@maxrpg
Who said nobody pick their Switch outside?
I bring my Switch outside sometimes when visiting malls.
And just because you don't like the portability of Switch, it doesn't mean nobody will ever use the portability from Switch.
You still can find someone who still bring their Switch outside.
Non pocket friendly it just excuse to say.
Just bring your small bag and put inside the Switch inside them.
Putting small device inside pants pocket is not really safe.
@maxrpg I see alot of kids with Switches where I work I see kids on them on them at the grocery store. You just must not get out often. At this point I think you are just looking for an argument. Bottom line it makes no sense for Nintendo to make a TV console Switch when it already as a TV option.
RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.
@NeonPizza that’s the thing, the iPad, and many other tablets, can be genuinely be used as “plug and play” desktop computers.
Anyway the analogy is not about buying a computer instead of a switch. It’s more like, I don’t think Nintendo wants their system to be compared to other purely dedicated home consoles, because then they’d fall short.
Kinda like if Apple decided to release a box with iPad components and iPadOS and say it’s a desktop computer; it’d compare poorly to other options in the market.
Now imagine Apple selling an iPad box you connect to a monitor and can’t use one the go.
The Apple TV is a thing.
Honestly, it's not bad for media playback and light gaming either. It'll even run a few games that weren't ever ported to the Switch, although you're obviously not getting any Nintendo exclusives on it. Well, not outside what you can run on RetroArch, at any rate.
It only really makes sense because Apple hardware is mostly very expensive, so there's a gap in the market for a cheaper device that you can have permanently tethered to your TV set.
@Eel Not really. The Apple TV runs tvOS which, like iPadOS, is part of the iOS family. It pretty much is the guts of an iPad - specifically the 6th generation mini - in a box.
The Mac Mini, in contrast, runs macOS, making it more akin to a desktop computer. I know some people use it as a high-end media player too, but it's far more capable than that.
@Matt_Barber iPadOS is currently more similar to MacOS than it ever was to tvOS. But it’s beside the point anyway; this is not a discussion about Apple.
The point is that it’s simply easier for them to get away with a handheld-only model because the switch/2 is a great handheld at its core. A home console-only model doesn’t quite have the same advantage; and chances are it wouldn’t even be that much cheaper anyway… after all you can shed off more features and accessories when going handheld-only.
Really the only thing it would have going for it, is the Nintendo exclusives.
No. Absolutely not. the switch's entire thing is that it can be played in docked and portable. If it can only be played in docked, it might as well be a lo-res ps5 that plays mario kart.
Imo (concept wise as a hybrid) Switch is the pinnacle of console design. Making it just another box under the TV … no, absolutely not. It would completely dilute it‘s USP. And for me personally, I would hardly get any play time in. Our home theatre setup is for watching/playing stuff together. Solo play is almost exclusively handheld.
@maxrpg It's strange to see others point out that having a home console only variant would contradict the whole point of the Switch ... yet acknowledge the Switch Lite and say "that's a given since handhelds were always Nintendo's thing." I think there is merit in a home console only version of the Switch 2.
I think the reason why it hasn't happened at the end of the day is likely because Nintendo looked at their user data and felt most people didn't use it docked enough to make that variant worth it. It's the same logic why Apple hasn't made another iPhone Mini despite plenty of people online clamoring for one — they've looked at their user data and interests and found it wasn't worth making another unit.
It's entirely possible this generation they'll make a home variant if only to lower the cost of entry — potentially launching alongside Switch 2 Lite — but it's difficult to say.
@maxrpg It's strange to see others point out that having a home console only variant would contradict the whole point of the Switch ... yet acknowledge the Switch Lite and say "that's a given since handhelds were always Nintendo's thing." I think there is merit in a home console only version of the Switch 2.
I think the reason why it hasn't happened at the end of the day is likely because Nintendo looked at their user data and felt most people didn't use it docked enough to make that variant worth it. It's the same logic why Apple hasn't made another iPhone Mini despite plenty of people online clamoring for one — they've looked at their user data and interests and found it wasn't worth making another unit.
It's entirely possible this generation they'll make a home variant if only to lower the cost of entry — potentially launching alongside Switch 2 Lite — but it's difficult to say.
It's worth noting that Nintendo has said docked versus undocked are used about 50-50 and various surveys have had similar results. I think one distinction, however, is that there is a decent minority of people who use only handheld but a lot of people who primarily use docked occasionally use handheld, even if it's very rare — during a yearly vacation or during a power outage when the tv is broken, etc.
So if Nintendo sees a ton of people who 99% play docked but not that many people who 100% play docked, they may feel a tv-only version isn't worth it.
Another question is — how much cheaper would it be? The price point of the Lite implies the battery and screen can't cost all that much. Given a tv-only version would still come with controllers, it might not be cheap enough for Nintendo to bother splitting their manufacturing; I think the price decrease would have to be pretty significant to grab much of the small niche of people who would be interested in a tv-only Switch but refuse to buy the normal Switch. For example, suppose the price point was $250 — would it really attract that many more people who wouldn't just buy a $300 normal Switch or a $200 refurbished Switch?
The SwitchLite is often brought up to highlight that the hybrid functionality can't be the core DNA of Switch. I would rather suggest it's the flexibility it affords, which is still intact when it comes to a pure handheld. Play at home or on the go, that's still there. Chain it to your TV an that's gone. Apart from that it's also the power of the hardware which is capped by the portable form factor. If you bring a designated home console, people will inevitably start to demand more powerful hardware … and that would lead to some kind of Xbox X/S situation in which focus is diluted and confusion about what is what increased, which potentially minimises the overall success of the platform.
I'd think that the Lite had to happen because marketing Pokemon to kids on a $200 handheld is a heck of a lot easier than a $300 hybrid console. For similar reasons, I'd be expecting a Switch 2 Lite at some point.
There just isn't a similar compelling argument for a TV-only Switch, and that's even before we get into the nitty gritty of what price they could sell it at.
I too never play in handheld mode, so the screen and Joycons are just a waste of space to me.
Would I love a Nintendo TV only console sure; not so much a docked only Switch but a completely new machine capable of competing with Microsoft and Sony, but I know it would never happen not in our lifetime anyway, what with the Switch brand being so set in stone for Nintendo now and the increased R&D Nintendo would have to indulge in to bring it's hardware in line with the others, and we all know how averse Nintendo is to spending any money. Do I think it would be a failure, not necessarily the third parties would be jumping all over them and to have Nintendo's own offerings with all the graphical bells and whistles that the other consoles have would be just mind blowing.
I am under any illusions, nah not really it's Switch 2 and it's successors all the way and for all the upcoming generations after it unless there is a dramatic drop off on the interest that the hybrid console generates.
I play solely docked and even at the exact same price I’d buy a tv only switch if it meant it would have better reliability and cheaper storage upgrades.
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Topic: Should Nintendo create a Console only Switch?
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