Indeed.

Also, the next problem to believe this whole rumor is that the Switch is already almost 5 years old. If Nintendo uses the latest of the latest in this Pro version, what could they use for the real Switch 2?

Of course, there are two other options:

1-This is not a Switch Pro but rather a proper Switch 2. It would certainly be surprising given that the Switch is doing great in terms of sales, but Nintendo could try to use the hype in its favor launching a successor sooner than expecterd, hoping that those that were going to buy the first console would instead jump to the newer model. Plus we know that the current model benefited from being able to run ports of PS4/X1 games, but now that the PS5/XX are out, that's no longer posible on it, but could be feasible in a more powerful Switch 2.

2-Ok, this is a crazy option that some users like Soundwave came up with years ago, but here it goes: Nintendo adopts a smartphone-like approach, and instead of replacing the Switch with a new model, both devices would live alongside for some time, with some games targeting the original machine and only getting the 4K upscaling (and probably other extras) on the newer model while others would be made for the nwer model, incapable of running on the older model, at least in handheld mode. This trategy could keep going on for a couple of years if not more, until the demand for the original model was low enough to discotinue it.

Quite franckly, I don't like neither of these options, but I didn't like the hybrid route and it has paid off really well for them.

In any case, if the rumor is true and we get that machine, at least we'll know more about Lovelace XD.

Yea I suppose the switch 2 wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility since the wiiU to the switch was 5 years but granted the wiiU sold very poorly. The benefit of releasing the Switch 2 this early, especially if it's powerful would be the fact that they would be able to continue to get 3rd party ports as the consoles transition to ps5/series X. Especially thanks to how slow the Series S is. And they can still continue to support the current switch with new games for a few more years while providing enhanced editions to the new switch.

I do highly doubt the second option is gonna happen but we will see.

If the switch pro is very powerful, the differentiating factor for the switch 2 would be in the design in some way while being even more powerful. Since the switch pro would be held back by the original switch, the switch 2 would be a ground up redesign. Maybe with a Dock that actually can house a GPU instead of being a glorified USB hub. So there are certainly a number of things they can do if they go Lovelace with Switch Pro and maybe Hopper with Switch 2.

I just want the Switch 2 to target 1080p 60fps, fuck 4k 30, and I know current gen systems and even last gen have issues getting all games to 4k 30, let alone 4k 60. Either give me 1080 60fps or 1440 60fps, screw the 4k 30/60 sub fps.

Also pointless to me if we're going to see games on Switch 2 that sport low res texture, but get blown up to 4k, it's just going to look like gash. Also fix the fucking drift issues, for the love of god.

Nintendo has released a lot of successors to its consoles after 5 or 6 years, at least according to Wikipedia, so it wouldn't really be that surprising. Only that this time the console is still selling like hotcakes.

I don't see th second option either, but there's always a chance. We can't rule it out, at least completely.

I remember so sketches or patents about a switch controller that could bend (found them, here). That would definitely be an improvement. An USB 3.2 port for an active dock like you describe would also be welcome. Still, an upgrade from Lovelace to Hopper doesn't seem like it would be big enough to justify a Switch 2.

Sorry for the delay, here are the news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

DSOGaming Giveaway – Win a free copy of Yakuza 6
https://www.dsogaming.com/editorial/dsogaming-giveaway-win-a-free-copy-of-yakuza-6/
Another month, another giveaway. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, Kingdom Hearts 3 and Yakuza 6 will release in the next few days. However, and since most of you prefer Steam, we’ve decided to skip the first two and give away Yakuza 6.
As with our previous contests, you can participate in this giveaway by simply leaving a ‘Thank You’ comment below. We will delete both duplicate and off-topic comments. We will also delete comments from all the accounts that were created for this or previous giveaways (Disqus provides information on when you signed up).
Moreover, your account must have at least 70 comments. We’ve implemented this rule so that we can prevent all the accounts that some users have created solely for giveaways. Comments from accounts that have less than 70 total comments (or have comments only on giveaways) will be deleted. If you are new, you can start engaging with all other users in the Comment section and then participate in future giveaways.

