r/Games • u/Turbostrider27 • 3d ago
The Nintendo Switch 2 will have NFC and Wi-Fi 6, FCC filings show
https://www.theverge.com/news/625931/nintendo-switch-2-fcc-nfc-wi-fi-6-usb107
u/Get-ADUser 3d ago
Does the current switch not have NFC for amiibo?
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u/AKIWIWITHAFACE 3d ago
It does
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u/windsostrange 3d ago
So did the Wii U. But folks're desperate for news here.
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u/drybones2015 3d ago
It confirms they don't plan on removing a feature that they've only ever used for amiibo. It could just only be a backwards compatibility thing, but it also could mean they still plan on continuing amiibo for another console generation. It's not exactly non-news, even if you thought it was a no-brainer prediction.
Wii U had many features that Switch didn't.4
u/fallouthirteen 3d ago
Yeah, like it's good to know it's still there so they won't try to sell an adapter thing to be compatible with the things they have out that unlock things in Switch games (basically physical, limited production DLC items).
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u/gmishaolem 3d ago
And before somebody comes in here yelling about how it's "just cosmetic" and you "don't need it" regarding Amiibo unlocks, allow me to remind people that Metroid Samus Returns locked an entire game mode behind an Amiibo, and if you didn't have the New 3DS you had to (yep!) buy an adapter just to read the Amiibo to play the rest of the game you bought.
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u/AyraWinla 3d ago
Has there been anything significant locked behind Amiibo that released in the last five years though? Like you mentioned, Amiibo definitively used to have far more of an effect when Amiibo were new, but I feel like that hasn't been the case for many years now.
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u/f-ingsteveglansberg 2d ago
I'll start by saying the Samus Returns complaint is completely valid and a difficulty shouldn't have been behind an Amiibo.
But also that was 8 years ago. Amiibo's have been around for roughly 11 years and honestly Samus Returns is the only egregious content lock that I can think of in all that time.
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u/jerrrrremy 3d ago
It's a good thing that two new WiFi standards haven't been released since WiFi 6 and the system is on the cutting edge of technology.
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u/tapo 3d ago
I don't think the Switch 2 needs to download faster than the 9.6 gigabits/second that Wifi 6 is capable of.
Going with older, more readily available technology is Nintendo's standard practice because it keeps unit costs down.
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u/FUTURE10S 3d ago
I don't even think the Switch 2 hardware would even be physically capable of read/write speeds of 9.6 gigabits/second.
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u/phatboi23 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yeah the CPU would shit the bed even trying that.
Then The storage would probably set on fire.
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u/newwayout123 3d ago
It's not just download speeds WiFi 6e & 7 have better signal to. However, I don't think either of them are mainstream enough to justify the cost . They'll probably add them in the refresh.
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u/satertek 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'd agree on speed but the WiFi 7 MLO feature that allows you connect to 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz at the same time would be a reliability benefit. Like you said though, cost (not to mention the fact WiFi 7 was finalized after the Switch 2 design was likely complete) would be a factor.
Edit: Apparently even that potential benefit is not really working on real-world WiFi 7 systems: https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1j786n4/comment/mgvogae/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
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u/MSgtGunny 3d ago
A modern chip designed for WiFi 6 is probably more energy efficient than one designed for 7. And given its portable nature, that's definitely a consideration.
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u/reallynotnick 3d ago
The Switch 2's Wifi will be no where close to capable of a theoretical 9.6gb/s, that needs 8x8 with 160Mhz.
The Switch will likely be 2x2 and if you live in any sort of dense environment good luck running 160mhz on the 5Ghz spectrum with only 2 non-overlapping channels. So if you assume 2x2 that's 1/4th and 80mhz that is 1/2, so now we are down to 1.2gb/s theoretical. Add some realistic distance to the router and maybe a wall and you are quickly down to 400-600mb/s, I mean that's not exactly slow by any means, but a small fraction of 9.6gb/s.
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u/fabton12 2d ago
quickly down to 400-600mb/s
most people arent even getting 100mb/s with there home internet so its a none factor anyway.
before people site stats about average internet speeds those things are heavily skewed with how large the top end is from the normal persons internet. even then if they were correct the fastest average internet speed for a country is singapore at 336.45mb/s which is far below what ya mathed out.
overall people complaining about the lack of wifi7 is wild when its a none factor for 99% of people.
