Talk:Nintendo Switch

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Former featured article candidateNintendo Switch is a former featured article candidate. Please view the links under Article milestones below to see why the nomination was archived. For older candidates, please check the archive.
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February 28, 2024Featured article candidateNot promoted
March 30, 2025Good article nomineeNot listed
Current status: Former featured article candidate

8th/9th gen console or 8th gen console?

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Respectfully, I'd like to point out some reasons why I think it should be mentioned as "eighth generation" rather than "eighth/ninth generation" in the infobox.

After skimming through the reference (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Switch#cite_note-1), I found only 2 sentences mentioning the Nintendo Swtich console. Which is, I quote, "The Switch has now thrived across two console generations" and "Nintendo is now so firmly marching to the beat of its own drum that it no longer aligns with either Sony or Microsoft when it comes to console launches."

As the only reference for "ninth gen", the article is not solid enough. Because the concept "generation" is more commonly used to depict "when something first appear", Like Gen Y or Gen Z. Also in Ninth generation of video game consoles, ninth gen console is defined as "began in November 2020 with the releases of Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S console family and Sony's PlayStation 5." So "thrived across two generations" does not necessarily mean we should mention it as both eighth gen and ninth gen console, same as we don't call a person that born in boomers age but lived through zoomers age a "boomer/zoomer".

The reference tooltip says "The Switch has been compared and considered to compete with consoles of both the eighth and ninth generation by sources." I think it is safe to conclude from the article to this (the tooltip), but "it's been compared and considered to compete with ninth gen" does not necessarily make it a ninth gen console. Since there haven't been any generational changes happening in the Switch family.

