For comparison the original switch dock which only consumed 15W even when playing and charging. Although we don't have raw numbers from the wall yet link the link it's still a big enough disparity to make the dock fan requirement make sense. It sounds like they're pushing that handheld chip to it's limits in docked mode.
48 Comments
Is the hardware the reason for some of the price or is it the usual Nintendo conservative choice people will be saying is underpowered in a couple years?
Makes sense. I just hope the games are built with this in mind and we don’t have a situation where some games are only playable in docked-mode.
Could all just be for faster charging.
It doesn’t mean much to me since I plan to play mainly in handheld mode. I mean, that’s the whole point of a handheld console, right?
[deleted]
Didn’t they already confirm that it will play in 4K when docked? That’s why it has a fan and a higher wattage because that will ramp up the TDP to push it further in performance. They said that in the direct livestream.
Random thought but why wouldn’t they add like a separate GPU on the dock so it has more power in docked mode for TV playing.
It would make it worth more (even if you increase the price) and make more cross platform games come to nintendo.
They literally said it does 4K in docked mode.
Case solved.
For me the Switch as always been 90% Docked at my desk on a gaming monitor or on a living room TV. Then 10% handheld if i want to play in bed or a plane or car. So this is good to me.
I won’t what percentage of people play the switch in what way
[deleted]
>big jump between docked/handheld performance
Fucking duh? It’s 1080p handheld and up to 4k when
docked.
I mean all things considering it is still sipping power compared to the other consoles.
It does make me curious about the handheld mode’s battery life though.
>The Switch 2 dock has a 60W input and 42W which implies a big jump between docked/handheld performance.The Switch 2 dock has a 60W input and 42W which implies a big jump between docked/handheld performance.
not really, it could indicate that and it’s very probable but it could also be a fast charging option made possible by the extra fan.
For comparison:
Switch 1 Dock:
– Input: 39W (2.6A@15V)
– Output: 18W (1.2A@15V)
– Difference: 21W
Switch 2 Dock:
– Input: 60W (3A@20V) (which also happens to be the basic USB-PD upper limit)
– Output: 42W (2.8A@15V)
– Difference: 18W
This might also mean that the charger for the Switch 2 might become one of the easily available USB-PD 60W chargers.
No it doesn’t?
I forget what the official valve charger was. But my travel USB C charger is a 65 Watt cube. My Steam Deck doesn’t run any better when I plug it into that versus the official charger versus the cheap dock I bought last year.
The key is that USB C allows for some pretty good charge speeds. And that is great whether you want to be able to get on the go faster or just want to increase your battery life by NOT charging and letting the battery discharge a bit.
So no. This does not tell us there will be any significant performance difference between docked and handheld. What it does tell us is that, hopefully, the switch 2 is actually following USB C standards rather than the shitshow that was the original (and the reason third party docks were so dangerous at the start).
Even the fan might just be the nature of how cooling is handled. There is a big difference between an open air device and one that now has the front and back covered AND might be in an entertainment center cabinet.
I hope Nintendo makes a non portable version of the switch 2 this go around. My switch has never left it’s dock.
Would explain the fan in the dock.
Really wish they wouldn’t go with a handheld console, just make a normal fucking console…
It will be interesting to see what frequency the CPU, GPU and RAM will run at in docked mode.
The GPU is essentially a cut down 3050, probably closer to the 2050 on paper. The Switch greatly benefited from an overclock on all three elements on CFW.
if the active dock fan, and Nvidia’s 10x statement didn’t already indicate that, the dock spec pushes it more.
Well yeah. 1080p handheld and upto 4k docked
Wouldn’t these just be for when the device is charging while being used vs without being used? I’m not sure how these tell us anything about handheld performance.
the doc has a fan.
Also has active cooling in docked mode, I would say this more than implies but confirms.
The output wattage is the max power to the chip. The difference from input is probably just overhead for power/charging while also using it. The only potential for throttling will be from that 42 watts down. Nice that it’s under 75 watts though, as that’s the common max output of airplane seat power.
Doesn’t really guarantee that it’s not just for rapid charging.
There are phones with 90w chargers now.
mmm more 30fps ports incoming
Considering how downclocked the Switch 1 was, glad to see they are (presumably) allowing the system to reach a higher potential in docked mode.
Pretty sure Digital Foundry said it consumes 10W when handheld and 40W when docked. So yeah you’re unlocking more performance when docked, hence the dock fan
Doesn’t imply that at all.
Switch 2 docks are about to cost more than a Switch itself.
Yeah, it also has a fan to disperse heat when docked to handle higher resolution output.
Pretty skeptical a handheld could run at 40W even when docked. That’s a LOT of heat. More than likely that wattage is for Fast Charging and not docked performance.
Some games running at 4k or having a 120 FPS option means yeah that tracks. The hardware can clearly punch hard when it’s not power limited.
No. It implies a big jump in power requirement. Kind of like the power it takes to render 4k.
Is it possible the increase is for charging under demand?
Cries in laptop gamer. Know the pain.
Just hoping it works with chargers that aren’t Nintendo branded, that sucked on switch 1. Kinda wish we could use a usb c dongle as a dock but that won’t happen
That’s below an Asus Rog Ally of 3 years old that runs 10000x games. Yes i understand the CPU is tailored with the software on the switch but man was I disappointed. Nothing on the Switch 2 is ground breaking or not ready available… Getting Wii U vibes all over again.
Kind of. It’s got to be able to run a bunch of accessories too.
Fairly so, handheld should be less powerful and better for certain games.
I heard it also has like only three hours of battery life
That’s not what those numbers mean.
1. You aren’t getting 60 Watts into the console when it is docked.
2. The input and output wattages of the dock are irrelevant to the internal working of the console I guarantee you the console is using less then 42 Watts (apart from charging the battery obviously) in any mode
Worth noteing it plays at higher specs on your tv as well
It was confirmed in the steam when they showed off the fan in the dock
Probably just for fast charging.
What’s the point of this post? Stats in handheld and docked are known already
Did you not see that big fat cooler? Compare it to the one on the steam deck. I honestly wonder if the dock is a simple passthrough or if it has some sort of weird supplementary hardware.