How important is the Switch's portability to you?

How important is the portability of the Switch for you?

  • Very important, it was the main selling point for me.

    Votes: 103 41.5%

  • Sorta important, I use it it in portable mode pretty often.

    Votes: 43 17.3%

  • Not really important, I appreciate the feature but only use it in portable mode rarely.

    Votes: 48 19.4%

  • Not at all important, the Switch stays docked pretty much 100% of the time.

    Votes: 54 21.8%
  • Total voters
    248
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I picked up an OLED Switch around Thanksgiving and have only used it in portable mode once. And that was just to see how pretty the OLED screen is.

The OLED screen is gorgeous, I just thought I would be using it in portable mode more. I find that if I plan on having some down time when venturing out of my house I'll just bring a book. I think I would honestly be embarrassed to use it out in public. I don't regret my purchase since BoTW has already made it worthwhile, but it got me curious as to how important this feature is for other people.

I remember the Switch commercials where people would be playing at the most random places like house parties or rock climbing gyms.

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I live in a large city (Los Angeles) and have never seen someone playing with their Switch out in public. Do adults actually use the Switch like you see in the commercials or is portable mode mostly something to keep the kids occupied while you're waiting for the food to arrive at a restaurant?
 
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100% handheld, I think I even disconnected the HDMI port from my dock to plug something else in. Now the dock is just a charging dock.
 
In theory I would love it but I can't stand the form factor for a handheld as it just doesn't suit my needs at all. I'd much rather just take my New 3DS with me.
 
Very, otherwise it's the most pathetically underpowered console of all time vs it's competitors. Still think a dock graphics booster would have been a good idea, even if sold separately.
 
I tend to only play docked, but my kids are using it all over the house. The perfect system for them.
 
It's very important. I play almost exclusively in handheld mode, even moreso with the new OLED. The tv is mostly reserved for the PS5.
 
I like the portability for vacations but I never use it in handheld. The cabins I rent generally have a TV in them.
 
Is this only for Switch owners?

Portability is super important to me, but Nintendo's hardware and ever-shrinking 3rd party offerings are a complete turn-off to me. Which is why I pre-ordered a Steam Deck.
 
I can't play games on handhelds any more, I just feel like I'm being cheated out of a bigger, better experience. Docked 100% for me, I just needed a Switch to play the exclusives.
 
These days I'm mostly playing docked, but in the past I've taken it to work, on trips, etc. I was even playing FIFA with coworkers on breaks just like in the Switch commercials. It'd rate it as somewhat important.
 
Con-Z-epT said:
It is kinda sad that i don't use this feature. But when i'm on the go i barely have time to focus on gaming.
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Thats the thing I never bring my Switch outside, when I talk about portability I mostly talking about bringing Switch to my bed and play games before going to sleep.
 
Almost only in portable mode. 80% of the time before sleep, 5% sitting beside my wife on the couch while she watches something uninteresting to me on the TV and rest of the time while sitting on my ceramic throne.
 
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Danjin44 said:
Thats the thing I never bring my Switch outside, when I talk about portability I mostly talking about bringing Switch to my bed and play games before going to sleep.
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Awesome feature especially for those things. "I" only used the portable mode to banish my girlfriend away from the TV. :messenger_beaming:
 
I'm probably like 70% Docked 30% portable, so not all too important.
To me the biggest advantage of the Switch form factor is getting all Nintendo games on a single console.
 
Ever since I got a Series S and basically turned it into a gaming laptop, portability outside the house is currently ALL the OLED Switch has going for it. Glad it's an OLED!
 
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I never take mine outside but love playing it on portable mode. Very comfy
 
Important enough to get the Switch lite. The only reason I got it was to have a few games to play outside the house. Otherwise I'd get something typically cheaper on my PS5 or PC.
 
Living in London I use it quite a bit on the Tube and buses. I also like that you can use the kickstand to play multiplayer games while on the train.
 
Basically the only time I ever use it in handheld mode is if there's a power outage or occasionally during March Madness if the only game on is a blowout. But like 99% of the time I'm playing on Switch I'm playing in docked mode. I was one of the rare people who's excitement about the Switch was games like Pokemon and Fire Emblem being playable on a TV instead of on a handheld
 
It's super important to me in the absence of a dedicated Nintendo handheld device. I would prefer a more powerful home console along with a separate handheld, but it is what it is.
 
I'll never buy another console I can't take with me like the Switch. I have a PC for when I'm home and whenever I head out to the cabin in the summer or take a weekend trip to visit family the Switch goes in my bag.
 
When I have to go to the office with my long commute, very important.
Not so important for the last two years then. Docked 99%.
 
If the Switch wasn't portable, I'd still have one because I like Nintendo first-party games, but I'd be PISSED with how far behind it is power-wise.
 
portability doesn't mean using it in places outside the house to me, i use the portable mode all the time while at home

lying in bed before falling asleep, sitting on the couch watching the nfl, pooping, etc.

it's amazing, genuinely made me think about getting the valve thing, having normal games be portable is amazin
 
The main draw for portability is taking it with me when I travel. I have a Genki covert dock that I use to connect it to hotel TV's. I used to never play in portable mode until I got the OLED version. I like looking at the screen but being able to play in handheld mode on the go still isn't really a priority for me.
 
ToTTenTranz said:
Is this only for Switch owners?

Portability is super important to me, but Nintendo's hardware and ever-shrinking 3rd party offerings are a complete turn-off to me. Which is why I pre-ordered a Steam Deck.
Click to expand...
No. Clearly you csn come in and shill the Steam Deck too. Enjoy being plugged in constantly with your "portable".
 
Very, very important to me - unless I'm playing with friends/family which is docked than I'm playing portable on my couch, most likely with my wife who is watching TV.

I don't really play portable in the sense like at lunch at work, etc. But I love the fact that I can just take it wherever I want in my house.
 
I don't take my switch out of the house unless I'm taking it to a friends to play smash (rarely). I played SMT 5 almost entirely portably as I've come to enjoy those type of games in handheld. Same with MH: Rise last year.

Unless you're bringing a ton of power, it might as well be portable IMO.
 
Docked only since it's a home console to me. I don't understand the concept of on the go even for handhelds so there's no reason for me to remove it.
 
Portability is the main reason I purchased it. At the time I had a crappy job where I had to travel a lot and time to game at home was none existent. Nintendo was also super strong with first party stuff right out of the gate so it wasn't hard to justify it.
 
I see it as a handheld, i have no interest in a nintendo console.

However i never play it outside of my gaming room, so mobility isn't very important.
 
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