Is Switch a console or handheld?

But it is both.

It's both. A hybrid. I know it's mindblowing and impossible to understand, but.. it's both. Not picking a side, because that's just dumb.

It's not a handheld only, since you can hook it up just like a console. It's not a console only, because you can use it as a handheld.

Its a handheld that can connect to a TV.

I don’t really see why it matters.

I can play mario and Zelda on my big TV or while having a shit.

Give it 5 or 10 years then all consoles will work this way.

The Switch is part of the Console family of Nintendo products. It's the successor to the Wii U.

This is a fact of life. Switch haters just want to disparage a successful Nintendo console.

Does it matter? The switch does both of them.

Why is both not an option? I use it as a console and as a handheld. It does both jobs well.

It's a handheld....... #derogatory#insinuation

Yup, simply as that... For proof one needs only ask, what's the main reason people are buying Switch when Wii U failed so bad especially with all dem sweet, sweet Wii U exclusives we're told are so important?

Because silly, Bait & Switch's primary selling feature and use is gaming on the go, hence... Handheld. My laptop can do gaming on the go and connect to TV as well., must be a console now that Nentendont redefined what consoles are Lol Just like when "N" insisted the Wii wasn't a Next gen console, no, no, no, they get to redefine things and called it a New gen console. Just mooaar gimmicks from'em is all because as recent history has proved so brutally, they can't compete with MS and Sony's real this gen/ next gen home consoles. P

It can be whichever one the gamer wants it to be. Some people are going to view it as more of a console because they prefer console gaming more than portable gaming while other people are going to view it as more of a handheld because they prefer portable gaming over console gaming.

For me, I view it as a console because that's how I use it over 90% of the time. I rarely use it as a handheld.

It doesn't matter how Nintendo wants to market it. A handheld is a portable console. The Switch is a portable console. The Switch is a handheld. It's as easy as that.

Why didn't we have the same discussions with the PSP?

It's a hybrid. Hasn't this been detailed already? It can't be both because.... you say so? Sure, what ever makes you feel better. ?

It’s both, a hybrid. I say this because it has different performance outputs depending on what mode it is being played in.

The Switch is whatever it is at the time that you're playing it. If you're on the big screen in your living room it's a console. If you're playing DOOM on the go it's currently a handheld lol. Who cares, anyway?

@SecretPolice: I disagree. The switches number 1 sales feature is it’s games. It would not have sold nearly as well if it did not have Zelda as a launch title. I know I wouldn’t of bought one.

It’s different from say the X1X which for it’s primary sales driver is as clarkson would say is ‘POWaaaarrr!!’

There's one simple reason why it's a console. Because Nintendo says it is. I mean, really, you may not like it but it will be listed alongside the Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch.

It will not be listed alongside the Gameboy Advance, Gameboy SP, Nintendo DS, or Nintendo 3DS.

Its both lol, thats how its marketed, thats how it is

You swerved into my point. it's number one game, BotW is also on Wii U yet Switch got the sale, Why? Because it's gaming on the go. hence, Handheld is why it's selling well.

Also, see my reply below. :P

All true and it's all an IMO deal here.

Plus the fact I expected a bigger shyt storm from mah post. I must be loosing my edge. lolol :P

I've already seen that you're a nice guy around here. The jig is up. :P

Yes

The only reason I call it a hybrid is because of the detachable joycons / tabletop mode.

@Bread_or_Decide:

Thanks my friend and right back at ya. :)

And Microsoft says the X1X is a "true 4K system." So that alone makes it true?

If you never ever take it off the dock everty ever, is it still a handheld?

Is the PSP a handheld even if you have it connected to the Tv at all time?

Both.

What exactly does a hybrid mean in this case? Nintendo has made clear in the past that the Switch is not a successor to the 3DS. They think of it as a dedicated console that competes with PS4 and Xbox.

Plenty of X1X games run true 4k. PS4 Pro is the fake 4K console.

It's whatever you want it to be.

It's both. It is the successor to the WiiU (console) and has better graphics capabilities than the WiiU. It is fully capable of being a hand held, or a TV connected console. If this was a handheld successor, then it far surpasses the 3DS in terms of graphics and capabilities, so i would call it a super handheld. Being the first hybrid of it's kind, I guess it's hard for some people to realize that it's both, but it does not have to be one or the other.

It is a tablet with a dock, and the dock does absolutely nothing except pass through HDMI. So basically, it's a handheld.

It's a tablet.

But unlike other tablets it has the ability to play games on the go (comfortably) and it can be hooked up to a TV to make it work like a console.

