Topic: Should Nintendo create a Console only Switch?

Just wanted to get others opinions

Personally I have never, hardly ever, used my Switch in handheld mode, since the day I bought it it has sat in the dock next to my TV as that's the only way I play it, I don't see the point in having it portable.

Nintendo could easily create a console only Switch, do away with the screen and battery, and the cost of making it would drop dramatically, it would be cost effective, cheaper and faster to produce, more affordable and appealing to gamers who don't want portable console features like myself.

They gave us the Switch Lite which was portable only, so why not do a reverse and give us console only option as well?

I would love a console only Switch, anyone else?

For me, Hybrid is the future. I can't imagine going back to only one form of it now, even if I don't use it, I like that I could.

Well that kind of defeats the purpose of a Switch doesn't it? Switch is a hybrid console that's the marketing point of it. Also Nintendo has always had more success at portable consoles so even the fact that you can dock it is nice cause they could have just gone a started portable console like the 3DS.

I play my docked all the time, mainly because I don't like the joycons but that's another story.

I mean it has that option so a docked only Switch seems kinda of unnecessary. If it was just a handheld then I can see wanting a dock only Switch or a way to connect it to the tv.

@maxrpg I'm with you. I would like a tv-only version of the switch. But I've already gone down this road in the forum, and I found that I was virtually the only one on in NL forums that wanted a tv only switch. So, I dont' expect anyone else to agree. (Other than the OP, I'll bet an imaginary dollar that I'm the only other one that would like a tv-only version of the switch😉😆)

I would rather not shell out the $100 extra dollar cost for the screen, battery, dock, microphone, nfc reader, and whatever else they that's not needed to make a tv-only box console version of the switch.

If a tv only switch defeats the purpose of the switch (which someone usually says, not picking on tasuki<3), why is there a Switch Lite? If they can make a handheld-only Lite, they can make a cheaper tv-only box console. Although, I wouldn't be shocked if there's not enough lower-cost-seekers that would like a tv-only switch. People like their handheld screens.

I don't need a console built around a lithium ion battery trapped inside (a repair job is required to replace it). There's a steady drip of switch owners on reddit, that didn't use their switch for days, weeks or months, and now their surprised their console won't turn on. And then they have to make a post online asking "is my switch dead!?", how do I fix it? Wuh happen?. Or, there are posts wondering why their switch is swelling? - the lithium ion battery is swelling and needs to be replaced. This isn't great for game preservation, at least compared to consoles of the past.

Didn't do it for Switch 1, so I don't see why they'd do it for Switch 2. Even though Switch Lite technically breaks the 'switching' gimmick in the first place.

All I can think of is that Switch Lite's lower price was okay because they were targeting children, primarily, with that device, whereas a cheaper docked Switch 2, if people suspected it was coming, would cause adults who typically stick to home consoles to wait for the cheaper revision, whereas they're forced to pay more for the hybrid model if they want to play the games without a TV only model.

Or maybe it's because a Switch Lite can technically be played anywhere, whereas a docked console is... well, TV-only by definition.

Who knows? But clearly Nintendo has deliberately steered clear of the idea.

@NeonPizza I do wonder about Joycon haptics this go around. Sony did a really good job with the Dualsense in that regard. I feel like we would've heard if there'd been a big upgrade in that respect, though.

@WoomyNNYes @maxrpg You are right. This would be an option, so it wouldn't defeat the purpose of the concept. Switch Lite does not swich either and 2DS was not 3D... Options are good when they make sense. Moreover, I have also read those threads about the battery and, while of course we have to deal with the current technology for devices that don't make sense without them, like smartphones, a Nintendo Switch 2 Home or whatever they want to call it would be excellent value and much more durable for those that are not interested in handheld mode or that have another Switch or another handheld system for that.

I think a docked-only Switch 2 makes sense if Nintendo really, really wants a Switch 2 model that can retail at below $300 (Switch 2 is $450-500 and I expect Switch 2 Lite to be $300-350).

