Nintendo Switch Teardown • Hacker News Board

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#141

Post by randomdestructn » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 5:06 PM UTC

funkedelic_bob wrote: post #15

ndesaulniers wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I remember that a browser dev increased the Nexus 5's benchmark score drastically by placing it on a bag of ice. If the browser was stressing the system to the limits of the thermal envelope, then by being able to dissapate heat faster, you can schedule more work to be done delaying any kind of frequency governing.

That's crazy. I wonder if I can increase my output from my laptop working in front of an open freezer :P

Depending on laptop, quite possibly.

If it's thermal throttling, then cooling is going to help.

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/06/if-you-water-cool-the-new...

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#142

Post by TazeTSchnitzel » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 5:07 PM UTC

mikeevans wrote: post #126

erelde wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

About the USB C, can you use a standard C to HDMI converter, or do you have to use the base ?

I tried it with the USB-C multiport adapter from my MacBook 12 and it didn't work.

The protocols might be different. The MacBook (and thus its accessories) use DisplayPort Alternate Mode, perhaps the Switch uses HDMI Alternate Mode.

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#143

Post by ebbv » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 5:19 PM UTC

aaron-lebo wrote: post #118

ebbv wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes you say it's not doable on a $300 mobile GPU? There are phones out that cost $300 that have better performance than the Switch. Also it's really down to the software. They could have targeted 1080p resolution with 60fps with the new Zelda but they would have had to make sacrifices on draw distance, effects, texture resolution, poly count, etc.

That's my point, though. They clearly can't make a game with the features of BotW - draw distance, effects, etc without major compromises. Not personally aware of any games as full-formed as BotW that are running on $300 mobile sets. Though this could just be poorly optimized, which makes it more disappointing.

I don't think anyone has cracked making an open world game on a phone. But just from raw hardware specs perspective there are phones with more performance than the Switch.

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#144

Post by cbhl » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 5:45 PM UTC

bane wrote: post #137

In terms of memory architecture, does anybody know if Nintendo went with cartridges in order to better address the limited RAM of the system (compared to other consoles)? In the old days cartridge ROM was just mapped into the system RAM so you could address game assets without necessarily having to load them into system RAM, thus you could get by with far less RAM than you'd expect.

Seems unlikely, since Zelda and other games are also available as a digital download (although you may need a microSD card to hold them all).

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#145

Post by sergiotapia » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 5:55 PM UTC

I'm in love with the Switch! Form factor on point that feels like the culmination of experiments coming from 3DS, Wii U and Wii. My son has been playing the new Zelda non-stop, it's that fun and deep.

It's a much harder Zelda game, feels somewhat like Dark Souls in the combat department. I died at least 5 times an hour due to overwhelming enemies. It's a blast!

One thing I love about the Switch is that even if my controllers get busted I can just buy another pair of joycons. With the Wii U it was really stressful to remind the kids to be careful because you have to send in the gamepad for repairs.

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#146

Post by cmrdporcupine » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 5:58 PM UTC

andrepd wrote: post #134

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much of the negativity is related to the fact that the launch game itself does not play well when docked. And this seems unjustifiable given how well the same chipset does in the NVIDIA Shield, which is capable of driving 4k games just fine.

The Nvidia Shield, 4k games? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that can only be true if the games are very undemanding, like simple 2D games...

It outputs 4k resolution no matter what, AFAIK. But yes, the Android TV games in general are not that demanding, so it's not a huge challenge. But they look stellar.

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#147

Post by overcast » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 6:05 PM UTC

nissehulth wrote: post #74

Strom wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the screen is behind something like Gorilla Glass [1] like all the other tablets on the market, then that plastic will never scratch the screen. This is due to the way scratching and physics work. [2] A good reference is Mohs scale of mineral hardness [3]. Generally speaking, a softer material will not scratch a harder material. Plastics are really soft, glass and toughened glass are strong. There's a pretty good…

Waterjet teardown. https://youtu.be/qBVyF0I2Ruo?t=2m24s

Amazing that stayed playing with an entire triangle cut out of it.

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#148

Post by MBCook » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 6:15 PM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #19

overcast wrote: post #3

The dock is pretty underwhelming from what I've seen. There is no protection for the screen, sliding in between two pieces of plastic. Pretty cheap, for a premium priced, and well engineered hybrid device, that will be taken in and out. Semi-relevant. Breath of Wild looks like such a fantastic game, but it's completely ridiculous that the performance is often times WORSE in the docked mode. I'm hoping this is just cr…

I really do wonder how optimized the game is. From what I've heard (I'm waiting for a good digital foundry comparison video) it sounds like the game plays identically on the WiiU and the Switch in docked mode. The only difference is that the WiiU version runs at 720p instead of 900p. We know this started as a WiiU game, i'm wondering if this is another twilight princess where they did very little except up the resolu…

This is the report I was waiting for:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2017-the-le...

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#149

Post by hashmal » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 6:19 PM UTC

Panoramix wrote: post #103

nstart wrote: post #99

Just got mine. Charged and used. This thing is such a joy to use. I'll probably play with it more in mobile mode. It feels good to hold it. And yes it's underpowered on the spec sheet but at the same time, it works really well. And I'm having a lot of fun with it so for me that's the main thing really :D.

I don't understand the negativity based on technical performance. The thing is supposed to be fun to play, not bring you closer to the limits of what modern technology can achieve. Nintendo has some extremely fun games that I'd rather play very much before an extremely high performance super high HD game that ultimately falls flat.

It's not the first time Nintendo have been criticized for that, and apparently they don't give a damn and focus on making fun experiences. That works well for them, with a few hiccups.

Some other companies (not necessarily related to games) work this way, but it's probably very difficult to overcome the resistance that pushes you towards the tech specs: both the press and investors often just have the thing "on paper" to make decisions and influence the company greatly, and obviously massive tech specs are easier to convey this way than "fun" or any kind of "experience".

Re: Nintendo Switch Teardown

#150

Post by iamphilrae » Sat, Mar 04, 2017, 6:42 PM UTC

satysin wrote: post #91

knodi123 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> v2 should be nice Has there ever been a v2 of a nintendo console?

Depends how you define v2. If you define it as a revision to the original version then - The DSi was an upgrade to the DS but not a whole new console generation. The Wii Mini was a downgrade (seriously) to the Wii to make it cheaper/smaller. The New 3DS was an upgrade to the 3DS similar to the DS->DSi upgrade. Plus all of the Gameboy and Gameboy Advance models which you could argue were often more revisions with some…

There were two versions of the NES and the SNES, one for Japan, the other US/EU. Technically the same insides but a different version none the less.