First of all, the basic guess of the TC is: Software determines the hardware's type, which in itself is wrong.It's the other way around:
Hardware determines what kind of software can run on it.
Handhelds are - by definition - allowed to offer TV-play.
They dont have to, but they can if the manufacturers wishes to.
Home consoles on the other side are indirectly forbidden to offer portabillity due to some of their other key attributes like the abillity tobe "infinitly" expandable or no restriction on its size.
Switch offers the portabillity of a handheld (further on PGD = portable gaming device(s)), but is - as it is - not able to guarantee a home console's (further on SGD) features.
Examples:
You cannot make the switch a 1m³ big device and not have it impact the way you use it, just like every other PGD
You cannot make the switch have 10 high profile desktop GPUs inside of it, and not have it impact the way you use the PGD, just like every other PGD
You can make aSGD 1m³ big without it having an impact on the way you use the device.
You can make a SGD with 10 high profile desktop GPUs inside of it without it having an impact on the way you use the device.
SGD allow you to use hardware which, is not possible to use in a portable form factor (performance and/or other technologies),
relative to what's technologicaly possible at a specific moment.
Hardware which is only possible in SGD (today) will eventually be usable for PGD (future).
The games shown by the TC merely reflect the advancements in portable technology and have no impact on the definition of the switch.
And because the Switch is not a SGD, we can conclude the following:
If
Hybrid = PGD + SGD
then //substract SGD
Hybrid - SGD = PDG
Also the distribution in usage behavior does not contradict the statement that the switch is a PGD because the usage
always stays within the range of what a PGD allows you to do (Portable- and TV-play).
How an individual person allocates his time (whether it is 100% handheld, 100% tv or a mix of both) is up to that person.
Using the distribution data for the devices categorization is comparing apples to oranges.
And at last, I'd like to compare what others understand when they hear "portable" in the context of gaming devices.
My definition:
A system (computer) is portable, if it can
o be moved without real physical effort
o be moved without the help of external factors (Bag, Bagpack, car, train, bike, other people, etc.)
o be used without the need of (fundamental) external factors (no additional input device, screen, energy source, etc.)
over a limited or unlimited amount of time. (Like solar-powered devices)
Also, just to clarify... SGD dont need a external screen either. A (hard) build in one is valid too.
See...
o Arcade gaming machines (meant for arcade, but still "home" consoles, aka SGD)
o Legacy PCs where Screen, internals and keyboard were all the same, just like how handhelds are typically a 1-piece.
Last edited by GamingRabbit - on 06 August 2020Nintendo Switch:
... announced as a Home Console
... advertised as a Hybrid
... delivered as a Portable
