Rumor: Switch 2 has 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage

[Mar1217]

IcaroRibeiro said:

RolStoppable said:

I am not sure if Nintendo will need more expensive game cards. Each generation since the introduction of cards on the DS, they've been using a more modern variant that was able to provide more storage capacity for roughly the same price as before. Additionally, due to raised game prices on the PS5, it wouldn't be an issue for Switch 2 games to cost $10 more than Switch games whenever a high capacity card is needed to store the whole game on it.

On Switch most of Nintendo's games have been 5 to 10 GB in size with just a few going above 10 GB, hence why 16 GB cards have been sufficient for first party games all generation long. On Switch 2 Nintendo's own games may double in size, but cards in the sizes of 16 GB and 32 GB will be absolutely no problem. When it comes to third party games, their sizes are usually largely inflated because consumer-friendliness isn't something they do on PS and Xbox. People keep falling for this time and time again, such as only a year ago when Persona 5 Royal was coming to Switch with its 50-something GB and a lot of people were concerned; Atlus/Sega put the whole game on a 16 GB card without problems. This isn't magic, it's just doing the normal work.

Beyond the above, people are getting carried away by these rumored specs. Just because AAA third party games could be ported to Switch doesn't even remotely mean that any given third party will actually do it, because a lot of AAA publishers have a long history of not bringing games over despite the absence of technological problems. The point is, it's a waste to worry about games that won't come to Switch 2 anyway, regardless of what Switch 2's specifications are.

The bottom line is that the majority of gamers still doesn't really grasp that today's game cards are not like the cartridges all the way up to the GBA. Technically, a card is a type of cartridge, but in the practical sense it's very different because high capacities are feasible at low prices. So whenever someone says "cartridge" or "cart" when refering to Switch's storage medium, there's a high chance that they do not really know what they are talking about.

DS: 8 to 512 MB (so up to 0.5 GB)
3DS: 1 GB to 8 GB
Switch: 1 GB to 64 GB

The maximum capacity for each console was rarely used, if at all. So in practical terms, its half the maximum theoretical size that was used for the biggest games on the respective systems.

It shouldn't be expected that this scales linearily from gen to gen (3DS was a theoretical increase of x16 for the maximum capacity, Switch an increase of x8, so Switch 2 would be x4), but doubling Switch should be doable for Switch 2, resulting in 32 GB and 64 GB being commonly used. Factor in data compression and where's the problem of too little storage then? It will be the same as on Switch where it comes down to the unwillingness of any given third party to be consumer-friendly and do what's realistically possible. It's a third party problem, not a console manufacturer problem.

The Witcher Wild Hunt is 24 GB with reduced resolution assets. If the new system is supposed to run with PS4 level of specs then I expect something around the original 42 of the original PS4 (GOTY version with DLC included, same version of Switch). This is not a game that looks poorly compressed in either system, definitely not the case of Persona 5 which was inflated by having dozen of hours of audio and cutscenes that could be compressed by simple compression techniques and/or by removing the mandatory download of some audio languages. After all Persona 5 still a PS3 game and having 16 GB is not an issue by any means 

PS4 levels of graphical fidelity is another thing. I'm fullying expecting the games to come from 10 GB all way up to 60 GB. 

Anyway your argument seems to assume 3rd parties won't join Switch 2, which I disagree. 3rd party support will be much better for Switch 2 than it was from base Switch, as now third parties recovered their confidence on Nintendo and are willing to release late ports for the base Switch I believe they will embrace Switch 2 wince launch 

Still one of the main point here is that, by simply doing their job by compressing and optimizing their games without too many compromises, those games shall fit the new 32GB/64GB mark for next gen cards.

Of course, are we to believe most AAA western won't actually try to reduce the cost by opting for partial downloading of their games ? I have almost no confidence to not do as such lol.

Last edited by Mar1217 - on 11 September 2023