Switch 2 Prediction Pool

[fox | 1,732]

We all know the next Nintendo system is in the works, but we don't know that much about it yet, or do we? 

That's right it is guessing time.  9 questions for 9 points.  Let's see who is clairvoyant.

Edited December 22, 2023 by fox

[OptOut | 8,936]

As long as they replace the Joycons with something that actually survives more than 5 plays, and feels decent to actually use, then I'll be happy!

Also, Metroid Prime 4 definitely gonna get bumped to Switch 2, might not even make it in time for launch at this rate!

[jonebone | 1,323]

Only thing I'd be confident on is backwards compatibility and console / handheld hybrid again.  The DS was amazing successful for them so when the 3DS came out it was backwards compatible.  I'd suspect at least 4k / bigger harddrive but not sure what the "gimmick" would be.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,031]

I think it straight up takes Switch carts and the new carts like the 3DS. No separate slot like the DS has. I honestly don't know what the gimmick will be. I believe it'll be a hybrid but idk how it is going to compete with the ROG Ally or even the Steam Deck in that space.

 

Oh and Zelda tokt at launch on the new system with exclusive dlc included. 
 

Edited December 22, 2023 by RegularGuyGamer

[Link | 2,856]

name: Other. Hopefully they learned from Wii U and otherwise they don't usually sequelize names of brand new consoles.

The rest, I just took my guesses. Black home console (maybe hybrid), with physical media, not back compatible, November release, under $400. 

No idea on the gimmick, but of the choices, AR seems most likely. It wouldn't be surprising if they skip 4K again but I don't think they will. That's just standard by now.

Launch games will include a minigame collection that uses the new gimmick far more than anything else ever will, and

20 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Zelda tokt with exclusive dlc included. additional content

 

 

[Link | 2,856]

I mean, content is content. I just don't call it downloadable if it's included.

[RH | 5,121]

I am assuming PS4 level power and it won’t be 4k, but probably 1440p.

4k is nice but I still think Nintendo will sacrifice what they came to maintain a profit margin while being relevant to modern studios. There could even be a paired down RT engine just so AAA studios won’t have to build a special lighting system just for the Switch X because in another 4-5 years, most games will likely be RT.

But these are just guesses. I know it’s going to be a system of sacrifices because Nintendo will never be the digital King of the Hill.  That said, Nintendo made a ton of money for being a system that a lot of really big studios were able to some how, on some level, port their beefy games too, just paired down to play on a limited system.  I see Nintendo wanting to further reinforce that trend.

[Lunch_Time | 8]

For the name I think they'll either come out of the gate with switch 2 or they'll call it something entirely different. Swauntch or something lol.

For the gimmick I think it will be that all of the systems will be OLED from jump and still very similar to the original switch with the docking and everything. It would be nice if they brought back street pass from the 3ds days.

I also had a personal theory about the announcement time of the switch 2 if they do decide to announce it next year. I think it will be at the very least 60 days after the new year that way no one can return the switches they bought for loved ones at christmas. Maybe somewhere between march or july... maybe. Possibly to get the new switch owners hooked on their games first and then bam! new system announcement. Fingers crossed!

[Lunch_Time | 8]

8 hours ago, OptOut said:

As long as they replace the Joycons with something that actually survives more than 5 plays, and feels decent to actually use, then I'll be happy!

Also, Metroid Prime 4 definitely gonna get bumped to Switch 2, might not even make it in time for launch at this rate!

I completely agree. The joycons and the joysticks feel just a little too tiny for adult hands. It would also be nice if they beefed up the controllers to give them more body to hold onto like how the steam deck and others do.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,816]

Either do the Nintendo thing and call it the Super Nintendo Switch and try to go in a new direction in some manner and take on serious risk because you're confusing consumers...

Or just follow PlayStation's lead and do the boring safe route and call it the Switch 2, and keep it a hybrid.  And sell 100 million+ consoles.  Maybe 150 million+.

Launch with Metroid Prime 4, Mario Odyssey Remastered, Smash Ultimate Deluxe, Tears of the Kingdom Deluxe, and some dumb Pokemon game  Easy peasy.

[JamesRobot | 5,927]

3DSwitch please: Hybrid OLED 3D handheld; 4k docked; dual screen (handheld DS and handheld/TV), clear red, cart based backwards compatible with Switch and 3DS, launching August, $550 price point, with 3D Switch remasters and NES classics at launch with Metroid Dread 2, Mega Man 12, Link Between Worlds 2, and a proper Super Mario Bros. 4.

Oh, and while I'm dreaming, a functional HDTV Zapper.  Might as throw in a new iteration of ROB too.  With onboard ROB AI.

[O.G. CIB | 416]

I believe Nintendo really wants that #1 slot as the best selling game system passing the PS2. They are going to hold on as long as they can to make it happen. once they announce the next gen system it will hurt them so I say early 3rd qtr announcement for holiday season. 
 

