Google Stadia, and Xbox Support? - Any Update?

[Lastelli]

What limitations would they include? Graphical? Don't update the Switch graphics, I doubt we'd be getting texture updates or model updates. These can also be compressed, which is what Doom 2016 did.

UI? How advanced does the UI have to be to not work properly on the Switch?

A switch port would come with many technical issues. For example, ffxiv is pretty CPU intensive, especially for content such as Eureka with a lot of players in the same area, and the Switch has a very weak CPU. This is a already a problem on the PS4, by the way, despite being several times more powerful than the switch. Also, lack of means of communications (=no M&K support on the Switch) is not ideal on a MMO.

Again, another important issue is given by data storage, patches/updates and nintendo's antiquated online infrastructure and, more importantly, ffxiv game engine (that is extremely inefficient).

The 4GB ram limit is also an issue for a 2020+ port and may pose severe limitations for future content. One of my biggest gripes with the game right now is that despite having huge areas, everything feels so empty and half-finished. I want the dev team to take advantage of the new technical possibilities to make this a better game, make it feel more alive, fill the world with people and events. I most certainly do NOT want them to go backwards by trying to support a handheld console that at best might be able to run the game with extremely low resolutions and frame rates and will constantly remind them that they can't do this or that because everything will have to run on it.

[Saefinn]

A switch port would come with many technical issues. For example, ffxiv is pretty CPU intensive, especially for content such as Eureka with a lot of players in the same area, and the Switch has a very weak CPU. This is a already a problem on the PS4, by the way, despite being several times more powerful than the switch. Also, lack of means of communications (=no M&K support on the Switch) is not ideal on a MMO.
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I agree that porting it would come with its own issues, which is why I'm basing it on a hypothetical situation where they got it to work in a way that's perfectly playable with the current state of the game. I think there would need to be a certain amount of work involved thus would prefer them to direction their resources elsewhere.

Thinking about how I got SW:TOR to work on my old laptop (I got it lower than the lowest settings availabe), which is not supposed to run it, there's a lot that can be done to tweak it before you look at lowering texture resolutions. Heck in the case of texture resolution, it wouldn't take an awful lot to compress textures into a lower resolution. Cutting out and stripping down shaders or lowing the resolution on shaders that use one (like shadows and full screen effects) can help too. Or just turning them off. The the CPU issue could potentially be dealt with by reducing how many players are rendered on screen and give priority based on distance and whether in your party or friendslist. Not ideal, but it's an option and wouldn't be a deal breaker.

I mean, it'd look stripped down. But I think it is doable, depending on how optimised it'd be for Switch. And I don't think it'd have a negative impact on the PC or PS4 versions of the game, because I cannot think of anything they would add that'd make the console a limitation.

Although 4gb RAM is low for a PC these days, the game's minimum specifications are for 3gb RAM and a low-mid range graphics card. I expect the devs would stick to that kind of level for how they spec the game. So we have this limitation regardless of consoles. But at least it's better than what PS3's had to offer. And I certainly don't see a PS4 or XBox One providing these limitations in the future either.

Not everybody has a gaming rig or setup. And having a low entry point for spec makes the game more accessible. Especially as it is played global in a variety of economies by people in all kinds of backgrounds and ages. So some people are playing this on a potato, possibly because they can't afford something bigger, or can't justify a rig or console for one game, especially if it already runs on what they've got.