What's the definition of a handheld (or portable if you prefer) ? A gaming device that can be powered independently of a wall source (plugged in) with its own built-in display (typically much smaller than most TV's) that can be operated on-the-go. What what's the definition of a console? A stationary device that needs to be plugged in to be powered (stationary), and that outputs to an external display. Does the Switch not meet both requirements at the same time? Then how is it not a hybrid?

Sure it competes with the PS4 and XB1, because that's the capability they want to emphasize, as opposed to the common perception of handhelds with games far more scaled down and limited in scope and size. This is a handheld that still meets the basic criteria as above, but offering a handheld experience in a class of its own apart from the previous Nintendo portable lineup.

Maybe Nintendo will still have future successors to the 3DS, that will remain in a more budget format for those who don't want to spend as much as the Switch for portable gaming, and don't mind that it doesn't offer that same type of experience - you get what you pay for of course.

That doesn't change that Switch can still offer a portable gaming experience, one more advanced than their conventional handheld lineup, while also being used in the traditional stationary way of gaming on a big screen at home. Nothing you've said, including the marketing angle, contradicts Switch being a hybrid, or that it it can't be "both a console and handheld" since it does function both ways.

Also on that marketing angle, I'll just reiterate what I said before; Microsoft says the X1X is a "true 4K system", so a simple declaration is enough to make something true??

Your choice not to fully utilizing the devices features doesn't discount its functionality by design.

"Plenty" you say? Out of the X1X's total library, are the titles with native 4K support in the majority or the minority? And how many of those in the AAA space with the demanding graphics?

btw, even the PS4 pro has some native 4K titles, even if not as much as the X1X.

Nintendo Switch is first & foremost a console, portability is just a bonus feature . This is not up for debate!

Nintendo Switch is first & foremost a Handheld, connecting to a TV is just a bonus feature . This is not up for debate!

Fixed it for accuracy and just plain old common sense and logic..... . "SP slaps his chest" So SP has written, so shall it be done. :P

@SecretPolice: My my, aren't you the smart guy here :P

By Nintendo own data... It's played more in handheld than docked... It's a powerful handheld

Neither. It is a companion product to DIY cardboard cutouts.

Duh.

When I’m at my work desk or out somewhere it’s handheld, but when I’m at the house it’s docked. I just don’t understand why non switch owners can’t comprehend that it’s both, .

Something, something WHY NOT BOTH? They consolidated their business for a reason and it's worked for them thus far.

So the Vita is a hybrid, according to your definition? You can plug it to a TV in using a Playstation TV (dock). Also, you've taken a very literal definition of handheld, but in the gaming world, it is more clearly defined. Portable games are designed for that on the go experience. The Switch has console games that you can just play on the go. There's a difference.

I'm honestly surprised that people are still struggling with the basic concept of the Switch.

It's both. It's a hybrid. This isn't complicated.

What I keep saying.

SGB's problem is in trying to categorize the Switch from a preconceived false dichotomy (he actually says it's gotta be one or the other), according to conventional concepts of consoles and handhelds, which Nintendo just isn't following in taking their latest entry into a new direction. The old ways of thinking no longer apply.

in reality, setting aside the SW meta game here, its both. what nintendo consider it to be seems to be on a game by game basis. something like xenoblade 2 was clearly envisioned to be played with the switch docked but something like MK8 is great for shorter sessions on the move while still being enjoyable over a longer session. same with BOTW (a quick trip to the next dungeon, solve a quick dungeon on the go...save the bigger dungeons for docked mode at home on the weekend) and odyssey. sure you could argue that odyssey is not ideal for on the go due to motion controls for the cap but there are a ton of moons you can get without those controls and they come quickly. so you can still play the game in short bursts and still get things done.

nintendo dont seem to have put any limit or requirement that the game must work in docked as well as portable mode either. i think there is even a game on the estore that will only work in portable mode (it needs the touch screen).

its not pocket friendly but then nintendo havent made a pocket friendly handheld since the GBA SP. whenever im travelling and i want to bring my 3DS or vita with me they always go in a carry case with a bunch of extra games. the switch is no different in that regard.

Do either of you play on handhelds? As mentioned in my last post, there's a difference between having a console game on the go, and actually having a game that's designed for the portable experience. Imagine if Metal Gear Solid V came to Switch. That's a console game that you can take with you. Now imagine if Konami announced Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops 2. That franchise is specifically made for handhelds. And it's funny how you keep insisting that Nintendo doesn't know the difference when they clearly have pointed it out. But anyway, that's my two cents on that.

If a device can be both a handheld and a console, so be it. Not a hard concept to grasp.