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Johnw1104 on 22 June 2017
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shoichi said:
Johnw1104 said:

Perhaps I should have clarified, while I see a smaller, less powerful Switch filling the handheld void alongside it's full-fledged "portable console" counterpart being a possibility, in that instance the console would have to feature exclusives which fully utilize its superior hardware to justify its claims of being a console, as well as the higher price point.

Basically, it wouldn't just be the minor difference you see between the PS4 and PS4 Pro, but instead would feature exclusives and the like. To do otherwise would be to hamstring a console that is already on the tail end of console hardware capabilities.

I don't think Nintendo will ever again segment their game developers to one or the other gaming platform like the past with WiiU/3DS, Wii/DS, etc. 

Nintendo and Nvidia have a partnership right now, therefore their processors will likely power any devices in the foreseeable future (at least next 10 years). Right now the lowest a Tegra Processor can go is the X1 (more power than WiiU and slightly less power than a Xbox One) with the highest being the X2 (about on par with a Xbox One/PS4). The X3 (or whatever the new one is called) will highly likely be revealed sometime late Holiday 2017 or early 2018. It makes feasable sense especially when you are building on the same processor to create games that are compatible with both devices. Unless Nintendo decides to forego plans of creating a portable console and use a Nvidia high end GTX GPU or something, I can't see that changing.

What I expect is maybe the new Switch whenever it gets released would get the highest end Tegra Processor at the time (X3, X4, whatever) while the Switch-Mini if there was one, would feature a prior generation Tegra processor compared to the regular Switch. The Switch-Mini may end up downgraded in some capacity (smaller and lower resolution screen, less RAM, cheaper building materials, smaller battery, etc.) in order to create a price difference of $100-150 to get the device in the $150-200 range.

Yes, I do remember reading that experts and people within Nvidia were predicting a 20 year long partnership with Nintendo which, while quite a presumption, definitely shows both parties are very happy with the arrangement right now.

It was unfortunate for the Switch that the Tegra Processors were just a tad too late for the Switch to utilize the newer option, as had the Wii U not been such a sales failure they probably wouldn't have felt rushed to release the Switch as soon as they did, largely necessitating they go with the X1. If they'd had just another half year or so, I imagine they would have gone for the X2, which would have been a great deal stronger and featured much better battery life. I hope the success of the Switch allows them to time their next release better with Nvidia.

Otherwise, yes, this is almost exactly what I suspect is going to happen going forward; the Switch Mini will feature less impressive hardware but will have all the size, price, and battery advantages of your typical handheld, while the Switch itself will receive a major upgrade so that it can continue to provide a console-like experience.