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[GinoFelino]

Very weird that some people are using the iPhone as an example of how people expect higher resolution nowadays.

Since, err, the iPhone 7 has a resolution of 750p?

Besides, most of the games on Wii U ran at 720p and that shit wasn't even portable. I also think, like most here, docked mode will run at 900p/1080p.

 

[Serious Sam]

720? I guess the unit is very underpowered when used as handheld, so lowered resolution is meant to help with performance?

What do you mean by "lowered resolution"? Switch 6.2" display at 1280x720 will have much HIGHER PPI than a 4K 27" PC monitor or MacBook Pro. Similar PPI to premium tablets like iPad Pro or iPad Air 2. Basically, if used Apple's terminology, we could say Switch has a Retina display.

Nintendo games running at 60fps on the Switch screen will look brilliant, people just don't realize it yet by simply looking at almost meaningless resolution number.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Counting the days. Really curious to find out which games are in development.

 

[GinoFelino]

Yep. If they don't hit 1080 while dock watch what happens. I've been saying this and got a lot of resistance. I personally could be okay with 900p. I guess we will see but they have to get every aspect right. So much is riding on this and sadly they are Nintendo. People look for a reason not to buy there consoles or wait until they are dirt cheap. Hopefully along with Nvidia they created something great.

Meanwhile, many new games don't even run at 1080p on PS4/XB1.

But that's mostly fine for them.

Because reasons.

 

[KingSnake]

Take a look at the iPhone screen resolution chart here. And you'll realize that the switch handheld resolution is pretty weak.

https://www.paintcodeapp.com/news/ultimate-guide-to-iphone-resolutions

Can you link one decently looking game that has a native resolution above 750p on iPhone?

 

[Always-honest]

Pfffhaha.... 720P is just fine for that size people. Stop with the fake concerned reactions.
Don't buy it (as you wouldn't anyway) and play games on your iPhone or Android.

720? I guess the unit is very underpowered when used as handheld, so lowered resolution is meant to help with performance?

You mean that some games will be downsampled on the handheld, right?
I guess that could be the case since some WiiU titles are 1080P.

 

[Durante]

How do you simulate multi touch with an IR pointer?

If it's not possible doesn't this limit multi touch games to only being portable?

It's more likely that it limits games to not using multi-touch.

gsync doesn't make 43 fps feel like 60fps. it makes 43 fps feel like 43 fps.

That's true on the one hand, but it's also a bit misleading. What you need to add is that without variable sync, 43 FPS looks more like 30 FPS.

Anyway, I agree that variable refresh would be very smart on this, but I don't have high hopes.

 

[Widge]

Yep. If they don't hit 1080 while dock watch what happens. I've been saying this and got a lot of resistance.

You are right. I've seen a lot of pretty... weird mentality when it comes to hardware. Stuff like the Razor, SurfaceBook & MacBook launches where people chime in with "yeah but my desktop costs way less than this", same with Switch.

Fundamentally, slip your PS4 Pro/Scorpio into a bag along with a Switch - when you are on the train, which is the most powerful system at that very moment in time? The one sitting with no power or the handheld?

But that audience, the one that just look at dry numbers, they need convincing or at least their ignorance wiping away.

 

[davonaytor]

I'm happy with that.

I just googled some of my favourite Wii U games to check what their rendering resolution is.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Wonderful 101, Bayonetta 2, Super Mario 3D World, all run at 720p.

I honestly had no idea. If I can get games that look like that, running 720p native on a handheld? Turns out those games mostly run at 60fps on the Wii U as well (I definitely remember Wonderful 101 dipping hard at some points).

It's weird that I don't notice the lower resolution for those games, but when I play something like Evil Within on the PS4, everything looks and feels like garbage, I ended up switching to the PC version. I guess when there's a clean art style and framerate, my brain goes into "this feels great" mode.

 

[KonradLaw]

What do you mean by "lowered resolution"?

Lowered compared to TV mode. At least I assumed Switch games will run in FullHD on TV?

The unit as handheld is supposed to be much weaker than stationary mode, so dropping from 1080 to 720 should make it easier to make the same games playable on handheld.
That's really the only reason I can see for using 720 display.

 

[Peru]

Lowered compared to TV mode. At least I assumed Switch games will run in FullHD on TV?