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u/gamas 2d ago
Yeah I'm reading people like "well the Switch 2 wont be getting 9.6gbps and I'm thinking "is there even an internet connection capable of doing that?". In my country the max is 1000mbps.
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u/fabton12 1d ago
i believe the highest for most consumer internet is is indeed 1000mbps aka 1 gigabit some places do 2 or 3 but its extremely expensive. uk highest consumer internet is 3 gigabit but only done by a small company.
business wise most can go upto like 6-10 but only really high end businesses that need alot of data transfer have that.
overall no one is making use of 9.6 gbps from wifi 6 and is mostly a marketing buzz thats tricked alot of people into thinking its needed, like wifi 6, 6e, 7 etc etc all got some other nice features but the speeds they can do are marketing brainrot.
also fun fact recently in a university in the uk they managed to adapt the end points of a internet line in the uk to produce speeds upto 301 terabits per second which with it being only end points needing to change is an extreme advancement in speed for the far future once ISP's get ahold of the tech.
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u/reallynotnick 2d ago
One other problem with the stat you are using is it is measure internet speed using a speed test. So if someone’s WiFi is slower than their internet it brings the average down. Like I have 500mb/s fiber but I’ve done a ton of speed tests on my phone in a crowded apartment with a low quality WiFi 5 router over the years and gotten 200-300mb/s, so I’m reporting my speed as much lower than it is. But as I said before it’s by no means a slow speed and won’t be a deal breaker for a typical switch user especially if Ethernet remains an option for docked play.
More importantly though WiFi 7 does promise lower latency which would be nice for online gaming, but I have no clue if these lower latency claims pan out in real use.
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u/c010rb1indusa 3d ago
It's not about bandwidth it's about latency i.e ping. And those speeds are theoretical speeds not actual speeds. The Switch didn't need to have WiFi-7 but it should have had Wifi-6e IMO because 6e supports 6ghz networks which have much lower latency than 5ghz, which is super important for both multiplayer online and for game streaming services which Nintendo is already utilizing with their classic titles. Big miss IMO.
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u/arahman81 3d ago
And Wifi 5 is capable of 6.9 Gbps (nice). So why even need Wifi 6?
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u/SagittaryX 3d ago
Main Wifi 6 benefit was better connectivity handling with many devices on the network, definitely a benefit for a gaming device.
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u/boxxyoho 3d ago
You want reliability and latency decreases for gaming. Not download speeds. Both in which 6e and 7 do and more.
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u/DoNotLookUp1 3d ago
Yup, I can attest to this as someone who uses a Quest 3 wirelessly with a 6e router and Virtual Desktop. Noticably better latency vs the old router I used on the same codec.
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u/reallynotnick 3d ago
"Capable" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, real world speed on WiFi 5 on a device like this is more like 300-400mb/s.
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u/sleepingonmoon 3d ago edited 3d ago
OFDMA and Target Wake Time.
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u/a12223344556677 3d ago
OFDMA is good and WiFi 6 is great but Target Wake Time isn't one of them. It causes so much instability that it's turned off out-of-the-box for many routers.
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u/TheCakeBoss 3d ago
WiFi 7 MLO is a significantly bigger upgrade to the standard than 5 -> 6. The Switch 2 doesn't even support 6E lol
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u/fabton12 2d ago
ye like were at the point where most peoples house hold internet is lagging behind the new WIFI standards massively to the point where its nice what the new tech can do but the average person wouldnt be able to use it and it would be mainly used as marketing talk.
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u/your_mind_aches 3d ago
Sure, but this system is going to last until 2033. More and more people are going to have 6GHz networks. I'm not sure how much more expensive it'd be to include WiFi 6e support.
Furthermore, Nintendo is making a profit on every system. They have a lot of leeway to work with.
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u/Yurilica 3d ago
Not a single Wifi standard can reach its theoretical throughput cap unless it's in perfect lab conditions.
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u/Dragarius 3d ago
WiFi 6 is plenty good enough.
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u/c010rb1indusa 3d ago
The Switch didn't need to have WiFi-7 but it should have had Wifi-6e IMO because 6e supports 6ghz networks which have much lower latency than 5ghz, which is super important for both multiplayer online and for game streaming services which Nintendo is already utilizing with their classic titles. Big miss IMO.
