The Real Reason the Switch Is So Weak

Now you're playing with (less) power

#NintendoSwitch #NintendoLife #NintendoSwitch2

[EhurtAfy]

I don't care about the Switch being weak, I'm just tired of Nintendo allowing games with performance issues to be sold on the Switch for $60

[logicalfundy]

Also to avoid overheating. Even when docked, it's not taking full advantage of the SoC.

[TheBigBigSean]

I just bought a switch last week. I love it.

It feels great to play Zelda, Mario, and Metroid again.

[Dairunt]

I think that, at least for 2017, they were prioritizing battery life and margin profits (considering this was a make-or-break console for the company); they wanted to have just enough power to competently port Wii U games to the Switch, specifically Breath of the Wild. They left the door open for a potential upgrade when the PS5 launches, as the Tegra X1's architecture had a little bit of space to grow without changing architecture completely, from 4K output, compatibility with 8GB of RAM and higher clock speeds. The Switch Pro was something extremely feasible if they wanted to.

But why didn't they release a Switch Pro in 2021 then? Because of the pandemic. The PS5 and XS had a really slow start, there was the chipset drought and New Horizon's success as well. The Switch was at its highest point in 2020 and Nintendo probably realized they didn't even need a mid-gen upgrade; they could just release games throughout a couple more years and go straight into the Switch 2. If Switch 2's main thing is the generational leap, then skipping a mid-gen upgrade would make that leap feel even better. This already happened before with the Game Boy. It released in 1989 and didn't have a full generational upgrade until 2001 (12 years after launch), with the Game Boy Color being its mid-gen upgrade in 1998 (9 years after launch).

[corey]

1) Its specs were finalized in 2015 & based off older tech
2) Its using an older mobile chipset
3) Its a low wattage, efficiency device
4) Its GPU/CPU is downclocked from what the Tegra X1 is actually capable of, as a way to improve battery life
5) Its often trying to run games developed for more modern powerful tech

[denisruskin]

In one word: battery.
The Switch is so underclocked to get high numbers. An overclocked unit can get TOTK 60fps outside stuff like Kakariko. The potential is quite huge. I myself OC a bit so games with dynamic resolution stay on the upper end. Crash 4 for example is a game changer, very blurry without OC in handheld.

[anglo-saxonconnor]

People might find switch old and weak by now but with it around i am still able to buy alot of games and play them without having to fiddle with emulators and roms all the time.

[DaveysGaming]

The steam deck uses more power in idle than the switch does in full wank.

Absolutely love it.

[NintendoSense]

You missed a crucial part and that the fact that the tega x1 was a off the shelf style so and not one designed especially for Switch l ( Yes it is a custom version of that chip but not made just for switch) I imagine a custom Switch 2 design would yield higher efficiency.

[Nukatha]

4:55 Watts are power, Amps are current.

[SaviorGabriel]

I've gotten to the point where I care more about efficiency than raw power. Work smarter, not harder, I say. It also helps when you have lots, and lots of games available I want to play. I probably own more games on my Switch than every other system I ever had combined. That's including systems more powerful than the Switch.

[Matthew_Murray]

I always appreciate the efficiency of Nintendo consoles. Especially their handheld but their consoles as well the Wii U was amazingly efficient compared to the Xbox One/PS4 and even compared to the 360/PS3

[TimDespairBear]

Hot take: the switch isn’t weak, it was an impressive handheld when it came out and the games still look good. People who compare it to consoles like the PS5 and series X are stupid.

[lowelldolney]

As an Electrical Engineer I loved this video despite the lack of true science. A few notes though. Wh is the superior unit to Ah because Wh includes the voltage. If you have flexibility with voltage (higher is more efficient with I2R losses) you could half your Ah but keep the same Wh by putting two batteries in series. Anyway, it also doesn't take Digital Foundry to call out the performance/efficiency differences between docked mode and hand held. Also, in general as batteries age they lose Wh due to deposits on the annodes/cathodes, etc.

[issen]

"7 watts of current" I see you have chosen to anger the engineers...

[redring]

Because it is a handheld. Nintendo have never pushed for power on handhelds. Even when their previous handhelds had competition it was the same thing. Gameboy was weaker than Gamegear, DS was weaker than PSP and 3ds was weaker than PSP Vita.

[aranthos]

I’m hoping the next dock will be more than just a hdmi dock and actually has some extra gpu power and cooling

[SwitchUpYt]

Yep. They underclock every element. The memory can happily run at 2ghz the CPU is a Tegra 1 which can happily run at double the current speed in handheld mode. The GPU can be clocked up to 1ghz. With everything cranked up you'll draw around 8 watts. Even in handheld where it wouldn't be able to draw enough power to hit the higher GPU it's still way more powerful than Nintendo allow it to be, annoying. Heat and battery life are the reasons but yeah it's frustrating. 😅

[brutal]

I'll answer the question quickly for you. It is using the tegra x1 which is a mobile chip from 2015.

[HarpaxA]

To be fair, u need to run TOTK / BOTW in Korok forest when you compare Doom in Steam