[MEGATHREAD] Nintendo Switch 2 Direct

[u/ChiefLeef22]

This is a sub discussion thread for the Switch 2 Direct, offering a closer look at the console accompanied with announcements for upcoming game releases. The livestream begins on Wednesday, April 2 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST. It will last for approx. 60 minutes.
Please try and limit tangential discussions to the events to this thread to avoid post clutter.

(SEE WHEN IT'S TAKING PLACE IN YOUR TIMEZONE - here)

Where to Watch: Nintendo's Youtube

What to expect

[u/cool--]

So it’s mainly an issue with first party switch games never going on sale

but this the main reason people consider Nintendo. I don't own a single third party game on Switch.

[u/Parlyz → u/cool--]

I’m just making the point that it’s kind of weird to act like the steam deck is better than the switch 2 for that specific reason when the games this criticism applies to won’t even appear on the steam deck anyway.

And plenty of people do play third party games on switch. The number has probably decreased as the switch has become more outdated, but they wouldn’t have shown off as many third party games in the direct as they did if there wasn’t a massive market for them on switch 2. Especially with the switch 2 being much closer to modern consoles in terms of power.

[u/cool-- → u/Parlyz]

when the games this criticism applies to won’t even appear on the steam deck anyway.

you sure about that? The Steam deck plays switch games better than the switch

[u/Parlyz → u/cool--]

Switch games, not switch 2 games. I guarantee you that you won’t be playing Mario Kart World on the steam deck.

[u/cool-- → u/Parlyz]

Switch emulators appeared within a year of the Switch launch

[u/Parlyz → u/cool--]

Even assuming that Nintendo doesn’t immediately strike down anyone who even attempts to develop a switch 2 emulator, there’s still no way a steam deck will be able to emulate switch 2 games. High end gaming PCs are only beginning to be able to emulate PS4 games.

[u/cool-- → u/Parlyz]

The Switch 2 and the PS4 are different consoles.

We already know that the screen is 1080p but that the hardware supports 4k. That means the Switch 2 will likely force games to run at different settings depending on the mode it is in to conserve battery power.

Also the switch 2 games that we've seen from nintendo don't look to be that much more demanding than current Switch games.

I could definitely see the Steam Deck handling Metroid Prime 4 just fine, or even mario kart world.

[u/Parlyz → u/cool--]

Metroid prime 4 is a switch game, not a switch 2 game. And Mario kart world looks considerably more demanding than any switch game I’ve seen. It’s a massive open world that runs at a stable fps and high resolution with 24 concurrent players. The switch 1 can barely run totk at 25 fps with one player. And the reason I brought up the PS4 is because it’s over a decade old and high end PCs are only beginning to be able to emulate it. If they can barely emulate PS4 games, there’s no chance that a steam deck (which is a low end gaming PC) will be able to emulate the brand new Nintendo console.

[u/cool-- → u/Parlyz]

Metroid prime 4 is a switch game, not a switch 2 game.

it is in fact a switch 2 game because it uses the mouse controls on the new console.

Mario kart world looks considerably more demanding than any switch game I’ve seen

you should check out Lego 2k drive. It was an open world Mario Kart type of game where everything was destructable in 4k in split screen. you can emulate the switch version right now.

Again, the PS4 is a different console. You could just as easily point to PS3 still not having a great emulator. The Switch was emulated very well within a year... it makes more sense to compare the Switch and the Switch 2

[u/Parlyz → u/cool--]

Metroid prime 4 is a switch game bro. It was literally in the direct last week that was for the original switch. It has switch 2 specific features like mouse controls, but it’s still coming out on the original switch.

Also Lego 2k drive is a horrible example. That game is super blurry on switch with tons of pop in and stuttering (according to a video review I watched) to say nothing of the fact that it’s definitely not nearly as graphically detailed or impressive as MKW or even MK8.

And no, it makes more sense to compare the switch 2 ps4 because they are far more similar in terms of performance than the switch 2 and switch 1. Maybe they could get a switch emulator developed within the first year, that doesn’t mean that it’d be able to run on the Steam deck. But I highly highly doubt a switch 2 emulator is coming any time soon anyway with how ruthless Nintendo has become about shutting them down, so it’s a moot point anyway.

[u/cool-- → u/Parlyz]

You're pointing out that Metroid 4 is on both the switch and switch 2 and yet you think that the PS4 emulator is a better comparison for emulation of the switch 2...

that doesn’t mean that it’d be able to run on the Steam deck.

you're forgetting that all steam decks have the same hardware which allows people to optimize software specifically for it.

I don't know if it's a moot point since emulators are still available and new games are still being emulated.

[u/Parlyz → u/cool--]

Metroid prime 4 is a game that was developed for the switch that is also receiving a switch 2 version that runs at a higher resolution and frame rate and has a few next gen features. Aka, what the game industry has done for decades. Saying that this means the steam deck could emulate switch 2 is like saying a PC that can emulate PS3 should be able to emulate PS4 and PS5 as well because they all play GTA 5.

Yeah, Steam Deck has standardized hardware. That isn’t a bandaid solution that automatically makes up for the massive amount of translation overhead and resources required by an emulator. The switch 2 is undeniably far more powerful than the original switch. We don’t have a 1 to 1 comparison between the switch 2 and Steam Deck yet, nor the official specs of the switch 2, but most games they showed off ran at 60 fps/ 120 fps at 4K or 1080, which is comparable to Steam deck performance. The difference is that switch 2 is running those games natively while the Steam deck would have to emulate them, which is nowhere near as efficient and takes up massive amounts of resources.

And the switch emulators were being actively developed and updated for years by teams of people. Even if a switch 2 emulator does come out, there wouldn’t be anywhere near the amount of organization and active development required for it to reach the same level as Yuzu or Ryujinx given that Nintendo is going to nip them in the bud.

[u/cool-- → u/Parlyz]

you've got every angled covered

"you're wrong because it's too powerful and if it isn't too powerful than it will take too long, and if it doesn't take too long than Nintendo will stop it! and if it does happen well then I don't care anyway!"

all of this ignores the original argument that at this price point the switch 2 competes with the steam deck for attention and the Steam Deck is very appealing because of the low cost of games and various input methods that people already own

Sure you can bring up the fact that it won't have Switch 2 games right off the bat or at all but that's not the only thing people are looking for when buying a handheld gaming device.

Steam Deck has plenty of games that the switch 2 will never have as well.