Nintendo Switch 2 Dev Kits Rumored to be in the Hands of Spanish Studio

[T0@st]

A tipster/YouTuber familiar with goings-on at Spanish development studios believes that next generation Nintendo development kits have arrived in the southern European country. Nash Weedle is reported to have a good track record with their predictions—most notably outing Madrid-based MercurySteam as a contract developer on the high profile Metroid Dread project. Weedle did not implicate this particular team with his social media declaration, but it is the only organization in the region that has assisted Nintendo EPD on multiple first-party titles.

A translation of Weedle's tweet states: "The Switch 2 development kit has arrived in Spain. The fact that a Spanish studio already has the kit, given Nintendo's private/secrecy policy, is a boost in their relations and indicates that we are in the last stages before the console's presentation." The relationship between the two companies could sour following these emerging leaks—Nintendo is notorious for its extremely guarded approach to software and hardware reveals. Company president, Shuntaro Furukawa, told shareholders (two months ago) that a Switch successor is marked for a vague launch somewhere in FY2024 - 2025.



Note: the included photo—courtesy of Konitama (an indie studio)—depicts the current generation Switch EDEV Kit.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[ratirt]

I'm curious about the Switch 2. I wonder what exactly the console will have and how much processing power it will have. I'm sure there will be improvements in comparison to first iteration but I'm curious, how much of an improvement

 

[ixi]

I do hope for at least 4k and 120Hz, or 2k but most likely I'm wanting too much.

 

[cvaldes]

No one will know until Nintendo releases information via its official channels. Everything else is just guessing. A lot of theories are just crackpot nonsense proposed by people who have zero knowledge of how a big consumer electronics company has to go about decision making.

The first factor to consider is if Nintendo intends on releasing another portable device like the Switch because power and thermal constraints will limit performance more than a settop box (like PS5, Xbox Series X|S, etc.). While American gamers tend to play alone from the confines of their residence, Japanese gamers often game together (in person) and on the go. That's why Switch works especially well for the Japanese market. Other markets have differing behaviors that range the gamut.

One thing for sure: 4K@120Hz isn't going to happen in this generation.

Hell, the current competition (PS5 and Xbox Series X) can do maybe 4K@60Hz on a good day with certain titles. And that's sucking up wall AC power and pumping out tons of heat.

Also, a 4K screen just sucks up battery power on mobile. Yeah, maybe Apple can do it with a $1200 smartphone, not going to happen at the more consumer friendly price point that Nintendo will target.

Assuming Nintendo goes the hybrid route (following Switch's footsteps), a 1080p or 1440p (2K) built-in display would be more likely with docked output at 1440p (2K) or 4K.

Also, higher resolution games demand more storage space (textures, etc.).

I'm sure Nintendo has prototyped dozens -- if not hundreds -- of combinations of components over the years. With the existence of devkits, the hardware has basically been finalized. There might be slight adjustments to the specs of the display and SoC but all of the major decisions have been made. Nintendo has a BOM.

They likely had a target price point they wanted to hit, it was just the triage of what combination of parts they could fit into that budget. We know they aren't going to release some 500W liquid cooled monstrosity that starts at $699.

Historically Nintendo has favored smaller hardware, it is highly unlikely that it would compete with PS5 and Xbox Series X in terms of size, power and raw specs. Switch was not at the cutting edge of console hardware when it released yet it has sold 126+ million units. It's not about how many pixels the hardware can push, it's about the software. Time and time again we have seen that content is king.

And let's face it, the world is more mobile these days and the younger generation is far more apt to take their technology with them where ever they go. The old paradigm of some guy sitting in front of a computer monitor/television in their mom's basement is antiquated. I simply don't see Nintendo going back to a settop box-only design. Heck, this has already carried over to PC gaming. Generation Z and late Millennials favor gaming notebook PCs over desktop PCs. The younger generation wants to be able to game on the go, something they can take along, not "I'm going home to game."

A generation of gamers has grown up playing games on smartphones and Switch.

 

[Double-Click]

All I ask for is 4K 60 when docked, that's it. Do that and my money is yours Nintendo.

 

[cvaldes]

All I ask for is 4K 60 when docked, that's it. Do that and my money is yours Nintendo.

