Is Switch a console or handheld?

I'd say it's more handheld than anything.

While there's no arguing that the tegra chip is stupidly powerful for what it offers, I think it's reasonable to say that bigger is better in terms of visual graphics, and I think we're likely gonna see another Wii U in terms of long-term third party support, cuz i don't really see Bethesda changing their attitude about not licensing id Tech.

Let me get this straight, multiple nintendo fanboys in this thread claim "it is whatever you want it to be"?

Okay. It is a console! Unless it gets great sales later on in the gen, then it is a handheld! ;)

That's right. You gave me permission to change my mind whenever I want.

Whatever it "should" be, it's Nintendo's only console this gen as opposed to last gen's 3DS and Wii U.

Looking at the Switch at its core it's a handheld and that's how I see and treat it. But it also has the necessary accessories and capabilities to perfectly emulate a home console. But again, at its core, it's a handheld.

Exactly. it's not up for discussion. It's both and that's what makes it special :)

If your laptop shipped with a dock intended to allow it to turn into a desktop, it would be a hybrid.

It's mostly trolls that are having trouble. If real people were struggling with the concept, it wouldn't be successful. The concept being confusing and unclear is one of the biggest reasons that the Wii U failed.

Its both.

You mean like an HDMI cable? Cuz that's what the dock is.

Handheld with a dock mode obviously. Saying this even before Switch get a release, i got banned because of this, people hating me left and right for saying this again and again.

It is a handheld with a dock. As i said before, Switch is as much of a console as my PC or mobile phone which both having TV connectivity. If my PC or mobile phone = console just because of TV connectivity then Switch is as well. IF NOT ... then Switch its NOT a console because Nintendo says so or because sheepheads want it to be because of TV connectivity. Period.

And im glad i see more and more people understand what Switch really is. Console because of Dock ? My PC then is more of a console than Switch will ever be, it doesnt even need a dock to play on TV. Lol

From Nintendo's own mouth:

“Nintendo Switch is a home gaming system first and foremost,” the company told Polygon when asked if the system was going to impact the sale of the 3DS portable systems. “We have made no announcement regarding the future of Nintendo 3DS.

It's a console....

No, I mean a dock and the laptop shipping with the intention of serving both purposes. The Switch dock also adds USB ports and keeps it in one place, and when it's docked the GPU runs at a higher speed. It also ships with a controller. Compare this to Vita, which can connect to a TV but you have to buy a cable and a controller, and the system does nothing to accommodate console use.

Out of the box, without the need of any additional accessories, Switch can be used as either a handheld or a console; therefore, it's both. That's the simplest way of defining it without contradictions or room for debate, and thus the best way.

I know it’s hard to accept....but it’s both a handheld and a console. This is why it’s so successful....

Thanks, I was looking for that article forever haha.

https://www.polygon.com/2016/10/20/13347910/nintendo-switch-home-gaming-system

That's what HDMI cable that comes with your laptop is for, yes.

What a coincidence, laptops CPUs and GPUs run at higher clocks when plugged in too. And laptops don't need a dock to have USB ports, so they don't have a dock. You could say they are the dock themselves.

Kinda like a laptop. It's just weird nobody argues that laptops are also desktops just because you can plug them into a tv or a monitor and have them run in performance mode.

You need to get purchase a video cable (I have never purchased a laptop that ships with an HDMI cable, so I don't know what you're talking about), external mouse, and external keyboard separately to use a laptop as a true desktop, and it wasn't designed to be used as a desktop as a primary feature (with the exception of... wait for it... desktop replacement laptops). And before you link a bundle, it only counts if they're in the box. You have everything you need in the box when talking about Switch, and it's marketed and presented as both. A laptop is generally marketed and presented as a laptop, and it give you the option of using it as a desktop by having video out.

Also, it's possible to force a laptop to run at full speed on battery; it just won't last as long. On top of that, when a laptop is plugged in you can still use it as a laptop at its full speeds, while Switch can't simultaneously run at full speed and be used as a handheld. Sorry, but the analogy just falls flat in a ton of ways, half of which you're explaining away with lies or misleading statements.

I use mine exclusively as a console.

It's both, but i see it more as a handheld personally, since the portability is the only thing that justifies it's weaker power (for a handheld, it's actually very powerful).

Sure yeah, graphics don't make a game, but i'd still rather play more visually detailed games on a big livingroom TV.

If Switch was designed to be used as a home console it wouldn't be so underpowered.

You don't have a pro controller in the box.

"Oh but you don't need it."

You don't need an external keyboard and mouse with a laptop either, yet that's an argument you're making.

Someone above said it already, X1X was marketed as a True 4K machine when it objectively isn't. I couldn't care less how something is marketed and neither should you. It's not an argument. Marketing by design is about what sells, not what is true to life.

Its a conhand.

Technically it is both but, with a battery life that dies between 2 or 4 hours depending on what you play, it's a home console. I never take it anywhere else and its docked 99% of the time. I only pick it up when I want to change a game cartridge.

