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Lets say Nintendo used the Nvidia Xavier SOC as its Switch Pro..

ShadowFox08

ShadowFox08

Banned
Nov 25, 2017
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Realistically speaking.. For half a gen/pro upgrade, I think Nintendo should go straight to the xbone x route instead of x2 pascal chip that only offers 2x more performance. So lets just say Nintendo uses the Xavier specs dated from this article last month for its Switch Pro:
https://wccftech.com/nvidia-drive-xavier-soc-detailed/

NVIDIA-Xavier-SOC-1-1030x564.jpg


1.3 TFLOPS GPU, ARM64 8 Core CPU, 256 bit LPDDR4 RAM(unknown amount but lets assume 8GB) at 137GB/s using about 20 watts of energy on a 12nm process. This is already 3.3x GPU in FLOPS, 2x total RAM, 5.5x RAM bandwidth, and at least 2-3x more powerful CPU(should be better than xbone for sure) than the switch in docked mode. While handheld mode could use 1300/2.5=~520GFLOPS in handheld mode alone, which is 1.32x vs current switch GPU

Nintendo could also offer a 1080p screen as well for handheld mode. If Nintendo wants to conserve battery life, they can set the GPU clocks at 400-600GFLOPS(latter being for "pro" mode) and reduce speed of RAM bandwidth proportional to GPU clocks. And yes, this game would play all current switch games and won't have console exclusivity.

Anyway.. my questions for everyone are:

1. How do you feel about these specs? Is this the next step that Nintendo should take with the Switch in terms of an upgrade?
2. How do you think it would fare against PS4 hardware wise?
3. What do you expect out of this system, especially with games already out on the switch?
4. How soon do you want this to come out and would you be willing to spend up to $400 on it?

tl;dr version: Here's an Imaginary scenario where Nintendo uses Xavier specs for its switch pro upgrade that offers 12nm node(or possibly a 7nm node) 1.3 TFLOPS GPU, 8GB RAM(lets say 6GB available for games) w/137GB/s bandwidth speed, and CPU that easily beats xbone/ps4, and energy usage equivalent to current switch, and with an 1080p screen at 400GFLOPS in handheld mode and 1.3TFLOPs docked.. How does this make you feel about these specs, what do you expect out of it, and how would you think it would fare against the competition?

I'll answer these questions myself in another post on this thread

edit: Please don't take the logistics of this too literally. It's just an imaginary scenario. Don't worry about battery life, when it would come out, or console exclusions or exclusivity with current switch and this hypothetical switch pro.
 
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TaterTots

TaterTots

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Oct 27, 2017
12,960
I think it's irrelevant. If there ever is a "Switch Pro," it's probably not going to happen for a few years, which means there will be an entirely new tech by then.
 
KillerMan91

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Oct 25, 2017
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Problem with Switch Pro (like with PS4 Pro and Xbox One X) is that devs still would use standard Switch as a base platform so I am not sure how it would bring more AAA multiplats for the system. Mid gen system with big amount of exclusive games would be pretty big fuck you statement to owners of original Switch.
 
thistooshallpass

thistooshallpass

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Oct 27, 2017
645
I don't really need 1080p on the handheld. Would prefer they spend the resources on say, a good OLED screen.

Or maybe a compromise of both. 900p+OLED.
 
Maxina

Maxina

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Oct 28, 2017
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BBQ_of_DOOM said:
Question: do you think Nintendo is actually going to have a refresh/upgrade? If so, why?
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They've done it before, why would they suddenly stop now? The only problem with this is how will it benefit original Switch owners if newer games require you to have a new "Switch Pro" to play reasonably. It works with the Xbone/PS4/PS4PRO/XBX because the original consoles are already powerful enough to play most modern games in the first place. I don't see them wanting to limit people like they tried to do with the DSI and New 3DS.
 
Dekuman

Dekuman

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Oct 27, 2017
19,026
X2 makes a lot of sense for Pro.

