Back in the summer I wrote a slightly feisty article addressing some remarks I'd read of people not grasping the 'point' of the Switch. Yet it's a legitimate issue - as it's a hybrid everyone will have their own viewpoint of it, and even game publishers all seem to approach the system in different ways. Nintendo naturally plays up its flexibility and diversity, but major third-parties like EA, Bethesda and Rockstar are flat-out focusing on the system as a powerful portable, at least when it comes to marketing.

It's different things to each individual, but that is actually what the concept is supposed to do. I also found myself, oddly, going through pretty much every playstyle with my own Switch over the past week. It was like the adverts, but obviously I'm far less photogenic.
The first few days of the week were relatively normal; I mostly play the Switch docked in the evenings, for example, but that's not to say I don't appreciate its charms as a portable. In fact I often have it next to me on my desk, sometimes to check the eShop for any more random newcomers in the 'Coming Soon' section, and other times just to chill out and play something for 15 minutes when I'm supposed to be working. My relationship with it has undoubtedly evolved over the months, as I've grown past initial scepticism about its role as a handheld.

It was later in the week, though, that it began to shape up and I was playing out the adverts. On Friday I was hosting family, and when relaxing with my brother I spontaneously bought Overcooked: Special Edition, as I was curious to see its improvements via the recent patch. Oddly, despite having a grip and Pro Controller right there in front of us, we instinctively took a Joy-Con each, with the cute little controller suiting the game and its simple control scheme. We played on the TV and, as expected, it was a fun time.
Later that evening my brother and mum were comparing progress in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on their own systems, just popping them on the dock (seriously, ripping off marketing) and showing where they were, how many star fragments they'd found etc. Later that same evening my brother and I tried out Lichtspeer: Double Speer Edition which actually defaults to co-op, again with one Joy-Con each. It was a weird game but undoubtedly a good laugh - you just hurl spears at waves of foes, but it's better than that... somehow. What makes Lichtspeer and Overcooked interesting examples is that I had a PC in the next room, and a PS4 hooked into the TV, but I instinctively bought them on Switch. The 'multiplayer out of the box' pitch does genuinely play out that way in cases like these, especially as I only have one DualShock 4 and my brother doesn't always carry his PC pad around. Therefore, Switch wins for multiplayer.
Moving on, at the weekend I then hopped onto a plane to go to a friends' wedding party. I arrived early and met another chum for coffee, and sure enough we saw a dude sitting nearby playing Sonic Mania on his Switch; I resisted the urge to walk up to him, point at the screen when smiling, before insisting he let me play as Tails. It was tempting though...

Later that day, killing time, my friend and I were scrunched over the system in its tabletop form playing Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers, because nostalgia is powerful. We then had a go at a couple of Grand Prix cups in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe but, to be honest, the splitscreen on a 6-inch screen is a killer for two guys the wrong side of 30. Anyway, again we were playing with the Joy-Con, and it was a hoot. I know fighting game fans will be appalled at the idea of us fumbling around in Street Fighter with a Joy-Con held sideways, but as a fun diversion to pass time in a hotel it was perfect.
I also heard that at one point that multiple Switch consoles were out at the wedding party for some impromptu multiplayer; I was probably distracted nearer the bar. The instigator of this gathering is the biggest Switch fan I know but still, in this particular social circle that was normal. He filled me in on their setup - there was four player Mario Kart 8 Deluxe using two systems (his brother also brought one along), and they also played a bit of The Jackbox Party Pack 3. And why not? This was a pretty unconventional wedding party anyway (a Japanese N64 and an Escape Room were entertainment instead of a DJ), so this was a normal thing. Sadly 'Karen' wasn't there with a copy of Super Mario Odyssey though, darn...

