Nintendo Switch 2

[dimmerwit]

Also was the N64 definitively better than the PS1? They had very different capabilities but even discounting the CD v cartridge aspect there are some things the PS1 does better.

Those kinds of major differences have really gone. The Switch 2 doesn't really have any fundamental differences in how it renders things, it's just less powerful.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

SNES is debatable I guess but it had some features the Genesis didn't and the sound chip was generally better (easier to work with?).

the Genesis had clearer audio, even if it sometimes sounded very scratchy in some games, but the SNES had the same low quality audio problem the N64 had where games not made by Nintendo often sounded muffled. Which is kinda weird because the SNES had more sound RAM and 2 more audio channels.

Also, the SNES did have MUCH better color depth and it's not anywhere close.

However, in terms raw performance, the SNES lagged because of its CPU speed. Many multiplatform games had better framerates on the Genesis because of it.

Nerd Bacon Magazine – Super Nintendo VS. Sega Genesis – Specs

nerdbacon.com

 

[Smacktard]

the Genesis had clearer audio, even if it sometimes sounded very scratchy in some games, but the SNES had the same low quality audio problem the N64 had where games not made by Nintendo often sounded muffled.

bro what
SNES had some absolute banger tracks by 3rd parties. Anything by Squaresoft, basically. Genesis audio was extremely inconsistent. There was a lot more shit than good. Maybe the audio was technically clearer (?) but it still had much less range.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I was absolutely a Genesis kid but yeah, the audio on that system could be a problem

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Yes. The audio coming from the Genesis is clearer. Many games may sound like total ass (because people didn't know how to use the sound chip), but the audio is more clear.

Also, I don't know how many Square games hit both the SNES and Genesis, but if there were, I guarantee you'll notice that the audio on the SNES is more subtle and muffled.

Edit: Good example is Street Fighter 2. It sounds like total shit on the Genesis, but it is more clear.

Cool Spot is a better example of a game in which both versions have solid music, but the Gen version is more clear (though whether someone likes one better than the other is 100% personal preference).

 

[dimmerwit]

In other graphics news Nintendo have confirmed the specifics of their free upgrades to 12 games.

Nintendo Switch Games with Free Nintendo Switch 2 Updates - Nintendo US

Free updates to improve playability on the Nintendo Switch 2 system will be released for selected Nintendo Switch games.

www.nintendo.com

In classic Nintendo style it's not very specific but HDR support for some of them is nice. Some game share updates too. It seems Super Mario Odyssey is effectively online co-op?

 

[Tommy Boy]

In other graphics news Nintendo have confirmed the specifics of their free upgrades to 12 games.

Nintendo Switch Games with Free Nintendo Switch 2 Updates - Nintendo US

Free updates to improve playability on the Nintendo Switch 2 system will be released for selected Nintendo Switch games.

www.nintendo.com

In classic Nintendo style it's not very specific but HDR support for some of them is nice. Some game share updates too. It seems Super Mario Odyssey is effectively online co-op?

Them casually shoehorning Scarlet and Violet as different games when it's kinda pretty much the same thing lol

 

[Tommy Boy]

Also, I meant to mention that I did not get an email from Nintendo about getting to purchase a Switch 2 through them, so I guess I'm just gunna try my luck when it actually comes out.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Holy crap, they keep adding more stuff to Captain Toad making the Wii U version more and more irrelevant, even though it has stuff that is Wii U exclusive.

Disappointed that Princess Peach Showtime isn't getting any improvements because it could use a performance boost. Must be an Unreal engine thing.

 

[Fire Queen]

i just wish princess peach showtime was less of a tech demo and more of a game

 

[Fool's Requiem]

i just wish princess peach showtime was less of a tech demo and more of a game

I was just happy to see Princess Peach get her own game again, and it was as adorable as it looked in the trailers. It was the first game I bought at launch since Overwatch in 2016 because I felt that it would need all the support it could get to encourage Nintendo to make more games for their secondary characters.

It was functional, and occasionally fun to play. Worth it, IMO.

 

[Smacktard]

Edit: Good example is Street Fighter 2. It sounds like total shit on the Genesis, but it is more clear.

Is "audio's more clear" really a selling point when the vast majority of developers weren't able to use the sound chip to produce tracks that actually sounded good? I really like the Genesis sound when it works, but it does not work often at all. So sure, it MAY be more clear, just like the Saturn MAY be a 2D powerhouse.... But those features were seldom ever utilized to their max, meaning it's pretty pointless

 

[Crazy Jamie]

Maybe since the Wii era, but the GameCube trounced the PS2, and so did the N64, NES, and SNES for their competition.

That’s not my point really. I’m not saying that it’s not been about the specs since the Nintendo consoles became less powerful. I’m saying that the selling point of Nintendo consoles hasn’t, in the main, been about the specs, even when it was more powerful. I remember when I was in school that we had endless debates over which console was ‘better’ between the N64 and PS1. The choice in graphics between the two was a matter of opinion, but really those debates (and the choice of which you bought) came down to the games. Do you want Final Fantasy, GTA and Metal Gear Solid, or do you want Zelda, Mario and four player Goldeneye or Perfect Dark?