GOG has launched a contest to win one of 120 selected games, and new titles have joined the Spring Sale

Steam has a new daily deal: the Early Access title Ragnarock is 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1345820/Ragnarock/

At the Humble Store there's a Metal Gear Sale, with up to 90% discounts during the next 4 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/metal-gear-franchise-sale/

And Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is One Finger Death Punch 2, 87% off during the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/one-finger-death-punch-2
• And the new Platinum Collection BYOB features 23 games to make your 3, 5 or 7 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/platinum-collection-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Microsoft is testing new icons in the latest Windows 10 insider preview, obvs breaks gaming
https://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-is-testing-new-icons-in-the-latest-windows-10-insider-preview-obvs-breaks-gaming/
A new build for the Windows 10 Insider Preview hit the interwebs yesterday, boasting some lovely new icons to give your machine a refreshing facelift, but there's a dark side of things, hidden under this glossy façade.
(...)
All good then? Not quite. If you make your way down the list you'll find yourself at a rather worrying entry under the Known Issues section. One that should probably make you want to pause this update, at least for a little while:
[Gaming] There is an issue in this build where certain games may crash, will not sync save data when a game is played on a different device, or will not save when a new game is installed. We are working on a fix, but if you believe this may impact you, to avoid any potential data corruption, we recommend you pause updates until we release a new build with the fix.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Yakuza’s Kazuma Kiryu comes to Tekken 7 thanks to this mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/yakuzas-kazuma-kiryu-comes-to-tekken-7-thanks-to-this-mod/
Tekken and Yakuza fans, here is something special for you today. Modder ‘huchi001’ has released a new mod for Tekken 7 that brings to this fighting game Yakuza’s main character, Kazuma Kiryu.
This mod basically replaces Hwoarang and/or Kazuya with Kazuma Kiryu. Now as with most character mods, this is a simple 3D model swap and nothing more. Still, it’s really cool and something that a lot of players will appreciate.
You can download the mod for Hwoarang and for Kazyua from here and here, respectively.

Dungeon Siege 2 gets a 3.4GB Mod, overhauling all of its terrain textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dungeon-siege-2-gets-a-3-4gb-mod-overhauling-all-of-its-terrain-textures/
Modder ‘Flutterhate’ has released an HD Texture Pack for Dungeon Siege 2. This pack is 3.4GB in size, and uses AI techniques in order to overhaul all of its terrain textures.
Going into slightly more details, Flutterhate upscaled all of the game’s terrain textures by four times via Gigapixel AI. As such, the newly improved textures retain the art style of the original ones.
This first version of this HD Texture Pack covers terrain, floor and grounds textures. In a future version, the modder plans to add other textures ( weapons, armors, beasts, etc).
>> You'll find it at Nexus Mods.

This essential Valheim mod turns you into a freakishly huge Viking
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-essential-valheim-mod-turns-you-a-freakishly-huge-viking/
The sheer size of Valheim's world can make your Viking feel quite small in comparison. Luckily, there's now a way to make your Valheim character swole. Galactically swole! So big you tower over your own base, even. And don't you deserve to be a freakishly huge Viking? The answer is yes.
BoneMod for Valheim "allows you to customize your character's bones," something we'd all like to do to our typically unalterable bones. By entering commands in the chat pane, you can scale and stretch your standard-issue Viking skeleton to your heart's desire. Want a giant head? Just make your skull bone enormous. Want hands the size of boulders? The mod can do that too. Want to make yourself taller, but also sort of narrow so you're a bit confusing to look at, or want your upper body so big it dwarfs your house? This mod's gotchu because you can adjust your bones in all three dimensions.

GAMING NEWS

Asterix and Obelix: Slap them All! announced for PC, coming out in Fall 2021
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/asterix-and-obelix-slap-them-all-announced-for-pc-coming-out-in-fall-2021/
Microids has just announced a new Asterix and Obelix game, Asterix and Obelix: Slap them All!. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publisher also released the game’s debut trailer that you can find below.

