Iwata did say that the Nintendo Switch would be multiple devices or a “family” of devices. We have all these 3rd parties speaking so highly of Nintendo. Yet the Nintendo Switch itself even in the best of circumstance will not compete power-wise with the PS4 and possibly even the Xbox One. It certainly won’t touch PS4 Pro, Scorpio, and/or the next-gen consoles from Sony. And Microsoft for that matter.
Could Nintendo Switch be part of a new family of hardware?
Could it be that the Switch actually is the replacement for the 3DS. And the actual successor to the Wii U is something else?
Maybe there will be a miniaturized version of the Switch that would be portable only and cost less available down the line. Say, if the Switch itself costs $249.99, the Switch-mini could be like $179.99.
Or maybe the Switch is indeed a family of devices where you have many of these. A dedicated portable version (Switch-Mini) for people who aren’t interested in home console gaming. But don’t want the disadvantages of the hybrid version with both form factors getting in the way of each other’s ability to reach its full potential. A hybrid version (Switch) for people who want the convenience of having both form factors available at their discretion.
Or maybe a dedicated home version (Switch Pro) which would be at least as powerful as the PS4 Pro (hopefully closer to Scorpio). Have the traditional console gaming attributes but have the ability to interact with the other two devices. For instance, people who have the Switch or Switch-Mini could sync-up with a Switch Pro machine and use it like the Wii U GamePad. Of course, there would need to be some type of streaming functionality to make this work. And that was something talked about in the patent filings as well as cloud-computing.
Those things could still be in play even if the Switch device itself is weak. They may have done that purposefully because if the cloud-computing patent works the way it was described then that means everyone with a Switch will be able to share in each other’s power. So the device itself wouldn’t need to be that powerful. And they can keep the costs down on the device itself. And spread the cost of the streaming functions through online membership.
Source: Verge