By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
Soundwave on 20 March 2017
Edit Thread
Miyamotoo said:
Soundwave said:

The only reason the 2DS is cheaper is because it loses the most expensive component of the system -- the 3D LCD screen. 

In all honestly the Joycons and Dock are mostly plastic components with minimal hardware when seriously broken down the actual manufacturing cost of losing both of those would be maybe $20-$25. 

You're not magically going to be able to sell for like a $100 cheaper. 

Screen size doesn't consume that much battery, the chip is what's consuming the majority of your electrical budget, a 20nm Tegra X1 runs hot. There's no way around that, you're not magically going to be able to cool it differently either. 

You can't make a system with a 20nm Tegra X1 much smaller than what the Switch is now. That's basically all Nintendo spent their R&D budget on because basically the main difference is they took a Sheild Console and basically removed all of the dead space to make it as small as possible. 

To be honest, the model you're proposing I don't think would even sell very well. It gimps basically all the things that are popular about the Switch for basically a cheap-o model -- just like 2DS didn't do crap for 3DS sales really ... the point of a revision should be to increase sales in a real way.

It would be maybe $50 cheaper, but for $50 less the vast majority of people would rather just buy the "real" Switch that can play on their TV and use real Joycons (and no doubt there will be new Joycon models as time goes on).

Fact is that cheaper than regular 3DS.

There is no need for magic, like I wrote, Joy Cons, Dock, smaller device means less materials, point that want work in dock mode means less parts in Switch itself, less cables, Joy Cons Strips, smaller package...they can make smaller Switch just for handheld play for $100 less than curent Switch.

Of Course that on handheld device screen is one of biggest consumer of power. Switch is not hot at all, of course that can easily make even better or more efficient cooling for smaller device that has smaller screen and smaller battery. You can't say there is no way around.

Offcorse you can, Switch is designed to work in TV mode also, it has big screen and huge battery (half of Switch is taken buy battery), smaller Switch for just handhedl paly can ditch some parts that are required for TV mode, and you will gain on space because smaller screen and smaller battery.

You doenst make any sense, its very obvious that point of Switch Pocket/Mini would be to offer Switch games just for handheld gaming at more afordible price point than current Switch. For intance not all 3DS owners would pay $300 for current Switch especially if they dont need TV mode, but some of them would definatly paid for instance $200 for Switch Mini/Pocket for handheld play only, of course that would increase sales dramatically. In this case Switch Mini/Pocket would efektly replace 3DS/3DSXL segment on market not 2DS.

Hardly it would be just $50 cheaper, dont forget that Nintendo charging $80 for Dock and two Joy Cons for $80, so how do you think Nintendo would try to sell smaller Switch just for handheld play, without Dock and ditchable Joy Cons for just $50 less than regualar Switch!? Definatly difrence will be around $100, not just $50.

No they can't. 

The components you're describing there don't amount to $100 ... cables ... really? 

Doesn't matter how grossly Nintendo wants to overprice for a dock ... we know for a fact that thing is basically a fat hunk of plastic with a tiny chip board. The supply maker is going to laugh in their face if they go to their suppliers and say "cut off $100 on the cost here, because we're losing this dock please". Yeah that's not how real life works. 

In actual manufacturing cost I'd say

$5-$8 is what that dock actually costs to make

$8 per Joycon (and even that is being probably generous)

$1 for an HDMI cable (also being generous here)

So that's uh ... $25 in savings. Reducing the screen size to 5 inch instead of 6.2 inch maybe gets you down another $20. 

It won't be $100 difference, to get to $100 Nintendo is going to have to either lose money on the hardware or cut off their profit margin, a bunch of plastic and a couple of cables is not getting you to a 100 bucks. 

That 20nm Tegra X1 still runs hot even in portable mode. We know for a fact is shreds through a 4300 MaH battery in about 3 hours even in portable mode. There's no way to seriously change that unless you die shrink to 16nm or you are going to run into heat issues putting that chip in a dramatically smaller chasis. Shrinking the screen size to 5-inches buys you a little bit in battery life but not that much, you are still going to need a large battery. 

What you're describing simply does not axe $100 in actual manfacturing cost from the Switch, nor is there any way to use the same 20nm chip in a dramatically smaller form factor with a smaller battery ... this just doesn't make sense.