If breakfast is games, yeah, sure. All the other meals and snacks in a day where games aren't on the menu, it will starve. Dedicated hardware tends to have perks. It'll be a shame if an oled screen isn't one of them.
Comparisons don't need to be fair to be interesting. The Switch comes of pretty well in this video in spite of it's timeframe and cost.
I don't get the complaints. It's an interesting comparison, especially when Apple keeps comparing iPhones to consoles making some wild claims.
It's not a head to head to declare a 'winner' (heck, I'd rather play games on the original Gameboy than anything on a phone that isn't picross or something like that). Shows how far small tech has come, gives you a rough idea of what can be expected from new portable devices and shows that the Switch is actually a remarkable piece of hardware everything considered
It's not a head to head to declare a 'winner' (heck, I'd rather play games on the original Gameboy than anything on a phone that isn't picross or something like that). Shows how far small tech has come, gives you a rough idea of what can be expected from new portable devices and shows that the Switch is actually a remarkable piece of hardware everything considered
I'll buy a switch 2 just for games and not for anything "phone" related. For those other purposes the iPhone serves me pretty well. Yea, you're right on the Oled screen!
That 4080 Super would be pretty useless without a CPU, RAM, OS, power supply
The more interesting comparison is around the chips and cost — can a faster, more efficient chip keep up with a slower, less efficient chip when it has to operate in a tighter power envelope and without active cooling?
Only if the one thing you take away from these things is what the "winner" is.
It's still interesting seeing how things stack up and how the weaker device handles things.
Eh... I'm not sure. The framing, despite not being agressive, it's pretty clear. As i said before, the downsides of having the iPhone as a gaming device are only outlined in the end, certain stuff on the Switch side is omitted (like the ability of using third party controllers and joycon, something that is actually stressed on the iPhone side) and excuses are made when some games come shorter than expected when it comes to their performance on iPhone.
The Switch comes off pretty well in the video DESPITE the video itself. Hell, in the end they do a quick side by side of Kingdom Come Deliverance, a game that isn't available on any Apple device to begin with.
If, at the very least, they used more chipsets/devices in the video (Exynos 2400, Snapdragon Gen 3, whatever mid-range android handhelds are using...) then this would be an interesting video, but it comes out as barely more than an oversized ad.
If people are upset at the performance comparison because of price difference, they can always compare the switch to the iPad mini. It's still a bit more but you do get a comparatively giant battery and screen
That's what I mean though; for a gaming platform, you're better off with a dedicated gaming device. It depends what you want out of your device. Mobile is my main platform but that's because of the convenience and "jack-of-all-trades" factor: I don't expect it to outperform dedicated hardware (and I wish it had Nintendo first party quality software). Have I set up a tiny cheap fan behind my iPad to keep it cool while gaming with a Dualsense? Yes. Do I think most people want to do that? Obviously not. It's amazing what a heat sink and a fan will do though, and if an iPhone had active cooling there would be noticeable gulf between something like an M1 chip and the Switch. Most people game on mobile because it's convenient and they already have the device for other purposes.
You couldn't pay me to stare at those trash ass screens in 2024. God only knows how much eye strain I gave myself staring at pokemon and dragon quest games on GBC. The thought of a 2.3" screen just makes me think of that Community meme where Ken Jsong is staring at a tiny piece of paper.
While every platform has piles of shovelware, it's a shame mobile in particular is trying so hard to create a generation of gambling addicts.
Most of the people who labeled Switch as underpowered or outdated at launch are home console/stationary gamers, and their perception about the Switch has been colored ever since Nintendo marketed it as a "home console first".
Which honestly really speaks to how susceptible they are to marketing more than the Switch's limitations. I have to imagine these same people can be convinced a phone and a desktop can be viewed as one in the same if presented with a savvy enough ad.
I doubt it, considering how much people push back against the idea that an iPad is a computer or a potential laptop replacement. Some people are just addicted to GPU power and anything that doesn't hit the fps of the GPU they run is written off as a piece of shit. Makes for good conversation.