The Switch 2 from a tech standpoint won’t have 4k on the handheld but I expect a different dock that will have a graphics processor in it to get you to 4k. Look for improved joy-cons and maybe even an option to buy one with a D-Pad. I think they play it close to the vest and no gimmicks just improvements across the board and people will say this should have been the Switch Pro.
 

Backwards compatibility has some challenges from a technical standpoint so we will see how that goes. 

[nrslam | 485]

My votes were mainly what I want it to be: Switch compatible, OLED, hybrid system, physical media, and early release.  Otherwise, I don't have any idea or, really, much interest in what color it is or some of the other questions.  And, should it not be backwards compatible, let's hope for blowout prices on Switch consoles and games.

[Tanooki | 5,028]

From my understanding what has been designed is designed and done, and they're sitting and spinning on it because of no motivation to kill a cash cow that just won't drop off in hardware sales.

There has been speculation and stuff, especially since the X1 is a dead chip no longer made other than basically for them.  They'll want a system that doesn't alienate people (one of their lessons learned) that can run the old games, but can do far better on the new.  Odds are showing it's a variant of the T234 chip, Odin it goes by, but a variant custom for Nintendo.  This should allow them to continue to use their current game on a card tech yet have the benefit of far superior hardware that works well with current battery and screen tech as Switch did years ago.

Keep in mind they had a 64GB switch card designed day one but with $50-60 on games, the tech was not there for a fair price not wanting to ding people with $70-80? games so they shelved it for depreciation of price over time.  32GB has been used all along for a minimal but improving profit, so 64 must have really sucked, but now?  It would make sense if 64GB card were affordable, and that would put them on par to store a modern console more or less as Ultra Blu Ray is at 50GB(single) and 66GB (double) density format.

They know they can't win in a hardware race.  They know trying to sell a console is suicide as well.  It'll end up being another handheld you can dock for higher resolution play on a TV again because it prints money for them, clearly.  If they can suck in the old consumers with a samey ($350~) priced system as the OLED that allows all the games from the last nearly 7 years to work as well they'll be sitting in a very comfy spot.

Imagine something like we have now, same price as OLED, that still functions the same way.  The unit now can as the OLED shows with the dock, can run in 4K mode, can use the old and new game media sharing the same cards.  Potentially an easy win if they don't fall into the arrogance traps they did in the past and don't go for the stupid more is better, sometimes just less more is enough to win.

[Splain | 2,665]

Predicting what Nintendo will do is great fun lol. Speculating about the NX/Switch with randos online was my main hobby for a couple months there. I guess I predict the Switch 2 to be named something with Switch and one other word in the name. Like... Switch Flip or something that sounds goofy, but then we all get used to it, like basically every Nintendo product since the Super Nintendo.

I can see some kind of VR headset at some point. Nintendo fans will resurrect Beat Saber and Alyx and stuff. And there will be a Wario minigame collection for it to help sell it.

There will be some huge misstep that everyone will immediately facepalm about. Maybe the joycons aren't removable anymore and you have to buy extra controllers that are pretty much joycons that only connect through bluetooth. Or it will use the same size carts as Switch but it's not backwards compatible.

Gimmick? It'll have a 3DS slot for 3DS games. But it will still just have one screen, and DS and Switch won't work.

[RH | 5,121]

I was thinking about this this morning.  Here's a hopeful prediction that probably won't happen but assuming they keep the same general scheme where the device is both a handheld AND a console, I'd sure love for them to re-design the kickstand and the way the joycons connect so they can at least connect vertically, putting the device in tate-mode.

The Switch had a ton of shmups and many of them offered tate-mode.  This would also work well for pinball games.  It'd be nice to not need a third-party device to clip on your joy cons for this mode.

 

[a3quit4s | 4,219]

It’s gonna be the Switch 2 although Super Switch would be awesome with a limited retro color scheme. I’ll say 4k on TV and 1080 in handheld although that would increase the size of the games but I think Nintendo will give the option but all its games will still play at most 1080. Probably won’t be released this year but maybe announced. Hybrid console of course with the way the switch has sold. Backwards compatibility is a must and they know it. Holiday release date, it’s too soon for another Zelda and we just got Mario wonder. DK is a maybe but I feel Metroid would be a stronger launch title. Maybe both! But probably another Mario lmao

spoiler: people will again be disappointed with the hardware specs but will buy it to play a next gen Zelda. New joy cons will be announced that are better with drifting but will suffer battery issues instead

Edited January 5 by a3quit4s

[Friendsfa35 | 35]

 

i don't care what it is, as long as it has Super Mario Odyssey 2 as a launch title please

[Quaze | 348]

On 12/21/2023 at 11:23 PM, fox said:

We all know the next Nintendo system is in the works, but we don't know that much about it yet, or do we? 

That's right it is guessing time.  9 questions for 9 points.  Let's see who is clairvoyant.