Keep current clocks and reduce power draw by half. I'm not an engineer but it may be enough to passively cool the unit. Allowing for a smaller sku, or doubling of battery life or maybe more if they put in a bigger battery inside.

Or double the clocks and double the performance, keep same form factor.
 
mugurumakensei

mugurumakensei

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Oct 25, 2017
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Xavier as it is is not designed for mobile devices. It's for powering deep learning for car AI. It'll take some modifications to get it in a form good for mobile and over consumption, but, assuming Switch Pro is like 2-2.5 years out yea I guess. More reastically, Switch Pro will be X1 on a smaller mode and at Full CPU/GPU clocks with more RAM. Xavier will probably be for Switch 2.
 
Weeniekuns

Weeniekuns

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Oct 27, 2017
1,111
Can't see Nintendo doing a Switch Pro (radical spec bump)

Maybe a Switch Plus/XL (larger screen with slight spec/battery bump) or an 'New' Switch with smaller bezels and slight spec/battery bump
 
1-D_FE

1-D_FE

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Oct 27, 2017
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I don't understand why you're comparing against the Switch's docked mode? Switch Pro ain't operating at 20 watts (even in docked mode). It's going to heavily underclock just like it did the X1 (even in docked mode). So your numbers need to be revised downward. A lot.
 

Deleted member 21326

User requested account closure.
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Serious note, how would the battery life compare to switch ? Lower than 3 hours is not really optimal for me personally.
 
Medalion

Medalion

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Oct 27, 2017
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If Nintendo jumped up that much in performance... that is more a Switch 2, than a Pro.
It would also be a $499 or $599 system, like the Xbox One X... and Nintendo will never release a system that expensive.
 
GamerEra

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Oct 27, 2017
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I Wanna Be The Guy said:
I just want to know how long I have to wait until I can get Xbox One in portable/tablet form.
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They're struggling in the console market. A handheld would be such a disaster.

OT: Its far too early to even start making guesses on this. Nintendo might even go the opposite route and make a weaker version in order know to save costs and sell at a really low price.
 
Nolbertos

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Dec 9, 2017
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Well Nintendo will probablh modify the Xavier as a Switch 2. Can't see then using this as a Switch Pro, if rhey do a mid gen upgrade. At most like the 3DS XL maybe redesign a few Switch features. I guess we'll wait and see in 2-3 years time if switch pro becomes reality.
 

Zedelima

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I think the problem with "pro" versions is that developers can't really use its full potential because of the older console.
The game have to be scaled back to run at a good fps in the other console.
 
shinken

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Oct 27, 2017
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GamerEra said:
They're struggling in the console market. A handheld would be such a disaster.

OT: Its far too early to even start making guesses on this. Nintendo might even go the opposite route and make a weaker version in order know to save costs and sell at a really low price.
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That makes zero sense, so games will run worse on a newer device?

Vadara said:
The switch is already struggling for battery life.
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Erm.....you really don't think a newer chipset won't be smaller and will be more efficient?
If chipsets weren't getting more and more efficient, smartphones nowadays would last 10 minutes compared to 10 years ago.
 
BlueManifest

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So this is a mobile chip that's as powerful or more powerful than a Xbox one? Nice when did they announce this
 
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ShadowFox08

ShadowFox08

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Nov 25, 2017
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BBQ_of_DOOM said:
Question: do you think Nintendo is actually going to have a refresh/upgrade? If so, why?
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Yes, because
1. the new 3ds, and its the trend now with current gen consoles
2. Nintendo themselves said the switch along with tegra is a part of a family of devices in their development plans, so it implies they have it in mind already.

KillerMan91 said:
Problem with Switch Pro (like with PS4 Pro and Xbox One X) is that devs still would use standard Switch as a base platform so I am not sure how it would bring more AAA multiplats for the system. Mid gen system with big amount of exclusive games would be pretty big fuck you statement to owners of original Switch.
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It wouldn't be anymore different than PS4 and Xbone X. Whatever is easier for developers to port which ninendo console first over the other. The specs would definitely help bring
AAA multiplats as the ports should be on an equal plane as base ps4 and xbone which in turn and help get more core gamers as a result. Also, Nintendo doesn't have to make exclusive games just for the switch pro. Certainly not for 1st party games. For 3rd parties, that's up to them(games like monster hunter). Every game should be able to be scaled down, it just depends if the developers like the sacrifices or not.
 

