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Forums - Nintendo - Emily Rogers: Switch has 4GB of ram in RETAIL units, leaked specs might not be farfetched

Ck1x on 31 October 2016
Soundwave said:
Ck1x said:
I think that people are so focused on sheer numbers of everything that they are arguing the wrong points. Whether or not if the Switch gets 3rd party support or ports won't be because of its specs!
What we currently know about the system it is perfectly adequate to run every XbOne and PS4 game just at different settings for the hardware.

People aren't arguing that though, they are saying because numbers of the Switch don't match up exactly with XbOne and PS4 for raw processing power, this will determine what games the Switch will get! The PS4 and XbOne are consoles designed in 2011, so just the fact that Switch is running on more modern efficient technology should get people to change what they are discussing.

AMD's new Polaris gpu's were all about efficiency for the company and how they can now put out very capable cards using less energy. So because of advancements you don't need the same level of displacement to achieve the same visual effects on screen as hardware designed in 2011 would need.

Architecture only counts for so much. A 2016 iPhone with a Fuson A10 processor (which is actually pretty beastly) is still not going to outperform a XBox One in game performance. 

Why are you comparing a phone to a gaming device? The iPhone isn't design for continuous peak performance, where the Switch will be. Once again it shouldn't be about whether the Switch will match raw horsepower of the current systems, it's about whether they can achieve equivalent visual fidelity using less.

There are many turbo 4cyl cars today that are faster than cars of yesterday with much bigger engines. You can chalk this up to the advantages of newer technology, efficiency and overall system design. 



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superchunk on 31 October 2016
SvennoJ said:

It's actually 5GB and it's a bottleneck as Sony is adding an extra GB for the Pro.
The barebones WiiU OS reserves 1GB and still loads awfully slow. I guess they can have games boot like the old n64/ps2 days and use the full 4GB, reset the device for a new game or to boot up to the OS. No background downloads, no online integration, no screenshots, no miiverse etc. Retro :)

When was the last time you used a wiiu? Ps4/xbo reserve 6GB for games and 2GB for OS. WiiU had a 1GB to each and loads a lot faster than at least the Xbox one. I hate how slow it is compared to wiiu.



superchunk on 31 October 2016
oniyide said:
curl-6 said:

No, but Nintendo aren't pushing it as a portable. 

the trailer says differently. Yes i know what they said, but actions speak lounder than words

The trailer that shows the NS 50% of the time as a Home console and 50% of the time as a portable with Home console power?



curl-6 on 31 October 2016
oniyide said:
curl-6 said:

No, but Nintendo aren't pushing it as a portable. 

the trailer says differently. Yes i know what they said, but actions speak lounder than words

Oh I agree that it's basically a portable in spite of what Nintendo says, but the fact they're advertising it as a console also means it will be compared to other consoles, including the Wii U, in the minds of gamers.



zorg1000 on 31 October 2016
Nemesis1993 said:
zorg1000 said:

they were the biggest games from that year, if getting ports of consoles that were 6 years old didnt help Wii U than why would ports of consoles that are 4 years old do anything?

Are you saying ports from games one gen behind (PS3/X360 7th) with years  are the same like a game Mass Effect Andromeda (for exemple) launch on same day together with PS4/Xbone?Doesn't matter how old the platform is,I am talking about 3rd party support,the biggest AAA western games launching together with PS4/Xbone/NS,this is a good support,not launch a game from last gen with years on market.What a shame be weaker than a 4 years old console.If  you think this ins't a problem,well just opinions differents,but Wii U did not survive.

Wii U launched Fall 2012, this was before PS4/XBO were even announced so of course multiplat titles would be with existing devices.

Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Madden 2013, FIFA 2013, NBA 2K13, Mass Effect 3, Batman: Arkham City, Darksiders 2, Ninja Gaiden 3, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, 007 Legends, Warriors Orochi 3, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Resident Evil: Revelations,  The Amazing Spider Man, Sniper Elite V2, Transformers: Rise of Dark Spark, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Batman: Arkham Origins, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin's Creed IV all released for Wii U in its first year and they did nothing. These were all new or recently new releases as well.

Multiplats are not what will make/break Switch, it will be a combination of a steady stream of exclusive titles, price, marketing and if the concept is well recieved, multiplats are a nice bonus but far from the most important aspect.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

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potato_hamster on 31 October 2016
Miyamotoo said:
potato_hamster said:


So now you're arguing that the Nintendo Switch is a nVidia Shield with a dock? I hope you're not giving Nintendo points on innovation and originality then. Then your argument boils down to "porting to a Nintendo Switch should be no more difficult than porting a game to a PC with much lower minimum specs that can be optimized for".  I suppose that's one way of looking at it, but still I have heard all of these arguments many times before.

