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[Xdrive05]

8th Gen Plus. Just like how Switch was 7th Gen Plus.

"Plus" meaning same scope of games / raw power, PLUS:

• Much more RAM
• More modern architecture & rendering features

Which can translate to significantly better performance clock for clock, or features that the base gen consoles simply couldn't do, like DLSS in Switch 2's case. DLSS in particular could be a 2X multiplier in lots of cases which is a really big deal. And that coupled with Series S's existence means Switch 2 will be way more viable to port 9th gen games to, even though the raw power is still way below 9th gen.

But even with those modern features, I would NOT call Switch 2 9th gen. I think the base gen numbers really do need to conform to mainline power gulping consoles under one's TV. Base PS5 and Series X is the 9th gen baseline, and Switch 2 ain't nowhere near that.

 

[kruis]

Nintendo is at least one generation behind.

Nintendo bowed out of the power rat race with the Wii and went its own merry way. It's completely useless to try to fit a Nintendo device in one of these useless "console generations". The Wikipedia article on this subject is arbitrary fanboy nonsense that has Nintendiots fighting about the question whether the Switch was a late eight generation console or the first ninth gen console.

It's all nonsense. If a handheld device like the Switch can be included on that list, why are the Steamdeck and the various Windows handheld gaming devices not included? All you need is a USB-C cable and wireless controllers to use these devices as a console.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

How on earth would Switch 2 be 8th gen??

 

[Idleyes]

7.5 (THE TOPIC IS ABOUT THE SWITCH NOT THE SWITCH 2).

 

[crackajack]

Switch 2 starts the new gen that Sony will join with PS6.
Generations aren't about technical abilities.

Would make a lot more sense though, with technical abilities being very different. Some features that define Switch are missing on the more tradional consoles while on the other hand they have also stuff that Switch and also S2 are missing. Both paths are next gen in each step but not on the same gen trajectory at all.

I guess I would put a Switch in the same gen (or rather call it tech tier?) as a Steamdeck, Lenovo Go and maybe the Nvidia shield portable but any other chronologic gen for electronic entertainment products is almost pointless to do. Otherwise we can say we are in gen 50 or much more because every GPU started a new gen and so did every new iphone or Samsung flagship too. Gens made some sense when everyone tried similar stuff but the entire point of the Switch is to be a continuation of handheld gens which comes with the limit that it has a whole different power budget and no chance against wired consoles, no higher clock docked mode could bridge that truly.

 

[BlackTron]

How on earth would Switch 2 be 8th gen??

Technical illiteracy makes it easy

 

[Idleyes]

IMHO

Nintendo Switch = 7.5th Generation
Nintendo Switch 2 = 8.5th Generation
PS5 & XBOX Series X = 9th Generation.
PS6 (and the next Xbox if it happens) will be 10th Generation.
PC (with the most current hardware today) = 11th Generation
PC when the PS6 releases will be in the 12th Generation
Nintendo will make their 10th Gen entry at the end of the 10th Generation.

 

[PaintTinJr]

It is a handheld version of the WiiU with slightly more in the GPU department with handheld compromises and less in brawny CPU processing in the CPU department, so it is 8th gen for me. The console has a library that could all work on the WiiU with the same development effort.

 

[LordOcidax]

Same gen as ps3 / 360 / Wii U

The mental gymnastics to avoid a direct comparison with Sony/Microsoft consoles always amazes me Generations are not related with graphics capabilities at all.

 

[Trunx81]

Glad to see that we finally put an end to the discussion if the Switch is a handheld or a console. Great work, everyone! Wrap it up for next gen!

 

[Kvally]

9th. Switch 2 is the start of Gen 10.

