Nintendo Switch 2: Thread 01

[Nu-Eclipse]

Announced five whole years ago today, with still no more than the logo to show for it.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-26/switch-2-nintendo-s-next-gen-console-to-have-8-inch-lcd-screen-omdia-says?embedded-checkout=true

8 inch LCD screen reportedly

[wakka]

Nice. That will be a big uplift. Razor thin bezels too, I hope.

Although I am disappointed that it will be apparently LCD.

[Lebowski]

Nice. That will be a big uplift. Razor thin bezels too, I hope.

Although I am disappointed that it will be apparently LCD.

it's so they can release an OLED model 5 years into its life and charge everyone a premium for a shinny new screen attached to a 7-year-old chip set that they're getting at massively reduced costs as the only people wanting the chips are are smart kettles, and Technical Calculators manufactures.

[wakka]

Yep, I agree! Nintendo are masters of the mid-gen upgraded model.

[Neon Ignition]

They've been really restrained this gen. We still don't have the Nintendo Switch Lite OLED.

Or, for that matter, the Nintendo Switch Micro!

[wakka]

That's true, and we never got a crappy tiny selection of 'OLED only' games either.

Although that probably would have happened if the planned version of the OLED with a marginally upgraded chipset had gone ahead.

[nonny]

Nice. That will be a big uplift. Razor thin bezels too, I hope.

Although I am disappointed that it will be apparently LCD.

The only issue I see here is they will have a lot more competition in the market against the Switch 2. Of course Nintendo will do just fine with the exclusive software pushing sales in that old school model but with the PC handheld market hotting up really quick I wonder how a step back in technology might hurt the Switch overall.

With it being LCD I am sure they'll be going for an aggressive price point though.

[Nu-Eclipse]

10 million units rumoured to be made available on Day One.

https://insider-gaming.com/nintendo-...-2-10-million/

[Lebowski]

The only issue I see here is they will have a lot more competition in the market against the Switch 2. Of course Nintendo will do just fine with the exclusive software pushing sales in that old school model but with the PC handheld market hotting up really quick I wonder how a step back in technology might hurt the Switch overall.

With it being LCD I am sure they'll be going for an aggressive price point though.

if where talking about competition, theirs nothing to suggest that the steam deck has had an effect on the switch sales

17.9 million switches were sold in 2023, by comparison the deck sold 1.5 million units in the same time frame.

Even with the steam deck out and absolutely destroying the switch in the spec department the switch is outselling it 11-1

It feels like even though they share the same form factor they're aimed at massively different audiences, the switch is not a system you tinker with whereas the steam deck practically begs you to mess with it and push it beyond its intended use, it's far more a pc hobbyist style device like a raspberry pie.

[nonny]

if where talking about competition, theirs nothing to suggest that the steam deck has had an effect on the switch sales

17.9 million switches were sold in 2023, by comparison the deck sold 1.5 million units in the same time frame.

Even with the steam deck out and absolutely destroying the switch in the spec department the switch is outselling it 11-1

It feels like even though they share the same form factor they're aimed at massively different audiences, the switch is not a system you tinker with whereas the steam deck practically begs you to mess with it and push it beyond its intended use, it's far more a pc hobbyist style device like a raspberry pie.

Ah I didn't mean that in the way that any PC handheld has the ability to de-throne the Switch... not a chance... particularly if the new Switch is more capable / powerful.

I meant the arrival of the Steam Deck has really stimulated the PC handheld market and there's so much more competition in the overall handheld space. It's pretty much the first time we've seen a PC handheld that acts like a console.

I am sure the Switch has sold so well because basically it had the entire market to itself for several years and I think over the next 5 years the Switch 2 might eventually face some stiffer competition overall. Still pretty sure it'll still account for 75-85% of the overall handheld market, but that will be down from what the original Switch achieved (imo)...

[Dogg Thang]

Nintendo have faced far stronger competitors in the handheld market and it never seemed to do them any harm.

[briareos_kerensky]

I meant the arrival of the Steam Deck has really stimulated the PC handheld market and there's so much more competition in the overall handheld space. It's pretty much the first time we've seen a PC handheld that acts like a console.

Markets for Switch/Switch 2/handheld consoles is not the same as Steam Deck/handheld PCs, especially from the perspective of a Japanese company...and that Japanese company is Nintendo, which targets kids and a far broader demographic than an handheld PC, that still requires some level of tinkering and technical savviness to use. And a lot more money as a first purchase too.
People that will emulate Switch and Switch 2 on handheld PCs never meant to buy those consoles anyway, and if we take this forum as a (small) sample group, there are far more people that will buy both.

[wakka]

Agreed to both. I think it's easy to get a blinkered view of the reality of the videogame market if you mostly engage with enthusiast chatter. The reality is that any Steam Deck, let alone something like an Aya Neo, does not even have a prayer of reaching the kind of cultural (and commercial) critical mass that the Switch has achieved. Framerates, resolutions, OLED vs LCD...people just don't care about this **** in the real world. They just don't. It's not what sells 100m+ of anything.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I meant the arrival of the Steam Deck has really stimulated the PC handheld market and there's so much more competition in the overall handheld space. It's pretty much the first time we've seen a PC handheld that acts like a console.

I am sure the Switch has sold so well because basically it had the entire market to itself for several years and I think over the next 5 years the Switch 2 might eventually face some stiffer competition overall. Still pretty sure it'll still account for 75-85% of the overall handheld market, but that will be down from what the original Switch achieved (imo)...

Sounds like you're giving the Steam Deck and other devices like it a bit too much credit, tbh.

The reality is that Nintendo likely massively outsells all of them again with Switch 2 unless they proceed to mess it up themselves, and I say that as somebody who is positive about this new generation of PC-powerful gaming handhelds that quite clearly took their design cues from the Switch.

Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, etc....all impressively specced and good at what they do but none of them will remotely have the commercial reach to dent Nintendo's market share.