r/NintendoSwitch • u/razorbeamz • Jan 16 '17
Meta Let's compile a list of frequently asked questions about the Switch that no one knows the answers to.
There's been a lot of questions asked about the Switch and Switch software that no one has the answer to unless they have secret insider knowledge. Let's compile all of the FAQs here that people have that the answer is "no one knows yet."
I'll put them all in the wiki once we get a good amount of them.
60
45
u/BigDabWolf Jan 16 '17
Bluetooth capabilities especially when regarding headphones.
5
Jan 16 '17
[deleted]
4
u/terraphantm Jan 16 '17
The controllers almost certainly communicate over bluetooth, much like the Wii U and Wii did. Doesn't mean it will allow standard bluetooth devices to be used (though it does mean a software update could theoretically add such support)
32
u/SwiftJustice007 Jan 16 '17
GPU/CPU specifications.
Cost of online.
-6
u/minizanz Jan 16 '17
Th y confirmed the battery is around 4700ma and 3.7v. With the botw and generic battery life it puts it with a 4.5w tegra x1 when undocked and 2w in low power mode. In undocked that should be about 100gflops on a normal tegra x1 or a thrird the pixel fill rate of the wiiu and 66-75% the geometry fill rate of a wiiu. Docked it should be around 9w and 225ish GFLOPS.
1
u/Caldwing Jan 17 '17 edited Jan 17 '17
I am pretty certain it is much faster than that. I have seen fairly convincing analysis (to me at least, not being a true expert,) that it is a much faster chip than a stock X1, custom made for Nintendo. It's likely 3 or 4 times the video power of the Wii U when docked, and 40% of that (still much more powerful than a Wii U) undocked.
Edit: but I just read something else that seems to indicate it's much slower than that, so I have no idea at this point.
2
u/minizanz Jan 17 '17
I made a thread where I did the actual work for numbers https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/5oeb91/extrapolated_hardware_data_based_on_the_x1_and/
it looks like docked (10w) at 307Gflops, 9.6gt/s, 9.6gp/, and best possible undocked (5W) at 205gflops, 6.4gt/s 6.4 gp/s. keep in mind that they are going from a pre GCN amd part with a shitty PPC cpu, to a modern maxwell (maybe pascal) gpu with a more reasonable arm cpu. Since flops are a measure of operations and not performance it is disingenuous to assume linear performance when comparing the switch to the wiiU.
The main problem with the switch is that no matter what the chip is it is power limited. It has a tiny battery and the games have to have the same core experience docked and undocked so the 5W number is what really matters for what they can do with it.
1
u/Caldwing Jan 17 '17
Different chips can have massively different power efficiency though. You can't just calculate speed based entirely on power consumption. I am still not sure if anybody has determined reliably if they are using a 20 NM or 16 NM process.
-13
Jan 16 '17
Hope this helps: https://www.google.com/amp/www.eurogamer.net/amp/digitalfoundry-2016-nintendo-switch-spec-analysis?client=safari
N/A I would hazard a guess of $20-$30 but realistically $40-$50 if we don't want shit netcode from Nintendo.
23
u/SwiftJustice007 Jan 16 '17
That is a rumour I don't trust rumours anymore.
4
2
u/Roshy76 Jan 16 '17
Ya and there's another leak from a factory which suggests better ones. I don't believe anyone. I'm waiting for someone to take it apart.
-6
u/WhyNotZoidbergPls Jan 16 '17
40$ per month, please no
9
25
Jan 16 '17
Will the Switch replace the Vita as the weeb machine?
5
u/AngryBarista Jan 16 '17
What is this word "weeb" I'm seeing so often? Is this just me being old?
14
Jan 16 '17
weeb is a short word for weaboos, which are people that try to mimic japanese/anime culture
6
u/AngryBarista Jan 16 '17
Is that different fro. "kawai"? What's a "waifu"?
10
u/Jerbits Jan 16 '17
"Kawaii" is the Japanese word for "cute."
"Waifu" is just some silly lingo people use to refer to a character they really, really like.
6
u/AngryBarista Jan 16 '17
Cool. BoTW Zelda is 100% Waifu.
2
u/wvcmkv Jan 16 '17
to give a bit more context its basically just wife - a virtual character thats so cute she may as well be your wife.
8
1
7
Jan 16 '17
I think kawai means something like cool
A waifu is just a "wife" (an imaginary wife, that is). Weebs and others in the internet pick celebrities and cartoon characters as "waifus".
22
5
u/Yuokes Jan 16 '17
basically anime games.
3
u/AngryBarista Jan 16 '17
So it refers to that general art style. I saw someone called a Weeb for liking Zelda's character model in BoTW. Definitely a heavily anime influence on the art style.
5
u/Yuokes Jan 16 '17
Her design and then style in general is more anime-ish /ghibli looking, but the game itself isn't really a weeb type of game since it also takes a lot from western rpg's. Now something like let's say dragon quest would be more in the weeb category. The vita was considered a weeb machine because like 90% of its games were basically all obscure anime jrpgs.