The unit as handheld is supposed to be much weaker than stationary mode, so dropping from 1080 to 720 should make it easier to make the same games playable on handheld.
That's really the only reason I can see for using 720 display.

Have you honestly not read the replies in this thread since your post? 720 on that size display is higher PPI than your TV. And your PC monitor. There is not a single sensible reason for Nintendo to use a higher resolution display on the portable.

 

[Journeywalker]

It's more likely that it limits games to not using multi-touch.

One of the theories is that the Switch sticks out of the top of the dock so that it can have two IR emitters, just like the Wii U "sensor bar" (which is a misnomer). Like a wiimote+, the IR camera, accelerometers, and gyroscopes in the right joycon can be used to determine position and orientation, allowing for a pointing interface. Just like Wii, you can have multiple pointers active at the same time. There is the capability to at least mimic a multi-touch display. Functionally, however, it's not as intuitive and a single user is limited by the number of hands they have.

I'm guessing they will allow the use of Wiimotes and joycons that are more comfortable to use as pointers, if only for Wii Virtual Console titles. However, if I'm reading it correctly, Nintendo doesn't WANT new games to feature touch controls as a lead interface, even though the basic functionality is there.

 

[SomedayTheFire]

Have you honestly not read the replies in this thread since your post? 720 on that size display is higher PPI than your TV. And your PC monitor. There is not a single sensible reason for Nintendo to use a higher resolution display on the portable.

pretty pointless argument that's being spun here. a 1080p screen would have even higher PPI so like why do y'all keep bringing that up as if it's some amazing trump card that is destroying people that would like a 1080p resolution? the 3ds has a higher PPI than a 32' 1080p display and that's a fucking tragedy of a screen.

 

[lowhighkang_LHK]

What do you mean by "lowered resolution"? Switch 6.2" display at 1280x720 will have much HIGHER PPI than a 4K 27" PC monitor or MacBook Pro. Similar PPI to premium tablets like iPad Pro or iPad Air 2. Basically, if used Apple's terminology, we could say Switch has a Retina display.

Nintendo games running at 60fps on the Switch screen will look brilliant, people just don't realize it yet by simply looking at almost meaningless resolution number.

This.

That resolution is fantastic for a handheld screen.

....not so much on a typical sized living room TV though...

 

[Dark Cloud]

pretty pointless argument that's being spun here. a 1080p screen would have even higher PPI so like why do y'all keep bringing that up as if it's some amazing trump card that is destroying people that would like a 1080p resolution? the 3ds has a higher PPI than a 32' 1080p display and that's a fucking tragedy of a screen.

Lol

 

[sanstesy]

pretty pointless argument that's being spun here. a 1080p screen would have even higher PPI so like why do y'all keep bringing that up as if it's some amazing trump card that is destroying people that would like a 1080p resolution? the 3ds has a higher PPI than a 32' 1080p display and that's a fucking tragedy of a screen.

Again, he asked if you are reading the thread.

 

[Wiped89]

720p is fine on handheld honestly. I mean, I have put hundreds of hours into my 3DS and it's got a 240p screen.

People need to remember,when it comes to Nintendo, it's all about the GAMES, not the tech.

720p handheld 1080p on TV is fine for this.

If it doesn't push native 1080p on TV though I think it will really struggle.

 

[Captain Europe]

pretty pointless argument that's being spun here. a 1080p screen would have even higher PPI so like why do y'all keep bringing that up as if it's some amazing trump card that is destroying people that would like a 1080p resolution? the 3ds has a higher PPI than a 32' 1080p display and that's a fucking tragedy of a screen.

That's true, but is it realistic and achievable with a powerful graphics card, and somewhat of a battery life, as well as being under 300?

 

[G.ZZZ]

The amount of concern trolling and stupidity over resolution in this thread is alarming. Humanity was a mistake, it's nothing but trash.

 

[SomedayTheFire]

Again, he asked if you are reading the thread.

He didn't reply to me. I think the argument for why 720 is *perfect* is complete and utter bollocks, especially the PPI argument. The screen could be better, 720p is not the perfect resolution for a handheld screen of that size. It could be better, it's not. Oh well, not losing sleep over it but I'll point out when an argument is pointless.

That's true, but is it realistic and achievable with a powerful graphics card, and somewhat of a battery life, as well as being under 300?

