In which ways did the Switch do better than the 3DS??

This isn’t a criticism, it’s more of a let’s point out some of the differences. Looking back, I see the 3DS did many things better. I know the Switch had many more games, and sold more consoles, but I like the 3DS for what it is because I personally feel more comfortable with the console’s size and form, and also some of the awesome games it has.

I like the 3DS more personally. There were more games made specifically for the platform that used its strengths, there was StreetPass which was a cool idea that is missing from Switch, access to the great DS library, and I like the 3D screen.

@girlusocrazy: I mean me too. And I don’t know exactly why. But……you gotta admit Switch sold like crazy and more people like it than the 3ds.

@outworld222: Yup. I experienced a lot of the Switch with the Wii U so it didn't hit the same for me, and the third party games on there just aren't as good as the 3rd party games on 3DS.

Not sure why the Switch did better, maybe because there was no other Nintendo system and they consolidated their TV and portable audience.

@girlusocrazy: oh I’m in complete agreement about the 3rd party games in the 3DS. They rule!

But you brought up an excellent point with the WiiU. I don’t know….i just feel very sad discussing anything to do with the WiiU. I don’t think it got the attention it deserved.

While I liked the 3DS I preferred the Switch much more. Definitely prefer the larger size of the Switch over the 3DS in both screen size and overall unit size to hold and play on. Like the more powerful hardware of the Switch as well which provided better looking games. You were finally able to actually have the console AAA game experience on the go.

@outworld222: Maybe, but it had some strong games and I liked Mario Maker a lot more on there. I think it was worth it.

I wish 3DS had a true follow up that was more compact and kept the 3D screen and dual screen setup.

Hopefully the Switch 2 won't have the same problem with me as the Switch at least where it was ports for the first 4 years, and poor quality 3rd party games that are late and more expensive.

I enjoyed the 3DS and all, but it doesn’t come close to the Switch. Other than the glasses-less 3D (which I LOVED) I can’t really think of much that I miss about playing it. My fingers would go numb trying to hold that thing. The screen resolution was terribly low. So low it was like the screen door effect folks dislike with VR, but on a handheld. That should never happen. And while the 3D was great, it would usually cause the framerate to drop in half. Thats far from ideal. The library was great at the time but the Switch has all that and more.

The Switch is a far superior experience.

@ghostofgolden: you must be excited for the second Switch!

@Archangel3371: I hear what you’re saying. Nintendo needed to have their AAA moment and they needed a proper console. Makes sense to me.

Its not better than the 3ds, gameboy color or advance. Those three systems were made to support what's made for them, while the Switch can't render 3d graphics at over 19fps.

It could be played on a tv.

@Chutebox: so true.

@hardwenzen: hmmmm interesting point.

Love the 3ds more as a handheld

Love the switch for being a hybrid and having more power

This is a hot take but for me, the 3DS was an excellent handheld at the time that felt like an actual portable Wii, I actually enjoy the 3D effect a lot without the use of 3D glasses. Plus it had a couple of pros over the Switch like free online and an actual activity log. Still, however, The Switch has by far the biggest and most diverse game library for a Nintendo console and I always prefer playing handheld mode way more and I rarely if ever play the Switch at home on dock mode.

3DS was good but to be honest and this is yet another hot take, PS Vita just blows the 3DS out of the water as Vita has better tech that was ahead of its time before the arrival of PC handhelds.

The switch was better at milking Nintendo fans then the 3DS.

@davillain: I don't understand why people would play on a tiny screen if a bigger screen was an option. Maybe if you're sharing the tv with the family. But even then, doesn't it seem weird to just be in the same room and not actually share the same experience?

I'm not trying to knock you, and it's not like I've never enjoyed a handheld, but if I have the option, I would always choose the bigger screen. But I've only played on a switch once. Is there latency while docked or something?

3DS > Switch

3DS is a dedicated handheld with games specifically made for it. Free online, great UI, neat free stuff.

Switch is a slightly more portable Wii U. I say slightly, since the battery is crap and the system is still huge.