Apparently I'm clairvoyant, I picked all the top answers lol.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,031]

Alright, I gotta bump this and say something is going on w the switch 2. That last Nintendo direct had too many bangers for the switch 2 to not be delayed. 

My hot prediction is no backwards compatibility. I think the recent SD cart / dumper has Nintendo completely on the ropes and there's no way they can release backward compatibility with those carts floating around. 

The dumpers have a way to get the unique ID from the cart so if you buy a games dump it, resell it and someone else goes online w it, they'll get banned or show up as spoofing. I think Nintendo either has to bite the bullet and say you can buy physical games but that game ID is tied to your Nintendo ID for life i.e. no resale of games OR make switch 1 compatibility only for downloaded games. 

There's no way the can release the switch 2 w switch support given what's happening in the piracy scene right now. It's worse than the 3DS was at the end of its run. Their only saving grace is switch games are much bigger. 

Edited June 19 by RegularGuyGamer

[RH | 5,121]

12 hours ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Alright, I gotta bump this and say something is going on w the switch 2. That last Nintendo direct had too many bangers for the switch 2 to not be delayed. 

My hot prediction is no backwards compatibility. I think the recent SD cart / dumper has Nintendo completely on the ropes and there's no way they can release backward compatibility with those carts floating around. 

The dumpers have a way to get the unique ID from the cart so if you buy a games dump it, resell it and someone else goes online w it, they'll get banned or show up as spoofing. I think Nintendo either has to bite the bullet and say you can buy physical games but that game ID is tied to your Nintendo ID for life i.e. no resale of games OR make switch 1 compatibility only for downloaded games. 

There's no way the can release the switch 2 w switch support given what's happening in the piracy scene right now. It's worse than the 3DS was at the end of its run. Their only saving grace is switch games are much bigger. 

I'm unaware of this since this isn't new I tend to pay attention too.  Wow.

I do know that about a month or month-and-a-half ago, Nintendo did post some non-information about the "next Nintendo device". They stated they were working on it, it will come out, but it will not be out by Christmas and IIRC, they may not even have any hard news about the device until 2025.

So, could this delay the device?  Possibly but I don't think this would necessarily force them to not allow back compatibility.  They may make the next devices security and lock-out tech even harder but considering that the Switch is so old, they may leave it as it is.  Alternatively, they may actually expedite the release time frame so that hey can more quickly sunset the Switch and migrate over to the new security measures.

If they lock players out of games based off of game IDs, I could see that being a BIG class action lawsuit.  We have the right to resale our media.  I could be wrong, but I think this has been tested in courts before, and if Nintendo does a big lock-out of existing games, that feels like a legal battle they cannot win.  Their best bet would be to sunset the Switch as fast as possible and simply move on.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,031]

6 hours ago, RH said:

So, could this delay the device?  Possibly but I don't think this would necessarily force them to not allow back compatibility.  They may make the next devices security and lock-out tech even harder but considering that the Switch is so old, they may leave it as it is.  Alternatively, they may actually expedite the release time frame so that hey can more quickly sunset the Switch and migrate over to the new security measures.

I appreciate the optimism but I just can't see that happening.

The flash carts just run the ROMs and are the most accurate dumpers to date. The console doesn't need to be jail broken, hacked or anything. Just slide the cart in and let it ride. Idk how they could go back to existing carts and update the security on those to adjust for this.

These carts also completely jeopardize the switch collecting market. These games can just be loaded into a cart and passed off as expensive games. Take a game like shantae pirates curse. Sells for $300+. All you need to do to get a run of these games is buy the flash carts ($60), throw a 4gb chip in there ($2), print some convincing labels and cover art ($5-10) and charge $200 and clean up. Basically, the used switch collector market is complete compromised right now. 

And the fact that the dumper takes the ID of the individual game is insane. It's the first time any dumper has ever done it. Before, you could copy a game and essentially get banned bc it didn't have an ID on it (3ds piracy). With this, the dumped games keeps the ID so the BUYER of the legit cart is the one who's "breaking the rules".

It's a completely different problem and I really do think it's why the switch 2 hasn't even surfaced at all. No leak, no new patents, nothing. Very unlike a console that should have been in dev for the last decade.

For those interested 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qm7y9jlebrA&feature

Edited June 19 by RegularGuyGamer

[phart010 | 1,757]

-*NEW* Nintendo Switch (just like they did with 3DS)

-It will have enough power to natively port PS4 and XBOX One games over without having to optimize down for. We’ll get handheld versions of pretty much the entire catalog of PS4 games.

-4k only in docked mode. 

-original Switch games will have 100% compatibility. New games will not physically fit into old Switch

-Finally Nintendo will Improve the online gaming experience 

-8D sound with headphones 

[fox | 1,732]

5 hours ago, phart010 said:

-Finally Nintendo will Improve the online gaming experience 

[phart010 | 1,757]