1.) You basically just said that Wii isn't a console, since that was way more underpowered than Switch is relative to other consoles at the time of its release. Power has nothing to do with any of this. Besides, as a hybrid there have to be compromises. If you say that it's not a console because it's too weak, then I can say that it's not a handheld because it's not portable enough and the battery life is too short. Stick to objective reasoning.

2.) Okay, I'll give you that and retract the point and the external keyboard and mouse; however, you still need the cable while Switch can be used 100% in console mode without buying anything else.

3.) Switch doesn't do anything that objectively contradicts it being marketed as a hybrid. No, power doesn't count for the reason I gave above. Unless you can give objective reasoning on why Switch can't be considered a console by definition, what Nintendo calls it is what it is.

It's whichever i need it to be at the time, in truth.

i call mad bullshit on this.

Not if it's an actual hybrid.

It's as small as your run of the mill tablet and the battery life is literally the same as 3DSXL. Even better in sleep mode. Stick to objective reasoning indeed.

The 3DS doesn't come packaged with a charger. Guess it's not designed to be charged by your logic?

And that reason is heavily dubious.

Unless you can give objective reasoning for why Switch is a hybrid when a tablet or a laptop isn't, i'll stick to calling it what it is, not what Nintendo marketing team suggests i call it.

A portable.

You really think that the Wii was closer to PS3 and 360 than Switch is to Xbox One and PS4? Are you crazy? And you still need to prove that power is a requirement for a console in the first place, as well as show where the line is drawn. Until you do, it's just your opinion that it's too weak to be considered a console.

Making a hybrid console/handheld without compromises is impossible since you can't stuff a full console into that form factor. The closest you can get is putting a GPU in the dock, but that wouldn't fit your definition either since you can buy external GPUs for certain laptops.

As for your other points... Yeah, i can't dispute them. Okay, you're right. So, I concede... that many laptops can be considered portable desktops and are sold as such. At the end of the day, Switch does everything a console can do. I'm not budging, it's a hybrid. Unless you can tell me exactly why it doesn't meet the definition of a console, it's both. End of story, no matter what you believe. Your comparison to a laptop doesn't change what Switch is. If it were simply a portable, there wouldn't be debate in the first place.

It's a handheld.

Clearly both, a hybrid. It lives up to it's name too. Out of the box, you can easily switch between handheld and home console.

It's a handsole

Both, like others have said.

Bring out the numbers to back up your argument, then.

Prove what? That portable hardware is obviously way behind stationary hardware in power? That you can't call yourself a home console in 2018 without outputting at the very least 1080p native?

Actually, that would make it a hybrid.

Just like external laptop GPUs make the setup more powerful but immobile, a GPU in the dock would make Switch a capable home console.

It would make it competently fulfill two roles, where as it stands it's only good at one.

If a device does only one thing well, it's not a hybrid.

A microscope is not a hybrid just because it can be a passable substitute for a hammer.

If it were simply a portable, but a ninty marketing team told you it's a hybrid, there would be a debate.

Which is exactly what happened.

Damn, a lot of my products are all consoles.

Because the release and advertising for the Wii U was nothing short of abysmal. I remember the first "unveiling" when everyone was confused on what they showed.

So, I'm just going to focus on this part because your entire argument falls apart once I prove this wrong. Frankly, I don't know how you could possibly not know this (I haven't met a single person who thinks that Switch was more underpowered than Switch), but I'm also sure that you'll move goalposts once I post the numbers so it's best to address this first.

*IPC varies between architectures so these multipliers don't accurately represent a performance difference exactly

**GPU compute efficiency varies even more between architectures. With that said, it can be definitively said that this part favors Switch even more since Nvidia's Maxwell architecture beats AMD's GCN in this department. On top of this, Switch's GPU supports FP16 compute, which can theoretically increase GPU headroom by up to 50%.

You could also look at comparisons. Ports from other consoles to Switch are much closer than any PS360 "ports" were to Wii. I use quotes there because most "ports" to Wii were not even ports but different games entirely built on different engines. Meanwhile, ports to Switch are scaled down to lower resolutions, effects, and detail levels. Sonic Forces on Switch is an uglier, 30FPS version of the same game the other systems have, while the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed was a different game entirely, for example.

@Bread_or_Decide: "Switch haters"

lol@ "Switch Haters"

I voted console but I guess it is both. Power wise it's more in line with a hand-held.

There's a more important question to ask: Will Nintendo ever re-enter the dedicated home console market?

@Guy_Brohski: Lets hope not. I love this direction. I always have a Ps4 Pro and X-Box dedicated. Zero reason to have 3 of the same thing.

Depends on how you use it? It started off as a console for me but I am using it more lately as a handheld.

I guess I would say it's both if you look at it objectively.

I like that this poll doesn't have a "both" option. Make people pick a side.

And imo it depends on how you view gaming. If gaming is defined by hardware to you, then it is a portable with docking capability. If gaming is defined by software to you, then it is a home console with portable capability.

