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Doesn't really tell us anything. It's a lot easier to port an engine vs writing a new one from scratch, especially if the new system is also just an ARM64 proce

by TillE 4y ago

Doesn't really tell us anything. It's a lot easier to port an engine vs writing a new one from scratch, especially if the new system is also just an ARM64 processor with an NVIDIA GPU.

bogwog 4y ago
Does Nvidia still make mobile GPUs? Tegra was a flop afaik, which is why Nintendo picked it, since they could buy whole container ships of them for cheap. What’s a relatively modern SOC that sold poorly and was manufactured in large volumes? That’s probably what the next Nintedo console will use.
- doublepg23 4y ago
  My ideal (new) Switch 2 (U) would be taking advantage of AMDs mobile APUs but I think they're hamstrung with backwards ARM compatibility with how good the Switches library is.
  - lukevp 4y ago
    If everything’s built against an abstracted SDK, they could have games ported over with just a recompile potentially. If the new system is much higher performance then any optimizations against ARM would be a non issue. If they allow lower level access to the hardware, it would be a lot harder, but you could conceivably implement a GPU emulation at the hardware layer. Or depending on costs, just include the entire SOC for the compatibility mode, like PS3 did for PS2.
  - christkv 4y ago
    I think if they want to keep the form factor they need the higher performance per watt that arm cores can offer.
- shaunsingh0207 4y ago
  They make desktop-class mobile gpu's, but nothing like the switch. However, they do still make embedded dev kits (https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-systems/ https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-sy...), with their newest ones running on ampere. The Jetson nano is the same chip as the nintendo switch, with half the cuda cores iirc.
- staticman2 4y ago
  Nvidia is believed to be developing a custom mobile GPU for Nintendo's next console. They posted a job ad in 2022 saying "looking to hire a deeply technical, creative and hands-on software engineer to pioneer the next generation of Graphics Developer Tools for Game Consoles" Nvidia's only game console client is Nintendo.

by TillE 4y ago

Doesn't really tell us anything. It's a lot easier to port an engine vs writing a new one from scratch, especially if the new system is also just an ARM64 processor with an NVIDIA GPU.

bogwog 4y ago

Does Nvidia still make mobile GPUs? Tegra was a flop afaik, which is why Nintendo picked it, since they could buy whole container ships of them for cheap. What’s a relatively modern SOC that sold poorly and was manufactured in large volumes? That’s probably what the next Nintedo console will use.

doublepg23 4y ago
My ideal (new) Switch 2 (U) would be taking advantage of AMDs mobile APUs but I think they're hamstrung with backwards ARM compatibility with how good the Switches library is.
- lukevp 4y ago
  If everything’s built against an abstracted SDK, they could have games ported over with just a recompile potentially. If the new system is much higher performance then any optimizations against ARM would be a non issue. If they allow lower level access to the hardware, it would be a lot harder, but you could conceivably implement a GPU emulation at the hardware layer. Or depending on costs, just include the entire SOC for the compatibility mode, like PS3 did for PS2.
- christkv 4y ago
  I think if they want to keep the form factor they need the higher performance per watt that arm cores can offer.
shaunsingh0207 4y ago
They make desktop-class mobile gpu's, but nothing like the switch. However, they do still make embedded dev kits (https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-systems/ https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-sy...), with their newest ones running on ampere. The Jetson nano is the same chip as the nintendo switch, with half the cuda cores iirc.
staticman2 4y ago
Nvidia is believed to be developing a custom mobile GPU for Nintendo's next console. They posted a job ad in 2022 saying "looking to hire a deeply technical, creative and hands-on software engineer to pioneer the next generation of Graphics Developer Tools for Game Consoles" Nvidia's only game console client is Nintendo.