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[IGN] Seriously, Nintendo, It’s Time to Release a Switch Pro

Topher

Gold Member

Switch fans deserve an upgrade. That doesn’t mean they’ll get one.​


The Nintendo Switch has a performance problem.

This isn’t news for Switch fans (or haters). The limitations of its humble Nvidia Tegra X1 chip were visible in early exclusives like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which ran at 720p docked yet sometimes dipped below 30 frames per second. Still, the issues were rarely distracting.

But today, six years after the Switch’s release, the cracks visible at launch have widened into gaping fissures—sometimes, literally.

IGN’s Rebekah Valentine saw this first-hand while reviewing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. “These games run like garbage,” she says. “There are also tons of bizarre clipping issues where Pokémon can get caught in walls or underground, or the camera gets stuck at an odd angle and show an empty void on half the screen.”

The issues are too numerous to detail here (read her review for the full scoop), but easy to summarize. They’re bad. So bad they sour what should be a refreshing open-world spin on Game Freak’s usual Pokémon formula.

It's Not Just Pokémon
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are singularly terrible examples of how modern Switch games perform, but they’re not the only games that struggle.

Bayonetta 3 ambitiously targets 60 FPS but falls short, with many detours to 45 FPS and below. The Switch port of Sonic Frontiers is drastically scaled back, running at or slightly below 30 FPS and suffering major object pop-in besides. Some publishers, such as Square Enix, have given up on “real” Switch ports of graphically demanding games like Kingdom Hearts III, instead releasing cloud versions that stream the game from a remote server.

It's not all bad news. Splatoon 3 achieves a stable 60 frames per second in gameplay (though the city sections are 30 FPS) and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 runs at a much more stable 30 FPS than its predecessor.

Yet these improvements are small comfort to Switch fans hoping for ports of Elden Ring or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. These games, along with many others released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, are unlikely to ever see a Switch release. The gap between the Switch’s capabilities, and that of its competitors, is too wide for most developers to bridge.

It’s a problem, but not a surprise. The Nintendo Switch is six years old. The Nvidia Tegra X1 chip that powers it is even older: it was first released in 2015, meaning it was already a bit out of date when Nintendo released the Switch. A 2019 chip revision improved efficiency, boosting the battery life of new Switch consoles, but performance was unchanged.

The Switch’s lackluster performance might be a contributor to slowing sales. Though a hit for Nintendo with over 114 million consoles sold so far, Switch sales have lost steam in the past year and the PlayStation 5 has outpaced the Switch in recent months (in the United States, at least). Nintendo blames this on production, not demand—but that explanation feels incomplete with Switch consoles routinely in-stock at major retailers.

What would a Switch Pro do for you, really?
Declining sales of Switch hardware contrasts with its continuing dominance in software. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold 10 million copies in their first few days. According to NPD’s latest October report, six out of the 20 best-selling games in the U.S. were Switch exclusives (another, NieR: Automata, landed its spot because of a new Switch release).

Gamers want to play Switch exclusives. We’d just prefer to do it on better hardware. So, what might a Switch Pro deliver?

The most obvious improvements would be in resolution and framerate. First, the bad news: a Switch Pro will struggle to handle 4K at 30 FPS, never mind 60 FPS. Yet the current Switch is so far behind the curve that more meager improvements will seem impressive. The most ambitious Switch games are running at 720p to 900p resolution in docked mode and, despite that, many also stick to 30 FPS. A consistent 1080p at 60 FPS would feel like a win.

A Switch Pro could also support technology the current model doesn’t, such as HDR and Adaptive Sync. The latter could be especially useful if implemented well. Adaptive Sync would smooth out minor detours below a 60 FPS, making such dips imperceptible to players.

And don’t forget machine learning. Nvidia DLSS 2 uses neural rendering to upscale games with incredible results. Nvidia DLSS 3 can even insert new, AI-generated frames. DLSS 3’s performance mode can use AI to generate up to seven out of every eight pixels visible in a 4K image which, in a best-case scenario, can improve performance by up to 5x over native rendering. It’s a great fit for a power-constrained device like a new Nintendo Switch…in theory, at least.

The miracle chip doesn't exist. Yet.
Gamers want an upgrade and Nintendo needs to boost sagging hardware sales. Surely, a Switch Pro is on the cusp of announcement. Right?

Maybe not.

Switch fans are all too familiar with hopeful rumors. The Switch Pro was about to arrive in 2019, then 2020, then 2021. These rumors were put to rest by the Nintendo Switch OLED, which arrived last year with a gorgeous new screen and the same old silicon.