 

[LordOcidax]

•Generation 1: Atari Pong, Odyssey, Coleco Star
•Generation 2: Atari 2600, Odyssey 2, Intellivision, Coleco Vision.
(The collapse of the video game industry)
•Generation 3: NES, Sega Master System
•Generation 4: Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
•Generation 5: N64, Playstation 1, Sega Saturn
•Generation 6: Gamecube, Playstation 2, Dreamcast, Xbox
•Generation 7: Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
•Generation 8: Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
•Generation 9: Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series
•Generation 10: Switch 2, Playstation 6 y Xbox Series 2

Home consoles generation Winners:

Nintendo: 4
Sony: 3
Atari: 2

Easy…

 

[kpopSuperstar]

This aint a question, the tech makes it 8th gen as a fact, its how console generations have always been measured.

 

[LordOcidax]

This aint a question, the tech makes it 8th gen as a fact, its how console generations have always been measured.

That's false.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

The Switch was a 2015 smartphone turned into a game machine. They did quite well with it.

 

[FloatingIslands]

We don't believe in generations.

 

[graywolf323]

8.5 generation

I mean it released the same year as the PS4 Pro, it's just the Wii U bombed so hard that Nintendo had to pivot a lot earlier than I bet they originally planned on

 

[Baemono]

This aint a question, the tech makes it 8th gen as a fact, its how console generations have always been measured.

Lol wut

 

[L*][*N*K]

it's the successor to the 3DS

Of all the dumb thing people say "Switch is a sucessor to 3DS" is gotta be in the top 5, and it is such a clearly motivated statement there is no way anyone is just naturally braindead like that

 

[Deerock71]

Console             | Traditionally Gen | Hardware-Based Gen | Reason
--------------------|-------------------|---------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------
Nintendo Switch     | 8th               | 7th or 7.5          | ARM-based, closer to Xbox 360 than PS4 in raw power.
Xbox One / PS4      | 8th               | Start of 9th        | Full x86 PC-like architecture and GPGPU; closer to modern computing.
PS3 / Xbox 360      | 7th               | 7th                 | Complex custom CPUs, but far from x86 structure.
PS2 / Xbox / GC     | 6th               | 6th                 | Custom chips, fixed-function pipelines.
Wii                 | 7th               | 6th (maybe 5.5)     | Basically overclocked GameCube — didn't leap much in tech.
PS5 / Series X      | 9th               | 10th (arguably)     | SSDs, ray tracing, variable refresh rates, DLSS-like features = big architectural shift.

There's one missing, that was a big swing and a miss from Nintendo. The Wii U would slide between the Wii and the Switch.

 

[Loomy]

Generations aren't meaningless. And it's more to do with time than tech. The only reason the Switch is weird to categorize, is because the WiiU was curbed early, so the Switch came out in the middle of the 8th generation of consoles. I would still consider it 8th gen.

From now on - unless the Switch 2 is a massive WiiU level flop - Nintendo's new systems will be offset (half back) from whatever generation we're in.

 

[LordOcidax]

Generations aren't meaningless. And it's more to do with time than tech. The only reason the Switch is weird to categorize, is because the WiiU was curbed early, so the Switch came out in the middle of the 8th generation of consoles. I would still consider it 8th gen.

From now on - unless the Switch 2 is a massive WiiU level flop - Nintendo's new systems will be offset (half back) from whatever generation we're in.

Is only "weird" for people that don't want to compare the sales of the Switch with sales of the PS5… In terms of F1, Nintendo made an obligatory undercut.

 

[crackajack]

The mental gymnastics to avoid a direct comparison with Sony/Microsoft consoles always amazes me Generations are not related with graphics capabilities at all.

So which gen is PC then? Does anything other than the Commodore 64 count as a predeccesor? And no successor ever? So PC is on 2nd gen? Thinking gens like they are usually counted makes sense, comparing apples to oranges, is mental gymnastics to me.

 

[Loomy]

Is only "weird" for people that don't want to compare the sales of the Switch with sales of the PS5… In terms of F1, Nintendo made an obligatory undercut.

I don't think Sales even comes into this.