@maxrpg
Nintendo Switch is designed to have both handheld and console mode.
If you want docked only console, PlayStation is your answer.
Or Wii, Wii U

@WoomyNNYes It defeats the purpose of the Switch because handheld has always been Nintendo's thing in the gaming landscape. They have always been more successful with their handhelds. If they were just make a home console again they would just be behind Sony and MS unless of course they can compete power wise with them, but that's not Nintendo's style. Doing a hybrid console let's them target that demographic. Playstation hasn't targeted the handheld demographic since the Vita died and MS hasn't even touched that demographic. Yeah there's that rumor around that MS is getting ready to launch one but let's be honest people can do that now with a Steam Deck, but that's another story.

Having a hybrid console keeps.Nintendo relevant and doesn't make them direct compete with MS and Sony and they are in a space all by themselves.

Next gen when Sony and Microsoft's next consoles are hybrids, Nintendo will make a powerful home console lol.

The Nintendo Switch wouldn’t truly be the Nintendo Switch if it were just a home console. What makes it a true game changer is the new standard Nintendo has set with its hybrid design. It’s amazing that you can use the Switch both docked at home and in handheld mode.

I understand that some people prefer playing only at home to enjoy games on a big TV. But for me, the real strength lies in its handheld mode. In my situation, there’s always a reason not to play docked—whether it’s wanting to beat that final boss while lying in bed before sleep, sneaking in a quick session during a break at work or school, or playing while on vacation or in a hotel room where you don’t want to deal with cables and docks.

Back in my day, there was a huge difference between handhelds and home consoles in terms of game experience. Home consoles usually offered better graphics and deeper gameplay. Nintendo has become the pioneer of hybrid gaming, and many are following their lead—as we've already seen with powerful handhelds like the Steam Deck etc.

I can't stand being locked in to TV play (even though I enjoy playing on the TV). And I can't stand being locked into handheld play (even though I enjoy playing handheld). I need the freedom of switching between the modes and without it I simply have no interest anymore. Hence why I haven't turned my PS5 or XSX on in several years.

However.

I see no reason why they shouldn't offer such an option alongside a Switch 2 Lite. There are people out there who only play on the TV or who only play portably and if Nintendo can offer a cheaper option for those individuals I think it's a win even if it doesn't benefit me personally.

Having said that, I don't think they're going to do it. Nor do I think we'll see an OLED (an 8" 1080p 120hz HDR VRR OLED screen doesn't even exist to my knowledge, and even if it did the cost would be prohibitive). I do think we'll eventually see a Lite with a node shrink down to 5nm in 2027 or 2028, along with a v2 Switch 2 with longer battery life. And that's it. That's all I think we're getting this generation.

There is no fiscal benefit to a tv only switch. Especially if folks are balking at the current prices (and still complaining about no price drop on switch). Nintendo would just end up with another GameCube on their hands and deep discounts to move stock.

TV only switch/2 would come with the expectation that it would be more powerful (otherwise what is the complaint against the hybrid model exactly? Just leave it in the dock.) and that comes at a price premium. Nintendo does not have enough mainstream buy in for a 700 USD system (sony barely has the buy in for that and it’s their market). The handheld aspect arguably boosts their sales. As handheld has always outperformed console (despite the worse graphics, batteries/charging…all the complaints levied at switch being a hybrid). Also they would likely immediately crater in 3rd party support as the publishers would either pick a system to run with or abandon Nintendo again as they still haven’t eaten up enough multiplatform sales to be indispensable. That also means r&d and development will have to split again. And if it isn’t powerful enough then it would be wiiu 2.0.

That of course is assuming that Nintendo tries to maintain two full platforms. They could attempt to pull a sony and go home console with streaming peripherals but I still say they can’t afford to absorb the growing pains for that or to stick out the time it would take to build momentum. (Which in the interim can lead to job losses and project cancellations but I digress.)

Disclaimer: I play 99percent docked only.

The batteries in the current Switch models won't last forever.

Eventually repair services for the Switch via Nintendo customer service will cease.