Same games and graphics as Wii U, way more boring UI and stuff you now have to pay for which were previously free. Some useless gimmick (HD rumble) which they only promoted for the first batch of games. Wonder how much extra we pay for something useless like that.

Nintendo use the Switch to resell their previous games too much, and indie developers seem to think it's awesome to put their games on Switch with higher prices than everywhere else. Other studios put their AAA games on Switch that the Switch can't handle and thinks that's OK. Nintendo themselves now thinks games running in 15 fps is OK.

To answer the thread, I don't think the Switch did anything better other than selling more.

Other than you can play it on a tv, nothing at all.

I could fold my 3DS and stick it in my pocket and take it everywhere. My Switch I mostly play in portable mode but only around my house, too much fuss to take it with me anywhere.

Switches biggest benefit is it's library. Nintendo had issues juggling their first party support between their consoles and handhelds and third parties weren't interested in either. With Switch they've only one system to concern themselves with and because of this they're not making games for two fractured system audiences. Third parties now have a larger unified audience to make games for and are seeing larger success across the Switches unified audience. As someone mostly interested in Nintendo's first party line-up, it's nice to see one system to focus games on.

The switch is the better hardware, but I have to be honest I had more fun with the 3ds, I've got no justification for that just purely personal experience.

The Switch is more powerful and gave us access to bigger budget games. I liked the detachable joy cons, which was a fun nod back to motion controls. I liked the color combinations of the joy cons, but also the option of the pro controller. It feels like the Switch is a lot more flexible in how you choose to game. The games are also better on the Switch.

Lets not forget how the joy cons are the worst controller made for a console that the industry has ever seen. I don't even have large hands, nor dor i have sausage fingers, and that thing felt like a toy made for 1-9y olds.

The Switch is more ergonomical than the 3ds and the 3ds caused me to be absolutely blind 10 seconds. It was crazy and was related to blood circulation issue from holding it.😂

The 3DS was awesome but you gotta admit the 3D tech was divisive and affected some people by straining their eyes and giving headaches.

The Switch library pretty much dwarves the 3DS library, and at the end of the day I'll prefer the better library. Yeah people call the Switch a Wii U port machine, but ignoring the fact the Switch has a fully fleshed out library of original titles as well. The Switch has the best of both worlds, and let's not pretend everyone played Wii U titles before them coming to the Switch to justify their port complaints.

Loved (and do love) my 3DS. It got me back into Nintendo.

My Polish friend gave me for free because he doesn't like Nintendo (and then bought a Switch).

I don't like the Switch as a console. It's uncomfy on the hands, it's ugly visually. As a home console it sucks, as a handheld it sucks.

The 3DS is tailored for the hand, as is its games and thus is superior.

Overall the Switch can die.

It's hard to compare the two because the Switch is ultimately the successor to both Nintendo's handheld and, console.

But, I think it's safe to say the 3DS didn't do as well as its predecessors because we were just entering the smartphone and tablet era.

The 3DS is definitely a better portable device in many ways. Smaller so easier to stick in a pocket (though not the ideal size. GBA SP did it better). I also loved the 3D and am hoping (though not expecting) to see it again on the Switch 2. On the new 3DS especially it's great. It also had cool features like streetpass and some AR games which added nicely to the systems portable nature.

Games wise I give the nod to the switch though. I definitely have more Switch games compared to 3DS games. Both systems have many greats though.

Controls are also better on the Switch. Trying to play something like Donkey Kong Country using the slide pad on the 3DS is a pain. The dual screens were an interesting idea but rarely added much sadly. The touch screen could be very accurate for shooters though.

.....now I want a GBA SP sized handheld with a 3D screen.

Actually technically such a device mostly exists (no 3D screen) but I don't think we can talk about the company here. They're...em....a bit dodge. Some cool hardware though to their credit.

I'm with these guys.

You could carry a 3DS around in your pocket, Switch don't fit.

But, Switch is a great portable system. I can easily bring it on trips, and play games with my kids when we're killing time in the hotel room.

