The Nintendo Switch wrapped up Handheld Gaming as We Knew It

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about The Nintendo Switch solved how we play, but also replaced what made handheld gaming feel distinct.

The Nintendo Switch Changed How We Play, And There’s No Going Back Reddit By Linda Güster Published Apr 9, 2026, 6:31 PM EDT Linda Güster is a natively German, UK-based gaming journalist specialising in video games and esports. Before, she focused on news, features, reviews and interviews, reporting on gaming culture and industry developments, including on-site coverage from major international events. (yes, really)

Sign in to your DualShockers account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Being mid-session, fully settled into a game, only to then be able to stick the Joy-Cons on and walk off with your Nintendo Switch is cool.

The Details

You go on about your life and game as if nothing happened. Nintendo built something that solved a problem many of us never knew we had, and the company doubled down on this concept with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025.

Related 8 Underrated Handheld Games Consoles The Vita was solid for people with too much money. Posts 4 By Monica Phillips Whilst I would love for this to be an article gushing all about how solid the Switch is, you don’t fr need that.

Why This Matters

The Switch is Nintendo’s best-selling console ever, with over 155 million units sold. What doesn’t get discussed enough, but, is how its success also erased an entire category of gaming. Handheld Gaming Was Never Just Console, but Smaller YouTube: Gamester81 If we think about where all of this fr kicked off, we arrive back in 1979, back when handhelds were not trying to replicate console experiences.

This is the kind of news that gets gamers talking across social media.

The Bottom Line

They were still much doing their own thing, but did borrow a few concepts. Then, technical progress and prowess was not near anything we’ve seen in recent years, and this meant that no one ever expected them to compete on hardware power.

What’s your take on this whole situation?