It would be nice to have a Switch Home variant to play cartridges through a platform that doesn't have a battery, like the Playstation TV.

The PlayStation TV bombed so hard that it made the Wii U look like a comparative success. In that sense, it's more of argument as to why Nintendo wouldn't make a home console variant of the Switch.

I suspect that the question for Nintendo would be whether there was enough of a gap in the market for for a device that would have to sell at a significantly lower price, given its limitations. That probably wasn't the case for the Switch 1, although I suppose that the equation changes a bit for the Switch 2, given that it's a lot more expensive.

I would 100% have preferred a docked only switch 2.
No screen, battery or joycons. Just a pro controller.
Preferably with several cartridge slots!

I've been wanting and waiting for a home only version since the announcement of the first Switch. The advent of a handheld only version just reinforced my belief that it would happen, but for whatever reason, it didn't. Should we rule out the possibility of a late stage original Switch home console, perhaps conceived to squeeze a few more sales from the previous generation? I don't know. Maybe this is something that Nintendo has debated internally, but as a contingency, depending on how sales of their new generation console look.
I remember statements from within Nintendo that they wanted each home to have multiple Switch consoles. In a way, a model with exactly the same power but for the home, and a model you can take around with you, fits this paradigm better than the current hybrid model, with more reason to invest in both. The home console wouldn't need more power, but in theory would allow for superior cooling, giving potential for increased performance if desired, but I think this would complicate development and therefore would be unlikely to happen. Out side of the clear advantages that a home only console design would have for home only players, as others have already stated, (no lithium battery, no screen, no separate dock, Pro controller instead of Joy-Cons) a home only version would allow for better and more cost effective external storage options. Do I think it would really happen ... maybe, but I really really want it to. I wouldn't just buy one, I'd buy two. Just think of all the different colour varaiations they could be, like the heyday of N64.

@Matt_Barber I had a PSTV (got it free with my PS4) and adored it for a brief period of time. It almost felt like having a clunkier precursor to the Switch. However I think there are potentially three differences here to a Switch (2) situation:

• The PSTV wasn't cost-effective. I don't remember the exact prices, but to use your PSTV you'd have to buy a Dualshock 4 and, taken together, that landed at a similar ballpark price to the Vita anyway. You could argue that a Switch TV + Pro Controller will be a similar price to a vanilla Switch...but I think a lot of people are buying the Pro Controller with their Switches anyway? (esp. those who favour TV)
• The PSTV couldn't play a large chunk of the Vita library, sometimes for no clear reason (IIRC it couldn't even play some PS1 classics - so it didn't necessary have anything to do with the handheld's unique features).
• The Vita itself wasn't that popular.

I think it's a fine idea, and back near the Switch's launch I was reasonably convinced that it would happen. 8 years later? I just don't think they're interest. But never say never I guess.

I know what some of you are saying about the purpose of the Switch being that it has the ability to "switch" from a console to handheld, but look at the Switch Lite, that is just handheld.

For me when I get the Switch 2 it WILL just sit in the dock for the rest of its life because I have no interest at all in carrying it around, just feels like a waste of the screen etc.

In terms of profit for Nintendo, I'd still be happy to fork out lets say for example £300 for a dedicated console, as apposed to £490 odd for console+handheld, they'd still be making a good profit from it.

I don't understand the benefit of the handheld option, as far as I know there is no Switch game that specifically requires play in handheld mode, and to be honest, unlike the Gameboy, DS's of old, I have never seen anyone carrying a Switch around outside or on the bus etc, they're too expensive, parents just don't allow them out of the house, and it's not exactly 'pocket' friendly.

Personally I would just like a dedicated console without the portability option, call it "Ninten-No-Switch" and ….take my money

@maxrpg You can't compare a handheld only Switch to a Console only Switch for the main fact handhelds has always been Nintendo's bread and butter. The Switch docked is basically giving people who want a non handheld console a non handheld Nintendo console. In all honesty they could just have exited the home console market altogether and just only made a Switch Lite.