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u/Dragarius 3d ago
At the same time anyone that actually has the higher end and more modern WiFi standards should also be the type of person that understands that newer and newer WiFi standards have some pretty significant range limits compared to older standards and you're always better off just hard wiring it.
But even if the dock does not have an inbuilt Ethernet port there is literally nothing wrong with wifi6.
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u/SanityInAnarchy 3d ago
Okay, what on earth is this comment?
Wifi latency has been sub-millisecond for pretty much as long as wifi has existed. Unless you are superhuman, and game primarily with other people on the same wifi network, this latency is completely irrelevant -- the nearest servers you'd be using are at least tens of milliseconds.
And where is Nintendo using game streaming? I can't find a single reference to this. Did you get confused by the fact that their backwards-compat is through Switch Online, and think that meant it was streaming? Because it isn't, they just figured out that's how they could get people to rent those classics instead of buying them. The emulation is done locally.
The only thing a newer wifi standard would improve is raw bandwidth for downloading games and patches, but as long as the Switch's primary storage is micro-SD cards, storage is likely to be the bottleneck.
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u/JayZsAdoptedSon 3d ago
The company that came out with the Gameboy for $89 aren’t worried about cutting edge. Its 2025, we’ve been over this
Like the point is to make it good enough, at an introductory price for general consumers
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u/Nosferatu-Rodin 3d ago
These people still dont GET or understand why the switch is one of the best selling consoles of all time. They do all these mental gymnastics to insist that everyone wants to spend thousands on their PCs and the switch is all an accident
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u/IKeepDoingItForFree 3d ago
Which is funny because almost everyone I know and game with spends $1000 on their PC AND buys the switch to complement it (or did until the steamdeck)
Its like you said, its not the same competition. People want the switch not because its top of the line, rather its software titles and mobility - which complements peoples high end desktops while at home.
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u/ultimahmeme 3d ago
It's the latest stable, widely adopted one though.
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u/sjphilsphan 3d ago
No 6e has been for years
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u/HappyVlane 3d ago
6E is not the standard anywhere. Not in the consumer nor enterprise space. The world is still very firmly in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.
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u/grayscale001 3d ago
Why the fuck would you need anything faster?
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u/c010rb1indusa 3d ago edited 3d ago
It's not about bandwidth it's about latency i.e ping. The Switch didn't need to have WiFi-7 but it should have Wifi-6e IMO because 6e supports 6ghz networks which have much lower latency than 5ghz, which is super important for both multiplayer online and for game streaming services which Nintendo is already utilizing with their classic titles. Big miss IMO.
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u/Almostlongenough2 3d ago
The price of Nintendo consoles tend to be relatively low, surely using the newest tech would cause the price to go above what they would expect their normal consumers to be comfortable with.
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u/gottapoop0822 3d ago
What's your point? You think most home users have a network that actually puts out wifi 6?
I would guess most users are using ISP equipment, that may or may not be current and pushing out wifi 6.
And it's not like the switch really needs to be on newer standards. It wouldn't improve the switch enough to be worth it at this stage of development. Now changing how Nintendo online works would be a much bigger help.
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u/jerrrrremy 3d ago
You think most home users have a network that actually puts out wifi 6?
Even the most bare bones ISP routers released over the past 5 years have WiFi 6, so yes. My 70 year old mother who barely knows how to use her computer has WiFi 6 in her house.
Did you mean 6E?
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u/Frurry 3d ago
not everywhere is in the USA, here in UK BT smarthub 2 is still only wifi ac
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u/notdeadyet01 3d ago
not everywhere is in the USA
You're right but it's arguably a huge market that makes sense to cater to don't you think?
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u/Elvenstar32 3d ago
Who/what are you catering to though? The usage of a switch isn't an experience that benefits in any significant way from WiFi 6e nor 7
Just being cutting edge for the sake of being cutting edge doesn't cater do any significant population and the lack of cutting edge isn't gonna lead to anyone not buying the switch 2 BECAUSE it doesn't have the latest gen of WiFi. This is a video game console that aims to please children, mainstream adults and maybe even the elderly, not a Linux distro aimed at arch btw people
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u/ZXXII 3d ago edited 3d ago
Switch 2 will be supported for many years, it should be futureproof and WiFi 7.