Considering the continuous support and upgraded models like Switch OLED, I think the Switch family is more suitable to be put as "a eighth gen game console with continuous support and constant updates." MaxHasBeenUsed (talk) 06:33, 12 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure I understand the difference you're trying to make between the designations of between "part of a generation" and "competes with others in the generation". Conceptually, I'm not following how you can assert something is competing in a generation but not part of it. Sergecross73 msg me 11:52, 12 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for your reply. That is exactly the center of the debate and I'm trying my best to make my point clear.
I made a example about how we describe generations of human. A "boomer" still in competition with "zoomers" in a job market does not make them a "boomer/zoomer". Instead we call them "remain competitive".
In the dictionary, the definition of generation is "all the living things in a group that are born or start to exist at about the same time, and are related to one that existed at an earlier point in time". The point is we tend to categorize "generation" by start time, not end time.
Moreover, If "is able to compete" is the criteria of dividing generations, then maybe we need a clearer definition of "competitive". For example a source here indicates that as of April 2024, there are approximately same amount of PS4 still in active use as PS5, recording around 60% of total play time compared to PS5. With a much lower price in second-hand market, PS4 is still a cost-effective choice for tight budget players. If we equal this "longevity" to "competitive", and "competitive" to "part of generation" we should mark PS4 as a eighth/ninth gen console as well. MaxHasBeenUsed (talk) 03:37, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
That's all reasonable, but the largest aspect is that we want to let reliable sources to tell us the bounds of what the generations are, instead of using any of these definitions of what a generation is to come up with our own organization as to what belongs in that generation. Masem (t) 04:20, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
That's fair enough. I've done some more research and turns out the debate has been happening for quite some time, and there's no definite conclusion yet. Like the source said, "Nintendo is now so firmly marching to the beat of its own drum that it no longer aligns with either Sony or Microsoft when it comes to console launches."
The reason I'm posting in the first place is that I don't think that only reference article can fully support "ninth". Maybe we can add some more references to further clear the ambiguity. MaxHasBeenUsed (talk) 01:54, 17 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
You're using the wrong definition of generation here though. We're talking about commercial products, not living things. Sergecross73 msg me 11:41, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Technically not the most accurate definition, yes. But there's also "A generation is also a group of products or machines that are all at the same stage of development". So same logic. MaxHasBeenUsed (talk) 01:44, 17 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Errr sure. But here's the problem. This is a unique situation. Everything will be discounted if we get bogged down in semantics and technicalities. There's also people who argue 8th gen is impossible, because you couldn't have 2 systems from the same company in the same generation (Wii U and Switch), because, similar to you, they argue it doesn't match the definition of a generation. Sergecross73 msg me 02:24, 17 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
For what it's worth, GFK (a company that tracks video game sales in europe) considers the Switch to be an Gen 9 console.
This article about sales in France in 2019 attests to this.(https://nielseniq.com/global/fr/insights/report/2020/gaming-2019-recul-du-ca-hardware-jeux-physiques/) "Gen8 physical equipment or games have literally plummeted, by -44% and -29% respectively, while the first Gen 9 offers are attracting and have delivered +5% for consoles and +33% for games." since it's about 2019 Gen 9 can only reffert to Nintendo Switch.
Here we have sales breackdown of consoles in France in 2020 and 2021 according to GFK (https://cedric-le-lion.imgbb.com/?page=7&seek=b218h4G) according to the table 91% of the consoles sold in France in 2021 (2057k out of 2262k) were Gen 9. We also known still from GFK that 58% of consoles sold in France in 2021 were Switch (https://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/tech-numerique/la-switch-de-nintendo-bientot-console-la-plus-vendue-de-l-histoire-en-france_797058) "More than one in two consoles sold in France in 2021 was a Switch (58%) according to Gfk."
These 2 elements show that GFK considers the Switch as a Gen 9 console
The US tracking firm (NPD/circana) don't use the numerical generation system.
As of March 2017 the clasification was:
PS4/XB1/Switch => "current gen" / PS3/360/Wii U => "Legacy" / Evrything else => "Historical". (https://web.archive.org/web/20190912125404/https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/839952513797193728)
In 2023 Circana refert to Switch as the same gen as PS5/XBS like here (https://www.tweaktown.com/news/94955/market-sales-dip-prompts-steep-playstation-and-xbox-price-discounts/index.html) "All current generation consoles experienced a double-digit percentage decline in dollar sales when compared to a year ago, with Nintendo Switch showing the sharpest drop year-on-year."
Both NPD/Circana and GFK don't clasify Switch as the same Gen as Wii U.
Imo the only options are either to clasify Switch as Gen 9 or to drop numerical generations system (this option would affect all other systems). Astral lion02 (talk) 11:27, 4 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Or we do what we have been doing, stating the Switch is considered an 8th generation console but also sometimes as a 9th generation. Masem (t) 13:06, 4 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Then add it on the ninth generation main console table then. What's stopping you? And don't say "not enough reliable sources". We're already nearly 5 years into this ninth generation. Almost all talk about current generation systems include the Switch. 130.105.183.109 (talk) 02:31, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Here's the rub - in those 5 years we have very few sources that put the Switch as a ninth gen console. We need that to be explicitly said, not just that it coexists with the PS5 and Xbox X/S. Masem (t) 04:06, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Have you ever considered that maybe, mainstream gaming media is no longer using explicit terms such as "8th/9th gen" to refer to a device? If general consensus is that they're competing directly against each other, then it's just common sense for everyone consider these devices in the same generation. Your problem is just you were leaning into the term early into the device's life, without considering that terms such as 8th/9th gen will no longer be used explicitly late into its life cycle. If you really think that the Switch is straddling the line between the 8th and 9th gen (and everyone knows the Switch is/has been competing against 9th gen consoles), then put the Switch in both the 8th and 9th gen tables. 130.105.183.209 (talk) 23:53, 23 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
There were a number of sources since the release of the Switch and the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S that suggested the console generations may be going by the wayside. Of course, PS5 and Xbox X/S have still been routinely classified as 9th gen, but the Switch still remains to have minimal sourcing to suggest its a 9th gen, stronger sourcing that it was an 8th gen. That's why we include it fully in the 8th and allude to it in the 9th. Masem (t) 00:03, 24 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Putting my MBA hat on for a moment ... Nintendo has clearly adopted a "blue ocean strategy". In a very real way, they are not competing directly against the PS5 and Xbox X/S. The Switch is far less powerful, it has a very different catalog of titles, and a very unique form factor. For that reason, many people own both a Switch and a PS5 or Xbox X/S. Conversely, few people own both a PS5 and Xbox X/S. I think this was Nintendo's big learning from the Wii/Wii U... there was success in the blue ocean the Wii occupied, but when they attempted to move closer to the red ocean where Sony and Microsoft fight... they failed. This is in contrast to say the sixth generation where we had four consoles all trying to claim space in the same red ocean marketplace. That's where the comparisons and the generations help. But with the Switch and the ninth generation, we have two consoles going head to head, and Nintendo doing Nintendo things. RickyCourtney (talk) 02:49, 24 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Or stick with the current approach, which incorporates a wide swath of reliable sources. And for the record, dropping the generation system has been attempted before, but it never gets a consensus. And rewriting it to a new organization would be a massive undertaking, difficult in both scope and editors not agreeing on how to do it. Everyone has an opinion on it, but few would actually put the work in. Sergecross73 msg me 14:49, 4 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Overall if nothing get consensus I guess it give no choice other than staying with the current organisation. Astral lion02 (talk) 18:05, 4 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
> Both NPD/Circana and GFK don't clasify Switch as the same Gen as Wii U.
Switch is considered not in the same gen as Wii U (which is gen 8), but the marketing term "next gen", widely used to promote PS5 and Xbox X (which is gen 9), is now also used to promote Switch 2. And Switch 2 is even clearer a generational successor to Switch, because of its name.
So it's like: if I'm in between of 8 and 9, what am I? Sounds like teaching a kid fraction numbers. Or: if I'm both 8 and 9 what am I. Sounds like teaching a kid quantum physics. MaxHasBeenUsed (talk) 08:26, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
We're less than a week from its full reveal. No use dwelling on this now when coverage and framing will likely drastically shift soon after. Sergecross73 msg me 10:46, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The Switch belongs to the ninth generation, because it introduces considerable changes compared to the Wii U/PS4, and starts the generation prematurely.It also happens to the 3DS in the portable branch (which was eighth generation) so the Switch is ninth.Later, PS5 and Xbox join in 2020, completing the ninth generation.Later the switch 2 is announced for 2025, thus starting the tenth generation of consoles, we also know that PS6 will be launched in 2026, which is a very close date to the launch of Switch 2. Including Switch in octave and Switch 2 in ninth, it would cause PS6 to be tenth in 2026, and Switch 3 in 2033 is tenth which would be very bad in terms of classification. Let us remember that the switch is portable and its hardware will always be 38.253.158.154 (talk) 23:40, 12 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
None of that is usable on the article. We need reliable sources, not personal theories. Sergecross73 msg me 00:53, 13 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"Switch NG" listed at Redirects for discussion