Nothing wrong with watching or playing on the big screens. I'm more used to small/medium screens myself. I rarely watch TV shows but I do watch them and stream them on my Android phone and for gaming wise, I game every day on PC with a 27-inch 1440p monitor. And finally, the only thing we have hooked to our 4KTV is the PS5 & Xbox Series S if me or my 2 daughters want to game on it.

Truth be told, I just like watching/streaming movies on my phone and playing my Switch in handheld mode. I know I'm weird😁

Weird? Yes! But you got millions who do the same.😮

@davillain: Haha, fair enough. I've noticed my eyes feel way less strained, and I have fewer headaches if I avoid looking at my phone too much. I'm honestly trying to will myself up to go back to a dumbphone. I'm sure that would do the trick 😁

And that’s exactly my opinion as well.

I really agree with this, too.

The 3D tech was and is decisive. But you can always turn it off by using the 3D slider. It never bothered me when the 3D becomes too much, because I do have the option of turning it off.

Ouch! That hurt!

Lots of hot takes there. But you make some solid points. A+ for effort there my friend. 👍

My biggest gripe with the 3DS was the library, now it did end up being somewhat decent but mid gen it felt kind of bare. I think I had a total of 2 games for the 3DS and eventually sold it, just another pointless mobile device I didn't need. Afterwards, of course they came out with Samus Returns which looked decent but by then, it was all said and done.

Switch by comparison I went nuts with. Initially, I only got it to play Mario Kart and Rocket League on the go, but the system was front loaded with good games, so I ended up buying many more. Not to mention, you could dock it and play on TV which is my preferred way to play anyway.

I agree that that unified console is there answer. But doesn’t switch cater to most Nintendo fans??

Yeah. Something I can’t put my finger on the 3DS is how fun it is.

to each his own. You make fair points, dock is cool. But I prefer a tv only console if I were going to play on a tv.

I think switch ability to sell the same game that is on PS4 is really underrated. While performance of those games tend to be shit it is a window for casuals to try out games normally only us gamer play.

I personally is neutral on 3DS it does its job but library was lacking. Played some 8/10 games like SMT IV, Persona Q, Etrian Odyssey, Zelda a Link between Worlds and few fire emblem but nothing that was a must buy. Really good JRPG machine though. On top of 3ds jrpg, you can play DS jrpg as well. Really irked by nintendo not selling DS games on their eshop tho.

Yeah the people that prefer the 3DS over the Switch really downplay this. By the time the 3DS came out mobile gaming was eating away at the handheld console market hence why the 3DS only sold half as many units as the DS. Game development was starting to get more expensive so making 3rd party games for just one platform especially a Nintendo platform was becoming less viable.

Outside of some Nintendo first party games the second screen at best just used as mini map or inventory screens\ which makes it look like an overrated gimmick with how some people in this post are hyping up the dual screens. Just about everything that could be done on a 3DS/DS could be done on a phone or tablet. Heck the Switch could play DS and 3DS games how they were designed if Nintendo wanted it to. I see people emulate 3DS/DS games on the Lenovo Legion Go and they simply rotate the display into portrait mode and detach the controllers. The screen is big enough to fit both dual screen images on display.

The saving grace of the Switch is that it can play home console style games which mobile phones can't do other than emulate old ones and the only other console the PS Vita did it pretty poorly.

The general public don't give a damn that they can't fit a Switch in their pockets since it is still small and light enough to slide into a small backpack or purse. The bonus of it being bigger allows it to be more powerful than it would be if it stayed pocket sized and the larger screen gives enough real estate for people to do local multiplayer sharing the device.

More or less agree on all fronts. Vita was truly done dirty but the 3DS is still incredible.

I got a "New" 3DS LL (dumb name with New) from Japan for dirt cheap recently, and hacked it since the eshop is closed. Since then my Switch has not been what I leave the house with and it's been nearly a year.

I'm a 3DS hater sorry. Most games on that platform just looked atrocious- including Nintendo's stuff. It had 1 game worth owning which was A Link Between Worlds. I can't think of a single thing it does better than Switch that really matters.

Yeah same here... loved the 3DS, but Switch is just a better system overall imo. The hybrid form factor is killer.