Then, the next day when travelling home I finally did what I've told friends I'd do since day one - I played my Switch in an airport terminal. No, I didn't get joined by a photogenic woman who also had a Switch, but after a slightly grim four hours in a packed airport it gave me a little light relief. Well, until the battery died. Yep, the battery is still a bit pants if you want to play a demanding game, and I'd forgotten to give it a charge in the hotel; that's the way it goes.
In a way it was a bit of a betrayal of the 3DS, which has accompanied me on trips for years. Yet I remember playing multiplayer 3DS on the move was often a bit of a trial, despite Nintendo's best efforts. Often others would need a copy of the same game, or Download Play would offer a slow (and sometimes laggy) alternative. For me a 3DS was actually quite a solitary device when travelling - headphones in, off in my own world.
While living the Switch life this week it reminded me of its strengths, and part of why it's proven popular so far. It taps into the social aspect of modern life that is driven by the internet but connects us with each other on a human level. Pick up a Joy-Con and play - it's simple.
That's not my typical gaming week with a Switch, but when it does turn out that way I come to appreciate the system that little bit more.
Comments 47
I often see people make predictions about the Switch based on the fact that it's a handheld, or that it's a home console. Intriguingly, people seem to miss that it's actually neither (or perhaps that it's both, depending on how you look at it). It really is like no other mainstream gaming device, and as such frames of reference have to be adjusted accordingly.
This was a nice read, one that illustrates the point nicely.
That was a really nice article, thanks for sharing.
The week of Switch, for me. Playing Mario + Rabbids in bed bathroom friends house and couch throughout the whole day. Notice how couch was last. I may have been on it more but the experience off it was much more enjoyable.
Legitimately I am happy to be a gamer. Right now I am gushing to my friends about the new Metroid game while finishing up Rabbids. The Switch does have its problems and I cant recommend it to everyone yet. That doesn't matter, its changing my life one genius game at a time
Thanks for the read, it's interesting, though I agree it's not your typical week nor most people's for that matter. Dat Badder E, eh?
I'm often playing the Switch on the T.V. before I pick my kids up from school. What's cool about that is I can just take it with me and get a nice parking spot and wait for school to end. Sometimes knowing I can do this I leave earlier then I normally would because I would be playing the same game anyways so why not.
It goes with me everywhere btw. 2 kids have hockey and that's 3 to 4 days a week. I always complain in the past about not having time to play games like I use to but with the Switch I'm getting more gaming back then I ever had before. Now where's my Bioshock collection and I'll take a Fallout please!
You should write one of these articles @cfgk24 .
Thanks for the article. I travel a lot on business. Most flights are 5 hours each way and I do end up with terminal time and hotel time. I love my Switch for hotel room because I can plug it in to the HDMI port and get playing. It is just too bulky for planes and terminals though. I still prefer my 3DS when out and about. I have only seen one Switch in the wild though. It was a kid about 7-8 years old and he had at a table in a restaurant. It looked like a wonky tablet until I realized he had the Joycons hiding in his seat while it was off.
Whenever I consider what games ought to be on Switch, my first choices are the multiplayer games, because I've always associated offline multiplayer with Nintendo consoles. The game I'm coveting most is Duck Game, because that's a game that can both make the most out of the Joy-Cons and is seemingly designed for immediate multiplayer action any time with any controller that has enough buttons for it. Switch has all of these things, so I don't know what's keeping it from showing up there.
I live near the airport and because of that I have a constant stream of family and friends who need rides back and forth. Switch has made it a much more enjoyable experience sitting in the cell phone lot while they wait on luggage
The Switch is probably my favorite console of all time, at least in terms of its hardware. All it needs now is more games.
Pssh, bringing his Switch to a wedding party? What a ner—oh wait that's me. Huh
That was fun reading. Thanks!
Great article I enjoyed reading that.
@KirbyTheVampire I never thought I would be saying this 5 months ago but there will be a lot of games I can't get because there's too many I want. Oddly enough my focus is more on those all important 3rds and undies because I want them to see you have a place on a Nintendo system. 1st party can wait as the price doesn't drop nearly as fast.
