter half of the year, though the company announced Tuesday a new partnership with Niantic Inc. on augmented-reality smartphone apps, set to commence with a Pikmin app in 2021.

Analysts expect the new Switch will be offered at a higher price than the current model’s $299, a level unchanged since the Switch’s initial release in 2017. Bloomberg Intelligence’s Matthew Kanterman foresees an increase of as much as $100.

“$349.99 will increase the value proposition of the device, but I still think Nintendo can drive strong demand even at $399.99,” he said.

DLSS was first introduced as an image upscaling feature in 2018 and remains exclusive to Nvidia graphics cards. It’s an atypically advanced addition for Kyoto-based Nintendo, which has tended to opt for more mature and lower-cost technology than rivals Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. adopt with their consoles. The new Switch will still lag the overall performance capabilities of its pricier rivals.

“What we value is how much a new technology contributes to the fun experience, and how comfortably a consumer can play,” Nintendo Senior Executive Officer Ko Shiota said last year.