Do you think we'll see a 'Switch Mini'?
A smaller more portable variant, with same power in a few years. Opposite as we experienced in the past with portable devices like 3DS getting larger XL versions.
Posted Feb 28, 2017, 3:35 PM UTC
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The problem is, I'm sure Nintendo did a ton of testing to find the right balance of size, weight, and comfort and the design of the Joycon's sprung from that.
Having a 9-10" screen like an iPad could be nice but how comfortable would that be to hold with controllers attached? And either larger or smaller your existing accessories likely wouldn't work.
The trend now is upgrading the console and making it forward compatible like PS Pro and Scorpio (which Nintendo kind of started but never really delivered on with New 3DS), so I'd more expect the same form factor with more powerful insides. But it is Nintendo so anything is possible.
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Nintendo kind of started but never really delivered on with New 3DS
The *new* 3DS is quite a bit more powerful than the regular 3DS...
But games never really took full advantage of it because (I'm assuming) they didn't want to fragment the player base...
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If anything, I'd expect it to go bigger in the future, not smaller. There are some big, beautiful games to be had on this system. And people don't seem to mind bringing iPad-sized devices around.
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No. I'm trusting Nintendo at their word, and believe that they're going to keep a handheld-portable line open, with the 3DS and a successor. They might make a Switch mini years from now, but like the Wii mini, but I think that's gonna be more novelty than anything, not 'this will be a lot easier to take around everywhere'.
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[deleted]
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Look, it goes one of two ways here. Nintendo keeps a handheld portable around and keeps me as a gamer, or doesn't and loses me as one. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. It's the best I can do right now.
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[deleted]
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Mate, am I supposed to answer that non-sarcastically? Every time someone has said 'I hope they don't discontinue the 3DS line' in the last four months, there's been someone replying basically what you just said verbatim. This subreddit will not let people fucking forget that the Switch could be the 3DS replacement in a few years.
The Switch is not a convenient handheld for me. It's expensive, it has multiple parts, it doesn't fit in my pocket. It's not what I want. Will I get one? Maybe, but not likely. Would I use it on the subway to and from work? No.
But on the other side of that coin, I'm not going to assume just because something happened once that it will happen again. Because honestly, your uncle doesn't work at Nintendo either.
We can all speculate, but I have two options: base my decision on random speculation that people have made, and abandon Nintendo, the game company I've been supporting since I was eight, because they won't be providing what I want anymore, or trusting Nintendo's word and sticking with them until they directly prove that their word was meaningless and that they aren't appealing to me anymore.
What exactly do you expect me to do, here? The Switch is a handheld, but it's not convenient for someone who wants a pocket sized game system to play in short bursts. If Nintendo forces my hand, I'll be hacking a DS or using my phone as my primary gaming device, which I don't want to do.
You saying that implies one of two things - that I should either just 'deal with' the Switch's flaws because that's just how it is, and you're stuck with the Switch if you want a handheld gaming system, or I don't buy Nintendo games anymore. What action exactly do you think I should take here, other than 'trust Nintendo at their word'?
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Keep in mind every proposed size change means differently sized joycons that have to be detachable and cross compatible too.
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In 25 years I wanna see a Switch Classic Mini like the NES classic is. With a credit card sized screen and dock.
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in 25 years you will be able to assemble this system with a nanofactory in your own home from particles in the air as well as cartridges of materials.
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I definitely think we'll see this.
They'll put a P1 in it and probably have a 480p screen around 3.5-inches or so...
The combination of being 480p, and having a Tegra P1 should make up for the smaller size of the battery.
And yes, a 480p screen would look good on a 3.5-inch screen... it's all about relative distance...
I also expect a 2nd iteration of the Switch with possibly a 1080p screen and a P1 or better down the road...
The DS line is dead, it's unfortunate, but it's dead...
What are they going to make? a smaller version of the Switch? (yeah, I know...)
Nintendo stated that the DS wouldn't replace the GBA, and it didn't... for a year or so...
The same will happen with the Switch and 3DS...
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No. It seems to be very portable as it is, for a hybrid home/handheld. If anything, I would expect it to get bigger.
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With USB-C being the standard connector, they can possibly expand the system with a dock that provides extra processing/gfx power. The same way razor have an external gfx card enclosure via USB-C. Then again, a dock now cost too much for not doing much besides tv connection and usb ports...
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They can't, as Switch doesn't use Thunderbolt 3 or a PCIe slot, which an eGPU needs.
Software is another issue. Right now most external GPU systems rely on fairly complex and specific drivers, enabling PC's/laptops to hand over the load from their integrated graphics chip to the dedicated NVIDIA or AMD graphics card. This is some complex stuff, so universal solutions are rare, and companies like Dell and Razer only support external graphics on specific models.
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Doubt it. If anything, I'd expect we'll get a New Nintendo Switch XL that beefs up the insides of the Switch and increases the size of the screen along with it. And then in Japan and Europe (but not America) they'll get also get the standard New Nintendo Switch that's the same size as the current one with the upgraded power.
But fortunately, since the system is no longer region-locked, that last part won't matter beyond having to pay more to import it.