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Would Switch 2 Back Compat Actually Be A Bad Thing For

Would Switch 2 Back Compat Actually Be A Bad Thing For Innovation

#Switch #Compat #Bad

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25 Comments

  1. Speaking of custom tech, Apple GPUs are their own beast aren’t they? I’d like to see you guys look into it some more, tell us how it differs from familiar GPU tech like Radeon, Arc and GeForce. Maybe Apple would be willing to send a representative, we don’t even know what they call their graphics hardware. ARM is “Apple silicon” and they never name their graphics technology. Just make some of it easy to understand for us non computer engineer folk.

  2. Breaking compatibility means 2-3 years with no games. We saw this with PS4. I only upgraded from ps3 few years after PS4 release as there were no games at all first 2 years.

  3. I really wish there was some sort of argument to go along with that statement. I’m not sure what the logic is considering the ps2 Wii and oh yeah this thing called a pc. While I definitely agree that overall innovation in the gaming space has stifled the idea that it has anything to do with back compat is quite frankly absurd. It mostly seems to be a combination of publishers and other higher ups focusing on maximizing profits and the fact that tech just doesn’t evolve the way that it used to between console generations. If you go and show John Doe down the street anything from the past 3 generations of gaming they would probably identify all of them as a “modern video game”. Show the same person an nes and then a super nes and they’ll be able to see the difference straight away. It’s diminishing returns.

  4. The simpleton who asked the question has zero understanding of the PC architecture. Whether a piece of hardware can provide novel and generational leaps in quality is not mutually exclusive to the idea of backwards compatibility. It also didn’t hold Microsoft and Sony back. That’s pure delusion. The next Switch will have notably more graphical features while relying on similar yet stronger architecture. There is no reinventing the wheel here.

    “Let’s believe in generations again.”

    No. Let’s get you a breathing bag.

  5. Back compat isn’t holding back games, but I believe crossgen is. Making games for Series S and PS4 really makes this current gen fall flatter than ever.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love my PS5 and being back compat is one big reason, but the latest releases also releasing on 2014 hardware kinda sucks.

  6. Backward compatibility is a convenience, sure. BUT why want to re-live the prior generation games? I mean, we don't want the best NEW GAMES a new generation has to offer? Right now, a future Xbox Series X or PS5 successor, will likely not be all it can be because they have to limit themselves in hardware because people want the machines to play the old stuff… It really is "backwards" thinking. Let old games go… enjoy the new.

  7. Gamers really don"t have a clue about hardware. Back compat or crossgen have absolutely nothing to do with a console having a "generational" leap or not. Series X and PS5 have the MAXIMUM power Sony and MS could put in a 500$ box in 2020. Fast Ryzen CPU, 16go od DDR6, beefy GPU equal to a RX6700xt/2070 super and very fast SSD. It was IMPOSSIBLE to have more power at the time without making a 800$ console. Only devs and Studio priorities decide what to do and how to use their staff. People vote with their wallet.
    Everybody right now is paying more money for shoddy multiplayer, microtransaction ridden, multiplat games instead of polished exclusive single player games. I'm sure TLOU2 didn't recoup its cost and Horizon Zero Down 2 had disappointing sales. Sorry gamers, this one is on you.

  8. Backwards compatibility isn't the same thing as cross-gen. Backwards compatibility should be standard on every console, however cross-gen should cease to exist after a year imo. If anything back-compat helps innovation as if the new games sucks, you can play your old ones.

  9. I understand why it's probably not worth it due to difficulty of developing for really unique hardware, but I do miss the old days of totally unique custom designs for consoles like the PS2.

    Would be cool if Sony did something innovative and just plain weird with PS6.

