The fact that the Switch is a platform where titles like Switch Sports, Just Dance, Super Mario Party, can be hits alongside traditional Nintendo experiences shows how much universal appeal the Switch has as a platform. Even games like Mario Kart and Animal Crossing work on multiple levels (hence, they're the two best selling games on the system) There's something for every type of gamer on it, and that's a big reason for its success. Like, you don't succeed at 132 million units with just core gamers or Nintendo diehards.

Switch is a wild success because it is priced affordable and has an amazing lineup. Breath, tears, Awakening, skyward, Odyssey, 3d world, wonder, Kart, two fire emblems, triangle, astral , bayo, etc, etc, etc. I own more switch games than any other Nintendo console. Super lineup with a wide variety of offerings

Pikmin 4, luigis mansion 3, etc.

I mean the Playstation and XBox sell like 160 million units (give or take) for multiple successive generations in a row, so apparently sure there are that many core gamers (not even including those who game on PC). Lots of them own a Switch. 

Nintendo just made an attractive hardware that can play "big boy" games, if the system couldn't run high end games like BOTW, DOOM, etc. it would've sank the system because 3DS even Vita type handhelds are just not that great any more. No one wants a portable that is a bite sized gaming machine really in the age of "you can get 1000 free bite size gaming experiences on your phone for free" modern age that we live in. 

Nintendo had to go upstream and make something higher end than the Vita even. Otherwise the concept of the hybrid console doesn't have enough appeal. 

Even PlayStation and Xbox don't succeed exclusively with core gamers. PlayStation was never a "Hardcore gamer" brand. It's always been a hip lifestyle entertainment brand for young adults in general. Hence, most PlayStation games focus on cinematic presentation and movie-like qualities with relatively simple game-play. Of course, doubling as multi-media players also helps as well. I mean out of the 155 million PS2s sold, how many of them were owned by "Hardcore gamers"?

I agree, the hybrid design played a big role in the Switch's success. It lets core gamers take full sized console experiences with them, and it lets casual gamers enjoy some big screen multiplayer fun with a small, portable device. And the various other games and play styles on the system gives it very broad appeal. It's very much like the Nintendo DS in that sense.

Nintendo has a certain identity and whenever they try to veer from that path, it doesn't go well for them. Their commercials are very different from the competition. Bright colors, cute characters, smiling people playing together in the living room. They should just hold on to the strength and success that they have. A monster brand like that and a clear identity are the holy grail in business.

I loved the Wii U. It was my favorite console of the three, and I owned all three. It's a shame it bombed so hard, but then, it's the consoles that don't win their gens that I usually like the most. I don't know why that is, but it tends to happen with me.

The WiiU's Ram ran at only 12.8GB/s so it was bandwidth limited.
The Xbox 360's Ram ran at 22.4GB/s.

So anything that used a ton of textures, resolution or Alpha Effects, the Xbox 360 was leagues ahead of the WiiU.


So it's a bit of a misnomer that the WiiU's ram was better than the Xbox 360 or even Playstation 3, it had more Ram, sure. But it was extremely slow.

Anyone who has used integrated graphics on a PC understands the importance of fast system Ram.

Cost.

The WiiU was already expensive due to the Gamepad.

Same reason why the Switch's storage is still tiny.

That and WiiU games weren't gigantic 100GB titles... And the WiiU's SSD was only EMMC, so it was dog slow.

It is woefully underpowered, even as a Handheld.
Hardware has moved leaps and bounds since the Switch launched... And even when the Switch launched, the Tegra X2 existed, meaning the Switch could have been 50% faster or more.

In saying that, people claim the Switch is a "Hybrid" which means as a platform, it can and will be compared to the Xbox and Playstation and not just when things are in your favour.

Most games allow you to disable motion controls anyway, I don't use it. But I also don't use the Joycons either...

Agreed. 100%.

Even if it's biggest successes in game releases were ports from the failed WiiU console. I.E. Mario Kart.
It's still had some of the best games of all time exclusively released for a console.

Plus, when has Nintendo focused on making a super powerful handheld? I think the only time they really did it was the Game Boy Advance, but only because that system was in development hell for a while.

I think this is the true appeal of the Switch. It fits into whatever gaming tastes people want. If you want to use it like a Wii, you can. If you want to use it like a Game Boy, you can. If you want to use it like a normal console, you can.

Man I hated Reggie.

Back in the GameCube days, IGN was my primary gaming news source, and Matt Cassamassina, the main GCN editor at the time, used to do a weekly interview where he'd ask Reggie a few questions. It was called Ask Reggie, and it started out with Matt asking some serious and hard-hitting questions that fans wanted answers for, like what is Nintendo planning to do for the GameCube in light of titles like GTA III coming to Xbox but not GCN, is Nintendo considering online solutions with the burgeoning popularity of Xbox Live, and what is Nintendo's answer to its consoles being perceived as "for kids."

Reggie's answers would always be this canned ass corporate speak, like, "We have Animal Crossing™ debuting in two weeks! Matt, did you know that you can now find the limited edition Platinum Edition GameCube™ at your local Best Buy? Great news, Super Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker are now apart of the Nintendo Selects line up and are in stores now!"

And let's not forget that around the same time he's talking out of his ass about winning the "core gamer" back with the Wii U, he's dodging questions about why "core games" like Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower aren't coming to American shores for the Wii. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Iwata had issues but after looking at him as a whole and how he at least gave the nod to Switch before he died, he's my fave Nintendo president. Yes, he takes some responsibility for the Wii U's failure and other issues during his tenure. But when I wanted him out during the Wii U days, I couldn't foresee Switch killing it (NX wasn't even announced yet).

Reggie has almost nothing good of note other than memes. As you said, corporate speak through and through. He dodged and deflected a lot as well. I remember when Geoff Keighley rightfully mentioned how mad people were after Nintendo's disastrous E3 2008. Reggie said that Animal Crossing: City Folk would be a great game (it ended up being considered the worst of main Animal Crossing games) and that some players would never be satisfied even if they revealed the dev cycles of the next few years. Basically, Reggie kept promising core gamers would have a lot of content, and that was largely hollow (especially during the Wii U).