I didn't get that impression. The question posed at the beginning of the video was if the iphone was a better hybrid platform than the Switch. The answer at the end was no. That's not much of an ad.
I think there were leaks for what they would've used before TX1 fell in their laps. It was basically a quad core A53 with the Wii U GPU or something.
My main takeaway from this is I wish more devs would port their "real" games over to Apple's ecosystem.
Apple's managed to build a pretty compelling ecosystem and architecture that scales well between what are effectively PC, portable, console, and VR headset. All with capabilities of cross save. They need to make a more premium version of the Apple TV with a more powerful processor, storage and ram, but the architecture and platform is there to easily do it.
I think there are big hurdles to do it for devs (like the whole Metal rendering stuff), but that's a lot of devices that are capable of running your ported code across many types of devices.
Apple's managed to build a pretty compelling ecosystem and architecture that scales well between what are effectively PC, portable, console, and VR headset. All with capabilities of cross save. They need to make a more premium version of the Apple TV with a more powerful processor, storage and ram, but the architecture and platform is there to easily do it.
I think there are big hurdles to do it for devs (like the whole Metal rendering stuff), but that's a lot of devices that are capable of running your ported code across many types of devices.
Switch GPU was way ahead of competition 2017. And, by virtue of being a Desktop Class GPU, it has feature support (instructions, data type, etc)that still is missing in some mobile GPUs. Coupled with console custom SW development environment, a consistent performance thanks to a fan (Like you said), then it's no wonder if still holds up pretty well.
Ok so the iPhone is more powerful for like for like comparisons but at the end of the day the most important thing is the quality of games. Switch has Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Kirby, Pokémon etc. iPhone has at best a few ports available on other consoles which offer a better gaming experience so iPhone is getting a technically inferior game to PS5 or XSX. Comparing what's actually available to play on each device it's not even a contest, a dedicated gaming device like switch will always win out.
Last edited:
Yes, A53 plus half a Wii U GPU and 1GB of RAM. About 2-3 times the power of Vita. Instead of 10x of current switch (Portable mode).
People should really watch the video before posting their knee-jerk reactions to these two things being compared.
It's actually fascinating how well the Switch holds its own against something that technically is much more powerful.
It's actually fascinating how well the Switch holds its own against something that technically is much more powerful.
This is a big point that should not be missed, there is switch ports that run better then nvidia shield (switch hardware clocked higher), probably due to the better development environment. A dedicated portable console is always going to have a massive advantage over a mobile phone.
Nintendo was working on a console called the Nintendo Indy that was the true successor to the 3DS.
It was AMD based, used a watered down Wii U GPU, dual stereoscopic screens (one touch), 1GB RAM, wireless casting to TV, backcomp with 3DS, NFC and GPS.
Wildly underpowered compared to the Switch.
I have to assume this was pre-hybrid and they also had a Wii U successor in mind at the same time?
Correct. But it was meant to be a 3DS sucessor at first, so having a half-sized Wii U GPU (Decaf Latte) was a huge performance uplift already. The resolution would also be only 853 x 480.
Yes and no. Indy started as a 3DS successor then it evolved into a Wii U + 3DS sucessor (Iwata: "You will see our next product absorb the Wii U architecture adequately" iirc). At the final iterations of Project Indy, it was actually called....Switch.
And, yes, it looked like the patents:
ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!?!Correct. But it was meant to be a 3DS sucessor at first, so having a half-sized Wii U GPU (Decaf Latte) was a huge performance uplift already. The resolution would also be only 853 x 480.
Yes and no. Indy started as a 3DS successor then it evolved into a Wii U + 3DS sucessor (Iwata: "You will see our next product absorb the Wii U architecture adequately" iirc). At the final iterations of Project Indy, it was actually called....Switch.
And, yes, it looked like the patents:
We dodged a fucking BULLET if they truly were going to do this. Oh my fucking god that is dreadful. I cannot imagine having sticks obscuring the screen ever being a good idea. Geez. O_o
You're right, look at how much people whine about the iPhone "notch" and "Dynamic Island". The sticks with screen around them would be worse.