  10. The issue is so many gamers are still applying 2000's logic to current consoles and it just isn't true anymore. It's not BC or Cross Gen that is "Holding back this generation" It's that the APUs are just not that powerful and anyone familiar with PCs knew that from the start. What Alex said is what I've been saying since the last generation. Tech has converged and become standardized. We didn't know by a spec sheet what the Dreamcast / PS2 was capable of because they were using exotic custom chipsets. Just by looking at the PS5 / Series spec sheet we can get a good idea of what those consoles would be capable of, heck we could spec out a PC to closely mirror them if we wanted. Software innovation can only get you so far.

  11. I find it funny how the dichotomy around gaming shifts so much between "make games available on as many platforms as possible so that more people can play them" and "old consoles are holding games back." I also find it funny how video cards themselves aren't part of this discussion, considering most PC gamers still aren't even running video cards that are much, if even better at all than a PS5 in terms of render, and video card prices are still inflated, and the federal minimum wage in the U.S. is still only $7.50/hr. Sorry you're not able to max out your mid-to-high-end GPUs guys! But maybe you should blame the hardware market as a whole, which is still feeling the effects of COVID, along with devs/publishers for wanting to sell as many copies as possible and not wanting to make your game work well for your hardware setup.

    As for the Switch debate, outside of indie, I doubt that most devs even want to make games for the Switch anymore, and even fewer will be inclined to do so once the Switch 2 comes out, because they realize that it holds their games back far more than a PS4/XB1 ever could. And let's also not forget that PC handhelds will be playing a strong role in this equation, as that market is only going to increase over time. Additionally, even Microsoft and Sony are talking about making handheld versions of their consoles, which, if that happens, and considering how long each console generation is, those devices themselves would probably be the base level that developers are told to make their games for.

    That aside though, PC gamers will still ultimately benefit from better upscaling, better lighting and ray-tracing, better frame rates and frame generation, and better LOD and distance drawing. I think it's also important to mention that by the time the next gen consoles release, we truly will be in the 4k era of gaming, so don't be surprised if textures just flat out don't look much, if any better on PC than they do on console when that happens. And in that case, I guess it will be time for 8k to start becoming more mainstream, not that most people really even care for that kind of pixel density on a 27-34" display anyway, especially when most of us PC folk are perfectly fine with 1440p.

  12. The argument that backwards compatibility is what is causing the 'cross-gen release problem' is very silly honestly. Cross-gen releases were still happening early on with PS4 and Xbox One and neither had any backwards compatibility with their predecessors. The problems with the current generation could probably be attributed to a lack of availability early on becasue of disruptions from the pandemic and the respective chip shortage it ensued. Not having backwards compatibility would be a major disadvantage for any Switch successor as the library would have to be built up from scratch again and would make it a harder sell to people looking to upgrade from the original Switch who already have a lot of games.

  13. With the Switch 2 no compromises would be needed if you're coming from the same line of hardware. Nintendo has already demonstrated this with past hardware – Gamecube, Wii, and Wii U are all iterations of the same hardware – no emulation needed. Backward Compatibility on Xbox Series has also demonstrated that software emulation has come along far enough that you don't need to compromise on the hardware either.

  14. You NEED backwards compat on a handheld really, even more so than consoles because it's not like you are going to take every single handheld you own with you, you're probably going to take the newest one so you will want all of your games with you. Not understanding the question askers logic here

  15. Nintendo put themselves in the best spot. They are the last ones who can advertise a noticeable leap in fidelity. The specs may be a generation behind, but the upgraded visuals will feel like a bigger leap than PS4 to PS5. That'll certainly carry it enough for people to want to buy new games over their old switch library

  16. I have often wondered why games companies don't split backwards compatibility off to a sub brand like Huawei and honour back in the day . Top tech in the shiny new switch 2 then say 4 years into switch 2 the spin off company makes something called the ds switch it uses some of the new consoles guts say a new SSD but will not play new games it's roll is to play in Nintendo's case the Wii game cube etc. and maybe it comes with a year of online.

  17. Argument in factor of back combat is kind of weak. If it holds back the next generation too much, i say forget it. If it doesn't, then fine. Also, Wii U was backwards compatible and it failed. So I don't get that argument either.

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