Edit: I'm just going to leave that there because. Yep, just because!
Interesting to read about other people's experiences. I don't think it becomes apparent how useful the machines instead flexibility is until you have one.
I haven't played much multiplayer but when I have it's been Snipperclips with joycons, Overcooked with joycons, MK8D on the TV with one Pro and one on Joycons+grip, plus a bit of split screen tabletop which I agree didn't work very well.
Single player mine has had loads of use. I've played docked with Pro Controller, on the settee at home in handheld and in work I use tabletop mode and a Pro Controller. Except with Splatoon 2 where split Joycons are far preferable even in tabletop mode.
I use it more than my other Consoles because a) with shift work and now 2 kids to reckon with (one almost brand new) Switch is simply more convenient when I get a spare few minutes and b) because of that when I do sit down to play a game Switch is often the last machine I used so to carry on with what I was playing it jumps the queue.
It's a brilliant design.
Nice read.
I think it highlights a bit what I've said from the start, you can manage a portable Switch w/o the dock and still have it be called "Switch". The "switching" is about taking the Joy-con on and off - that's what the noise is also associated with, not taking the tablet body in and out of the dock, that's noiseless - for instant on the go mutliplayer, quickly changing from single player to tablet-top. The Switch is basically a TV in table top mode anyway, albeit a small 6" one not good for people over 30 apparently. But in the future, whenever anybody says to me "You need the dock, it isn't a Switch w/o the dock." I'm giving them a link to this article. And this sentence fragment - "The 'multiplayer out of the box' pitch does genuinely play out that way in cases like these,"
Not saying the dock isn't good, or important, but if Ntinedo were to sell a Switch w/o a dock for $100 less, which they really need to do for kids once Pokemon and Yokai Watch come to it - it can still be called a Switch. You switch the joy-con on and off, switching from a single player portable to mutliplayer table-top w/ 2 joy-con at the ready. You can always buy a dock later if you want TV out. That's not switching up the Switch, it's just giving the Switch TV out.
@Spoony_Tech Not really a big indie guy unfortunately, but people who like them will definitely have the lion's share on the Switch.
A good read , thanks!
I couldnt agree more , im a busy guy like most of us on this site , and at 27 i seem to have less and less time to enjoy gaming.
The switch has not only given me that joy back on my commutes and flights, but every dang time i have it with me friends and colleagues want to play too.
The switch clicking joycons coming together before every advert now makes me think of people coming together lol
@Pupito I get your argument but I never finished many Wii U games. Not as many as I wanted to anyways. If BotW hadn't been on the Switch then I would still be playing it. I spent about half my time playing it outside of the home.
Really great article. Thank you for pointing out what genuinely makes the Switch a special experience. I love mine and in all honesty I haven't touched my Xbox one since I bought it unless I'm watching Netflix. Which really makes you wonder has Nintendo really struck that balance that makes me want what they're offering more than the latest and greatest apps and graphic intensive games?
This is alot like how I used my PSP back in the day. Take it with me to high school, then plug it into the TV when I got home
A very interesting read, one that showcases the dynamic nature of the Switch quite well. I've only ever seen one out in the wild around here (I live in a predominantly rural area); it belonged to a coworker.
I'm sick as a dog, and I'm bed rest, so it's nice to be able to keep playing in my warm bed, instead of being tied to the TV. The fact that the system adapts to each person's life style is one big selling point.
I'm one of the few I guess. Never cared for 3DS. I didn't like the very low resolution. For that alone I just couldn't care much about the games either. Switch got my attention though. But this year... i won't get one. Maybe in a year or 2
Great article. I've had similar experiences and said aloud, "We're in a dang Nintendo commercial right now."
My fav feature is to just turn up at a friends house and slam my switch in his dock!
I can honestly say that I've used Switch in many settings, which is probably why I appreciate its flexibility. It really is the system you can play anywhere, anytime. That is much cooler in practice than in writing.