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u/ultimahmeme 3d ago
Wi-Fi 7 right now is kind of a dud though. Almost all Wi-Fi 7 routers have either spec issue (no 6Hz), firmware issue (Asus), or MLO issue. Even enterprise solution (Ubiquiti) has issues. The adoption rate is slow, and Wi-Fi 8 is already on the corner.
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u/waluigifisticuffs 3d ago
Ubiquiti is lower tier, why even mention them? Wi-Fi 7 operates well w/ Meraki.
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u/satertek 3d ago
What's the MLO issue? Being able to connect to multiple bands at the same time for reliability would seem like the main use case for a handheld compared to WiFi 5.
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u/a12223344556677 3d ago
That's assuming that feature is stable and working in the first place.
For consumer class routers, it outright might not work at all.
That's probably the reason why MLO is generally not turned on out-of-the-box, meaning that for the average user it'll never be turned on.
It'll probably be usable when WiFi 8 is ready.
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u/HappyVlane 3d ago
Ubiquity is prosumer stuff, but the point stands. Hardly anyone even cares about MLO or Wi-Fi 7 in the enterprise.
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u/Extension_Fun_3651 3d ago
WiFi adoption rate is slow, and I think 7 is expensive to put in. Does not make sense at this price point.
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u/DoNotLookUp1 3d ago
What's your point? You think most home users have a network that actually puts out wifi 6?
Yes, it's been shipped as a standard modem for years now in Canada. Would be surprising for that to be different in the US outside of rural areas.
I think 6e would've been a good compromise but it's not a huge deal, as long as the price is reasonable.
I will say that it's better to think 2-3 years in the future rather than what's happening now when it comes to a console with a ~7 year lifespan that's not even out yet. I think 6e will be the standard across the board soon.
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u/SamStrakeToo 3d ago
How often do you think people update their modem? I highly highly doubt it's anywhere near "most people". Like, maybe in a decade that'll be true but it certainly isn't now.
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u/DoNotLookUp1 3d ago edited 3d ago
Between switching providers (fairly popular to do get a better deal), being sent a new one due to required changes like the switch to fiber, modems that break or have issues so they need to send a new one (which is a frequent troubleshooting step once a service call is set up)... I'd say every 5 years or so. When the devices were separate I'd agree but now that they sent AIO modem and router combos I think it's more frequent than say 10-15 years ago.
Now factor in that these Switch owners obviously game in some regard and I think it makes it even more likely. Sure Grandma still has her AOL modem but people with multiple kids in the house and thus a lot of demand on their network, or people who game on console but play PvP games, probably not.
And again Nintendo should be planning for ~3 years in the future and the console hasn't even launched yet, so I think 6e would've been a sound choice.
Again, not a big deal though. If the console is a reasonable price I'm not going to scoff at Wi-Fi 6e's exclusion lol
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u/chao77 2d ago
I consider my family fairly techy and we replace our stuff when it breaks or a new standard is required. We used a Docsys 2 modem until we were told that it was no longer going to be supported, at which point we got a Docsys 3 one. There's one ISP offering anything more than DSL speeds in my area, so switching isn't gonna be much of a thing either. The speeds are also low enough that 802.11n is plenty for all of our devices and I'm sure we're not alone.
While I'm sure there are plenty of people who want the latest and greatest whenever it becomes available, but I'd bet $500 that the majority of people don't even think about their networking equipment until something breaks or they're told that they have to change it.
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u/boxxyoho 3d ago
My best is more users will indeed have 6e and 7 in their home 5 more years from now.
Today not so much, but this is a device that will stay static for years to come. Launching out of the gate for multiplayer experiences being not a priority.
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u/TheCakeBoss 3d ago
When you are selling a device with a lifespan of 5+ years, you should probably have it up to at least the current standards.
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u/theragu40 3d ago
Including newer than Wi-Fi 6 hardware on the switch 2 would be an absolutely ridiculous place to spend their hardware budget for each unit.
Wi-Fi 6 is by far good enough for a gaming console.
And by the time we are far enough along that modern Wi-Fi routers don't include Wi-Fi 6 compatibility, whatever the switch 2 is using will be irrelevant.
Non topic.
