This. The SNES is almost impossible to beat. The quality control (Nintendo seal of quality) was so good that even any unkown third party game is average at worst. On Switch you already have tons of shitty indie games besides many great games.

Wii U
3DS
GameCube
Wii
N64

All of them.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Nintendo's consoles, so as of now it has only overtaken the Wii u. However, i'm under no illusion that it can't eventually surpass even the mighty N64, once all is said and done.
My order:- 1. N64
2. Wii
3. GC
4. 3DS
5. Switch
6. Wii u.

(Didn't own SNES, NES, GB/A or DS, just borrowed the handhelds for pokemon really.)

None of them, for me. I like the Switch and I would like it more if I bought a few more games for it, but as things stand I buy any multi-platform titles on the PS4 if I can. Compared to other Nintendo systems it still feels lacking to me, except the Virtual Boy of course or the Pokemon Mini or other obscure consoles they have released over the years. This is going to be a subjective opinion based on my personal use and enjoyment of the console though, if I just look at the sheer number of games I could potentially get on Switch, then it's hard to deny that it's at least competing for the best console that Nintendo have ever had.

But as for my personal enjoyment, I like Mario Odyssey, it's on par with 3D World and Sunshine for me. It does have the best iteration of Smash Bros, in my opinion, so that's something. But then I don't care for Splatoon, I already played Mario Kart 8 for hundreds of hours on Wii U so I won't play the Switch version, technically it's probably slightly better on Switch but that does nothing for me. Tropical Freeze is in the same position and so is Captain Toad. The Final Fantasy games would be a huge thing for me, but I already own all those titles elsewhere. I do really want that version of FFXII and if Square won't update the PS4 port then I might end up getting it on Switch, since it is one of my favourite games ever it could really change my opinion of the console. Just thinking of owning a portable version of FFXII is incredibly exciting for me and I always wanted the PSP or Vita to get it. Now the Switch has it and it's hard to resist buying it right now.

Breath of the Wild is falling as time goes on, what was a solid 7/10 game for me at launch is now a 5/10. At this point I might play the first Zelda game over BotW just because it's a shorter game, I rate them about the same though. The Wii U has the ability to play Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Minish Cap and A Link to the Past, all of which I vastly prefer. It also has Zelda 1,2, the DS games and even Breath of the Wild, but since I don't own it on Wii U that doesn't really matter. Those Zelda games really give the Wii U a boost in my eyes, it's true that they are all just older games, but unlike Mario Kart or Tropical Freeze, I will play these games over and over on any system. The Wii U is a Zelda machine for me and that alone really makes it stand above the Switch.

I do like Kirby and Yoshi on Switch but they are both no better than previous instalments. The Switch is home to my favourite version of Phantasy Star though, that's pretty good going in my books, in fact the Sega Ages titles have impressed me so far, except for Sonic which was done better on older consoles. The NES games on the online service are nice but most of them are on Wii, Wii U, 3DS and of course the NES, but I'd say it's one of the higher points for the Switch right now.

The Switch does have one big thing going for it in terms of the actual hardware and that is the hybrid nature of the console. That is a really nice concept, it's just a shame that since release I have barely played my Switch. It should be my favourite Nintendo console ever and maybe it will be eventually, but I can't call it that right now.

Metroid Prime 4, Pikmin 4, Luigi's Mansion 3, Link's Awakening and other future games could help the Switch surpass other Nintendo consoles in my eyes, or just get a good port of FFVIII and it'll automatically get promoted to top 5 consoles ever. Well, top 6 really, PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP and Vita already play FFVIII but if the Switch got a slightly enhanced definitive version of the game, then it'd probably just be the best console ever and I'd even buy the limited edition FFVIII Switch model just to cry tears of pure joy at such a magnificent piece of technology.

As far as home consoles go (for Nintendo) the SNES is still unsurpassed. Its also behind the N64, but it the switch beats every other console. So far, the switch is at a good pace to beat the N64 if it can continue retain value in its yearly lineup. Right now, the switch stands beside the SNES because the SNES had the best mix of first and third party, much like the N64 (to a lesser extent). The switch has some multiplats, but not enough because I see my Switch as the companion to my PS4 and almost never dock it. I keep it in my bag as if it were a DS or a PSP.

It will never surpass NES because of nostalgia.

But otherwise it is the best Nintendo system allready, loads of good games if you can accept that there are good eShop only games.


As a side note: I constantly can hear the music from a NES game, I rarely can recall the music from any other game except for Amiga and C64. That is a testiment to the impact NES has had on me.

Home Consoles I own - NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, Switch
Handhelds I own - GB, GBA, DS, 3DS, Switch ;)

My order - N64 > Gamecube > GBA > SNES > NES > DS > Switch > GB > 3DS > Wii > Wii U

I do not compare handheld consoles to home consoles so this is hard for me. As a handheld, it has surpassed Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and 3DS. It has not surpassed DS.

As far as home consoles, I have no idea how to rank it so I will not try. I favor N.E.S., Wii, and Super Nintendo over Switch. But again, that is not by any means, a comparison of the console's library or features; rather, my preference. I do not know how to compare Switch to Nintendo's home consoles. This topic has really made me think about things.

