Absolutely, unequivocally number 1 for multiple reasons.
1) This is the first handheld they made that didn't feel constrained by the hardware. I know, this place thinks it literally makes everyone's eyes bleed and all, but it is perfectly acceptable for me the vast majority of the time. There just aren't enough pixels on the GBA's screen to adequately play Metroid or Megaman. There isn't enough screen space. The DS could do 3D... sort of. In fairness, I never played a 3DS, so that one is close too. But the range of games that the Switch can do run the full range from simple arcade games to sweeping, epic adventures. Sure, it can't quite get everything, but it's close enough.
2) The hybrid nature is absolutely perfect for my current adult life. If I have time to play on the big screen, great! Or I can play in bed. Or sitting on the floor waiting for my toddler to go to sleep. Or on the couch when I have a few minutes. When I get called away, I can turn it off and then be back in the game immediately once I have time again 2 hours later. Frankly, I don't want to play stuff on anything else.
3) This is the first console since the SNES in which Mario, Zelda, AND Metroid were all great. Oh, and a cool new approach for Pokemon with Arceus. And Pikmin. And some Fire Emblems. And a 3D Kirby. And toss in Astral Chain while we're at it. I'm not 100% sure if it is their best first party offerings for me, but it's pretty close.
4) The wonderful world of indie / downloadable games. I love 2D platformers. It was frustrating for so long that they were stuck on the B team: smaller, weaker handhelds and often not with great support. Now, anyone with a passion for them can make one themselves. And back then, they were $30. Now they are $10 - $20. And if you didn't buy them ASAP back then, you had to hope to find them in a stack of used games. Now they are always available and often 60% off. Is this unique to the Switch? Of course not. But the SNES sure didn't have it. And even if other people play them on PC or PS or whatever, I play them here and I will credit it to the system.
5) The embarrassing level of riches we have in terms of the volume of games today. If I wanted to play a Metroidvania on the DS, I could play... uh... Castlevania. OK, there were some others, but you get my drift. Now I have dozens to choose from. I have dozens of tactical RPGs. I have dozens of 2D platformers. The list is seemingly endless. The number of games on the Switch that I have at least some interest in is larger than the entire libraries of many old Nintendo consoles. Is it only on Switch? No, of course not. But as I said earlier, I would much prefer to play them here than elsewhere. Someone mentioned previously that 60% of the library was trash like calculators or whatever. Even if that percentage is true, that still leaves 4000 potentially interesting games. Who has time for all of that? So who cares if 60% is trash?
6) The sheer number of remakes and rereleases and collections helps make the old consoles obsolete. Hey, I loved the Gamecube. Metroid Prime and Super Monkey Ball were my two favorite games. But I don't need to dig it up and deal with that old console to play them anymore. I like Mega Man. I have 19 Mega Man games on this system, more than I could possibly need. I have 5 and a half 3D Mario games. I will eventually have every Pikmin game. I have my choice of every single player Final Fantasy game through 12. And even if the rest aren't available to purchase, well, I paid $50 and now I can play them for a year. I can replay my favorites and finally try out all the ones I didn't get a chance to play over the year. I never owned a WiiU. I have no need to; I already own all the best games from the system. Maybe this isn't a fair way of judging each system on its own merits, but it doesn't matter. And does that mean that, if Switch 2 has full backwards compatibility, it will automatically become the best Nintendo console from Day 1? Perhaps. And I will be perfectly happy with that. Perhaps it will be the last console I ever buy or ever need to buy.
1) This is the first handheld they made that didn't feel constrained by the hardware. I know, this place thinks it literally makes everyone's eyes bleed and all, but it is perfectly acceptable for me the vast majority of the time. There just aren't enough pixels on the GBA's screen to adequately play Metroid or Megaman. There isn't enough screen space. The DS could do 3D... sort of. In fairness, I never played a 3DS, so that one is close too. But the range of games that the Switch can do run the full range from simple arcade games to sweeping, epic adventures. Sure, it can't quite get everything, but it's close enough.
2) The hybrid nature is absolutely perfect for my current adult life. If I have time to play on the big screen, great! Or I can play in bed. Or sitting on the floor waiting for my toddler to go to sleep. Or on the couch when I have a few minutes. When I get called away, I can turn it off and then be back in the game immediately once I have time again 2 hours later. Frankly, I don't want to play stuff on anything else.
3) This is the first console since the SNES in which Mario, Zelda, AND Metroid were all great. Oh, and a cool new approach for Pokemon with Arceus. And Pikmin. And some Fire Emblems. And a 3D Kirby. And toss in Astral Chain while we're at it. I'm not 100% sure if it is their best first party offerings for me, but it's pretty close.
4) The wonderful world of indie / downloadable games. I love 2D platformers. It was frustrating for so long that they were stuck on the B team: smaller, weaker handhelds and often not with great support. Now, anyone with a passion for them can make one themselves. And back then, they were $30. Now they are $10 - $20. And if you didn't buy them ASAP back then, you had to hope to find them in a stack of used games. Now they are always available and often 60% off. Is this unique to the Switch? Of course not. But the SNES sure didn't have it. And even if other people play them on PC or PS or whatever, I play them here and I will credit it to the system.
5) The embarrassing level of riches we have in terms of the volume of games today. If I wanted to play a Metroidvania on the DS, I could play... uh... Castlevania. OK, there were some others, but you get my drift. Now I have dozens to choose from. I have dozens of tactical RPGs. I have dozens of 2D platformers. The list is seemingly endless. The number of games on the Switch that I have at least some interest in is larger than the entire libraries of many old Nintendo consoles. Is it only on Switch? No, of course not. But as I said earlier, I would much prefer to play them here than elsewhere. Someone mentioned previously that 60% of the library was trash like calculators or whatever. Even if that percentage is true, that still leaves 4000 potentially interesting games. Who has time for all of that? So who cares if 60% is trash?
6) The sheer number of remakes and rereleases and collections helps make the old consoles obsolete. Hey, I loved the Gamecube. Metroid Prime and Super Monkey Ball were my two favorite games. But I don't need to dig it up and deal with that old console to play them anymore. I like Mega Man. I have 19 Mega Man games on this system, more than I could possibly need. I have 5 and a half 3D Mario games. I will eventually have every Pikmin game. I have my choice of every single player Final Fantasy game through 12. And even if the rest aren't available to purchase, well, I paid $50 and now I can play them for a year. I can replay my favorites and finally try out all the ones I didn't get a chance to play over the year. I never owned a WiiU. I have no need to; I already own all the best games from the system. Maybe this isn't a fair way of judging each system on its own merits, but it doesn't matter. And does that mean that, if Switch 2 has full backwards compatibility, it will automatically become the best Nintendo console from Day 1? Perhaps. And I will be perfectly happy with that. Perhaps it will be the last console I ever buy or ever need to buy.
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