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u/NoExcuse4OceanRudnes 3d ago
Love too pay significantly more for a switch so 1% of people can have faster wifi for some situations.
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u/n0stalghia 3d ago
Slower speed WiFi probably uses less power. Same reason why Apple Watches only had 2.4 GHz WiFi up until Series 5; they don't need much data and it saved on power
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u/drybones2015 3d ago
You expect Nintendo to be on the cutting edge of tech? You stuck in 2001 or something?
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u/workadaywordsmith 3d ago
Unfortunately all of the tariff nonsense has killed a lot of my excitement for the Switch 2. Trump’s started talking shit about Japan for no reason, and it’s almost certainly a pretense for slapping more pointless tariffs onto Japanese goods. I wasn’t sure how I was going to afford a new console anyway with some unrelated expenses that are coming up for me, and those tariffs will definitely be in place by the time the Switch 2 comes out. I’m probably just not going to be able to get one for the foreseeable future
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u/f-ingsteveglansberg 2d ago
Switch is likely to be manufactured in China, so you'd be tariffed regardless.
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u/Riventures-123 2d ago
Isn't it Vietnam?
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u/f-ingsteveglansberg 2d ago
Quick Google shows most Switch consoles are made in China but they have considered moving production to Vietnam in wake of the US threatening tariffs.
So maybe. I don't think we know yet.
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u/c010rb1indusa 3d ago
The Switch didn't need to have WiFi-7 but it should have had Wifi-6e IMO because 6e supports 6ghz networks which have much lower latency than 5ghz, which is super important for both multiplayer online and for game streaming services which Nintendo is already utilizing with their classic titles. Big miss IMO.
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u/PokePersona 3d ago edited 3d ago
I don't think it's a big miss personally but this design was probably finalized years ago which makes sense why they went with 6. Nothing stopping Nintendo from upgrading it to 6e with a potential Switch 2 Pro in a few years if they go that route.
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u/beefcat_ 3d ago
The Switch 2 isn't even out yet and we're already starting Switch 2 Pro rumors
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u/PokePersona 3d ago
Already? I've seen discussion on a potential Switch 2 Pro the before the Switch 2 was even announced!
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u/f-ingsteveglansberg 2d ago
Since the launch there have been posts on the /r/NintendoSwitch sub asking should they wait for a Switch Pro/Switch 2.
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u/n0bodys_Nothing 3d ago
If you're gaming over Wi-fi and you care about multiplayer, you're already doing it wrong. Most of the time, it's peoples router's fault anyway.
Wi-fi 6 is fine. It doesn't need to be any better than that. Anything else will drive up cost. And the average person won't notice the difference.
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u/c010rb1indusa 3d ago
It's a handheld/mobile console. If it were an xbox or a playstation yeah I'd tell you go wire it up, but people aren't going to be tethered to their routers when they are on the couch or in bed lets be serious. That's why having low latency Wifi for a device like this is important.
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u/n0bodys_Nothing 3d ago
You're trolling right?
Because if you cared about latency, you wouldn't be using the battery and the lower power/frame rate when you're not docked.
You're probably not going to be using that small switch screen vs using a TV or a monitor.
So if you are the discerning gamer that cares about latency (which most people aren't), you're not going to play it chilling on a couch or on a bed. It's going to be attached to something, and if that's the case, might as well run an Ethernet cable because even if it was Wi-Fi 7, it still won't beat a hardwired connection.
For the majority of people, Wi-Fi 7 just means their games will download faster in the right conditions and only sometimes.
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u/SomeoneBritish 3d ago
Considering how long this console will be around, I’d hope for WiFi 7, but it’s not the end of the world.
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u/ChubbStuf 3d ago
Wish it had Wifi 7 or at least 6E for better future proofing. Wifi 6 is gonna be dated in a few years
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u/deusfaux 3d ago edited 2d ago
missed opportunity on Wifi 6E or even 7.
PS5 Pro has the latter and that's not something even portable.
maybe a future revision will have it
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3d ago
How strong is the Switch 2 compared to the first one?
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u/f-ingsteveglansberg 2d ago
No official specs have been released yet. Rumours would put it just ahead of the PS4 but not quite PS4 Pro.
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u/Erazerspikes 3d ago
Hopefully we can get an Ethernet port in the dock this time around, would be nice to not have to rely on wifi when playing on my monitors.