Topic: Is anyone else ready for a portable-only Switch?

An ergonomically smaller iteration. Maybe a smaller screen, comparable to the PS Vita. Controls that cannot be detacted. No kickstand that exposes the micro sd card slot. And some additional internal storage.

I love this hybrid console, but I'm ready for a more compact, portable-centric Switch.

Yup

I wouldnt be against the idea. But, the hole point of the name "Switch". is that you can play at home in dock mode, or take it wherever you go.

Little tip: if you take the Switch out of the dock, it's already portable.

Smaller screen? No thanks. Really? Why? Fixed controllers? No thanks - I like split joy-cons from time to time, and they're not that robust enough for me to want to not be able to change them easily. And it would kill the multiplayer thing.

The kickstand, though? Yeah, you have me there - it's the cheapest, flimsiest thing on the whole Switch. (Although why do you need a kickstand at all if you can't remove the joy-cons?)

Despite my saltiness, I can certainly agree that there is likely a better iteration of the Switch to come, though.

I get where you're coming from. If you shrunk the Switch down to be "more portable" you'd have to drop the idea of the JoyCon. It makes sense if they are wanting to release a lower cost SKU down the road. Though personally I'm less convinced about the idea than I used to be.

I'd much rather see a Switch Pro down the line than a Switch Mini. Take advantages of the continually improving specs of hardware. Give it a bit more horsepower and HDMI 2.0 support. Still 720p in portable mode but maybe with more games at 30fps and a better battery life. Then on the TV? Ramp up the resolution.

....Just get a Vita.

I'd like the opposite basically !

A real home console with enough horse power to be able to get games like Cyberpunk, Devil May Cry V, Red Dead 2, Anthem or Resident Evil 2 Remake for example.

Another thing to point out, the possibility to have non downgraded multiplats. I saw Y's VIII on Switch at a friend's party, my goodness I was holding my head constantly.
I'm so used to see the game running at its normal framerate that it was difficult to see the poor result on the Switch... even the textures, goshhh...

So yeah, home console, better SPECS just to have what players deserve to have in 2018. I don't ask a 4K/120fps, just a 1080p/60fps or 900p/60fps at least.

I really don't care about the portable factor... hummm, not that I don't care but it's not a big deal for me if no "handheld mode" anymore. Instead, the return of dualscreen gameplay will be great for somebody like me who like the Wii U really much !

You know, they already make a console that's perfect for you. I think it's called a Playstation.

The Vita and PS4 can't play Switch games. The point of this would be to expand the appeal of the Switch in some way. The way I see it the only options that make sense are either more powerful or smaller. I can understand why some might get excited about the idea of a console that could play all Switch games but was closer to the size of the Vita. Equally I can understand why a "Switch Pro" that renders existing games at higher framerates/resolutions would also be appealing.

With that said I don't get the idea of killing the hybrid nature of the Switch. Make it smaller, sure, but why remove the option to connect it to a dock? A more powerful SKU? Again, sure, makes sense. But why does that require removing the portable nature of the console? Change the resolution of the screen by all means but don't make a revision that's less versatile.

A smaller Switch with non-detachable Joy-Cons could be cool. It could be a budget SKU for kids to eventually replace the DS line for good.

Switch Pro can be appealing, but if Nintendo really wants to move the Switch from a one-per-household to one-per-person like the 3DS, a Switch Mini can be the gateway to that.

No, cause it's portable and can be hooked up to a tv. IF it were portable only. I couldn't do that. That also eliminates a Nintendo (TV based) console....not a good idea.

The portable scene is way more profitable to Nintendo than the console scene. Ever since the N64 days, every single Nintendo portable has outsole the console itself. Yes, even the Wii was outsold by the DS by 50 million! It almost sold as much as the PS2 The #1 best selling console of all time! Nintendo isn’t going to abandon the portable scene anytime soon, especially with little to no competition (no phones do not count) compared to the home console market which has big competition with Sony and Microsoft.

@skywake Cobalt only likes two Switch games I believe. I think he’d be happy with a PS4.

@Magician I'd be up for a Switch redesign around next year. One that it lighter weight, has either more internal memory or a second SD card slot - and those cards are not exposed when using the kickstand. Also a new dock that is better designed overall. Oh and support for wireless headsets.