I think that’s always been the way with Nintendo. Sure, from the Wii onwards you had the additional practical gimmicks, but the selling point has been the gaming experience more broadly and not power. I think that explains the success, or not, of most, if not all of Nintendo’s consoles. There’s probably an argument that that holds true for the consoles wars in general, but I certainly think it’s always been Nintendo’s route to sales.

 

[Smacktard]

That’s not my point really. I’m not saying that it’s not been about the specs since the Nintendo consoles became less powerful. I’m saying that the selling point of Nintendo consoles hasn’t, in the main, been about the specs, even when it was more powerful. I remember when I was in school that we had endless debates over which console was ‘better’ between the N64 and PS1. The choice in graphics between the two was a matter of opinion, but really those debates (and the choice of which you bought) came down to the games. Do you want Final Fantasy, GTA and Metal Gear Solid, or do you want Zelda, Mario and four player Goldeneye or Perfect Dark?

I think that’s always been the way with Nintendo. Sure, from the Wii onwards you had the additional practical gimmicks, but the selling point has been the gaming experience more broadly and not power. I think that explains the success, or not, of most, if not all of Nintendo’s consoles. There’s probably an argument that that holds true for the consoles wars in general, but I certainly think it’s always been Nintendo’s route to sales.

Oh yeah, that's a fair point then. I agree with you 100%. The Nintendo experience has mostly focused on (first party) games and on couch co-op as the top selling points.

 

[Kat]

I don't know. If your console's only reason for existing is exclusive games which could easily run on any other hardware in existence, then maybe that console shouldn't exist. You need to have more than that.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

bwahaha, leave it to Sega Lord X to post a video to held me prove my point.



Don't even need to watch the whole video. Both Desert Strike and Madden are enough. Some developers were just able to get better results from the Genesis despite making the same exact game as long as they didn’t need the extra thousands of available colors that the SNES had.

 

[Smacktard]

I don't know. If your console's only reason for existing is exclusive games which could easily run on any other hardware in existence, then maybe that console shouldn't exist. You need to have more than that.

What benefit do most consoles have other than exclusives? Slight hardware differences aside, most generations' games could run on the competition's hardware. N64 v PS1 is probably the biggest exception I can think of, other than like Wiimote and Kinect-style games.

bwahaha, leave it to Sega Lord X to post a video to held me prove my point.



Don't even need to watch the whole video. Both Desert Strike and Madden are enough. Some developers were just able to get better results from the Genesis despite making the same exact game as long as they didn’t need the extra thousands of available colors that the SNES had.

I guess I'm learning that a lot of preconceived notions I had about SNES vs Genesis were way off. Didn't realize how much more powerful than Genesis was than the SNES considering it came out two years earlier. What a beast!

 

[Fool's Requiem]

The sarcasm was unnecessary and I didnt say that the Genesis was so much more powerful.

I'm merely explaining that the SNES doesn't completely beat the Genesis like you stated. The CPU runs after a faster clock speed, allowing games to perform better on the Genesis compared to direct ports on the SNES, and it also allowed the Genesis to run 3D graphics in racing and FPS games better without a helper chip, and even that helper chip on the SNES didnt help those games run well like the helper chip for the Genesis did.

The SNES had a massive advantagewhen it came to colors (something the NES failed when compared to the SMS), had stereo audio out as default via the component hook ups (the first Genesis had to use the headphone port to get stereo for some dumb reason), had mode 7 which allowed for Pseudo 3D graphical performance, and some games allowed for Dolby Surround.

The SNES allowed for better sound effects and music, but the Genesis' FM chip allowed for more clear output, so that when a developer actually made games sound good, they were really good.

It is NOT clear cut, both systems had advantages and disadvantages.

Also, developers DID take advantage of the Saturn's powerful 2D graphical output.

Publishers just didnt see fit to give those games to us in the NA market because people only cared about 3D here.

 

[Smacktard]

The sarcasm was unnecessary and I didnt say that the Genesis was so much more powerful.

I wasn't being sarcastic.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

 

[Smacktard]

Also, developers DID take advantage of the Saturn's powerful 2D graphical output.

Back to this though. Saturn couldn't do transparency well. It's missing some effects that the PS1 versions of the Mega Man games can do.

And if we use Metal Slug as an example, its not clear that Saturn trounced PS1 there:


PS1 has fewer frames for same animations, but Saturn has way more slowdown and less visual clarity.

 

[Tommy Boy]

Got an email from Nintendo this morning...

 

[Fool's Requiem]

 

[dimmerwit]

There've been a few more drops here in the UK from Nintendo. I just ordered with a third-party retailer (Argos) because I didn't qualify for the initial Nintendo drop.