I would love to see that as well. 2K (1440p) output (whether it be native resolution or upscaled from 1080p FHD) from a docked device makes less sense, since 2K isn't a native resolution for consumer television sets.

Can Nintendo make the jump from 1080p docked to 4K docked? For sure there is hardware that can do it, it just depends on whether or not Nintendo can get the right components to fit their COGS.

 

[kondamin]

All I ask for is 4K 60 when docked, that's it. Do that and my money is yours Nintendo.

Why do you want 4k?

 

[cvaldes]

Why do you want 4k?

Why wouldn't you? All of the good television receivers in the past few years have been 4K models. There is more and more 4K content these days (streaming shows, movies, etc.).

A modern 4K receiver can upscale a 1080p signal just fine but the current 2017 Switch outputs 1080p when docked. Realistically the next gen device can't stay at 1080p.

And as we have already gone over, 2K (1440p) isn't a television standard resolution.

Nintendo Switch content rendered at 4K looks pretty good. The emulator kiddies (Yuzu, etc.) have already shown this time and time again with a variety of Switch titles.

 

[Tartaros]

I'm curious about the Switch 2. I wonder what exactly the console will have and how much processing power it will have. I'm sure there will be improvements in comparison to first iteration but I'm curious, how much of an improvement

I don't see them moving into trailblazing hardware, they haven't for 20 years at this point and they were fine. 4k60 with upscaling will probably their best shot.

Why do you want 4k?

Ever tried to play in a +40" TV in 1080p? That's why.

 

[Fourstaff]

I don't think Nintendo's target audience is 4k60 crowd, I would be surprised if they go any higher than 1080p undocked / 1440p docked. Switch's hardware was obsolete even before it was launched and yet a lot of people are raving about Tears of the Kingdom this year.

 

[cvaldes]

It's pretty much given that Tears of the Kingdom is running at 4K@60Hz on prototype next gen hardware somewhere in a lab in Kyoto, Japan.

Whether or not it's a commercially viable configuration at Nintendo's desired price point is the main question. The technology is certainly already here.

If Nintendo has AR/VR aspirations for their next gen hardware, it really needs to output 4K video. Again, it's likely that there's some sort of AR/VR mode running on prototype configurations in a lab. Nintendo has done VR before, they understand the challenges and pitfalls first hand.

I could definitely see Nintendo sitting out AR/VR another generation until high-quality technology comes down to consumer hardware costs. They aren't shoving an Apple Vision Pro into a $300-$400 device, not in 2024.

 

[kondamin]

I don't see them moving into trailblazing hardware, they haven't for 20 years at this point and they were fine. 4k60 with upscaling will probably their best shot.



Ever tried to play in a +40" TV in 1080p? That's why.

Sure, I was an 80's kid 240p was neat on the big crt

I get why you would want higher frame rates, 1080p is fine if you are sitting a couple of feet away from the tv

 

[cvaldes]

Sure, I was an 80's kid 240p was neat on the big crt

I get why you would want higher frame rates, 1080p is fine if you are sitting a couple of feet away from the tv

Which is already what people aren't doing anymore. They are sitting in front of $300 4K televisions from Walmart about 8 feet away.

It's not 1997 when people are playing Nintendo 64 on their 21" tube TVs at NTSC/PAL/SECAM resolution. Joy-cons and other wireless controllers cut the cord so people aren't tethered to the display.

The Ring Fit device is a prime example of how gaming no longer happens 2-3 feet away from a screen. Same with Nintendo Sports.

 

[konga]

People really need to keep their expectations in check and be realistic about this thing. Yes, 4K 60hz would be fantastic. Alas, this is going to be a very low-power device, if it is indeed following in the Switch's footsteps. (and why wouldn't it, with how successful the Switch has been?)

Here are a couple tidbits for you: The Switch at launch drew around 14 watts of power from the wall when docked, and after the 2019 die shrink, it drew just 7 watts. (source)

When in handheld mode, it consumed about half as much electricity again in order to conserve the battery while also being both slim and quiet. You may want a 4K 60hz beast, but here's what Nintendo wants: portable, lightweight, quiet, long battery, inexpensive. All other capabilities come second to these factors. If Nintendo uses a more advanced battery with higher power density, and if they use a fancier cooling solution that is capable of dissipating more heat without making more noise, then they might increase the power budget. But then that runs against their desire to make it inexpensive. I think you should expect this to be a very low-power device, one that's likely weaker than the Steam Deck (15W TDP). Will it be more powerful than the Switch? Absolutely, but even in docked mode, 4K 60Hz is off the table unless you're upscaling from 1080p with DLSS (which this device will likely support since it will have an Ampere GPU). And in handheld mode, you may just end up with a 720p screen again since that will require less power to drive.

