Pemalite said:
EricHiggin said:
Faster RAM may be more expensive, but RAM is RAM at the end of the day when it comes to being expensive. Slower cheaper RAM would on one hand suggest Switch 2 could possibly have 16GB or more, but it depends on what the launch price is going to be. PS5 and SX are still at $499, and I think it's safe to say that Nin probably wants to shoot for $399 give or take. We all know Nin likes to make a profit on the hardware as well, so 16GB would very likely be pushing that budget to its limits.
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Ram is also a commodity item, so it's price increases/decreases depending on supply/demand.
More mainstream DRAM like LPDDR which is in pretty much every mobile device these days has high levels of supply, so that works in Nintendo's favor to keep costs in control and gain a favorable long-term low-price supply contract.
The Switch 2.0 -will- have slower and cheaper Ram compared to Series S, Series X, Playstation 5 and Playstation 5 Pro as it cannot use GDDR6 as Tegra lacks the memory controller to manage that DRAM without significant redesign.
Don't get me wrong, I highly doubt 16GB is going to happen, not without some developer pushing, but if Nintendo goes with 12GB and uses 2GB for OS/background tasks then it's really going to be hamstrung for the next 7+ years, this generation has turned out to very Ram limited so far... Take the PS5 Pro for example, all that extra RT, upscaling and GPU grunt... But Ram stayed the same capacity, so the extra hardware grunt isn't going to go as far as it should or could.
At-least with the Playstation 4 Pro, Sony conveniently included extra DDR3 Ram for the OS/Background tasks so as to reduce the reliance on the systems GDDR5... And Microsoft went with a full fat 12GB on the One X.
EricHiggin said:
Well yes, for a handheld type battery device like Switch or Switch 2, too little RAM isn't good for power efficiency, but neither is way too much. Whether all that 'extra' RAM was or wasn't being used, it wouldn't be great for power efficiency. What you really want, like you mentioned, is balance. You want to be in the ballpark of just enough RAM, which in general is easier said than done. You'll have some games that won't need a lot, and some that want a ton, but with Nin being whose developing the hardware with Nvidia, for their own games, partners, and third parties, Switch 2 should be about as balanced as one could hope for.
And yes, I know, I did suggest "too much RAM". Like how could anyone ever download too much RAM? I mean common...
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I personally believe 16GB is the sweet spot.
PC Handhelds with 32GB-64GB-128GB Ram see diminishing returns... But they are also not pushing DLSS and lots of RT which wants more Ram, in a year or two 32GB will be fairly standard on PC handhelds to accommodate that extra demand.
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A new mid engine exotic style Corvette is also practically a commodity in comparison to most mid engine exotics based on supply and demand. This leads to the Corvette being considerably cheaper than other cars like it, yet it's still an expensive car. RAM is expensive (and I don't mean Dodge).
I agree that Nin should shoot for at least 16GB anyway. Even if that means taking a small loss at the start of the gen. We all know they don't like to do that, but they should easily be able to justify it this time, assuming Switch 2 is a very similar device to Switch. They've proven the model works extremely well and can easily afford to put a little more up front this time without having to worry much, besides a pandemic, worldwide economic crash, or something like that.
To add to that, if Nin also decided to make the home console you've suggested, basically a Switch 2 without the mobile aspects in a box for the TV, they're almost certainly going to expand their overall sales even further beyond what Switch sold, so why not drop at least 16GB in the devices?
In terms of long term, low cost, supply contracts, as you mentioned, since Nin now knows that they should be able to plan for around 150 million Switch 2 units sold, if not more, they should be able to get some amazing deals on their parts. Amazing with inflation taken into consideration that is.
There's also the rumors, some more believable than others, that XB and possibly PS will enter the handheld/hybrid market. If Nin doesn't make Switch 2 performance reasonable enough for third parties, then XB and/or PS could scoop up some of those Switch customers who care more about third party. This also could give Nin all the more reason to make a Switch 2 home console to give gamers more reason to stay in their ecosystem.