But taking away the TV compatibility would kill the idea of the Switch. They absolutely should not do that. Even if they did go the route of a Switch mini, it should still be able to connect to the TV.

@Heavyarms55
If those are the reasons for the revision I don't think it'd be particularly compelling. I mean lighter? Sure, maybe but it's already about as thin as it can go without dropping some of the I/O. More storage? Easy to rattle off in a list but at the same time micro-SD cards are constantly getting bigger and cheaper. A revision for the dock? Again, an easy thing to rattle off in a list but the only thing they could really add would be newer revisions of HDMI which are pretty useless if you'd not doing HDR, VRR or 4K.

Oh, and wireless headsets? There's nothing magical about Bluetooth. They'd just need to release a firmware updated to add support. Personally I'm not a wireless headset sort of person but even so I'm not sure why they haven't added support already. They seem kind of wedded to the idea of using the mobile app. If it doesn't get supported on the current Switch I wouldn't hold my breath for it coming to any of the revisions.

@Cobalt the Wii U didnt even have strong third party support to begin with. sure you could say it had COD, but not as nearly strong support as Wii, Gamecube got for third parties.

Now Switch is getting the catch up of game that didnt even came to Wii U in the first place, heck even wii didnt get The Elder Scroll. when was the last time Nintendo had Doom on their system? 20 YEARS AGO until Doom on Switch was released in November 2017. as for Switch's third party support. it's not perfect, but it shocking to see things like Doom, Skyrim, or even Warface on this console though. although for me anyway. i've have a PC, PS4, XBONE, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and A Switch. so there are plenty of options for me to buy these games (besides the Wii/Wii U.). but, still shocking to see these getting switch releases anyways.

@Magician I used to think cheaper versions of the Switch that were home console only and portable only would be a nice way to expand the market for the Switch (to people who just want a cheap system to play the Switch games). And honestly I think the possibility is still there, since they may want something to be the spiritual successor to the 2DS (a device super cheap that allows people access to an extensive library, which the Switch would have by the time these variants may be released).

That being said, both versions would defeat the whole point of the Switch (although 2DS defeated the whole point of the 3DS so maybe it is still possible). A portable centric version would lose the ability to use Joy Cons and play tabletop or docked, which are crucial aspects of the Switch. Likewise, a home centric version would lose the ability to play handheld or tabletop.

So honestly I'm not sure. On one hand, they need a cheap version like the 2DS that may drop beloved features in order to reach a cheap price point that would attract people solely interested in getting access to lots of good games for a cheap price. On the other hand, they risk damaging the entire point of the system. While the 2DS did that, the Switch's concept (switching between home, handheld, and tabletop) is much more beloved than the 3DS's concept (glasses-less 3D), so something like that may be less likely. We'll see.

@Magician
Actually, i prefer :
1. Longer battery life
2. Clam shell design
3. Bigger screen
4. White color as default color
5. Still ABLE being BOTH Handheld and Console, because that's Nintendo Switch Selling points

I don't want become Mini because it will cut the Console aspect, it will have smaller screen and i don't think it's a good idea to put your Mini Switch inside your pocket, especially pants pocket (it might damage your system physically).

If the Switch was any smaller, I would hate playing some of the games on it. For example, I played much of Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii U game pad. I tried playing it on the 3DS and it was a strain. Games really need to take into consideration the size of the screen when designed and I would argue that the WiiU gamepad or Switch screen is the minimum size needed to play home console games on the go.

I would much prefer to see analogue triggers, a d-pad joy-con, longer battery life, more horsepower. Basically, I hope the next iteration of Switch moves the concept forward (much like the leap from NES to SNES).

it could be called.. aSwitch. It would sell like crazy. It should cost 100$ lesss. Bring it on

So you know how wearable tech is all the rage right now? What if they released a new console that had access to the entire Switch library, but it was... a smart watch! It would be called, 'The Nintendo Swatch'!

It has everything people are asking for: smaller, more compact and more portable (not to mention wearable!), no kickstand issues, no Joy-Cons... and it could even bring back some features from the 3DS like the step counter, along with fancy new functionalities like heart rate tracking!

I'm a genius! The Nintendo Swatch is a flawless idea that addresses all the needs of everybody with no downsides*. Problem solved, hooray!

_{*Maybe some downsides, but please try not to think about them too much}