By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
EricHiggin on 10 July 2019
Edit Thread
Shiken said:
EricHiggin said:

I pondered this but figured there's no way they could attempt it. It would literally be a form of bait and switch. That would be trolling on another level.

To abandon the hybrid nature of Switch would cause too much of an uproar and backlash. Best to keep a handheld, hybrid, and home model available. That way they also cover a much wider spread of consumers.

Either that or have a Pro model Switch that's thicker and heavier that's worth $100 more in terms of performance, yet retains the hybrid features. Third party games would run better on this model and be more acceptable, making the premium cost worth it. This model would basically land between the Switch hybrid and what a Switch home console would be, in terms of performance, and would mean no dedicated Switch home console, even though the point of it would be to sit in the dock the majority of the time.

It is for that reason I see a Switch 2 with a 5 year cycle much more likely than a new home console.  A Switch TV box would be pointless for reasons I have stated already in a response to someone else IMO and make even less sense overall.  I feel 2022 would be the sweet spot for a Switch 2, as that should be about the time cross gen ports start to die down for the other consoles and the need for a new Switch would be at its peak to retain the hybrid benefits in regards to possible 3rd party games.  Throw in the fact that Nintendo tends to follow a 5 year cycle MOST of the time, and it seems like a pretty safe bet.

While the home console would lose the portability factor, it would make up for it in terms of performance, and could do so at the same price at the end of the day. No need for joy-cons, battery, screen, etc, and can be replaced with better performing hardware instead. The point to buy the console would be that it would play games at XB1S/PS4 levels of performance. While it would then be up to a $100 premium over those consoles, the Switch already sells for the same price and in terms of performance, doesn't come close to them. For the Nin spec heads who want the best visuals period, that model would be for them. It likely would be the lowest selling model for Nin, and may only move 15-20 millions units, but it may very well be worth it to get more gamers into the Switch ecosystem. Would a more powerful home console bring in more gamers, or would a less powerful, hybrid Pro model, that was a step up from Switch be more effective? Assuming a similar if not identical price. Hard to say.