I've been taking Mario Kart to work the past week and my friend from and I have been racing during lunch break. Now she said she's asked her boyfriend to buy her a Switch for Christmas! Haha I love the social aspect of it, it's like the Wii in a way where anyone can pick up and play it.
@Lord how big is this Switch? XD
@FinalFrog 100% agreed. Nintendo's ugly proof seal of approval. I like it.
@Shiryu It's totally my Life right now....
I'm surprised you didn't play it on a train. That's what every commenter on the internet who owns a Switch tells me a PS4 can't do anyway
It's the Switch lifestyle. People who don't live it can't understand it. I liked the system from the moment I laid eyes on it, but little did I know just how much it was going to change my gaming habits. It's become an entirely different lifestyle and way of thinking.
@rjejr
That's partly true, but pretending that switching to and from the tv isn't part of it is just denial. Saying there's no "click sound" isn't evidence. Obviously there's no clicking sound because it wouldn't make sense to have a click sound when you dock. Doesn't need to lock in place like the joycons do.
But yes they could eventually sell one without the dock. But let's not pretend it's simple "tv out". It is but it's so much more than that. Just like the system itself is just "two controllers". It is but it's so much more than that. Just like the portable console aspect is just "a kickstand". It is but it's so much more than that.
Nobody cares about a device that can do TV out. Any device can do TV out... almost any device anyways. What makes it magical is the fact that it's seamless. And that seamless transition changes it from "just tv out" to one of the coolest hardware features of any console released in the last 30 years, since the inception of the market itself. Often the best ideas are the most simple, and the most practical.
But most of all, it's not just "tv out" for a handheld, it's also every bit as much "handheld out" for a console. Your home console system literally detaches and has a screen and can be played as a handheld. And that's a lot more impressive than "just tv out"
Lovely read, bang on.
The flexibility is a winner here. It's a joyful little machine and I appreciate it every single time I use it.
Another stand out feature for me is the near instantaneous switch on and play. Missus answers the phone and I'm dishing out a pasting with Garou's Kim Dong Hwan in no time at all. Before Eastenders is cued up on the Sky+ I'm already on horseback in Hyrule.
Not really surprised that major third parties consider it as a portable though, as that is the key differentiation between this and the breeze block consoles.
Versatility is the name of the game with the Switch. I play in docked mode after work, or sometimes throw something on Netflix and play in handheld mode. I fully admit to playing Puyo-Puyo Tetris while in the restroom. I often play the Switch while on the train, which I ride frequently. Bringing my Switch to the coffee shop on a lazy Sunday afternoon has become a preferred way to spend my day. I've literally played my Switch on an airplane, on trains, in bed, in the bathroom, at the coffee shop, at a Net Cafe, with friends in person, and of course, regularly, docked on the regular TV.
Sure, PS4 Pro and Xbone X are more powerful. They should be. Since you can only play them in the regular way, on your TV. But that just feels so limiting now that I am spoiled by my Switch. lol
@JaxonH The dock is mostly just TV out, with 2 USB ports for whatever the console is more than that, the tablet+joycons is the Switch. That's not to say the dock is useless or unimportant, but that's not the same as NECESSARY. Lots of people have told me Nintendo can NOT sell the Switch without the dock b/c it isn't the Switch without the dock. But it can still be. You don't NEED the dock. There are exactly 0 games that must be played using the dock. Zero. There are 5 games, five, that REQUIRE handheld mode, not using the dock. Therefore you can own a Switch and play every game without the dock, but there are 5 games that can not be played in the dock. Therefore not only is the dock not necessary, it actually stops you from playing 5 Switch games.