Deleted member 36622

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BBQ_of_DOOM said:
Question: do you think Nintendo is actually going to have a refresh/upgrade? If so, why?
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GB - GB Pocket / Light - GB Color

GBA - GBA SP - GB Micro

DS - DS Lite - DSi / DSi XL

3DS / 3DS XL - 2DS - New 3DS / New 3DS XL - New 2DS XL

(even the original Game & Watch saw several hardware revisions)

All their handhelds received dupgrades, sometimes just a new form factor, or a new display or new processor.

Interestingly enough i think Nintendo brought this concept of the mid-gen upgrade before Sony and Microsoft.

Considering Miyamoto and Kimishima said that they want to support this machine for more than 5-6 years, it'll need at least one hardware revision.
 
moose84

moose84

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Oct 27, 2017
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They've been very happy to keep the 3DS at 240p, in 2018. I wouldn't expect a major Switch specs update for a very long time.
 
John Omaha

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I'm more interested in how Nintendo would handle forward compatibility with a system like that. Surely some developers will want to use the big performance jump to bring over games that wouldn't be possible on the vanilla hardware, but you'd also need a clear branding strategy to explain which games can be played on which iteration without confusing or pissing off the consumer.
 
fiendcode

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Oct 26, 2017
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KillerMan91 said:
Problem with Switch Pro (like with PS4 Pro and Xbox One X) is that devs still would use standard Switch as a base platform so I am not sure how it would bring more AAA multiplats for the system. Mid gen system with big amount of exclusive games would be pretty big fuck you statement to owners of original Switch.
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Nintendo is okay with exclusives for their midcycle upgrades. GBC, DSi and n3DS all had exclusive games not playable on older devices.
 
Bowl0l

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Oct 27, 2017
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The same company that chose to stick with the same screen resolution for every iteration of the 3DS?
Probably we will get more changes to the controller and more joycons color instead. Nvidia is not going to let Nintendo access to new chips without paying a premium.
 
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ShadowFox08

ShadowFox08

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Nov 25, 2017
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BlueManifest said:
So this is a mobile chip that's as powerful or more powerful than a Xbox one? Nice when did they announce this
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This is an imaginary scenario, but the Xaver chip is real.
Vadara said:
The switch is already struggling for battery life.
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it should be similar to the battery life of the current switch if it is able to draw the same amount of watts. Imagine having the option to run on current switch handheld specs instead of docked specs too, including 720p resolution on a 1080p screen. Lets just say that Nintendo does find a way to make the battery life to be about the same at the very least, or a bit better than current switch.
 
Soapbox Killer

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Oct 28, 2017
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I just want a Pro Dock w/ Hard Drive and Ethernet support. Handheld mode is fine for me.

The is some debate if Ninrendo could add eGPU support for the existing switch but I don't even care about that anymore. I just want a Hard Drive option

And a freakin Dpad Joy-con!!!!!!
 

BloodshotX

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Jan 25, 2018
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TaterTots said:
I think it's irrelevant. If there ever is a "Switch Pro," it's probably not going to happen for a few years, which means there will be an entirely new tech by then.
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of course not! ps4 pro came 3 years after the launch of the ps4, so to me a Switch Pro would make cense in 2019/2020 at the earliest. But if Nintendo wants to stretch this gen past the 6 years a mid gen refresh is required, especially with how fast tech evolves these days.
 
Olinad

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Oct 30, 2017
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I don't think they'll upgrade the system this soon. I surely expect a redesign, maybe just a little sleeker shell with smaller bezels to accommodate a slightly bigger screen, but still same size to be compatible with joycons. For an actual upgrade we will probably need to wait a little longer.
 