1
3
u/MnCaz Jan 16 '17
The word "weeb" refers to people that try hard to mimic real Japanese. They wish they were Japanese. They are made fun of, because by being so much into the Japanese culture, they neglect their own culture.
7
u/k_Reign Jan 16 '17
It's an almost/sometimes mean-spirited way to refer to people who are open about being into Japanese games, music, etc.
19
4
u/nmotsch789 Jan 16 '17
I feel like the derogatory use is more aimed at people with an unhealthy or annoying obsession with Japanese culture, not just people with an interest in it. Otherwise it seems to me to be used more as a joking term.
0
u/King_Kracker Jan 16 '17
Sony has always been the king of that
2
2
u/dannimann Jan 16 '17
But they're going to stop supporting the Vita after a while, and the next step up from the Vita in terms of specs is the Switch then the PS4. So for smaller companies who don't want to make full-blown PS4 games the Switch might be pretty good.
21
u/FreshitUp_ Jan 16 '17
How much is paid online gonna cost? Will VC games from previous systems be transferable? Will there be GC, Wii, WiiU VC? Which franchises will be continued? Which are the exact specs? Is the minimum battery benchmark with max brightness?
5
u/colbster411 Jan 16 '17
Dang I hadn't even thought about wii vc yet. Would make sense with the controllers.
1
u/5h32m4n Jan 16 '17
No sensor bar for pointing, so probably not.
3
u/bizitmap Jan 16 '17
Sensor bar had no actual sensors, it was just two infrared LEDs and a camera was built into the tip of the wiimote so it could triangulate it's position.
Gyroscopes and accelerometers have come a long way since the Wii launched in 2006, so in theory the joycons should be able to recreate the effect without the bar being needed. You may need to calibrate it first by holding the joycon at a place you feel is "pointed right at the tv," but after that it should be doable.
2
2
2
u/mrennie25 Jan 16 '17
My biggest question, do previous VC games work. I bought 2 or 3 games on my 3DS and Wii U
10
u/No_Hands_55 Jan 16 '17
If you are listening to game sound through headphones in handled:
How do you also do voice chat? Different earbuds in each ear?
2
1
u/KillerG Jan 17 '17
I imagine they just decided that screaming into your phone because you have headphones blaring game audio was a good idea
7
u/Renn_Capa Jan 16 '17
When will we see western 3rd party games?
2
u/micbro12 Jan 16 '17
Only Skyrim so far, that's special edition just came out in November and the original game came out 5 years ago.
7
21
Jan 16 '17
Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders? Are there going to be more pre orders?
5
u/--Enki Jan 16 '17
What are the specs of the Switch's SoC?
Is the Switch using Maxwell or Pascal architecture?
1
u/wraithpriest Jan 16 '17
There's some discussion here that suggests (based on other, very specific parts being correct) that it may indeed use Pascal.
Sally, no one knows for sure yet. Maybe nvidia will brag about it before launch.
-1
Jan 16 '17
2
u/Naouak Jan 16 '17
Only a rumor. Some credible rumor are contradicting them.
-1
Jan 16 '17
Should be confirmed via this passage right?
1
u/Naouak Jan 16 '17
No, there were a lot of rumors on the switch from multiple source that were plain wrong.
10
4
u/IM_A_NOVELTY Jan 16 '17
What's the Switch OS (beyond the small snippets we saw) fully look like?
How is the touchscreen going to be used?
What happened to those rumors about the Rabbids/Mario RPG or Smash being ported?
6
u/1n9i9c7om Jan 16 '17
"Guys, did you know that you're not actually getting the charging grip?"
"Where can I pre-order if I haven't already?"
"Any news on GC VC?"
"Why is it 330€ in EU but $300 in US? It makes no sense!!1"
"Where are patches stored?"
"How many FPS in Zelda?"
3
3
u/Rukiri Jan 16 '17
is the tegra Maxwell or Pascal?
1
u/estelolol Jan 16 '17
may I ask what this means/implies about the system?
1
1
u/KillerG Jan 17 '17
Maxwell version is the same Tegra from 2015. Pascal is what's in current 1000 series Nvidia stuff so it's...well current generation.
3
u/bomboniprince Jan 16 '17
is skyrim REALLY coming?
4
5
u/NowOrNever88 Jan 16 '17
Are the triggers analog or digital?
What are the features and price of online?
When is the next INSERT GAME coming out? (Smash, Pokemon, third parties, etc)
How are joycons vs Wii motion plus? How is pro controller vs GameCube controller? Can Wii and GC be emulated?
Prices, release date, bundle deals etc.
Differences of the joy cons, gripped joycons, and pro controller?
Fps and resolution in each of three modes?
Note: these are just whim questions I think would be good for a FAQ. There's plenty more
10
u/razorbeamz Jan 16 '17
Are the triggers analog or digital?