I wasn’t surprised by this move for a simple reason: it was never clear what, exactly, would power the so-called Switch Pro. The Switch’s unique hybrid design binds it to a much lower power target than the hardware in competing consoles, which means the designs found in other consoles, as well as gaming laptops, won’t work for the Switch.

The situation is complicated by Nvidia’s decision to shift gears on Tegra. It originally launched to compete in consumer devices with ARM market leaders like Qualcomm (the first Tegra-powered product was the Microsoft Zune HD), but it stalled. So, Nvidia switched tactics. The lineage is now referenced by names like Xavier and Orin and focuses on automotive, industrial, and robotics with an emphasis on machine learning. These new chips, which target a broader range of power consumption and offer significant I/O connectivity, are a less obvious fit for a portable game console.


That’s not to say it can’t happen. The least powerful Nvidia Jetson Nano and Jetson Orin Nano chips target a thermal design power from 5 to 15 watts, which is suitable for the Switch. The most recent Switch Pro rumors lean on a customized chip, codenamed T239 (the “T” is for Tegra) based off Nvidia’s Orin. This feels plausible: the cost, die size, and power draw of the chip all look on-target. A variant of Orin Nano could probably handle 1080p at 60 FPS, albeit in more graphically modest games. It also has the potential to add features Nintendo fans crave including HDR, adaptive sync, DLSS, and ray tracing.

Custom chips take time, however—and the more customization needed, the more time required. If the rumors surrounding the T239 prove true, Nintendo and Nvidia started work on it around mid-2021 (the first reference to it appeared on Twitter in June of last year). But these leaks only involve APIs and Linux kernel updates, which is less convincing than prototype hardware, leaked plans for chip production, or die shots.

Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa has also gone on record saying there will be no new hardware in the company’s current fiscal year, which continues until April of 2023. It’s possible that Nintendo and Nvidia are keeping secrets and will surprise launch a Switch Pro in summer of 2023, but that would be an aggressive timeline for a Switch sequel that’s not yet officially announced, or even hinted. Belief in such miracles requires an unhealthy dose of hopium.

So, buckle up, Nintendo fans: it looks like we have at least another year of questionable Switch performance to struggle through.

 
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analog_future

Resident Crybaby
I love Nintendo games, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is my GOTY, but I just straight up don't play my Switch 99% of the time any more.

I've always played in docked mode and I'm just not going to play Xbox 360 era looking games at sub HD resolutions with no anti-aliasing on my 77" OLED.

Done with it.
 
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22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
I love Nintendo games, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is my GOTY, but I just straight up don't play my Switch 99% of the time any more.

I've always played in docked mode and I'm just not going to play Xbox 360 era looking games at sub HD resolutions with no anti-aliasing on my 77" OLED.

Done with it.

Yes and this soooo much.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
I love Nintendo games, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is my GOTY, but I just straight up don't play my Switch 99% of the time any more.

I've always played in docked mode and I'm just not going to play Xbox 360 era looking games at sub HD resolutions with no anti-aliasing on my 77" OLED.

Done with it.
Yep, this mirrors my feelings. If the next switch is a 1440p 30 or 1080p 60 machine, that would be ideal. I dont think thats too unrealistic
 

IFireflyl

Gold Member
I have been knocking Nintendo for their hardware for a while now, but Nintendo super-fanboys seemed to think that any critique meant I was console warring. In addition to a Switch 2/Switch Pro, I would also like Sony to release a new, upgraded PSP/Vita. If we could get 2024 releases of both of these things then I would be a very happy man.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Nintendo is one of the most tonedeaf, anti consumer gaming companies around
they are NOT gonna make a switch pro... hell i'm doubting even a switch 2 at this point, they could ride this train until the end of the 2020s if they wanted. Just look at how long the gameboy lasted
 

MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
aefc5c9d2624d4aee949caef5a30739acb9ef481.png
 

Raven77

Member
I can wait.

I'd rather the next Nintendo console be a graphics powerhouse in 2-3 years rather than a mild upgrade next year, as described in this article. 4k on a handheld? Who cares about that? It's so small 99% of people won't be able to tell the difference.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
Frustrated Whats Wrong With You GIF


Nintendo does not give a steaming pile of dodongo crap when it comes to what you want.

Everyone knows that struggling Nintendo is best Nintendo and they ain't strugglin'! lol. Besides, Nintendo was on fire with Wii U software and the fans dumped on it. Part of me feels like this is karmic justice.

