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There's only one Tegra chip Nintendo could be using for a Switch Pro, and here are the specs

What do you think?


  • Total voters
    40
  • Poll closed .

Raploz

Member
I think it's more likely to be Hopper than Xavier.
Nintendo using Hopper would allow Nvidia to have it's Multi-Chip Module solution optimized by developers, giving it a huge advantage over AMD's and Intel's implementations.
And according to Nvidia a MCM design only requires 6 months from spec to tape-out.

Either way I see it as being a MCM whether it's Hopper or a MCM using Ampere.

Nintendo could also could save money as a result of increased die yields; and it may allow Nintendo to do 3D without the glasses which they have been working on, by rendering different pixels from different vantage points, using cherkerboatd tendering, although that would likely require 4 MCM chips.

Nvidia added Multi-GPU checkerboard rendering to its GeForce drivers last year as
discussed in this article.

"You might remember that Checkerboard Rendering became popular after its use in Rainbow Six: Siege and then as a staple of PlayStation 4 Pro's 4K games. The difference is that the technique was used there to display even pixels on one frame and odd pixels on another frame to save performance; for multi-GPU configurations, the goal is to allow one graphics card to draw even pixels and the other to take care of odd pixels, all in the same frame."
https://wccftech.com/multi-gpu-checkerboard-rendering-silently-added-by-nvidia/

Developers were able to get almost perfect multi-gpu scaling in Sniper Elite 4 with 2080 ti using Nvlink, as shown in this Gamers Nexus video.


Hopper? No way, if we assume Nintendo is already telling devs to make 4k ready games there's no way they could get a Hopper GPU ready by 2021. Nvidia has just launched Ampere. Maybe in another console in 2023-2024 or so, but not for a Switch Pro. And even by that time, knowing Nintendo, they'd rather use an older and cheaper to produce arch than use anything bleeding edge.

there is absolutely no need for it to be a handheld, they already have a handheld in switch lite.

make this is a docked only console. 4 tflops. pair it with an 8 core 16 thread gpu and ssd and put in some tensor cores to make this 1080p console into a 4k dlss console.

this really shouldnt be that hard. they need to make a play for that market microsoft is going for and that means they need all next gen games running on this bitch.

They could probably do that if they were to release a brand new console, but for a Switch upgrade I don't think that would be possible. They have to make sure at least most of the titles would still be compatible with the original Switch, as they would still be part of the same family of consoles. There's no way developers would be able to downscale a game made for 16 cores and a 4TF GPU to the original console. If they do indeed upgrade the Switch, it won't be a generational leap for them, just a minor upgrade supporting better resolutions and the same games, just like Xbox One X and PS4 Pro.
 

McRazzle

Member
Hopper? No way, if we assume Nintendo is already telling devs to make 4k ready games there's no way they could get a Hopper GPU ready by 2021. Nvidia has just launched Ampere. Maybe in another console in 2023-2024 or so, but not for a Switch Pro. And even by that time, knowing Nintendo, they'd rather use an older and cheaper to produce arch than use anything bleeding edge.

Hopper is releasing in 2021, as is AMD's RDNA3 and Intel's Xe MCM architectures.
Those MCM chips are likely for the HPC segment and the gaming variants would come in 2022.
It's unlikely, but Nvidia could get something ready for Nintendo in 2021, and Nvidia is likely getting a Hopper chip for gaming ready in 2021 for themselves, just in case AMD were to surprise launch a gaming RDNA3 chip.
 

Zannegan

Member
Possibly. If true though it'll be quite disappointing to me still not passing the 1tf mark in 2020+.
The original Switch Pro rumors seemed to indicate a tiny jump in hardware power that still aimed for higher resolutions (presumably through DLSS). This could have been a misread of the Mariko Switch revisions, but, even so, it set my expectations for the pro pretty low. If they actually go for 2-4x the power plus DLSS, that would be a pleasant surprise and pretty great upgrade for a mid-gen refresh, IMO.

At that point, we'd be talking just under last gen (currently current gen) console power plus current gen+ features in a portable. I don't think even the Vita accomplished that, and it was a little powerhouse in its day.

That said, I do hope for a bigger jump in a full successor in 2024, something akin to a PS4 Pro in your pocket, but on their latest architecture but one with the newest iteration of DLSS and other Nvidia software features. Then again, given that we're talking Nintendo AND Nvidia, I'm also prepared to be disappointed. *shrug*
 
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xGreir

Member
While I enjoyed myself thinking about the possibilities Nintendo have to do this or that, adding tensor cores, work with nvidia to develop new choosers, stay mobile, but still try to step up through investigation... I just feel like Nintendo don't give a damn shot about console development.

Do they even have a mind like Cerny? Maybe I'm just out of the loop with Nintendo, but I see them like some old friends that go the sho every 6-8 years, take whatever is a good deal off the shelf, and call it a day.

And it kills me, bcs I frickin love my Switch, but I don't expect anything more from Nintendo now.
 
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THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
I'm thinking it's going to be something akin to the xbox series s. It will have a modern gpu, it will have an ssd, it will have dlss 2.0. It will render at 1080p and dlss takes it to 4k.
It will also play switch games, and every game released will have a switch version.
So it supports its mobile efforts and keeps costs down. And it might even launch early next year.
 