I think of consoles more in tiers.
Top Tier: SNES, Wii, DS, Switch
Medium Tier: NES, 3DS, Gameboy, GBA
Low Tier: Wii U, N64
Irrelevant Tier: Gamecube, Virtual Boy

But I also think of Nintendo in terms of historical eras (excuse my slight Eurocentrism):
Classical Age: NES/early SNES - The era which Nintendo really built its foundations as an innovative video game giant which focused on simplicity and intuitiveness of interface, in the NA and Japanese markets, like the PAX-Nintendorama because there was no competition.

Golden Age: SNES (especially the final years of the 16-bit era), the software really began to blossom in this era. In this era, Nintendo saw innovation that led to the sort pre-rendered graphics that would define the 32-bit PSX era. DKC was a major break-through in the video game industry. Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War, Dragon Quest 5, and Terranigma all showed the potential of what a game could be.

The Dark Ages: N64-Gamecube - Nintendo lost their way. The N64, while innovative had hardly a simple or intuitive approach outside of the analog stick. The controllers on the N64 broke easily from wear-and-tear, the system required a number of add-ons for the full experience, and the games were double to triple the price of the competition. Additionally, they were arrogant enough to create a "Dream Team" which was a select number of devs with special treatment. In the meantime, ignoring the requests of their other loyal partners like Square. Then during Gamecube times, made their least innovative console, and was home to hand-me-down ports of PS2s driest third party Ubisoft/EA non-exclusives. Nintendo lost the majority of their home console fans in this time. Like the dark ages that spanned Western Europe, it wasn't all dark, Ocarina of Time could be said to be like the Charlemagne of Nintendo, a nice small period of greatness.

Middle Ages: GB/GBA - while we didn't play much N64/Gamecube, GB and GBA saw remarkable growth at the same time. If this period marks N64 and Gamecube as France and England, and PSX is like Golden Age Spain/Iberia during the same period, then GB/GBA is like Venice/Genovese/Hanseatic Europe, or perhaps even the Byzantine Empire. This was a thriving and growing era for Nintendo, what kept them afloat while their main pillar of home console game collapsed. These fans were also largely the ones who clickstarted the next era of Nintendo.

Renaissance: Wii/DS era - Nintendo regained their way with high innovation and a focus on intuitive simple controls. Touchscreens, motion controls, and the remote control method. This saw an explosion in Nintendo's success. It also resulted in development creativity (Games like Little King's Story, Forever Blue/Endless Ocean, Trauma Center, Professor Layton, Zack and Wiki, IR 3rd person shooters like RE4 Wii, Scarface Wii, Godfather Wii, No More Heroes, Wii Sports, Mario Galaxy, etc...) on levels not seen since the Classical Era on the NES. This was Nintendo back to form in a real way. Another early sign in this era wqas the rise of indie devs working on Nintendo consoles, but the time wasn't quite there... and then...

Second Dark Ages: Wii U/3DS era - Nintendo again lost their way, going with a much more complex controller (the Wii U Gamepad) which no one really seemed to know how to use (stuff on the controller, but then how do I look at the controller screen and TV screen at the same time? Hold it in front of me?), they hadn't had the right idea yet (the Switch) and so created a more powerful DS with 3D, which caused a tremendous decline - not helped with the Mongol Invasion of smart devices who were doing what DS did, except better and in a more useful way. The Wii U was a disaster, slow, clunky, and weak. It was as though Nintendo had been hit by the Great Plague (similar to that of the mid-17th century).

Modern era: Switch - Nintendo went back to the Wii, and made a console that was a proper successor to it. Two joycons which replaced the Wii remote and nunchuck. The Joycons were more advanced, and also added some more inputs without feeling more complicated than the Wii remote and nunchuck. It was like the proper SNES to the NES as Switch is to the Wii. Third parties flocked back, and so did the indie devs, only thanks to Steam, their numbers were FAR larger than they were when Wii began to close shop about 5 years earlier. Today, the Switch enjoys a higher amount of new games, and higher quality games than any Nintendo console has ever received in its history. While us as players have only had it for a couple of years, the greatest library of quality games is already available now on the Switch console; and soon it will have the largest library of any Nintendo console of all time, probably by the end of this year.

Ha! This was a creative post and I liked it. I do gotta question the disliking of the GameCube though. It had a larger library of quality exclusives than Wii, and way better 3rd party support. 3rd party developers mostly abandoned the Wii for the 360, and PS3. Meanwhile GameCube still got all those games that were released to all three major consoles simultaneously. Games like Soul Caliber 2, X-Men Legends, MK: Deadly Alliance, Prince of Persia, Timesplitters Future Perfect, Hitman 2, and the Sims. 

 I wouldn't quite include 3DS as part of the 2nd dark ages. Not unless we are going to count PS3 as some sort of dire dark ages for Sony. PS2, and DS were just juggernauts that weren't going to be touched by their sequel consoles. 3DS should have been launched as 2DS XL model for $180, instead of that damned teeny tiny $250 launch model 3DS. Just like how Sony should have dropped the damned Blu-Ray player and launched a $400 PS3. 

Otherwise though, I think you nailed this.