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Yesterday, Nintendo officially unveiled the Nintendo Switch, a new concept that blends handheld gaming with home console gaming. While the reveal was very intriguing, there are still some unanswered questions, one of which being, is the dock unit capable of running games better than the tablet in handheld mode? Well it turns out that shouldn't be the case, as the main hardware is all inside of the tablet unit.
The Nintendo Switch dock is merely there to make it easy for users to seamlessly switch between handheld and home console modes. This means that the dock doesn't contain any additional GPU or CPU horsepower to run games at higher frame rates, its main function is simply to output to the TV and charge up the system.
This information was revealed by a Nintendo representative speaking with IGN today, saying: “The dock is not the main console unit of Nintendo Switch. The main unit of Nintendo Switch is the unit that has the LCD screen, which the two Joy-Con controllers can be attached to and detached from. The Nintendo Switch Dock has been created so that it is extremely easy to seamlessly switch from playing games on a TV to transition into a portable mode.”
When you look back at the Nintendo Switch trailer, it did seem like games ran slightly worse when in portable mode. That said, the console and its games are still six months away from releasing, so those issues may not carry over. However, it will be interesting to see if the Nintendo Switch does run games smoother when connected to the dock, as it will have a constant source of power. This would be similar to gaming laptops, which run games at higher frame rates when not running on the battery alone. Either way, hopefully these questions can be answered as we get closer to launch next year.
KitGuru Says: I am a little surprised to learn that the dock is merely a charging and TV output device, rather than a more capable box. However, this should hopefully mean that games will run well both in console and portable mode. Have you guys seen the Nintendo Switch reveal video from yesterday? What do you think of it?
Thats too bad.
Part of me says it’s a bit of a wasted opportunity but at the same time it’ll keep costs down and at the end of the day it’s a console, it only needs one set of graphical options per game, not two
I dont see how its a surprise, tegra is a mobile SoC at heart and it doesnt support linking with an external processor at all. And at 1.5 Tflops I wouldn’t say it needs it, even if there was a secondary processor in the base unit it would be more powerful than a ps4 pr xbone to hit neo or scorpio levels and that wont happen in that price bracket.
Also the video was clearly captured and overlaid in post. Those weren’t live units playing the games and being recorded as is. They may not even have been captured from those devices, nintendo have used footage from dev boxes, other consoles and PC in the past.
Yea I think this missed the boat here if it had been that the base beefed up the power when in console mode at least it could have matched the new revision of the PS4 and Xbox one 2.0…oh well move along nothing to see here.
nobody with any sense thought the click would be competitive power wise with the new console revisions, nintendo doesn’t do power systems.
this doesn’t bother me, especially since it was just a rumor and doesn’t impact how the system works. i think i’ll wait until we’ve got more information, or preferably until the system actually releases, before i start worrying about system power and lost opportunities.
Nintendo have never been about graphical power, as long as they get the gameplay right then it’s a winner!
I think it’s gimmicky. Why even bother with a docking station at all if all it does is charge and feed video via cable to a TV?
Knowing Nintendo’s past, I’m sure it’ll probably sell just fine but I don’t see any reason for me to be buying it.