Maybe not, but that's an interesting conversation to have. Defaulting to "well it has a high PPI so that's that" is really dumb imo.

 

[Bgamer90]

pretty pointless argument that's being spun here. a 1080p screen would have even higher PPI so like why do y'all keep bringing that up as if it's some amazing trump card that is destroying people that would like a 1080p resolution? the 3ds has a higher PPI than a 32' 1080p display and that's a fucking tragedy of a screen.

It's not pointless considering it's a mobile device that should have an acceptable battery life. The benefits of a 1080p 6.2" screen over a 720p 6.2" screen just aren't big enough unless you would prefer the Nintendo Switch to be a more expensive device or a device with weak(er) battery life.

It's a 6.2" screen -- the difference between 720p and 1080p when playing games isn't going to be nearly as noticeable as the difference in those two resolutions on a 40+ inch television.

 

[Principate]

pretty pointless argument that's being spun here. a 1080p screen would have even higher PPI so like why do y'all keep bringing that up as if it's some amazing trump card that is destroying people that would like a 1080p resolution? the 3ds has a higher PPI than a 32' 1080p display and that's a fucking tragedy of a screen.

Because the games would look worse (upscaling ruins image quality) and the battery would drain quicker). It's not rocket science. As primarily a gaming console it's the right decision

 

[sanstesy]

He didn't reply to me. I think the argument for why 720 is *perfect* is complete and utter bollocks, especially the PPI argument. The screen could be better, 720p is not the perfect resolution for a handheld screen of that size. It could be better, it's not. Oh well, not losing sleep over it but I'll point out when an argument is pointless.

Again, did you read this thread?

Also you are not some special snowflake that has firgured out a conspiracy here. Get out with that.

 

[MDX]

720p is fine on handheld honestly. I mean, I have put hundreds of hours into my 3DS and it's got a 240p screen.

People need to remember,when it comes to Nintendo, it's all about the GAMES, not the tech.

I disagree, its just not the type of tech that many people consider as important.

 

[SomedayTheFire]

It's not pointless considering it's a mobile device that should have an acceptable battery life. The benefits of a 1080p 6.2" screen over a 720p 6.2" screen just aren't big enough unless you would prefer the Nintendo Switch to be a $400+ device.

It's a 6.2" screen -- the difference between 720p and 1080p when playing games isn't going to be nearly as noticeable as the difference in those two resolutions on a 40+ inch television.

Again, fine argument about the battery life. PPI however, is not. I'm not here advocating that Nintendo should have put a 1080p screen in with no regards to battery life and price. I hope they tried, though. I have no problems playing on a screen of that size, I just think the PPI argument is completely misguided and can be spun in other directions if one so wishes. Hence my pretty absurd point in relation to the 3DS screen. I'm all for reading and chatting about how Nintendo are hamstrung by current battery tech and pricing limitations. PPI talk is pointless.

Again, did you read this thread?

Also you are not some special snowflake that has firgured out a conspiracy here. Get out with that.

lmao what the fuck is this post.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

6.2 inches is a great size. All I need is better than 3 hour battery life and I think I'm really happy about how this thing turned out.

 

[Krappadizzle]

The amount of concern trolling and stupidity over resolution in this thread is alarming. Humanity was a mistake, it's nothing but trash.

No kidding. 720p is a travesty, no question about it.


In a day and age where we have 1440p cell phones that last +/-5 hours of screen on time, not to mention standby, this news is underwhelming. But Nintendo can and has done a lot with less before so if the games are there, it won't matter.

 

[KonradLaw]

Have you honestly not read the replies in this thread since your post? 720 on that size display is higher PPI than your TV. And your PC monitor. There is not a single sensible reason for Nintendo to use a higher resolution display on the portable.

This isn't TV where you sit far away. People already bitch about 720 on phones compared to FullHD ones and Switch screen will be a lot bigger.

There's no reason to not include fullHD screen unless the handheld unit itself can't run games in that res. It's a PR shot in the foot for Nintendo. Immedietely painting device at somehow inferior to tablets and phones. Of course it's not true, but this is handheld device that looks like phablet/tablet and so that's the impression it will give off to average consumer.

The little added cost of FullHD is very small. Too small to justify sticking to 720, especially since the screens will have to be made specifically for Nintendo, as I don't see anything else using this size/res combo. So there has to be technical reason for picking 720 and the only one possible is helping the device run the games when in handheld mode.