Was the dock important for the launch? I'd argue it was, as Wii U was dead but 3DS is still going strong. And including the dock made sense. But 3DS won't keep getting games, at some point kids will want a Switch. 3DS did not sell well at $249. It's done nicely at $179 and $199. Parents aren't going to want to buy multiple $299 Switch for their kids. Some parents may have 2 kids and 1 tv, or 3 kids and 2 tvs. Why should those parents need to buy more docks than they have tvs when those kids each want their own Switch for Pokémon or Animal Crossing or Disney Magic Kingdom 3? Why not sell a Switch for $50 cheaper without a dock?
Several people commenting on here in the past have told me Nintendo can't do that, sell a Switch without a dock, b/c then it isn't a Switch b/c what makes it a Switch is switching it in and out of the dock. My earlier comment was directed at those people. Yes, Nintendo can sell a Switch without a dock and still call it a Switch and switch it up. It's still a Switch, b/c you can still switch the joy-con on and off, portable to tabletop, 1 player to 2.
Now I do think a Switch with built in joycon would need a different name, SwitchBoy, SwitchLite, SwitchMini, b/c you would be losing something important in that configuration. Especially if it didn't fit in the dock. And a Switch TV, a box without a screen, would really need a different name, that would hardly be a Switch at all, even if it came bundled with 2 joy-con for 2 player and a Grip, b/c I think the portability is such a big part.
But a $250 Switch without a dock in the box? Just call it a Switch, write "Dock not invcluded" in big letters on the nox. It's still a Switch.
You know more about this than I do, when Xbox One launched at $499 it had the Kinetc 2 camera in the box. When MS dropped the camera and the price to $399 or $349 did they change the name or simply write "Kinect camera not included" on the box? I do think the dock is more important than the camera, but they are still both accessories. It's still an Xbox One without Kinect, and it's still a Switch without the dock.
This is EXACTLY what the Switch is about!!!
@JaxonH "Any device can do TV out... "
You know, if New 3DS, New 3DS XL or New 2DS XL did tv out I would have bought 1 years ago. Even just the top screen at SD resolution, let my TV do the upres work. Even over a wired HDMI cable via miniport.
And the tablet I'm typing on now, and my wife's tablet, and her previous tablet, and my previous tablet, and all of our smartpones, and the Vita, none of those do TV that I'm aware of. So yeah, the dock doing tv out for Switch is a big deal, it's important, it is, but it isn't necessary. 3DS has sold 60m without it. How many DS and Gameboy sold without tv out? So it's important, it's a big deal, it's part of the Switch, but it's more like AC in your car. Nobody wants to drive a car without AC, but it's still a car. The first mass produced car with AC was probably a very big hit. Taking it out might have been a bad idea. But making it a cheaper model it might sell without AC.
Sorry, I know my last post was long, but it needed a car analogy. And Switch without a dock must be a cheaper model, but that's self evident, even Reggie wouldn't do that.
@rjejr
Of course it could be sold without it. It would just be extremely stupid and counterproductive, not to mention it still has to come with an AC adapter so the only real removed cost would be the dock itself, so not including it would hardly knock off any money at all. And who wants to save $50 (if that, maybe just $25 since we're talking about their cost) just to lose out on 50% of the entire platform's gaming potential?
Unlike the Xbox One, it adds very little cost and the vast majority of people want it.
@JaxonH They would leave out the dock, the HDMI cable, and the Grip. That's worth $50 easy. Would also mean a smaller box to ship it in. It may not mean much money shipping 1 box via Fed Ex, but when you are talking about shipping 5 million boxes from China to the US and EU, that probably adds up.
And I already told you why it's not only a good idea, it's an important idea, necessary even. A year from now, next holiday 2018 Switch could go for $250 based on how these things work out. But that's still too much money for parents to spend on a portable console for kids to throw in their backpacks. And why does a family with 1 TV and 3 kids need 3 docks? So you drop the dock and promote a $199 Switch next to it.
And if you think $50 doesn't matter, why have a 2DS, 3DS and 3DS XL at different prices? Why have an Xbox 1, Xbox 1 S, and Xbox X? For parents there's a big difference between $249 and $199. It's psychological, they can't help it.