The shield runs on os that has more overhead
Crytek or whomever actually went to the trouble of making their engine better for switch, and in general as it one the few with decent software GI.
Nintendo and Nvidia made the SDK/Firmware immense over Windows/WiiU
I agree with the end bit and will add pc as long as they remain in a shit state of not being utilized at stock properly.
This is my personal opinion, but I think it would be something very cool had Nintendo gone with a 3DS successor using a half-sized Wii U GPU. 853x480 is also 44% of the 1280x720 target resolution of Wii U games, so GPU performance between both would be a wash.
Imagine seeing the successor to 3DS software and IPs with Wii U class graphics but with much faster and cheaper development times and costs. Would certainly be an interesting half-step.
Mind you, I'm grateful for Switch and it was the right direction to choose. But Indy would certainly be something interesting as an what if.
Edit: Not sure If I mentioned this, but Indy/Switch, when it was turned into Switch (before using Tegra X1), had support to Miracast for wireless video casting to TVs.
Resident Evil 5 also runs better on Switch than the Shield according to DF.
Switch can't make calls.
Its interesting in theory atleast that now even a cellphone is comparable in games to dedicated devices.
They use the similar parts this shouldn't be a surprise to you.
Us shrinking various parts and being able to fit them on APUS is why this is happening, it's just happening very quickly from my perspective. In 2 gens apus will be threatening even to high end due to which one will be more utilized more effectively, unless you push a pc in 1080p and 1440p this video is making it clear the difference are in post processing or fps thresholds most consumers don't quip over like us.
Are you aware of how well put together apple devices are even compared to AMD, amd is chasing them. It will be insane once the gaming industry gets similar grade apus.
Switch is a beast, 2017 at less than a third of price with better detachable included controllers, a dock, Ethernet, physical games support… But most importantly a stand(only half joking:)), and a headphone Jack:)
Interesting comparison , I like these kind of wacky ideas:).
Little off topic but I swear that the eshop secret sauce are "purged" AppStore games… Some iPhone app games are little gems and it's pretty cool to be able to play them without the disgusting monetization:)
Very exited for switch 2
Interesting comparison , I like these kind of wacky ideas:).
Little off topic but I swear that the eshop secret sauce are "purged" AppStore games… Some iPhone app games are little gems and it's pretty cool to be able to play them without the disgusting monetization:)
Very exited for switch 2
If this is how well the 7+ year old Switch holds up against a new iPhone, it'll be a decade+ before we see a Switch 2 successor…I know this isn't how it works, but you get my point. A little weird they didn't do more comparisons to the F2P games supported on both since those would have active development unlike some of the comparisons like GTA which they may never patch.
Of course it will be. Desktop CPUs pale in comparison to current iPhone CPUs. Even PS5 and XSeries.
Of course, in a fanless phone environment, heat and power management issues will arise. Which isn't nearly as an problem on consoles like Switch, Switch 2, PS5 and XSeries
I don't know but I'd be surprised if RE5 was running Vulkan at the time. Vulkan was new to mobile Android that year and Android TV updates usually come in later after that. So I wouldn't be surprised if that was built with OpenGL ES. The performance gap today shouldn't be as bad as back then for similar hardware. Same as pre-Mantle/DX12/Vulkan PC and after
The Switch 2 will be a superior gaming device to an iPhone for a very long period of time.
But the even the iPhone 15 already has the Switch 2 beat when it comes to CPU performance.
It plays RE8 and 4 significantly worse than an Xbox One, though, which is what matters.
It's funny that even in Era these kinds of comparisons are considered to be a battle in console wars. I thought the video was interesting as pure HW performance difference is clear from the start but the platforms approach gaming from different directions with different tradeoffs which might not be obvious to everyone (like cooling/power design).
Cue a YouTube video of someone cooling their phone with a fan; the thumbnail is a person with a shocked expression (like most thumbnails these days), and a title that says something like "this simple trick turns your iphone into a gaming powerhouse!"