 

[eidairaman1]

For such a small portable screen 1080-1440 is fine, but then upconversion to 2K on a TV is fine as well. 4K may come in a Pro version (just an idea)

 

[ratirt]

I don't think Nintendo's target audience is 4k60 crowd, I would be surprised if they go any higher than 1080p undocked / 1440p docked. Switch's hardware was obsolete even before it was launched and yet a lot of people are raving about Tears of the Kingdom this year.

I'm skeptic about the 4k as well. I think the 1440p will be the goal for the switch 2. Although, they might do it if they wanted too but that would cost some energy and hardware which i think they will not risk. Nintendo build reputation over the few decades they have been producing console and their approach is not the top notch best hardware and resolution but rather unique games and complexity in them.

 

[SirMaster]

I would love to see that as well. 2K (1440p) output (whether it be native resolution or upscaled from 1080p FHD) from a docked device makes less sense, since 2K isn't a native resolution for consumer television sets.

Can Nintendo make the jump from 1080p docked to 4K docked? For sure there is hardware that can do it, it just depends on whether or not Nintendo can get the right components to fit their COGS.

1080p is 2K.

1440p is 2.5K.

“K” refers to the approximate horizontal resolution in 1000s.

DCI 4K is 4096x2160.
Consumer 4K is 3840x2160.

DCI 2K is 2048x1080
Consumer 2K is 1920x1080

1440p is 2560x1440, thus it is 2.5K.

2K resolution - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[TumbleGeorge]

I don't see any problem if the launch date is 2025 to support 4K resolution. A delay until 2023 for the start of the engineering kits was dictated by waiting for suitable hardware to appear. No doubt there is already one and...it doesn't have to be X86. In 2025, storage devices will be significantly advanced and literally 4TB will be almost free when purchased in bulk.

 

[chrcoluk]

Will switch 1 be obsoleted? I was finally coming round to idea of getting one after several years of a game library build up. So this is bad news for me.


But if it can play all switch 1 games and is same price as switch 1 then fair enough.

 

[Raiden85]

I do hope for at least 4k and 120Hz, or 2k but most likely I'm wanting too much.

The only time you'll see those specs from Nintendo will be in another 15yrs most likley. Nintendo doesn't care about performance these days annoyingly.

 

[Kyan]

I really don't see how nintendo will do a portable console capable of running a game at 4K60Hz. It will probably be more like 4K 30Hz for a majority of game with upscaling, maybe 60Hz on smaller game at best.

 

[HairyLobsters]

I do hope for at least 4k and 120Hz, or 2k but most likely I'm wanting too much.

Current consoles can't even do 4k 120. Nintendo will always go the more economical rout.

 

[ixi]

Current consoles can't even do 4k 120. Nintendo will always go the more economical rout.

Yep, most likely full hd 60 or 120, but would be awesome to see 4k 60fps or 120 in dock mode.

 

[thunderingroar]

at least 4k and 120Hz

Some of these expectations in here are so wild. May i remind you that this is nintendo we re talking about, they used maxwell (2014) architecture in their 2017 Switch release.

The more demanding switch games are running like 480p, hell even zelda with FSR2 barely runs 30fps and have drop to 20fps. Performance of the newer games like bayonetta 3 is also all over the place

Meanwhile people expecting "at least 4k 120" from a 15 watt handheld lmao. They couldn't do that even if they could use dlss3

 

[Arkz]

I'm gonna assume the handheld screen will be in between 720p and 1080p, like 1440x810, or maybe even 1600x900. Docked I'm sure it will support 4k output but I'm gonna assume games are gonna aim for 1080p-1440p and most games will have some upscaling/sharpening filter. It will be a generation of using FSR/DLSS. Wouldn't be surprised if they ignore HDR too, which is fine by me.