THQ Nordic announces We Are Football, coming out on June 10th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/thq-nordic-announces-we-are-football-coming-out-on-june-10th/
THQ Nordic has announced a new football manager game, We Are Football. Created by Gerald Kohler and his team, the creative mind behind the “On The Ball”- series and the “Football Manager”-series, We Are Football will put you in charge of your dream team.

First gameplay footage surfaces for SAMURAI WARRIORS 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-gameplay-footage-surfaces-for-samurai-warriors-5/
During the 2nd SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 livestream, KOEI Tecmo and Omega Force revealed its first gameplay footage. SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 introduces a re-imagined experience – from the visuals to the storyline – to open the curtain on an all-new SAMURAI WARRIORS series.

Latest Hood: Outlaws & Legends gameplay trailer focuses on the Mystic class
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/latest-hood-outlaws-legends-gameplay-trailer-focuses-on-the-mystic-class/
Focus Home Interactive has released a new gameplay trailer for Hood: Outlaws & Legends in which Sumo Digital and game director Andrew Willans explore one of its playable classes, the Mystic.

First concept art for the new game from Silent Hill’s original creator
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/first-concept-art-for-the-new-game-from-sillent-hills-original-creator/
Last month, Chris informed you about a new game that the original creator of Silent Hill is currently working on. And yesterday, Bokeh Game revealed the first concept art from this unannounced game.

Action RPG, Thymesia, to be published by Team17 in 2021
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/action-rpg-thymesia-to-be-published-by-team17-in-2021/
Team17 has announced that it will publish the punishing action role-playing game, Thymesia, from OverBorder Studio. Today’s partnership announcement will see the studio’s debut title arrive on PC later this year.

Biomutant gets a new gameplay trailer, focusing on its combat mechanics
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/biomutant-gets-a-new-gameplay-trailer-focusing-on-its-combat-mechanics/
THQ Nordic has released a new gameplay trailer for Biomutant that gives us a glimpse at its combat mechanics. BioMutant is an open-word, post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG that is coming to PC on May 25th.

Turn-based historical strategy game, Humankind, releases on August 17th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/turn-based-historical-strategy-game-humankind-releases-on-august-17th/
Amplitude Studios has announced that it plans to release its turn-based historical strategy game, Humankind, on August 17th. SEGA was originally planning to release the game in 2020, however, Amplitude needed more time in order to further polish.

The news, the sequel:

World Of Warcraft Classic's return to The Burning Crusade has entered beta
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-classics-return-to-the-burning-crusade-has-entered-beta/
World Of Warcraft Classic is returning to Outland—and if you're particularly eager to return to The Burning Crusade, you can now opt-in to Blizzard's closed beta for the throwback expansion.

Steam Next Fest wants to compete with E3
https://www.pcgamer.com/steam-next-fest-wants-to-compete-with-e3/
Steam's semi-regular Game Festival has been rebranded as Steam Next, with the next showcase of game trailers, developer livestreams and countless free demos set to kick off June 16th through 22nd. These dates happen to coincide with when a year's E3 would usually be expected, and indeed E3 2021 was at one point slated to run from June 15-17 as a digital event (though it appears to have been cancelled).

Valve's Robin Walker says Half-Life fans should be 'excited about possibility again,' does not mention the number 3
https://www.pcgamer.com/valves-robin-walker-says-half-life-fans-should-be-excited-about-possibility-again-does-not-mention-the-number-3/
Valve's Robin Walker, one of its most senior developers and a key figure in the creation of everything from Half-Life to Team Fortress to Dota 2, recently gave an interview to The Gamer discussing the company's internal reaction to making Half-Life: Alyx and gave something of a tease about things to come.