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ShadowFox08

ShadowFox08

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Nov 25, 2017
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Dekuman said:
X2 makes a lot of sense for Pro.

Keep current clocks and reduce power draw by half. I'm not an engineer but it may be enough to passively cool the unit. Allowing for a smaller sku, or doubling of battery life or maybe more if they put in a bigger battery inside.

Or double the clocks and double the performance, keep same form factor.
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It gets double the bandwidth(which it desperately needs), up to 2x the CPU(should be equal to PS4), but only 1.5x the GPU power if it uses X2 Pascal.. I wouldn't mind that too much, especially with double the battery life but with PS5/Xbtwo coming out in 2 years, I'd rather have nintendo be as future proof as possible, otherwise it will be another wii vs 360/ps3 scenario, and the disparity in power will be 30x easily, which would make 3rd party devs reluctant to port their 3rd party games. The Xavier chip is already coming out this year, and 16nm nodes are already outdated for mobile devices.

IF Nintendo could deliver docked mode switch specs on switch pro handheld with the same battery life at a 1080p screen with the same battery life as the current switch, it would be well worth it. As I said in my previous post, it could have an option to play in current switch handheld GPU speed specs to boost battery life by more than 2x as much too potentially.
 
Hexa

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Xavier is a Volta variant designed for self driving cars and other AI uses. The price for Xavier hasn't been revealed AFAIK but will likely be comparable to Nvidia's other AI/self-driving chipsets at around $15000 dollars per unit.
 
KillerMan91

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Oct 25, 2017
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ShadowFox08 said:
It wouldn't be anymore different than PS4 and Xbone X. Whatever is easier for developers to port which ninendo console first over the other. The specs would definitely help bring
AAA multiplats as the ports should be on an equal plane as base ps4 and xbone which in turn and help get more core gamers as a result. Also, Nintendo doesn't have to make exclusive games just for the switch pro. Certainly not for 1st party games. For 3rd parties, that's up to them(games like monster hunter). Every game should be able to be scaled down, it just depends if the developers like the sacrifices or not.
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Xbox One X and PS4 Pro don't have any exclusives compared to base models. Even on this post you yourself say that Switch Pro would help bringing AAA multiplats to the platform. That would mean tons of exclusives compared to base Switch. Completely different to Xbox One X and PS4 Pro.

fiendcode said:
Nintendo is okay with exclusives for their midcycle upgrades. GBC, DSi and n3DS all had exclusive games not playable on older devices.
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I mean DSi and 3DS didn't have that many exclusives. At least not in terms of bigger games. Switch Pro on the other hand would have probably tons of third party exclusives as it could actually run current AAA multiplats in some capacity.
 
antonz

antonz

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Oct 25, 2017
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Xavier would be a Switch 2.0 timeline wise if its used at all. Switch is huge but knowing Nintendo we can never begin to guess what the follow up device will be.
 
PaypayTR

PaypayTR

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Why people freaking out on battery issues , they could offer lower battery mode and it would turn down graphics

wow that was so hard.
 
fiendcode

fiendcode

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Dekuman said:
X2 makes a lot of sense for Pro.

Keep current clocks and reduce power draw by half. I'm not an engineer but it may be enough to passively cool the unit. Allowing for a smaller sku, or doubling of battery life or maybe more if they put in a bigger battery inside.

Or double the clocks and double the performance, keep same form factor.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It'll keep the same formfactor regardless I think. Labo and Joycons are locking them in.

I think the next revision will be more a "Switch Lite" than a "Switch Pro". Die shrink to reduce battery drain / heat, extend battery life, improve the screen, reduce the bezel, add a camera, revise the joycons, etc. Maybe they'll offer new improved upclocked boost modes too for new games at old battery life but I wouldn't expect a major revision with significant architecture changes.
 
Gotdatmoney

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Oct 28, 2017
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That would be almost a generation difference. They are more likely to use a pascal type chip. Can boost the GPU and use A57s on the CPU. More ram and better bandwidth and thr price will be reasonable.
 
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