WiiU came out in 2012 to compete with PS4 and Xbox One. WiiU flopped hard, and Nintendo had to release the Switch a few years later to survive. If you want to stick with F1, it was an undercut yes, but it was not intentional. Nintendo went off the track, damaged their front wing and had to come in for a new one.

From my perspective, both the Switch and WiiU are 8th gen consoles.

 

[LordOcidax]

So which gen is PC then? Does anything other than the Commodore 64 count as a predeccesor? And no successor ever? So PC is on 2nd gen? Thinking gens like they are usually counted makes sense, comparing apples to oranges, is mental gymnastics to me.

PC doesn't have generations, other than the gpus and cpus and you can mix both, that's why is a term is applied for consoles for decades. The "confusion" began in the Wii era to avoid the comparisons from fans between the more powerful X360 and PS3 in sales.

 

[LordOcidax]

I don't think Sales even comes into this.

WiiU came out in 2012 to compete with PS4 and Xbox One. WiiU flopped hard, and Nintendo had to release the Switch a few years later to survive. If you want to stick with F1, it was an undercut yes, but it was not intentional. Nintendo went off the track, damaged their front wing and had to come in for a new one.

From my perspective, both the Switch and WiiU are 8th gen consoles.

Time doesn't matter, the Switch was a new gen for Nintendo consoles and that's a fact and the beginning of the 9 gen. The Dreamcast comes out 2 years before the OG Xbox and we never had this kind of discussion.

 

[NeverYouMind]

Many Nintendrones failing the test:

Nintendo Wii U -> Nintendo Switch
Nintendo 3DS -> Nintendo Switch

(Nintendo consoles are dead!)

 

[Loomy]

Time doesn't matter, the Switch was a new gen for Nintendo consoles and that's a fact and the beginning of the 9 gen. The Dreamcast comes out 2 years before the OG Xbox and we never had this kind of discussion.

That's fine too. Until Nintendo comes out and says "we care deeply about this and this is the correct answer", people can have debates about 8th or 9th, and can have valid arguments for both.

 

[LordOcidax]

Many Nintendrones failing the test:

Nintendo Wii U -> Nintendo Switch
Nintendo 3DS -> Nintendo Switch

(Nintendo consoles are dead!)

152 million of consoles sales (And counting) dead Is ok, the Weaker console sometimes wins

 

[LordOcidax]

That's fine too. Until Nintendo comes out and says "we care deeply about this and this is the correct answer", people can have debates about 8th or 9th, and can have valid arguments for both.

The discussion comes from the fans not the companies, for obvious reasons.

 

[Lokaum D+]

7,5 for the realists
10 for the Fanboys

 

[Lokaum D+]

152 million of consoles sales (And counting) dead Is ok, the Weaker console sometimes wins

but you say all the time its a strongest portable on the market and not a console, wich one it is ????

 

[LordOcidax]

Actually

•Generation 1: Atari Pong, Odyssey, Coleco Star
•Generation 2: Atari 2600, Odyssey 2, Intellivision, Coleco Vision.
(The collapse of the video game industry)
•Generation 3: NES, Sega Master System
•Generation 4: Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
•Generation 5: N64, Playstation 1, Sega Saturn
•Generation 6: Gamecube, Playstation 2, Dreamcast, Xbox
•Generation 7: Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
•Generation 8: Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
•Generation 9: Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series
•Generation 10: Switch 2, Playstation 6 y Xbox Series 2

Home consoles generation Winners:

Nintendo: 4
Sony: 3
Atari: 2

 

[Kvally]

Atari: 2

My lifetime winner. That and ColecoVision.

 

[LordOcidax]

but you say all the time its a strongest portable on the market and not a console, wich one it is ????

Portable hardware but is a hybrid in concept, so both.

 

[Lokaum D+]

Portable hardware but is a hybrid in concept, so both.

so, it is what fits your narrative at that moment, got it.