Magic: The Gathering Strixhaven reveal: Quintorius of Lorehold college
https://www.pcgamer.com/magic-the-gathering-strixhaven-reveal-quintorius-of-lorehold-college/
Magic: the Gathering's next set is called Strixhaven: School of Mages, and it'll be launching on Magic Online and MTG Arena on April 15. This will be the 87th Magic the Gathering set and it seems to offer some interesting takes on the MTG multiverse.

Every time Genshin Impact releases a new character it makes at least $12 million in a single day
https://www.pcgamer.com/every-time-genshin-impact-releases-a-new-character-it-makes-at-least-dollar12-million-in-a-single-day/
Genshin Impact's characters are at the heart of everything. New ones are released monthly, and each one has unique abilities that can help you when exploring the open world of Teyvat or taking on some of Genshin's hardest challenges. They're also just very charming, beautifully rendered, well voice-acted and typically have special story quests that dig into their backstory. Genshin Impact is a little like Pokémon—only instead of collecting cute creatures you're building a crack-team of anime heroes. Genshin Impact's characters are also how the game makes ridiculous amounts of money. Based on analysis of market intelligence website Sensor Tower, each time one is added to the game players collectively fork over around $12 million in the first day just to try and get it.

Rainbow Six Siege is fixing that bizarre recoil bug tomorrow
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six-siege-recoil-bug-patch/
Rainbow Six Siege's next patch is targeting a bundle of annoying bugs introduced at the start of the Crimson Heist season last week. Chief among them is the truly bizarre recoil bug that's sending bullets off course. Patch Y6S1.1 is coming to PC tomorrow and will later drop for the consoles (once Microsoft/Sony give the thumbs up).

Apex Legends may finally be getting Titans, sort of
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-may-finally-be-getting-titans-sort-of/
(...) Dataminer Biast12, who previously helped drop the dime on the season 7 character Horizon, has tweeted gameplay footage of a new character named Blisk, whose "Standby for Titanfall" ultimate enables him to call down an Auto-Titan to wreak havoc. It’s not a full-on Titan that players can hop into and ride—rather, it appears to function in a fashion similar to Bob, Ashe’s bodyguard in Overwatch: It shows up when called, kicks ass within a set area, and then goes away.

Magic: Legends open beta takes a beating over monetization and framerate issues
https://www.pcgamer.com/magic-legends-beta-monetization-currency/
One of the top posts on the Magic: Legends subreddit is titled "fastest uninstall of my life," which isn't the sort of reaction the free-to-play action RPG was looking for during its first week in open beta. Perhaps worse, popular commentator and streamer Sean "Day[9]" Plott, who's big in the Magic: The Gathering Arena scene, called Legends "awful" after briefly livestreaming it. There are positive comments out there, too, but what seemed like an exciting launch has quickly become turbulent.

Dota 2 is getting a huge update to help new players
https://www.pcgamer.com/dota-2-is-getting-a-huge-update-to-help-new-players/
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that Dota 2’s tutorial sucks, to such an extent that the community has pooled funds to create its own. But Valve has just announced its own huge update, which is aimed at making the notoriously complex game more palatable to newcomers. It’s timed to coincide with tomorrow’s premiere of the Dragon’s Blood anime adaptation, which will no doubt attract hordes of new players to the game.

There's another Haunted PS1 Demo Disc for 2021 and it's 147 percent as haunted
https://www.pcgamer.com/theres-another-haunted-ps1-demo-disc-for-2021-and-its-147-percent-as-haunted/
I don't know if you've heard but game demos are back, baby. Last year, the indie scene of developers making spooky games with PlayStation-era graphics put together a free anthology of 17 ominous oddities called the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc. Its creators are returning from the land of wobbling textures and giant polygons with a sequel, the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc 2021, which will contain 25 demos for upcoming retro games with low-fi art.

Activision pulls Ice Drake blueprint from Warzone's store
https://www.pcgamer.com/activision-pulls-ice-drake-blueprint-from-warzones-store/
Activision has pulled its new Ice Drake blueprint from Call of Duty: Warzone thanks to some particularly bad game-breaking bugs.
Part of the NecroKing bundle, the Mastercraft skin turns the Krig 6—one of Warzone's best guns— into a pretty badass looking dragon gun, complete with wings that let the gun fly around when you inspect it. It's one of Warzone's more expensive blueprints too, with the bundle costing 2400 COD points (around $20/£17).

