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[AmyS]

USB 3 has enough bandwidth to use an external GPU. Hopefully at a later date we'll see more powerful docks

Oh, is that actually possible?

 

[JoeyJungle]

USB 3 has enough bandwidth to use an external GPU. Hopefully at a later date we'll see more powerful docks

This is as likely as an external GPU that connects to the Xbone/PS4's usb 3.0.

 

[aeolist]

Oh, is that actually possible?

no. external GPUs are only really coming about thanks to thunderbolt 3 which is lower latency and higher bandwidth compared to USB. there's no way nintendo would ever try this.

 

[Alex]

I assume the plan is to let you use a hard drive and move things around between it and the SD card. Probably just not ready yet, as several facets of the console are coming in a bit green.

 

[Marty Chinn]

what happened when you popped the disc cover on a gamecube while it was running? they could do the same thing here, and as long as all save data is kept on internal flash there's no fear of corrupting those.

The big difference is on a GameCube it's not normal, or expected, or even advocated by Nintendo to randomly remove the disc while playing. Nintendo is promoting and advocating switching on the fly between on the TV and picking up the system. The messaging and use case is different.

 

[Somnid]

what happened when you popped the disc cover on a gamecube while it was running? they could do the same thing here, and as long as all save data is kept on internal flash there's no fear of corrupting those.

Not if you think about the use case. A disc eject often kills the game, but it's always accidental. People are meant to pick up the Switch but now you have to remember where the game was stored before you do.

 

[aeolist]

my basic position is that any product choice intended to protect customers from their own stupidity by restricting options is bad

they could do it, they should do it, and i think they will at some point but probably not at launch

 

[Christberg]

Does anybody know how the size of the game carts compares to an SD card or 3DS cart? The storage thing is probably an OK trade off if you can hold 20-30 games in a wallet size container and have them boot up at HDD speeds. Just the lack of an initial install and lack of multi gigabyte patches would be nice by itself

 

[Somnid]

my basic position is that any product choice intended to protect customers from their own stupidity by restricting options is bad

they could do it, they should do it, and i think they will at some point but probably not at launch

Any product that blames unintuitive behavior on user stupidity is a bad product.

 

[CrAzY FiNgErS]

We still have some time until release and I don't think you'll fill up the internal storage on launch day right? So I'd hold off and wait for them to go on sale again.

Yeah, you're right I was just wanting to get most everything ready for launch day. I am definitely going all digital so it won't take too long to fill up the 32GBs on the Switch.

 

[javadoze]

I understand playing games off an external device would be problematic if you undocked the Switch, but hopefully there's a way to easily swap games between the microSD and an external hard drive (with playable games being on the microSD and "inactive" games being on the external).

 

[Red Devil]

Eh, I suppose people wanting to use external HDDs on this aren't using this as a portable.

I think you can find 32GB micro SD cards for around $10 these days.

 

[EDarkness]

Honestly, I don't really care how they work it out...I just want to be able to save my games on an HDD. I'd get a 128GB microSD card for internal storage on the NS itself. I hope we don't have to wait too long before HDD support is unlocked.

 

[LegendOfFalcon]

Yeah, you're right I was just wanting to get most everything ready for launch day. I am definitely going all digital so it won't take too long to fill up the 32GBs on the Switch.

Yeah I'm planning on going all digital as well. But in the first few months I only see myself picking up Zelda, Arms, and MK8. So there is some time before I'll need big storage. Worst case I have a few 16/32 gb microsd cards laying around that I can borrow for the Switch if I haven't gotten a bigger microsd card in time. But I think they'll go on sale again before I really need that much storage for sure.

 

[Cleve]

For what they're asking for this, I don't see why all the usb aren't 3.0. I want to have a gbe nic as well as open ports should storage options change. Guess I'll stuff my own hub in there if it comes to that.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Hm, probably trying to keep cart prices down.

clearly not passing those savings to consumers lol

 

[Soapbox Killer]

no. external GPUs are only really coming about thanks to thunderbolt 3 which is lower latency and higher bandwidth compared to USB. there's no way nintendo would ever try this.

I'm not sure this is entirely accurate. There is a USB-C connection on the bottom of the Switch, I do believe discrete eGPU can be used via Thunderbolt3/USB-C. If there is a SCD (AKA Switch Dock PRO MSRP $199.99) It would be a have a different configuration but I'm sure it could work.

 

[Somnid]

For what they're asking for this, I don't see why all the usb aren't 3.0. I want to have a gbe nic as well as open ports should storage options change. Guess I'll stuff my own hub in there if it comes to that.

Because a USB 3 with an HDMI signal going over it isn't going to be split into 3 ports with full bandwidth. They might have enough extra to exceed 2.0 speeds for one port which is why there's 1, but not for all 3.

 

[FyreWulff]

For what they're asking for this, I don't see why all the usb aren't 3.0. I want to have a gbe nic as well as open ports should storage options change. Guess I'll stuff my own hub in there if it comes to that.

It's possible/likely that's actually a USB3.1 port (with an A type connector for USB2/3 device compatibility) which means it has the full power supply ability of USBC, so the system wouldn't have enough juice to power 3 USB3.1 ports and provide enough leftover power to run the system/charge it.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

All I've really done is created a Camel Camel Camel watch on the Amazon listing for the 200 GB Micro SD, currently 66 bucks on Amazon so I made it watch it to see if it got closer to 50 bucks, which it reached it in November (probably around Black Friday).

I doubt it'll reach that in Month and a half, but hey a man can dream.

 

[Darkspineslayer]

clearly not passing those savings to consumers lol

Probably are passing it onto developers, to stay competitive with disk based media, which is still cheaper.