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Do they even have a mind like Cerny?

1520958887292.jpg


What has Cerny done to inspire such strong admiration to the point of you question the presence of a "mind" like his between Nintendo PTD and Nvidia?
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
1520958887292.jpg


What has Cerny done to inspire such strong admiration to the point of you question the presence of a "mind" like his between Nintendo PTD and Nvidia?

‘A mind like Cerny’

(Oversees the biggest mainstream handheld disaster ever)

(Creates one of the less impressive console jumps; essentially mediocre laptop parts — looks good only in comparison to the Xbox One disaster)

(Creates a 4K upgrade console that generally can’t get past 1440p or less in third party games)

(Creates the most useless, gimmick-stuffed controller ever, with no battery life for both)

I generally like PS hardware, but some people here have really drunk the Kool-Aid.
 
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‘A mind like Cerny’

(Oversees the biggest mainstream handheld disaster ever)

(Creates one of the less impressive console jumps; essentially mediocre laptop parts — looks good only in comparison to the Xbox One disaster)

(Creates a 4K upgrade console that generally can’t get past 1440p or less in third party games)

(Creates the most useless, gimmick-stuffed controller ever, with no battery life for both)

Some people here have really drunk the Kool-Aid.

He did direct Knack and Knack 2, lest we forget. Fuck you John Carmack!
 

Compsiox

Banned
The cartridges are the biggest problem that will hold back the Switch "Pro". Especially if it's 4K.

More and more games needing extra downloads already.
Digital only Switch gamestop immediately goes out of business. Also cartidges aside, storing 4k textures will take up a shit ton of memory. They better have 500gb onboard.
 
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They need to scrap the portability for the switch pro, and just make it a home console.

Switch 1.0/2.0 - Hybrid
Switch Lite - Portable
Switch Pro - Home console/no portability

Wham bam thank you mam, all bases covered and people like me will stop bitching about it being underpowered, since the pro wouldn't be held back by weak mobile components. If the XSS is $299, Nintendo can up the specs. Whether they will is extremely doubtful though.

That's unlike to happen considering that more people play it in portable mode than in docked mode (at least according to a report from 2017).
 

godhandiscen

There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
Yeah, I expect to be disappointed with the Switch 2’s power, but also, I don’t feel the Switch is missing much to become my main console, so any upgrade is welcome.
 

Zathalus

Member
720p DLSS to 1080p for handheld (with new 1080p screen) and 1080p DLSS to 4k for docked makes sense.

Some extra graphical bells and whistles and more stable framers to go on top of that.

Just don't expect to get all the way to current gen visuals outside of resolution though. RT is of course a no go until Switch 2.
 

Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
Haven't been keeping up with this but if this supports DLSS it would have to be a custom SoC right?
 

Rikkori

Member
People expecting high performance and Nintendo to do anything other than buying the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel in terms of chips so that they make even more money, are going to be disappointed. This is not Sony & MS, Nintendo has no qualms to just sell you awful hardware because ultimately their brand sells itself on other things & certainly its players don't seem bothered by it.
Then again, maybe with the looming threat of mobile cloud gaming hanging over it Nintendo will be more aggressive. I just don't see it.
 

xGreir

Member
1520958887292.jpg


What has Cerny done to inspire such strong admiration to the point of you question the presence of a "mind" like his between Nintendo PTD and Nvidia?

wow, some of you need to relax quite a lot, and turn down the jealously/whatever it is.

I was not impliyng anything godly, but that man has a presence in the console community as a console arquitech, better or worse, but still, being the head of the Sony hardware team.

And the thing is, I can't recall any leader/team/strong presence of a hardware team in any Nintendo showcase.
That's the reason why, even loving Nintendo above the other 2, I can't have any hope with them, until I see it crystal clear.

Now you can get your heads out of your buttholes, no compromises here. Even if u don't like the man, he has a good career under his arms, cmon.
 
They used ready part when switch was unproven concept with unknown sales potential. I'm pretty sure that if Nintendo asks Nvidia will design them whatever they want after 60 or so millions of tegras sold.
 
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 drops to 368p. There's no way Nintendo are making the jump to 4K in the same generation, probably not even next generation.
 

FStubbs

Member
People expecting high performance and Nintendo to do anything other than buying the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel in terms of chips so that they make even more money, are going to be disappointed. This is not Sony & MS, Nintendo has no qualms to just sell you awful hardware because ultimately their brand sells itself on other things & certainly its players don't seem bothered by it.
Then again, maybe with the looming threat of mobile cloud gaming hanging over it Nintendo will be more aggressive. I just don't see it.

We've had over a decade of mobile gaming now. Any long term damage it would have done to Nintendo has been done by now.
 

HE1NZ

Banned
The cartridges are the biggest problem that will hold back the Switch "Pro". Especially if it's 4K.

More and more games needing extra downloads already.
Switch Pro will probably just have a 4K outpit in dock mode. Games themselves will run at a lower internal resolution. Unless they actually going for Switch 2.
 
