@fatalbert1020: The 3DS launched in late February 2011 for Japan, and yet between February and August, the "DEAD time" as you call it, it's still higher than that of Switch between March and September! Face it, handhelds ARE the Japanese market, a better comparison would have been the Switch and the 3DS, which also launched to a sky high price tag.

@skot_free: wouldn't function the same, because you can't use the touch screen while it's docked. It's unlikely to see tons of ports, Nintendo's only doing this to fill in the gaps between major games, it's why they ported GameCube games to Wii, why the ported Game Boy games to Game Boy Color, and why Switch is seeing select Wii U games.

@playstationzone: Nintendo games sell Nintendo systems, and in Japan where handhelds outsell consoles, with Switch being a mix of both handheld and console, the handheld side is selling in Japan, while the console aspect is selling in the West. All this is due to the Zelda hype (Splatoon 2 for the Japanese), so once that dies down, you won't see sales of this unless Nintendo pushes more big hitters (Mario Odyssey is set to be the big holiday pusher for all regions). Time will tell.

@metallinatus: because it's also getting 3DS ports (Monster Hunter XX was a 3DS only game), which totally negates the whole console on the go. It's not a handheld nor a console, it's literally a hybrid, as it runs at one speed as a handheld and a different one as a console, the only system to output 1080 AND 720 on the same game without changing the settings- just dock it or undock it!

@inkman66: it's pitched as a console in the West because consoles sell FAR better in Europe and America than they do in Japan, where Switch's portability is pushed. Trying to push a handheld in America would be stupid, because despite Reggie's claim, the 3DS isn't even half of what it was just 3 years ago when it peaked in sales in America, and only went up in 2016 thanks to Pokemon Go revitalizing the market, but guess what, now that Go hype died down, so too did 3DS sales, and to keep them from totally plummeting off the market, the New 2DS XL was added, but it's weak, and won't last long in the face of mobile that's really eating up the handheld market in the West. Put it this way, without Japan's share of worldwide sales, the 3DS would be struggling to hit 50 million after 7 years!

@skot_free: what are you talking about, Saturn did EXTREMELY better than what One is doing in Japan!

@blondie_82: exactly, a more fair comparison would be the Switch and 3DS, both released in early calendar years to high price tags. Let's see how Switch is doing to what 3DS did (hint, it's below it).

Now compare it to the nearly $300 3DS at launch which also released early in the calendar year of 2011.

@doctor_mg: not overnight though. You look at Wii's top selling year (2008), and it's several months after launch. Same with NES Classic, which got extended into April before Nintendo pulled the plug. Amiibo took a year as well before they finally came SOMEWHAT back on store shelves. Them ramping up may not mean available units this holiday, Nintendo still has problems catching up supply with demand.