Switch - 8th gen or 9th gen?

[NightmareFarm]

This console released smack in the middle of the 8th gen and 9th gen launch. Which begs the question, which generation does the switch belong to?  

I've gone back and forth with this matter but I think i'll go with 8th gen actually. Why? The 8th gen zeitgeist is still in effect and 9th gen won't takeover until the shortage ends and we get frequent next gen exclusives. By that time the Switch 2 will probably be out or at least be revealed to the public. The Switch on the other hand has coexisted for half a decade with 8th gen consoles.

The argument people use for the switch being 9th gen is that it can't be since the Wii U is 8th gen but I would say the generational anchors are PS and Xbox since they are more relevant to gaming and both release at the same time every 7 years. Both the Wii U and the Switch are 8th gen. If anything I would say the Switch is the TRUE 8th gen entry since it is actually relevant and has power that rivals the other 8th gen consoles. It also coexisted with them longer, the Wii U only co-existed with them for 3 years, the Switch 5. The Wii U is more like a faux-8th gen console, a prototype Switch if you will.

[Grungie]

Console generations have nothing to do with anyone’s opinion on relevancy. It’s all based off of a mix of timing and, to an extent, technology.

If you look at other console generations, there’s definitely some big gaps between releases of consoles within the same generation

Handhelds also follow a staggered release schedule as well. So the Switch is just as much a successor to the 3DS as it was the Wii U, and came out at the time the 3DS was going to be replaced at.

[NightmareFarm]

3 hours ago, Grungie said:

Console generations have nothing to do with anyone’s opinion on relevancy. It’s all based off of a mix of timing and, to an extent, technology.

If you look at other console generations, there’s definitely some big gaps between releases of consoles within the same generation

Handhelds also follow a staggered release schedule as well. So the Switch is just as much a successor to the 3DS as it was the Wii U, and came out at the time the 3DS was going to be replaced at.

 

> It’s all based off of a mix of timing and, to an extent, technology.

Then what generation do you think it is

[Grungie]

4 hours ago, NightmareFarm said:

 

> It’s all based off of a mix of timing and, to an extent, technology.

Then what generation do you think it is

Hard to say, because it’s a hybrid. As a home console, the timing is weird, but as a handheld, it’d be 9th gen, as the 3DS is 8th gen.

[Empire]

It’s 8th gen because it was manufactured during the 8th generation of consoles and has 8th gen hardware. It was just to replace the terrible Wii U and Nintendo made it clear from the outset that this wasn’t a next gen console

[killamch89]

On 6/10/2022 at 6:19 AM, Empire said:

It’s 8th gen because it was manufactured during the 8th generation of consoles and has 8th gen hardware. It was just to replace the terrible Wii U and Nintendo made it clear from the outset that this wasn’t a next gen console

Your answer makes the most sense quit frankly because I do remember Nintendo saying that. The Switch is its own thing.

[Aniekwe]

It should be the 8th generation because the 8th gen console kicked off in 2012 where we have the Wii U that came out in 2012, PS4 in 2013, Xbox One for 2013 and finally Nintendo Switch that came out in 2017.