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Shifty1897

Member
You can see in the comments the issues people have with a hybrid console. Expecting 1TF+ from an affordable handheld is probably unrealistic but people can't help but compare it to the PS4 and XB1.
 

Arkam

Member
This can go two ways from my view. They can go cheap and use some X2s that are likely hanging out due to magic leaps magic flop. This would work for a Pro but not a true successor. Will get performance gains but probably need to stick with a 720p screen Or Nintendo can actually pay to have some thing new that would probably be an octo core cpu with Ampre based GPU. This route would give them something that can handle x1/ps4 ports easily and let them move up to a 1080p screen.
 

supernova8

Banned
Given it looks like nVIDIA is buying ARM itself, the Switch's successor will probably be a next-gen Tegra chip.

Even if NVIDIA, Softbank and ARM finalise the deal, it doesn't automatically mean it'll go through. I can envisage a lot of anti-competition claims coming through. ARM used to be totally independent, putting out 'recipes' for ARM chips to anyone who might want them. Offering their consulting services for anyone who might want them. Softbank bought ARM but Softbank doesn't really do hardware so ARM's position in the market didn't really change. If NVIDIA buys ARM then that changes everything.

So yeah while I agree that Switch's successor will probably be an NVIDIA-based one, I don't think (potential) acquisition will have any effect since if they are releasing a device sometime next year, it's probably already been in development for a while.
 

Xellos

Member
are people seriously expecting 4k? it will just be using the upscaling tech from the 2019 shield tv.

The more I think about it the more sense this makes. New CPU/GPU + DLSS is Switch 2 territory, not a mid-generation refresh. Running the same A57/Maxwell configuration at higher clocks with more/faster RAM (but still on 64-bit bus) + Shield-type upscaling + built in 1080p screen is probably enough for a Nintendo "Pro" model.
 

DESTROYA

Member
Posted this in the Nintendo thread but think it’s pretty big enough to cross post here


Pretty interesting development if it goes through
 

Zato

Banned
The chip in the latest Shield has AI upscaling and it is very impressive .... I wonder if it can be used like a DLSS type scenario for the Switch?
 

Raploz

Member
Is it early for a nextgen Switch?
Probably. Switch is still selling well and it is only 3.5 years old. They abandoned the Wii U earlier because it didn't sell well, but they won't drop support for the original Switch for at least another 2 or 3 years. The New Nintendo 3DS was released 3 years before Switch and 3DS was released back in feb. 2011, so we can probably only expect a true successor to Switch in 2023 or maybe even in 2024.


And that is assuming they indeed keep making Switches. Their next-gen console might be completely different. All we can expect is a mid gen refresh next year.
 
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Posted this in the Nintendo thread but think it’s pretty big enough to cross post here


Pretty interesting development if it goes through
I would assume that this would indeed benefit Nintendo to have Nvidia help them out making custom cores for Next-Gen on their Next-Gen SoC Tegra chip
 

DESTROYA

Member
How would it benefit Nintendo, if every company could license Nvidia SOC's?
By helping each other out. Nintendo really helped nvidia going with Tegra (61+ million sold ) and keeping them relevant in the console space. So why wouldn’t they go with them again if they can customize a chip for them for future Nintendo consoles.
They could make it backwards compatible with Switch games so it’s a win win situation.
First thigs first it has to be finalized.
 

Great Hair

Banned
4K@900gflops@15Watt ... even upscaled, seems too weak. Maybe keep the original switch, but have a dockstation capable of 4K upscaling?
 

S0ULZB0URNE

Member
It be pretty dumb as this isn't powerful enough.

I think a version based on Orin is more likely.

Nintendo will need a significant jump.
 

Petopia

Banned
Whats next switch heads want to talk about putting ampere tech into their custom tegra chips now?
 
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How would it benefit Nintendo, if every company could license Nvidia SOC's?
Well, Tegra as a SoC struggled finding a home with other OEM's other than Nvidia's Shield line. Seemed like Nvidia gave up on Tegra to have it repurpose for Smart Car tech only, until Nintendo decided to take the X1. Now, Tegra as a multimedia chip is a hit for gaming
 

yurinka

Member
I think Switch Pro won't exist. If something, a Switch XL with some minor tweaks like better screen and maybe the current chip with the DLSS thingy patched on it as the only change to scale games better on that SKU. No other improvements.
 
They need to scrap the portability for the switch pro, and just make it a home console.

Switch 1.0/2.0 - Hybrid
Switch Lite - Portable
Switch Pro - Home console/no portability

Wham bam thank you mam, all bases covered and people like me will stop bitching about it being underpowered, since the pro wouldn't be held back by weak mobile components. If the XSS is $299, Nintendo can up the specs. Whether they will is extremely doubtful though.
Why though, there is the other consoles and pc for power. Nintendo just needs to do what they are doing as there is no other portables or hybrids. They have the market to themselves
They can't compete at the high end and they would be stupid to try. I'd be ecstatic if they could port ps4 games to the new switch in 1080p. Also Nintendo doesn't do photo realism. Mario and link don't need 10teraflops. It's overkill.
 
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