Two of VentureBeat’s sources have told the publication on condition of anonymity that Nintendo’s upcoming console is less powerful than Sony’s 3-year old PlayStation 4.
Switch apparently comes with a custom Maxwell Tegra, which means more than one teraflop of performance. In contrast, the standard Xbox One has 1.3 teraflops and the PS4 has 1.8 teraflops. Nintendo’s decision to go for the Tegra instead of the Pascal is down to the company being in a “rush” to release Switch. VentureBeat further reports:
The publisher wants to replace the failing Wii U and because it wants to strike quickly with its hybrid concept before a competitor can introduce a better product. That happened with the Wii U when — after years of development — Nintendo introduced its tablet-like Gamepad to consumers who had been using Apple’s iPads for the previous 24 months. If Nintendo decided to use Pascal in the Switch, it would have no choice but to delay the system and risk a similar situation.
Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research told VentureBeat that he doesn’t think Nintendo’s strategy is risky, and that it would be a mistake to compare Nintendo with Sony or Microsoft. “Nintendo has a niche in the affordable, accessible product, and performance is never a leading criteria for them. It is gameplay and immersion,” he said.
[Source: VentureBeat]