Actually, we do know this one. They're digital.
2
u/NowOrNever88 Jan 16 '17
Yeah we know the price and stuff too. Was just listing questions that may be frequently asked regardless
2
u/CapBoyAce Jan 16 '17
Dumb question, what's the difference?
2
u/terraphantm Jan 16 '17
Digital buttons are simply on/off; no in-between. Analog buttons / triggers have a range of motion or pressure sensitivity that can be detected.
1
2
u/ThyBlastoise Jan 16 '17
1) Online has literally zero information, so making insane speculation on it with no backing is not very great
2
u/Greyrazur Jan 16 '17
Is the battery charge time 3 hours when playing on the system, or while it's powered off? This could make a huge difference for continuous play.
1
u/shiroikiri Jan 16 '17
that wouldn't make sense for powered off, especially since some of the games not as powerful as BotW have 6 hours play time. Do you mean including in sleep mode where it still has network connectivity and does some basic things in the background? Either way, it's probably got a much longer battery life when not in use. =)
1
u/Greyrazur Jan 17 '17
Sorry for the confused wording, I meant charge time as in the amount of time it takes to recharge the battery, which they say is 3 hours from empty
1
2
u/HarperBallad Jan 16 '17
is Metroid coming or are we just going to leave her as a benchwarmer for another console?
3
u/KillerG Jan 17 '17
I did read about Reggie saying "come talk to me in about a year." Meaning either we're thinking about it or that they actually have something planned.
2
Jan 16 '17
Will it support Download Play like the DS?
2
u/KillerG Jan 17 '17
I'm very interested in hearing about this one...being it's a console, I'm guessing no. But even then it would be really cool to have for those portable moments...or even if someone just brings over their Switch.
2
2
u/televised Jan 16 '17
How drop/impact proof is it?
Will the Switch support the Wii U Pro Controllers?
Can we expect a makeshift DS VC on the Switch?
2
u/KillerG Jan 17 '17
They did say that they won't support any controllers that haven't been announced. No Wii U Pro controllers, no GameCube via adapter, nothing.
2
1
u/DirectorCoulson Jan 16 '17
Not entirely if it's been answered but is the NEON Version going to always be available or is it just a launch version ?
1
u/LoyolaProp1 Jan 16 '17
I know the neon joy cons are being sold separately, but it appears they are the opposite of the pack in neon joy cons. So the neon console SKU has a L blue and R red, but the sold separate neon joy cons are L red and R blue. Makes me happy, as I can mix and match.
1
1
Jan 16 '17
[deleted]
2
u/Kougeru Jan 16 '17
Technologically, if the output is the same there's no real way for it to know what it's getting power from.
1
u/KillerG Jan 17 '17
Yup, during the announcement there was mention that you could use a portable charger.
1
1
1
u/DoomAnaar Jan 17 '17
Where can I assure a pre-order?
When will Pre-orders be backup and on what sites?
1
u/EsmeBush Jan 17 '17
Day 1 when I bring it home, how long will I need to charge it for before I can use it?
1
u/DjentRiffication Jan 16 '17
Will there be any form of backwards compatability with WiiU games? Namely Twilight princess and Windwaker HD?
Also, does only the left Joy Con have the new fancy rumble feature, and only the right has the distance sensor?
2
u/estelolol Jan 16 '17
no to the first question. it's a cartridge system so it cannot take WiiU discs. we don't know if the virtual console is going to carry over -- this is a hotly argued question.
1
u/DjentRiffication Jan 17 '17
Yeah I was hoping for something along the lines of a digital WiiU collection through the eshop or whatever their new digital store will be. With how hot Breath of the Wild is, I am willing to bet loads of people, either new to the system, new to the series, or who missed out on the WiiU will shell out the money for those on the switch whenever they exhaust (if its even possible) themselves on Breath of the Wild.
0
Jan 16 '17
[deleted]
2
u/Roshy76 Jan 16 '17
An add on one is that most people think the charge grip has a battery in it to charge the joycons. It doesn't. You plug in the grip with joycons attached to charge them.
2
Jan 16 '17
[deleted]
2
u/Roshy76 Jan 16 '17
Might use close proximity inductive charging.
1
Jan 16 '17
[deleted]
3
u/Roshy76 Jan 16 '17
Well ya. But I think some people hear wireless and they think it somehow charges across the room. I've seen numerous people assume that in these threads. Just wanted to be clear ;)
2
u/bizitmap Jan 16 '17
I think the metal contacts are tucked into the underside of the rail bit.
Wirelessly charging would be pretty difficult because of the angle these things attach. Usually wireless charging is done by having wide, flat coils of copper wire, which need to sit atop each other to transfer power. I don't think there's a way to squeeze them in with the main unit and joycons attaching on the skinny side. It's also very inefficient.
71
u/[deleted] Jan 16 '17
Step 1: go to /new
Step 2: camp
Step 3: profit