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The redirect Switch NG has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 April 20 § Switch NG until a consensus is reached. TzarN64 (talk) 20:37, 20 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Increase in price of Nintendo Switch Family Systems

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New changes were implemented by Nintendo as of August 3rd, 2025, where the prices of the Nintendo Switch 1 Family of Consoles changed along with a select amount of Nintendo Switch Accessories + amiibo™ and Alarmo™.

Nintendo Switch 2's pricing is planned to stay the same but "price adjustments may be necessary in the future."

Nintendo Switch: $299.99 USD (Old Price) -> $349.99 USD (New Price)
Nintendo Switch Lite: $199.99 USD (Old Price) -> $229.99 USD (New Price)
Nintendo Switch OLED: $349.99 USD (Old Price) -> $399.99 USD (New Price)

Source: https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/nintendo-switch-pricing-update/ Attack Jack 33 (talk) 21:17, 3 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"NS1 (video game console)" listed at Redirects for discussion

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The redirect NS1 (video game console) has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 September 21 § NS1 (video game console) until a consensus is reached. Less Unless (talk) 10:35, 21 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"NS (video game console)" listed at Redirects for discussion

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The redirect NS (video game console) has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 September 21 § NS (video game console) until a consensus is reached. Less Unless (talk) 10:36, 21 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]