It is a tablet. That's just a fact, and functionally the same as the Vita, which could also hook up to a TV. (although, the Switch gives a much smoother TV experience)

However, the strength of the Switch is that it is taking the main console software line from Nintendo, and gives the main console experience on the go. The Vita had rough approximations of the main console experience, but it wasn't the real thing.

Switch is as much of a console as my PC and my Android. Prove me wrong

@SolidGame_basic:

The thing is "handheld" games are specifically made because technological limitations in handhelds, not just randomly. The Switch is not really getting current-gen games, and the few they are getting are watered down. What they are getting is a lot of titles that can run on the system smoothly but aren't mainstream, much like prior mobile consoles. You can't use that as an indicator of being mobile/home console, because then anything that isn't "powerful" gets thrown into the category of not being a home console.

The reality is, the very definition of a home console is whether it plugs into your TV or not. By that, the Switch is a hybrid. It's fairly under-powered for a home-console in today's landscape, and make no mistake about it, that's not why it's been competitive, but it's still a fact that it can do both. However, while the Switch may be a Hybrid, like I previously said there is no doubt it's first and foremost a mobile console over a home one. Nintendo was smart to abandon their specific home consoles that outside of the hail mary that was the Wii, has greatly struggled after SNES. Now they get to focus on their successful side, mobile, and focusing on it is no doubt crucial in an increasingly competitive environment due to smartphones.

All you're really proving is that Wii was even more dogshit than i thought.

The reason i thought it wasn't that bad was because it ran current gen CoD games at the time, all the way up to Ghosts.

I'll concede this, but you can't argue that Wii was an outlier in more ways than one. Add one more to the list.

Why? Because you chose this as a hill to die on?

I merely asked you to back up your claim.

My point was never about the Wii, it is about the expectations we have from our home consoles in the here and now.

And there we go. Moved out of sight.

Saying that it's about "expectations" immediately makes it subjective. In other words, it's just your opinion that there's some arbitrary minimum amount of power needed to be considered a console. You're free to have that opinion, but calling people wrong for not sharing it isn't a good look.

Prove what? That portable hardware is obviously way behind stationary hardware in power? That you can't call yourself a home console in 2018 without outputting at the very least 1080p native?

Prove that there's a minimum power requirement for a console to be considered a console. Also, that last part... You might want to look at a YouTube channel call DigitalFoundry if you think that every single Xbox One or PS4 game is running at native 1080p. And again, that would be an opinion. I'm starting to see a pattern here. You talk about objectivity, but you can't even tell the difference between a fact and an opinion.

Actually, that would make it a hybrid.

Just like external laptop GPUs make the setup more powerful but immobile, a GPU in the dock would make Switch a capable home console.

It would make it competently fulfill two roles, where as it stands it's only good at one.

If a device does only one thing well, it's not a hybrid.

A microscope is not a hybrid just because it can be a passable substitute for a hammer.

A fair opinion. That said, people also argue that it's a terrible handheld because it has bad battery life (it's a lot worse than 3DS, trust me) and is too big/heavy. So, following both lines of thought and claiming that both are objective, Switch is objectively nothing. Huh.

To complicate things even more, DTR laptops can have up to a GTX 1080 built into them. Does that mean that any desktop with a GTX 1070 or lower isn't really a desktop? Again, you're failing to show where the lines are drawn.

If it were simply a portable, but a ninty marketing team told you it's a hybrid, there would be a debate.

Which is exactly what happened.

And you've failed to give any objective reasoning. I now know that this will never go anywhere though because you actually think that all of your opinions are facts. Also, you're debating with people, not the company.

My god the world must be a scary place for people who insist everything is black and white and have to categorize everything into neat little bins.

How about good handheld, bad console? I wonder how they do their testing. 50/50 handheld mode and TV mode?

Well in my mind a console is a PC that is locked down in some way. So Switch is a console, PC is open, and Android is sort of a grey area depending on who you buy it from.... but now we're too deep into semantics and opinions to say anything for sure.

If you say PC = console fine by me, then Switch is console too.

In the strictest sense its a handheld ... that has a HDMI dock. there is no other way to really spin it besides "Marketing".

This is no difference to a friggin Game Boy Adaptor for the Super Nintendo in essence.

The big *Jump* as a so called "Hybrid" this generation is the 1:1 functionality. The Switch is the first Handheld to have the full-proper controls offered by a console in either mode. There is no compromise. (No ... the vita did not pull it off...)

Think of it as a work laptop ... I dock my laptop in work, while I now have monitors (and mouse/keyboard) the functionality hasn't really changed, only the way it is presented.

But, in terms of System Wars, PS4/XB losers only want the "Handheld" label to stick as a derogative term ... in the real world. nobody cares. the thing will outsell the Xbox Brand.. .and probably offer more exclusives than a PS4 will in a shorter time due to its different market.

Finally you admit something as it is rather than saying " its a console, its a console" all this time. Or this hybrid nonsense which even worse. Well done, now we can debate again.