Wii - Wii Family - Wii Mini
DS, DS Lite, DSI
Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance
Wii U Basic, Wii U Deluxe
3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS, New 3DS XL, New 2DS
Do you really think there will only be 1 model, 1 bundle, 1 type of Switch over the next 5 or 6 years? At some point, they'll sell a Switch without a dock.
@rjejr
I'm not saying it won't make a difference but dude, $300 to $250 is not going to suddenly make the system sell twice as much. Very few, and I do mean very few people are going to spend that much money only to chinse out the last $50 and lose 50% of the functionality.
I know you would because there hasn't been a console made in existence where you didn't try to break it down into pieces to get it cheaper. But most normal people, they are not going to sacrifice 50% of the functionality just to go from $300 bucks to $250.
Yeah $50 price cuts worked on the 3DS, but guess what, you weren't losing 50% of the functionality for it. It was just $50 off free and clear. Nobody is going to spend $250 for half a hybrid system when they could spend $300 for the whole thing. It's way less value for your money. $250 for a handheld, or $300 for a handheld and a home console...
edit
If they're going to sell a handheld, they're going to release a separate model for it. No removable controllers, no dock or grip... just a smaller more compact unit with a charger that is incapable of docking. They could make it to where you could still do TV out with a cable if you wanted, but it wouldn't be able to dock. That I could see them doing. Much later obviously. But I will never buy into them selling this system as it is without a dock. Because too much of it is already designed for the hybrid aspect, and it's so close to being a complete hybrid package that it just wouldn't make sense to leave out that last little bit.
@MsgBoardGamer
Of course it wouldn't have the same marketing appeal, but it wouldn't take center stage in the marketing. And I'm talking years down the line when switch is already a successful console with 60 million sold, and the iterations start releasing.
@MsgBoardGamer
They can only push that 3DS line so far. Come March, it will be 7 years old. Now... what about in 2020? 2021? 3DS won't be around. Sales are already dropping significantly (both hardware and software).
What's better is if they consolidate both handheld and console lines to play the same games. That would be better. They need to make their new handheld line an iteration of the Switch. That way they don't have to split development across two separate platforms, which has killed them time and time again in the past... that way they don't have to fight an uphill battle trying to get yet another new platform off the ground (which there are no guarantees anymore)... it would already have a back catalogue of games that would run and wouldn't face the early "new handheld is doomed, new handheld can't compete against the mobile market, new handheld only sold X amount" headlines.
Everything about the Swich is perfect as is, and nothing about it should be changed whatsoever. It is most definitely as you say it is- Nintendo wants you to see it as both a console and handheld that can be either- I totally agree with you. But that doesn't mean they have to stop there. There is no reason at all they cannot make a pocket friendly iteration that runs the same games, and release it on the side a few years down the line when the 3DS is totally dead and there's no lower price tier ($200 or less) handheld in the market anymore. If they don't, somebody else will jump in to fill that void (probably Sony), and Nintendo is not one to cede their hard fought market.
When I originally bought my switch, on launch day, I had a nine month old daughter. Now I have a 16 month old daughter and a six week old daughter. I am a teacher and recently got promoted which means I have to travel a lot and stay in hotels.
I have an Xbox one at home but frankly the switch has gotten more use. I use it in all configurations but although I was expecting it to sit in the dock all the time it has actually been used more as a portable.
Working with teenagers, many of whom have been let down with the education system in the past, as a reward I sometimes get the switch out in table top mode, use my procontroller and the two joycons and set up Mario Kart tourneys. At break time, one student who is a massive sonic fan but couldn't afford a console to play Sonic mania has an account on my switch and if he works well gets to play it.
I use it in handheld mode all the time. If I'm cooking dinner, it will go on the kitchen table in table top mode. At lunchtime I'll often have a quick de-stressing blast on something.
In a hotel, which happens all too frequently considering my children, I will often be found with the switch in portable mode. On my next trip which is a week (sadly a different hotel every night) I might take the dock and hook it up to the hotel TV.