Embarrassed Shame GIF


We'll get a successor at some point. Everyone knows how outdated the Switch is but people buy it like hotcakes. Ever heard of the Wii???? :messenger_grinning_sweat:
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Nintendo is one of the most tonedeaf, anti consumer gaming companies around
they are NOT gonna make a switch pro... hell i'm doubting even a switch 2 at this point, they could ride this train until the end of the 2020s if they wanted. Just look at how long the gameboy lasted
The Game Boy was dead when Pokémon resurrected it, and we got a Game Boy Pro Color out of it.

I’ll be a bit surprised if they don‘t release actual new hardware in 2023. But you’d guess we’d have some solid rumors and leaks at this point.
Remembering how it went with the Switch, though, I doubt Nintendo would announce new hardware at E3.
 
Lol, IGN thinks it's still going to be a "pro" near 7 years from the Switches release. OLED was the only Pro you are going to get, it will be the successor. Swithc will sell another 3 years from now to fulfill the ten year plan and the successor will be the only one on the market.
 

Astral Dog

Member
The Switch doesn’t really need a Pro imo, at this point i rather wait for the proper next generation than wasting money on a new model of the current one

The market for a Switch Pro wouldn't be big without new content on its game library, it would only appeal to a niche group of core gamers like new3DSXl or DSi. Its not a Steam Deck, i think Nintendo would rather focus on selling the current Switch with new software while preparing for the next generation so the gap between each system feels bigger, the specs are what they are.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Lol @ faulting the system for disasters like Pokemon. IGN gonna IGN. Like the people who concern troll over this so much aren't gonna tear a Switch Pro a new one for costing as much as a Steam Deck but offering just minor improvements to its existing library (and Pokemon is still a disaster, lol).

And why would a Pro get third party ports base Switch doesn't, especially if far less people own it before the inevitable actual successor system(s)? That just makes no sense other than some Nintendo game like New 3DS' Xenoblade (nowhere to port from this time). Third parties want game sales.

Like there aren't enough games to play, more than anyone could play in their free time (or like folks don't have a 2nd system if they care, all those millions of Switches are in single platform homes). But wait, "Declining sales of Switch hardware contrasts with its continuing dominance in software"!

Declining as in, handily beating the competition and barely supplying demand, still without a real price cut. So you mean when everybody who cares to has a Switch they don't tend to wish to buy a 2nd and 3rd and instead buy games leading to said dominance? Like that's not a platform's goal?

They really need to fix it, they're too successful for their own good so they need to disrupt themselves! Chances are we are jumping to a Switch 2 (as soon as they don't have to deal with shortages and high production costs) given market conditions that stopped a Pro when it was actually viable.
 
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Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
Nintendo is one of the most tonedeaf, anti consumer gaming companies around
they are NOT gonna make a switch pro... hell i'm doubting even a switch 2 at this point, they could ride this train until the end of the 2020s if they wanted. Just look at how long the gameboy lasted
Switch just won BF in sales. Console had absolutely no price drop for 5 years. Games are still selling for close to full price years after release.

Nintendo is way more competent business wise than Sony and Microsoft combined with a fraction of their budget. Wait till Nintendo World opens and Mario movie is out, the profits will be disgusting.
 
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graywolf323

Gold Member
I still think Nintendo was planning on a Switch Pro; but the lockdowns gave them an insane sales boom plus the broken supply chains made it far more difficult.

There is no point to a switch pro now six years on.
yeah the COVID lockdowns were a massive boon for the Switch

the time for a Pro was when they opted for the OLED model instead, just give us a Switch 2 with Tears of the Kingdom
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Nintendo is way more competent business wise than Sony and Microsoft combined with a fraction of their budget. Wait till Nintendo World opens and Mario movie is out, the profits will be disgusting.
they are the japanese videogame version of disney
 
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Ozriel

M$FT
How can IGN push for a ‘pro’ half-step so many years after the Switch released?

Next gen or bust. They had their chance to refresh the hardware and went with the OLED model

Also ludicrous is the handwringing about whether NVIDIA could have a chip for the next gen model. We’re talking about a guaranteed 100m seller. NVIDiA will definitely have something on Nintendo’s schedule.
 
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Nautilus

Banned
God people, get over it. A pro version doesn't exist.

Nintendo will kickstart the 10th gen when they want a new hardware out, not do a revision.
 

Kacho

Gold Member
Here's an interesting quote from Miyamoto back in 2018:

"When you think about what can be done with Nintendo Switch as a device that can be taken on the go and that every person has in their hands to play, you realize it has many features not available on any other hardware to date," Miyamoto continues. "Nintendo also has a system in place whereby the software developers focus on these hardware features in their development efforts for the continuation of the Nintendo Switch business. Up until now, the hardware lifecycle has trended at around five or six years, but it would be very interesting if we could prolong that life cycle, and I think you should be looking forward to that."

 
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