 

[Bgamer90]

No kidding. 720p is a travesty, no question about it.


In a day and age where we have 1440p cell phones that last +/-5 hours of screen on time, not to mention standby, this news is underwhelming. But Nintendo can and has done a lot with less before so if the games are there, it won't matter.

What games on cell phones can be played in 1440p?

____________________________

This isn't TV where you sit far away. People already bitch about 720 on phones compared to FullHD ones and Switch screen will be a lot bigger.

What games on cell phones are in 1080p (or higher)?

There's no reason to not include fullHD screen unless the handheld unit itself can't run games in that res. It's a PR shot in the foot for Nintendo. Immedietely painting device at somehow inferior to tablets and phones. Of course it's not true, but this is handheld and that's the impression it will give off to average consumer.

This is really silly. There are reasons for it: 1. Making the battery life better and 2. Making the console cheap(er).

Calling it a PR shot in the foot for Nintendo before we even know the price (which should be far cheaper than tablets and phones) and/or see the games is frankly pretty dumb.

The little added cost of FullHD is very small. Too small to justify sticking to 720, especially since they will have to be made specifically for Nintendo, as I don't see anything else using this size/res combo.

So better battery life and cheaper price means nothing?
I'm sorry but these arguments are really shortsighted.

 

[GinoFelino]

No kidding. 720p is a travesty, no question about it.


In a day and age where we have 1440p cell phones that last +/-5 hours of screen on time, not to mention standby, this news is underwhelming. But Nintendo can and has done a lot with less before so if the games are there, it won't matter.

Those 1440p phones can't run Breath of the Wild, let alone run it for 5 hours, let alone run it at 1440p for 5 hours.

 

[Peru]

This isn't TV where you sit far away. People already bitch about 720 on phones compared to FullHD ones and Switch screen will be a lot bigger.

There's no reason to not include fullHD screen unless the handheld unit itself can't run games in that res. It's a PR shot in the foot for Nintendo. Immedietely painting device at somehow inferior to tablets and phones. Of course it's not true, but this is handheld device that looks like phablet/tablet and so that's the impression it will give off to average consumer.

The little added cost of FullHD is very small. Too small to justify sticking to 720, especially since they will have to be made specifically for Nintendo, as I don't see anything else using this size/res combo. So there has to be technical reason for picking 720 and the only one possible is helping the device run the games when in handheld mode.

It's not even inferior to phones in a technical sense because you're not running those phone games at full resolution.

1080p AAA portable gaming doesn't exist. And going for it would come at a significant cost to battery life and performance.

And you would not notice the difference. At that size there's nothing to gain from bumping to 1080.

You're asking for something that doesn't exist and would not be appreciated and expecting Nintendo to sacrifice everything to be the first to get there.

 

[orochi91]

720p on a 6.2" screen is fine, the image will still look crisp.

Doesn't really bother me, specifically because I'll be gaming in docked mode 99.99% of the time.

 

[Shaii]

The sheer number of people resolution trolling in this thread, is a good reminder that GAF is just like any other discussion forum throughout the internet.

They have to be trolling, there is no other explenation for bringing up the phone argumentation again and again, even though it has been answered 1000 times in this thread alone.

The things I'm reading here is something I would expect on Reddit, not GAF.

 

[Farewell]

720p on a 6.2" screen is fine, the image will still look crisp.

Doesn't really bother me, specifically because I'll be gaming in docked mode 99.99% of the time.

Yes same here!

 

[KonradLaw]

It's not even inferior to phones in a technical sense because you're not running those phone games at full resolution.

1080p AAA portable gaming doesn't exist. And going for it would come at a significant cost to battery life and performance.

And you would not notice the difference. At that size there's nothing to gain from bumping to 1080.

You're asking for something that doesn't exist and would not be appreciated and expecting Nintendo to sacrifice everything to be the first to get there.

I'm wondering about why Nintendo picked it that res, while you're complaining it will be fine.

You're not arguing against what I wrote, but against imaginary versions of my posts.

 

[bomblord1]

The web browser on your phone (yes the phone with a 2k screen) only runs in 720p.

How bad do you think that looks?

 

[Bgamer90]

The things I'm reading here is something I would expect on Reddit, not GAF.

Another case of people saying it's bad simply because they know the specs.

