Topic: Would you do a lot of traveling with your Switch, or would you prefer to stick to a 3DS?

I was going to take a big trip but I wasn't sure if I wanted to bring my Switch or my 3DS with me. For some reason the 3DS just seems like it would be a better travel companion, it just seems lower maintenance and like it would be less to worry about, especially since I don't plan on getting too deep into gaming while I am out anyways.

I usually carry both.

Though I use the 3DS more often during trips.

Eh, I love my switch. But the short battery life when undocked is a bit of a pain if you're out and about. A 40 minute Mario Kart session while waiting at the doctor's office drained the battery by almost 40% The 3DS seems to have better battery life. That said, if you'll be able to plug it in the Switch is a great option.

I also carry my gba micro on long trips

@JayJ Well in terms of maintenance, the 3DS really is easier. I actually only bring my Switch on bigger trips. When I am going somewhere I know I am gonna have time to sit down and play it. Like on the train or at a cafe. I used to carry my 3DS everywhere for streetpass, but with the 3DS fading into retirement and a lot less people carrying it, I stopped when I hit 5000 tags and all prefectures in Japan (which was my personal goal)

However, if you don't mind the extra effort, carrying the Switch and a backup charging brick in the bag is the way I tend to go these days. I wear a backpack everywhere anymore anyway - but in Japan, that's a lot more common among adults because of all the public transport. I know it's odd, even suspicious back home in the US.

And yes, doubly so if you aren't using streetpass, the 3DS has much better battery life.

It's a nice enough system. But the GBA Micro's small size also causes problems with games that heavily use the shoulder buttons. Such as Metroid Fusion.

Also, just turning off 3d improves the battery life of a 3DS. But yeah, turning off the wireless improves it too.

I bring BOTH Switch & 3DS XL whenever i go to Mall.
But sometimes i just only bring either Switch or 3DS XL depend on situation.

Screen seems a bit small for 2 player split screen on it. That said, I frequently find myself setting up my Switch by the computer in tabletop mode so I can play a game while browsing forums or something else online.

It's not odd or suspicious in the US at all. I see people with backpacks all the time.

@Mountain_Man I haven't been home in a while. But I've been given funny looks and such when out with a bag that I haven't gotten without it. More importantly I got searched at the airport and I've heard of police questioning people just for having them when they aren't near a college campus. I've also heard many sports stadiums and concert halls don't allow anything bigger than a small woman's purse too.

@Faeknight Each split screen on the Switch is still large than a GBA or 3DS screen. But I agree it can be cramped.

Just use a small sack pack, messenger bag (the "man purse") or something. No need to carry a Pokemon Go pro player style set up with huge black backpacks and cables going everywhere.

Going on a trip with the switch? Skip the brick and the dock. A regular charger and battery will be enough if you don't plan to play while charging. Chances are you won't really play anything unless you're in a good, calm, safe place anyway. So there's no point in stocking up with all the accessories. Travel light. It's better.

Will you be staying in a house or hotel and want more accessories? Have a big backpack to transport all the things and leave it at the house/hotel, and also carry a smaller bag for outings.

About the Micro and the shouder buttons, I don't really have any games that make much use of them, except for running in Harvest Moon.

Honestly, it depends on where I'm headed.

If I'm going to a friend's or family member's house, and they have a Switch, I'll bring both. If they don't, then I'll bring my Switch and all the stuff to plug it in to the TV and such.

If I'm going on a trip, and I'll be gone for 5-8 days (like I am every year), I bring my Switch and my 3DS but not my dock because I'm either camping or in a hotel.

Of course, my phone is essential for all my "gotta see what my peers are eating" duties, but otherwise, that's it for me.

It kind of depends what kind of trip it is. If I'm constantly on the move and only going to have time for bite-sized gaming sessions, I'll take my 3DS with an RPG that I'm chipping away at. If I expect more gaming time, the Switch.

The Switch is a little bulkier, sure, but it's not so big it's not portable. I never bother bringing my dock and extra controllers anywhere, just the Switch in its case and a backup battery for the Switch and my phone.

Always have my Kindle, too. Honestly my Kindle is more of a constant companion than the 3DS or the Switch. It's the only thing that's practical for subway hopping or using in the sun, and nobody ever even thinks about stealing a Kindle (mine is a Paperwhite, just for reading, not one of those rebranded tablet types).

I don't carry any around all the time, not that I wouldn't like to but it just doesn't fit my lifestyle. Having said that, I did take my 3DS out with me while I was playing 9P9H9D, because VN type games can be played while walking the dog.

My 3DS I try to take with me whenever I travel anywhere far. It doesn't carry the same fear of theft or cost of replacement as my Switch; I don't have to carry all my game cartridges with me because I can install them to the system (I carry all my Switch games in the case, so the cost to replace the Switch and all those games would be a killer); 3DS has more diversity in its library with the stylus, Eg. Art Academy; and I can get more hours out of my 3DS battery.

Having said that though, if I know I'm likely to find some time for playing, I often take my Switch too and it ends up getting more play time, mainly because the battery drain in Switch sleep mode is much better than 3DS sleep mode, and the convenience of sleep mode is the main factor. I try and avoid 3DS sleep mode unless I know I'm going to get an opportunity to play again in the next 12 hours. Too many times I've left a game in sleep mode and gone back to it a couple of days later and the battery's been dead and I've lost progress.

tl;dr - if I can only take one, it's usually my 3DS. But if I'm hyper-engaged in a Switch game, that could trump it.

And don't forget, the 3DS doesn't have the versatility of split joy con multiplayer.

Wait... What...?

I travel alot, but my switch stays at home and I take my 3DS with me everywhere. It's been around the world twice Also the reason for taking my 3DS is for the StreetPass hits, I still have a few panels to complete as there is no hotspots in Guernsey since Game took over dominion of them in the UK and we have no stores over here.

The Switch, easily. When you take into account the case it's really not that much bigger and it's significantly more versatile. Realistically when you took a 3DS or even the DS before it on holidays you were playing it by yourself unless someone you were going on holidays with also brought one. The Switch by comparison is built for table-top multiplayer.

You may ask "what's wrong with single player games on holidays?". Well of course nothing. But with the Switch those single player games are things like Skyrim, Doom, Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. On the 3DS it's nothing even remotely close to that scale. There aren't many more Switch-like moments I've had that compare to the time I was sitting on a chair infront of an empty beach and playing Bayonetta....

The problem with Metroid Fusion is that you're having to use the right shoulder button frequently, usually holding it down. While at the same time you need to hold down another button to charge up a shot, plus jumping (multiple times for screw attacks)... This might not seem like a problem. And most of the time it's not. But due to the small size you end up having to brace the system from the bottom. Which is also where the game cart is. And in a frantic fight (such as the fight against Samus X at the end) this can and often does cause the game to glitch out and freeze, thus causing you to have to restart from your last save.

It usually takes me 4 or 5 tries to complete that fight due to the game freezing.

Also, I love the fact that with a single pair of joy con you can instantly do two player multiplayer. Jumping into a multiplayer session of Mario Kart or Hyrule Warriors is great fun. even something simple like playing Uno with another person was a joy.

The only downside about the Switch's portability is the necessity of a travel case.

I take the Switch on some journeys and am planning to take it on a 9 hour flight later on this year (of course, with a charger) but I either take my 3DS as well or just take the 3DS.