Revisit a classic with Total War: Rome Remastered in April
https://www.pcgamer.com/revisit-a-classic-with-total-war-rome-remastered-in-april/
The history nerds at Creative Assembly have decided to explore their own history for the next Total War, enlisting Feral Interactive to dig up the original Rome and give it a good dusting. The result is Total War: Rome Remastered, sporting a 4K upgrade, 16 new factions, and a few other modern bells and whistles.

Samsung develops 512GB DDR5 memory based on High-K Metal Gate HKMG process technology

https://videocardz.com/press-release/samsung-develops-512gb-ddr5-memory-based-on-high-k-metal-gate-hkmg-process-technology


Intel’s New IDM 2.0 Strategy: $20b for Two Fabs, Meteor Lake 7nm Tiles, New Foundry Services, IBM Collaboration, Return of IDFb

https://www.anandtech.com/show/16573/intels-new-strategy-20b-for-two-fabs-meteor-lake-7nm-tiles-new-foundry-services-ibm-collaboration-return-of-idf

"As part of Intel’s Foundry Services, the company is announcing that it will work with customers to build SoCs with x86, Arm, and RISC-V cores, as well as leveraging Intel’s IP portfolio of core design and packaging technologies."


Samsung Demos 256Mb 3nm MBCFET Chip: Performance, Density Up, Power Down

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/samsung-3nm-isscc-2021-gaafet-3gae




Some interesting things be happening in the Foundry sector. First is Intel opening up their fabs to third party customers which means we will now have 3 main foundries to choose from. And second is Samsung will be using GAA/MBC for their 3nm node instead of FinFET that TSMC is using and GAA is supposed to be significantly better. If they actually manage to do it, Nvidia's early investment into Samsung will pay off significantly similarly to how AMD invested into TSMC and reaped the benefits. And not to mention it will change the monopoly status from TSMC to Samsung.

Yeah, that's more like if Nintendo was already shopping for the successor for the Switch, which is not impossible, but even that would take at least a London Eye-sized grain of salt.

Also, if the GPC would stay the same as with Turing (don't know the size for Ampere), then there would be 640 Shader processors compared to 256 right now, so 2.5 times as many. That's the same amount as in the old 1050Ti and MX350 GPUs, but even the MX has a TDP of 20W, way above what something like the Switch could handle in handheld mode without sucking the battery dry in an instant.

So while having 640 SP is not out of question, especially not with a future node, they would need to be seriously tuned down to handle the constrains of a handheld form factor. But between the bigger chip, the higher IPC, the  higher clock rates (Switch clocks so low that it's successor will certainly clock a couple hundred Mhz higher even for handheld mode) and possible other improvements, that could very well result in something between 6-12 times what the current Switch can push in terms of graphics, so about PS4 level in terms of graphics and way enough for a generational uplift.

Finally! A sub-10 nm fab NOT in Asia.

Imagine one day, maybe in 20 years, getting that kind of capacity for regular PCs...

Intel opening its fabs to others is good news for them, although we'll have to wait and see if their prices are competitive enough to be a good option. Now we need GloGo to get their shit together to make it a 4-way horse race that could scale down a lot of the supply problems we suffer every now and then.

And I wouldn't count TSMC down compared to Samsung's new strategy. They've been in this game long enough to keep a trick or two up their sleeve.

Since this would be a new SoC, we don't know how much focused on gaming is or what its specs could be. Ampere doubles the shader count compared to Turing for each SM, but would Nintendo prefer to go with 4 SMs and get twice the shaders or would prefer to get half the SMs and the same amount of shaders, relying on its architecture improvements to bring performance forward?

Oh, well, I doubt we'll get any kind of confirmation or proper info for the foreseable future so, is there even a point in thinking about its possible specs?