Again, no cell phone/tablet games (at least that I know of) run in a 1080p+ resolution. Most complaining about the resolution of the Nintendo Switch screen would have been perfectly fine with it if they didn't know the resolution of it. It's so silly.

 

[manueldelalas]

PPI is extremely relevant in handhelds, because you hold them at roughly the same distance, the comparison is fair.

If you start comparing with TV screens that you watch from a long distance, then the comparison is not valid.

Better PPI means exactly better quality, and if you manage to get those games in native resolution, much better.

3DS PPI is in the low hundreds, 3DS XL is sub 100. It was better than DS though, now that was rough.

 

[Maxrunner]

Does gaf knows their 2k resolutions phones render games at a much lower resolution than that?

 

[SomedayTheFire]

PPI is extremely relevant in handhelds, because you hold them at roughly the same distance, the comparison is fair.

If you start comparing with TV screens that you watch from a long distance, then the comparison is not valid.

Better PPI means exactly better quality, and if you manage to get those games in native resolution, much better.

3DS PPI is in the low hundreds, 3DS XL is sub 100. It was better than DS though, now that was rough.

pretty much. "the switch has better ppi than your tv" is one of the weirdest arguments I've seen on gaf

 

[leng jai]

No kidding. 720p is a travesty, no question about it.


In a day and age where we have 1440p cell phones that last +/-5 hours of screen on time, not to mention standby, this news is underwhelming. But Nintendo can and has done a lot with less before so if the games are there, it won't matter.

Worst comparison ever, are those phones ~Xbone/PS4 level games at 1440p and lasting 5 hours?

 

[Gaspard]

Heck, Pokemon GO makes my 1440p phone last for only two hours.

 

[orochi91]

Heck, Pokemon GO makes my 1440p phone last for only two hours.

Same, lol

 

[Aizu_Itsuko]

720? I guess the unit is very underpowered when used as handheld, so lowered resolution is meant to help with performance?

And battery life, yes.

At 1080p, games would have to be scaled back to match the slower speed of the system while used as a handheld or it would result in performance problems. The higher resolution screen alone would drain the battery faster.

 

[manueldelalas]

pretty much. "the switch has better ppi than your tv" is one of the weirdest arguments I've seen on gaf

It's a stupid argument, although someone said a 4k 27 inch monitor, but obviously you'll never be as close to that monitor as you will on a handheld.

 

[Maxrunner]

The obssesion with tech over games is getting worse as we go. Even ps4 is not enough for many gamers. Its all about the games...

 

[Bgamer90]

PPI is extremely relevant in handhelds, because you hold them at roughly the same distance, the comparison is fair.

If you start comparing with TV screens that you watch from a long distance, then the comparison is not valid.

Better PPI means exactly better quality, and if you manage to get those games in native resolution, much better.

3DS PPI is in the low hundreds, 3DS XL is sub 100. It was better than DS though, now that was rough.

pretty much. "the switch has better ppi than your tv" is one of the weirdest arguments I've seen on gaf

It's a stupid argument, although someone said a 4k 27 inch monitor, but obviously you'll never be as close to that monitor as you will on a handheld.

So 720p gaming on a large 50+" TV isn't more noticeable than gaming in the same resolution on a very small 6.2" screen?

It doesn't matter if you aren't playing the TV up close -- the TV screen itself is more than eight times the size in comparison in this case. This is silly.

 

[RowdyReverb]

PPI is extremely relevant in handhelds, because you hold them at roughly the same distance, the comparison is fair.

If you start comparing with TV screens that you watch from a long distance, then the comparison is not valid.

Better PPI means exactly better quality, and if you manage to get those games in native resolution, much better.

3DS PPI is in the low hundreds, 3DS XL is sub 100. It was better than DS though, now that was rough.

I brought up earlier that the iPad with Retina display with its 263 PPI is a more apt comparison as it is hand held, and that display looks pretty crisp to me

 

[KojiKnight]

400*240=96,000
1280*720=921,600

I think I can live with 'only' 10 times as many pixels as my 3DS XL.

 

[KonradLaw]

Heck, Pokemon GO makes my 1440p phone last for only two hours.

To be honest though, that's in part because of heavy GPS and mobile data transfers. Without those more advanced mobile games often last longer than Pokemon GO. Altough obviously this doesn't apply much to home console-like games, which are even more demanding.