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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Upgradable Switch?

Wman1996 on 27 August 2020

Nintendo would almost never do such a thing. The line between gaming platforms and PC are already more blurred than ever. But Nintendo is the one out of the big three that is most different to PC gaming. If anyone ever takes this approach, it would probably be Microsoft.



Lifetime Sales Predictions 

Switch: 151 million (was 73, then 96, then 113 million, then 125 million, then 144 million)

PS5: 115 million (was 105 million) Xbox Series S/X: 57 million (was 60 million, then 67 million)

PS4: 120 mil (was 100 then 130 million, then 122 million) Xbox One: 51 mil (was 50 then 55 mil)

3DS: 75.5 mil (was 73, then 77 million)

"Let go your earthly tether, enter the void, empty and become wind." - Guru Laghima

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Slownenberg on 27 August 2020
Doctor_MG said:

The issue with this idea is that you have to make something the baseline, otherwise you cannot guarantee that anyone with any specific model can play any specific game. There were already issues with the New 3DS and the potential split in the market, which is why only a handful of physical games were actually exclusive to the New 3DS (Xenoblade, The Binding of Isaac, Minecraft, etc). Even when the N64 came out with it's expansion pack the vast majority of games did not require the pack (only DK64, Majoras Mask, and Perfect Dark). 

The second issue actually stems from the first issue. Since games would be made with a specific baseline to prevent a split in the market any hardware improvements that are provided wouldn't be as tangible. Of course increased RAM, CPU, GPU would help resolution, framerate, texture filtering...but games themselves would be limited to what the baseline could produce. Then you have the potential issue I'll call "The Outer Worlds" issue. That is, there might be a game like The Outer Worlds that is just complete dog sh*t on the baseline hardware. Maybe you think that is okay, but the people that are purchasing a Switch aren't quite as tech savvy as someone that might be building a PC. Seeing the quality of a game, calling to find out whats wrong with it only to find out that on top of the $300 console you just purchased it's recommended that you purchase a $50-100 upgrade or two for the game to actually run well. That's bound to give the average consumer a sour taste.

Yes exactly as doctor_mg says. While the idea of an upgradeable system at first seems cool, these two points make it a terrible idea. You'd basically just end up with future games that just run at higher resolutions and higher frame rates and load quicker but have the same graphics and content. You wouldn't actually get games where better tech allows for expanded game ideas or content, because all games would still need to play on the original weakest group of components. Otherwise you split the base which would be a nightmare. Nobody wants a video game system where you have to figure out if your version has the correct specs like in PC gaming.



Dulfite on 27 August 2020

Keep em coming people! I need to make some popcorn.



OneTime on 27 August 2020

I think software developers won't thank you. The more combinations of hardware, the more combinations that have to be tested, optimized and bug fixed.

Given that the software would have to work on the lowest end hardware anyway, everything else you might upgrade would be "extra work". And that's before the fact that the people who do upgrade are likely to be enthusiasts who would have bought a Switch anyway, so there is no obvious additional sales for that work (no matter how trivial it might be).

...unless by upgrades you mean different themed Joycons, Amibos, and pro controllers, in which case you're totally on the money for what developers want to sell you...



IcaroRibeiro on 27 August 2020

Consumers don't have enough knowledge to make those upgrades



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siebensus4 on 27 August 2020

I'd love that but it doesn't sound like a Nintendo solution.



Dulfite on 27 August 2020

You got a $300 Switch 2 from five years ago? I've got a $600 Switch I've updated over the years, piece by piece, that can still play brand new games coming out. Take that!



camilosanchez16 on 27 August 2020

I always liked the N64 concept of the Expansion Pack and the other Packs that could enhance the experience. I had the idea of an upgradable dock that could have a port for this kind of components and could give more power to the console when docked for let's say, $60.



mjk45 on 27 August 2020
Dulfite said:
You got a $300 Switch 2 from five years ago? I've got a $600 Switch I've updated over the years, piece by piece, that can still play brand new games coming out. Take that!

Upgrades aren't infinite there is always a point where the tech needs new underpinnings, it's why the next gen consoles aren't upgraded PS4's and Xbox one's rebadged as PS5 and Series X . just like others have pointed out it just adds a layer of complexity and erodes the strength of having an homogeneous system.

Last edited by mjk45 - on 27 August 2020

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Slownenberg on 27 August 2020
Dulfite said:
You got a $300 Switch 2 from five years ago? I've got a $600 Switch I've updated over the years, piece by piece, that can still play brand new games coming out. Take that!

Why would anyone want that? Sounds awful. Five year old systems already play brand new games, without needing to cost twice the price with upgrades..soooo whats the point again?