In short - the flexibility of the switch is it's biggest strength. The Xbox One hardly gets used these days as I just don't have time (and I find that quite sad in a way) - but the switch? That has the ability to mod itself to fit into my lifestyle.
And that is genius.
That last image showing Switches on a stool is a really bad idea.
With a flimsy kickstand, one light kick on the stool and the Switch will drop to the floor cracking the screen.
@MsgBoardGamer "The Switch is called the Switch because it is the only video game device of its kind that can seamlessly "switch" between the home console and handheld video game experience. While the JoyCons are an important part of the Switch, they're not what the Switch is named after."
Do you have a link to an official Ninteod document that clearly states that or is it just your opinion? You have your opinion, I have mine.
Here are 3 Japanese Switch commercials in 1 convenient link. Which opinion has more emphasis - mine, that the important aspect of the Switch is between portable and 2 player tabletop, or yours, that the important aspect is between playing on the TV and on the go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhxFi886-VE
Here's a hint, in that 90 seconds the Switch is actually played on the TV for about 5 seconds, the rest of the time the dock is a charger so people have a charged Switch for when they take it on the go to play with their friends.
You have your opinion, I have mine.
@MsgBoardGamer Sorry, but none of those, not a one, say why the system is called the Switch. They say the Switch is a system you can take on the go, they say it can be used as a home system, they say a lot of things. A lot of things we already know. But you never said you knew what the Switch was, you said -
""The Switch is called the Switch because it is the only video game device of its kind that can seamlessly "switch" between the home console and handheld video game experience."
None of those descriptions of the Switch say how or why it got it's name. You are still making an assumption on how it got it's name based on what the Switch can do. That's a leap on your part. Maybe not a huge leap, but it's still conjecture, not fact.
Look at it this way. Say years ago Iwata had this idea for a portable system that you could take the controllers off to easily make it a 2 player portable system. He got the idea from the DS, imagine if you could split the DS into 2 parts, top and bottom, giving each half to a player for 2 player gaming. Great idea right? Probably should have happened if the tech was there, but it wasn't. So instead he focuses on taking the controllers off the side of the 3DS, switching it from 1 player to 2. He probably gets the idea from 2 player on the Wii U, 1 on the TV, 1 on the Gamepad, but since the Wii U is such an abject failure, he wants to do something similar w/ the 3DS. So he makes a 3DS design w/ detachable controllers. Then he shows it around and calls it Switch b/c he likes the clicking sound switching the controllers on and off. Then he passes away and they get a deal going w/ Nvidia so that the 3DS Switch successor can be powerful enough to do TV out, so they add a dock to the Switch to do TV out. Then the new businessman President Kimishima smartly decides to emphasize it's a handheld w/ TV out, to make that the emphasis. That's what I'd do, thats' what anyone would do as it's a great idea and a great selling point.
So that's my make believe history of how the Switch got it's name that fits in perfectly with your marketing bulletin points. Nobody comes up with marketing bullet points then builds hardware to fit the sales pitch. The Switch is marketed that way b/c that's the way that makes sense to market it. That doesn't mean, as you said "The Switch is called the Switch because" you are using slogans that were created years after the device was conceptualized to explain how it got it's name. That's backwards Monday morning quarterbacking. Of course the Switch is marketed as a portable home console and as a portable as powerful as a home console, thats the marketing that works. That doesn't dictate the names origin though, just how they want to market that name.
Remember when the 3DS was being marketed, 3D was the best thing ever. Then the 2DS came out. Then Nitneod started making 3DS games that didn't even have 3D.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1332419
Ntinedo's marketing department doesn't dictate to it's hardware developers how and what they create. They come up with slogans to sell that hardware. For all we know the system is called the switch b/c Miyamoto had a dog named Switch as a child - that guy is nuts about his childhood - and the Switch is named after that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJgKN8kLTTw
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