The Wii was going was going to be easier to port to because it was just a beefed up Gamecube so the arcitecture was familiar to developers, and should be easier to work with, especially with all of these new developer tools!

The Wii U was going to be easier to port to because it was just a beefed up Wii so the arcitecture was familiar to developers, and should be easier to work with, especially with all of these new developer tools!

Now the Switch is going to be easy to port because it's just a beefed up nVidia shield so the archtecture is familiar to developers, and should be easier to work with, with all of these new developer tools.

I've heard it all before with Nintendo. Many times. I will believe it when I see it.


Also, blind people can't see thoughts any more than people without vision impairments :P

Now!?Are you aware of Shield and architecture and spec of Shield!? Switch concept, especially architecture and specs are very similar to Shield (stronger but again similar). Yes, probably want be difficile to port some PC game to Switch.

You really comparing Wii U tech and Switch based Tegra tech!? One is basicly GC tech that is 15 years old, onother is most likly Pascal based Tegra chip (year-two ago most powerful mobile chip in world). Basically you have 15 old tech and one of newest tech in industry.

Like I wrote several times, NvidiaTegra+ARM is very modern tech and architecture, that is very easy to work with it, and yes devlepment will be even easier because Nvidia support, new tools, APIs and actually their whole experience with Shield because Switch is similar product with same architecture.

 

You heard before!? When exactly last time Nintendo had very modern tech and architecture!? Last time was GC. You also didn't believe that Switch will be hybrid and that Nvidia will provide chip, now both those matters are confirmed.

Lol. let's clear something up. I saw the switch months ago. I said there would not be two seperate consoles announced that would play the same games, and I never made a comment as to its specs or what powered it because I was not privy to that information. I said exactly what the NS wasn't, and I was exactly right. You're confusing me with someone else.

I'm comparing Nintendo's history of claiming their console is easy to port to with their current claims that their console is easy to port to. I'll say it again. I will believe it when I see it. Nintendo's developer tools have historically been atrocious, and I don't have much reason to suspect this time will be any different based on what I have seen and heard. There's more to console development than what's under the hood.

Can you do me a favor and please stop passing off your assumptions as fact? It's tiring trying to talk to someone who bases argument after argument on little more than their faith in Nintendo to do what you feel they're capable of.



StuOhQ on 01 November 2016
Veknoid_Outcast said:

...We'll see about pricing, which means a heck of a lot more than 8GB of RAM... I've long argued Nintendo needs significantly less power than something like PS4, which to me is overpowed. Inferior tech means a lower price which means more units sold which means software sales galore... If Switch can get a low price tag, good word of mouth, and games like Mario Kart, Zelda, Pokémon, Monster Hunter, and Animal Crossing (none of which need anything close to 4GB) early and often it will be fine...

For Nintendo, price is going to be crucial.

The Wii U's problem wasn't only that their first-party release schedule was inconsistent - it was also that the price point it was selling at wasn't a "deal" to anyone but the most hardcore Nintendo fan. Sony and Microsoft had already established that their specs were worth $349-$400. Nintendo was trying to sell us half (or less) of the specs at three quarters (or more) of the price. Add that to the fact that they didn't have third-party support and their first-party games were trickling out, and you have a product with a cost well above its perceived value. 

The portable element of the Switch adds value, but I'll agree with most analysts that $299 is the highwater mark for the Switch's price point. 



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SvennoJ on 01 November 2016
superchunk said:
SvennoJ said:

It's actually 5GB and it's a bottleneck as Sony is adding an extra GB for the Pro.
The barebones WiiU OS reserves 1GB and still loads awfully slow. I guess they can have games boot like the old n64/ps2 days and use the full 4GB, reset the device for a new game or to boot up to the OS. No background downloads, no online integration, no screenshots, no miiverse etc. Retro :)

When was the last time you used a wiiu? Ps4/xbo reserve 6GB for games and 2GB for OS. WiiU had a 1GB to each and loads a lot faster than at least the Xbox one. I hate how slow it is compared to wiiu.

Today. I still use Wii fit every day, turn it on via the 'quick' load on the gamepad, then walk away since it still takes a full minute or more before it's ready to receive user input. PS4 cold boots much faster. (Never used an XBox One) Of course some games load faster than others yet wii fit is a tiny app, why is it so slow.



oniyide on 01 November 2016
superchunk said:
oniyide said:

the trailer says differently. Yes i know what they said, but actions speak lounder than words

The trailer that shows the NS 50% of the time as a Home console and 50% of the time as a portable with Home console power?mp[

nope, in the trailer they showed the NS been used mostly OUTSIDE the house. There was less footage of it being used as an actual home console I dont know what trailer you saw.



mutantsushi on 01 November 2016

Yup, I just timed it, basically 1 minute of the entire 3.5 minute trailer is actual in home/dock usage.
(I am counting the part of the "esport" segment after they plug into dock, even though they aren't shown playing)