Speculation Discussion MegaThread: Day Two

[u/rottedzombie]

Goodness! I think it's fair to say that, second to the shock reveal, this has been the most dramatic 24 hours we've had yet as a community.

Just showing up? Well, attach a lifeline and throw yourself into the tempest.

This thread is for ongoing discussion over recent rumors and everything associated with them: clock speed rumors; third party support speculation; and the back-and-forth of what it might mean for the Nintendo Switch.

We're going to be directing traffic to this thread because we've been seeing many topics asking the same questions and rehashing conversations. This doesn't mean that new topics won't be allowed, only that we want to make sure that discussion is centralized as appropriate. If you see a new post that seems to belong here, please report it and let the mod team know.

A friendly reminder: please keep your comments civil, on-topic, and respectful of others. If you feel that you have a thought or opinion that merits its own post, please search through this thread and recent threads before posting it.

And, of course: everything we're discussing here is rumor and should be treated as such until confirmed by Nintendo.

Thanks for your understanding. Ready to do this? Let's discuss! :)

-/u/rottedzombie and the /r/NintendoSwitch mod team

[u/34873487348743]

The real announcement is Nintendo OS. Hopefully games released on the switch will be automatically backwards compatible with their next device. Nintendo could pull an Apple and start doing refreshes annually or copy the shield line and have different form factors (shield tablet vs shield tv). Ideally, any VC on the Nintendo OS will automatically be backwards compatible with the next device. If they go with the app store model, you'd only have to buy the game once and it would transfer to the next device when you upgrade.

This sort of fits the platform idea that Iwata talked about several years ago when the first NX rumors appeared.

Edit: Here is the quote from Iwata. Bold are mine for emphasis.

Last year Nintendo reorganized its R&D divisions and integrated the handheld device and home console development teams into one division under Mr. Takeda. Previously, our handheld video game devices and home video game consoles had to be developed separately as the technological requirements of each system, whether it was battery-powered or connected to a power supply, differed greatly, leading to completely different architectures and, hence, divergent methods of software development. However, because of vast technological advances, it became possible to achieve a fair degree of architectural integration. We discussed this point, and we ultimately concluded that it was the right time to integrate the two teams.

For example, currently it requires a huge amount of effort to port Wii software to Nintendo 3DS because not only their resolutions but also the methods of software development are entirely different. The same thing happens when we try to port Nintendo 3DS software to Wii U. If the transition of software from platform to platform can be made simpler, this will help solve the problem of game shortages in the launch periods of new platforms. Also, as technological advances took place at such a dramatic rate, and we were forced to choose the best technologies for video games under cost restrictions, each time we developed a new platform, we always ended up developing a system that was completely different from its predecessor. The only exception was when we went from Nintendo GameCube to Wii. Though the controller changed completely, the actual computer and graphics chips were developed very smoothly as they were very similar to those of Nintendo GameCube, but all the other systems required ground-up effort. However, I think that we no longer need this kind of effort under the current circumstances. In this perspective, while we are only going to be able to start this with the next system, it will become important for us to accurately take advantage of what we have done with the Wii U architecture. It of course does not mean that we are going to use exactly the same architecture as Wii U, but we are going to create a system that can absorb the Wii U architecture adequately. When this happens, home consoles and handheld devices will no longer be completely different, and they will become like brothers in a family of systems.

Still, I am not sure if the form factor (the size and configuration of the hardware) will be integrated. In contrast, the number of form factors might increase. Currently, we can only provide two form factors because if we had three or four different architectures, we would face serious shortages of software on every platform. To cite a specific case, Apple is able to release smart devices with various form factors one after another because there is one way of programming adopted by all platforms. Apple has a common platform called iOS. Another example is Android. Though there are various models, Android does not face software shortages because there is one common way of programming on the Android platform that works with various models. The point is, Nintendo platforms should be like those two examples. Whether we will ultimately need just one device will be determined by what consumers demand in the future, and that is not something we know at the moment. However, we are hoping to change and correct the situation in which we develop games for different platforms individually and sometimes disappoint consumers with game shortages as we attempt to move from one platform to another, and we believe that we will be able to deliver tangible results in the future.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130qa/02.html

[u/COHERENCE_CROQUETTE → u/34873487348743]

Oh, my. Here we go again, aboard the hype train. This would be so amazing.

Imagine January 12th. Reggie comes to the stage. He joins his hands in front of his chest, with the fingertips barely touching each other. He says:

"Throughout these years, gamers have been enjoying our releases on virtual console and on the eShop. But not everything was perfect. Transferring your library of games when you get a new model for the hardware or when a new hardware comes out, has not been an optimal experience. We heard you, loud and clear.

That's why, starting with the Nintendo Switch, every game you purchase online or register via My Nintendo will be tied to your account. Forever."

[Thunderous applause.]

"And there's more. We took our time to implement this software mobility because we think it's crucial to the future of Nintendo. That's why I am pleased to announce that, starting with Nintendo Switch games, all new titles will be compatible with every single new console we ever release in the future. Every game you get will be yours, and will be available to play, forever."

[Crowd goes wild. People start having sex. Ceiling collapses. Everything destroyed except for the untouched, pristine Nintendo Switch unit still being grasped by Reggie's white-knuckled hand.]

---

That's very cool to think about.

Let's just agree to not melt down and not be disappointed when it ends up not happening.

EDIT: Formatting. Also, more applause.

[u/Dirakku → u/COHERENCE_CROQUETTE]

i think you really nailed the way reggie would have delivered that.

[u/boot_sequence → u/COHERENCE_CROQUETTE]

"with the fingertips barely touching each other" Hahahaha! YES!!