The Switch 2 release is imminent.

There are more than 150M Switch units out there. If you are planning to by a Switch 2 in the near or distant future, what do you plan to do with your older Switch unit(s)?

Will you sell you Switch for extra funds? Will you gift it to someone? Will you move it to another room in the house? Will you keep it around for multiplayer? Will you be more willing to take it outside the house once you have the Switch 2?

I will probably get the Switch 2 sometime in the next two years. I still have lots of games in my Switch backlog. I plan to play most of those games on the original Switch. The one exception so far is TOTK, which I haven't bought yet and will get the Switch 2 Edition instead. I have taken my Switch on distant trips but I could see myself carrying it around more since it is so old if it suits the situation.

How about you?

Hold onto it for a spare console to play Switch games on.
And some titles (especially some small ones) I'll just play on Switch instead of playing them on Switch 2.

We don't yet know the full picture of the Switch 2. It could have much less battery runtime and perhaps people will find the extra size awkward to carry. Maybe people will prefer the OLED screen of the original Switch. Switch 2 may suffer from poor compatibility with some Switch 1 games or even run them slower. There may still be many ways the original Switch is superior. I was just watching a video from the spawnwave channel where they stated the Switch 2 has been made hyper sensitive to any modifications this could be sensing voltage changes or attempts to disconnect the battery. It will instantly brick the firmware. These sort of software protection features make the Switch 2 less robust in operation and if it is critical the Switch 2 is never completely discharged otherwise it self-bricks then maybe the Switch 2 has more of the battery capacity reserved for safety. If the Switch 2 is basically emulating the original Switch then it won't be as stable and maybe battery runtime will be poor for original Switch games too. There are lots of reasons why some Switch 1 games may not be a good experience on Switch 2 where as of course many will be enhanced and better although you have to pay for those upgrades I guess.

I remember when the PS3 came out which initially had PS2 compatibility. Here in the UK we got a version where the PS2 graphics chip was present but the CPU was emulated of the PS2. It was a total rubbish experience compared to a proper PS2 with lots of issues and poor compatibility. There was no way I was going to get rid of my PS2 at the time. When the PS3 had enough of its own titles they abandoned PS2 compatibility and PS3's only played PS1 and PS3 titles. A similar story for original Xbox games on Xbox 360. Not all games were supported, I remember Mace Griffin never working on Xbox 360 which I enjoyed. There were other games with graphic glitches and stuttering frame rates. Some games would crash out.

Admittedly the wii u didn't seem to have issues running wii games but then it was hardware identical within the console not emulating. The Tegra X1 and T239 are very different designs both in graphics hardware and CPU, the T239 has to emulate for Switch compatibility. That could be normal emulation or writing patches that replace Tegra X1 code with T239 code. We will probably be able to guess how it works by what impact it has on battery runtime. The more it is emulating the shorter the battery runtime. The Switch games that have great battery life probably have more T239 optimised code.

I'm hanging onto it, like I do with all my old systems; just like I still got my SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, etc.

There's still a few things I wanna play on Switch 1 like Prime 4, Sonic Racing Crossworlds, Eternal Life of Goldman, and Prodeus the Elder Veil, and while I could play them on Switch 2, I don't wanna wear out my new system playing last gen games.

Probably trading in my launch day Switch but keeping my Zelda OLED.

My OG Switch from 2020 - will likely be stowed away.

My OLED Switch from 2024 - I'll be continuing using it while at work on break playing third party titles only like I've been doing.

My Switch 2 will be docked only and will only be for first party titles and exclusive third party titles on Switch 1 and 2.

With a handheld, I feel that's an even bigger thing because you're physically holding the system and it runs on a battery.

Even though there are plenty of PS4 games I play on my PS5 that don't need it, I still boot up some on my PS4 for similar reasons as you've said. My PS5 has had some issues over the years so it's a good idea to not play every single PS4 game on it. 

In a word: Storage.

The console is old, worn, but I like to have my old systems so I can recall the feel of them if I need to. I still have consoles dating back to the Vic 20.

Going to my nephew, he made 5 and already tried some games on my Switch. I know he will make good use for the next years

I keep all my consoles as part of my childhood to remind me how old I am 🤣