The Nintendo Switch may have outsold the DS system already, but one question that lingers in my mind is whether it will have the same longevity as its portable forefather?

I will never forget watching the trailer for the Switch. Sitting there in awe as the player turned off his game and headed out the door, pocketing his Switch as he went, only to continue playing the same game as he sat travelling. 

It was everything a gamer, and Nintendo fan could have asked for. The sales offered the proof in the pudding with Switch units flying from the shelves, and with titles like Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild guiding it, it soon became a near household staple. 

Now, the Switch has sold as many units in four years as its handheld cousin the DS did in seventeen years. Who would have thought it possible? I know I didn’t. However, sales are one thing, but long-term success is something very different. 

While the DS range of consoles were clearly handheld devices, the Switch is something of an undecided factor. It hovers between console worlds. It is neither a handheld nor a standalone console. It is both masquerading as neither. I feel that this fact along gives it a shorter lifespan. 

Sitting here today I have a switch and two different ds consoles within reach. If I were to fast forward twelve years, I highly doubt I will still have a Nintendo Switch system in such proximity. Of course, I am not talking about collectors here, but your everyday gaming family. 

Do Fragilities Inherent to the Switch Damage its Legacy?

There are fragilities to the Nintendo Switch that also impact its longevity as a console. The joycons are flimsy at best, the kick stand is … well, let’s just say nothing about the kickstand because it barely qualifies. Sure, there are rumours of a Switch PRO console, but, as discussed in another article, I fear the focus might be slightly misplaced, and do nothing to increase the longer-term lifespan of the console. Especially when you think the more Nintendo want to keep pace with the likes of Sony and Microsoft, standing toe to toe in their niche, I would already argue that the switch successor is in development and most likely going to leave the Switch name behind and start a brand new ‘family’ of consoles. 

The Wii U was in essence a working prototype of the Switch, and I feel the Switch is a protype for a larger, more powerful Nintendo system in the future.  I firmly believe, but kind of hope I am wrong, that Nintendo Switch will ne replaced by something different. I will, without question, go down in history as a very impressive machine, and for the avoidance of any doubt, I am personally, a HUGE fan of the Switch. However, I think when we are old and look back on the years, the DS will still be the more recognizable handheld console.