Also "152 million of consoles sales (And counting) dead Is ok, the Weaker console sometimes wins "

there is just one King and winner

 

[NeverYouMind]

152 million of consoles sales (And counting) dead Is ok, the Weaker console sometimes wins

Nintendo DS sales: 154.02 M
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html

PSP plugging into TV:

 

[kevboard]

Of all the dumb thing people say "Switch is a sucessor to 3DS" is gotta be in the top 5, and it is such a clearly motivated statement there is no way anyone is just naturally braindead like that

and I bet you'll have no issue to explain why without sounding retarded, right?

 

[Lokaum D+]

•Generation 1: Atari Pong, Odyssey, Coleco Star
•Generation 2: Atari 2600, Odyssey 2, Intellivision, Coleco Vision.
(The collapse of the video game industry)
•Generation 3: NES, Sega Master System
•Generation 4: Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
•Generation 5: N64, Playstation 1, Sega Saturn
•Generation 6: Gamecube, Playstation 2, Dreamcast, Xbox
•Generation 7: Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
•Generation 8: Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
•Generation 9: Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series
•Generation 10: Switch 2, Playstation 6 y Xbox Series 2

Home consoles generation Winners:

Nintendo: 4
Sony: 3
Atari: 2

Easy…

Switch 2 started the 10th gen having a little more power than the 8th gen ????

 

[Kvally]

so, it is what fits your narrative at that moment, got it.

Also "152 million of consoles sales (And counting) dead Is ok, the Weaker console sometimes wins "

there is just one King and winner

Switch 1 is about to decimate that.

 

[L*][*N*K]

and I bet you'll have no issue to explain why without sounding retarded, right?

Sounding "retarded" to someone who gets out of their way to call Switch a 3DS successor is not a major problem, I can live with that

 

[Deerock71]

Many Nintendrones failing the test:

Nintendo Wii U -> Nintendo Switch
Nintendo 3DS -> Nintendo Switch

(Nintendo consoles are dead!)

Actually...

(It's a hybrid, after all)

 

[Lokaum D+]

Switch 1 is about to decimate that.

it should, it ll to be the best-selling portable ever, BUT, at the moment its losing to the Nintendo DS, the only Nintendo console that came "close "to dethrone PS2 was Wii

 

[Kvally]

it should, it ll to be the best-selling portable ever, BUT, at the moment its losing to the Nintendo DS, the only Nintendo console that came "close "to dethrone PS2 was Wii

But it's a home console too.

 

[kevboard]

Sounding "retarded" to someone who gets out of their way to call Switch a 3DS successor is not a major problem, I can live with that

so you can't explain without sounding retarded? as expected

 

[Lokaum D+]

But it's a home console too.

i can play my PS5, XBOX and my PC anywhere with remote play / Xbox cloud or Steam Link, what is your point ? so they are portable too ??? if you can carry your hardware with you that make it a portable system, its not that difficult.

 

[LordOcidax]

Switch 2 started the 10th gen having a little more power than the 8th gen ????

Why some of you keeps dragging the power in the generation conversation just to fit your wrong narrative? The OG Xbox has almost triple the power of the Dreamcast and both consoles are Gen 6 without any discussion.

 

[Deerock71]

i can play my PS5, XBOX and my PC anywhere with remote play / Xbox cloud or Steam Link, what is your point ? that the other dosnt count cause i m not carrying the hardware with me ??? if Yes the hardware is a portable

All that is compromised.

 

[Lokaum D+]

All that is compromised.

and playing at 540p upscale to 1080p on a home console in 2025 isn't "compromised" ?

 

[LordOcidax]

i can play my PS5, XBOX and my PC anywhere with remote play / Xbox cloud or Steam Link, what is your point ? so they are portable too ???

PS5 and Xbox were not created from the ground up with the hybrid concept in mind… PC is not a dedicated hardware for games, so is not belong to this conversation… Also, lol with this 2017 discussion of what an hybrid is.