I've seen some people here and there on the internet state that Switch is overrated and not superior to the combination of 3DS and Wii U. Some go even further and say the Wii U by itself is better than Switch. Maybe some of you feel that way, but I don't understand it.

Admittedly, Switch is still Nintendo's current platform and has some life left in it. But with Switch approaching 7 years and its successor all but guaranteed to release March 2025 (or a little earlier), it is still fair to talk about this.

I love 3DS. I got mine at launch and played it far more than DS. I think the only Nintendo platform I've played more than 3DS is Switch. I even put hundreds of hours into Wii U games (largely Smash 4), and I enjoy Wii U. 

The operating systems of the 3DS and Wii U are livelier, they have backwards compatibility (you can't really fault Switch for not having it), and their online was free. Other than that, I don't really see their superiority to Switch. Maybe I can kind of understand if you liked the combo of them better than Switch or maybe if you really loved 3DS. But comparing Wii U to Switch is not that even. Switch has a lot of worthwhile games that were never on Wii U, so I can't stand the argument that most of its worthwhile games are Wii U ports.

What do you think?

The only generation that can maybe compete is GameCube + GBA. The Switch has a better overall library than those two systems but considering their short lifespans they were seriously packed. I suppose some will make the same argument for the 3DS and Wii U, but personally I was very underwhelmed by most Wii U titles.

I loved the 3Ds, I also got mine at launch, and it had a fantastic game library. It also helped that it was compatible with the regular DS games.
I didnt particularly love the WiiU, but I do think it was a bit underrated and it had a couple of great games.
I dont know who is saying these things, I can only judge based on game library, and atm im liking the Switch more in that regard because theres just so much more. But moreso, I do feel is like having both systems in 1.

As much as I liked every WiiU games I played, they were not numerous in the least and end of it's life had an anemic software output with sometimes questionable games that people still laugh at today.

It's true the Switch took most of it's important software there to port it on its sucessor but it also made them better than the WiiU could.

3DS is more difficult to debate cuz depending on what you're looking for the 3DS was a machine unlike the other handhelds I played before and I really like the library offered there.
I'd argue the Switch has surpassed it now after the whole 7 years but the 3DS nonetheless has a strong library unlike its home console counterpart.

Well, I can't play Kid Icarus Uprising on the Switch, so I guess 3DS takes it.

I enjoyed the 3DS. Didn't play or buy a Wii U. Switch is better than both of them (even when combining the 3DS and Wii U) and it's not even close imo.

Edit: okay, "It's not even close" may be a bit of an overreaction. Going back and looking at my 3DS games there were a lot of great games that I still love on there. Plus a lot of the Wii U's library ended up getting ported to Switch so it's a lot closer than I first thought but I'd still say Switch is better.

Agreed. While I haven't played more than about 10 indies on Wii U, the only steady releases for the majority of the Wii U's life were digital-only indie games that were considered mediocre at best, crappy shovelware sometimes as well.

Two of the direst times in the Wii U release schedule were Early 2013 all the way until Pikmin 3 in August and all of 2016 onward. 

Any droughts Switch has had is more if there's not enough Nintendo games you want to play or you don't care about indies or third-party ports. Switch has been more or less drought-free during its lifespan. 

Just to get it out of the way, the os for the WiiU was flipping terribly sluggish.  Even after they did a "fix" it was ridiculously slow to boot up and to load software.  I know op meant other things when the term "livelier os" was used...but the first thing that came to my mind is how slow the system works.

What I really enjoyed about the WiiU/3ds era, was the way those systems tried to build a social aspect.  The 3ds did it through personal contact with street pass, which I absolutely loved.  Being able to play through the mini games by connecting with others on a routine basis was pure genius, and genuinely fun and addictive.  It made you want to take the console with you, everywhere, because you might SP with someone.  The WiiU had Miiverse, which again was a great idea that built community...but never quite fulfilled its potential.  Having developers pop in and interact with the community was awesome, and the pictures people would draw and share were incredible.

While I really enjoyed the 3ds and the WiiU, I really believe that one hybrid unit, that can be both, is the way to go.  I rarely take the console out of the dock to play but having the option is perfect.  I'm sure there are those that mostly use it handheld and rarely play docked.  The library for the Switch is vast and has many, many great quality titles.  Yes, one could argue that the os is too bare bones...but I like how simple/streamlined and fast it is.  Probably one of my favorite things about Switch os, is the sleep ability.  Being able to hold a button and put a game to sleep, no matter where you are in a game...then pick it back up ten minutes later or a couple days later, and never skip a beat, is fantastic.

The Switch e-shop leaves a lot to be desired.  it is slow and is pretty much a disaster for finding games if you aren't sure what you are looking for.  The e-shops for WiiU and 3ds were superior, imo.

I hope they have the sense to combine the best of the 3 systems into the Switch successor, because there is a ton of good ideas that if refined and improved upon, would make for an incredible experience with the new tech and capabilities of the system.

First I want to get the more objective evidence (I most likely wont be able to get it all), then I'll talk about my preference.

• Hardware sales
  • WiiU & 3DS have sold a total of 89.5 million units
  • Switch has sold, as of VGChartz December 2023 estimate of, 136.26 million units

• Software sales
  • WiiU & 3DS have sold a total of 495.34 million games
  • Switch has sold, as of Nintendo IR information from the 6 month earnings release in 2023, 1,133.23 million games

Nintendo published software
WiiU & 3DS had 223 Nintendo published gamesSwitch has, as of 2024 announced lineup, 130 Nintendo published games

Awards
WiiU & 3DS had 16 awards (8 of the awards came from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)Switch had 15 awards (not counting Hades which gained 11 awards, and 8 awards came from  Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

Metacritic 90+ scores
WiiU & 3DS had 17 games with 90+ Metacritic scoresSwitch had 30 games with 90+ Metacritic scores

Based on this information Switch looks to be the better console compared to the WiiU & 3DS together.

Personally I really miss the applications on the 3DS home page like, Flipnote studios, 3D games, Badge Arcade, etc.
The Switch honestly needs something like that, and then it will be very close to irrefutable.
The 3DS and WiiU were backwards compatible with DS and Wii, respectively, which increased their library to some of the greatest purchased libraries of all time. 
I think that the WiiU and 3DS era of Nintendo was fantastic, and I hope Nintendo can keep the love and hype up for the next console.

Lifetime Sales Predictions 

Switch: 160 million (was 120 million, then 140 million, then 150 million)

PS5: 130 million (was 124 million)

Xbox Series X/S: 54 million (was 60 million, then 57 million)

"The way to accomplish great things, is to be indefatigable and never rest till the thing is accomplished." - Joseph Smith Jr.

After playing a hybrid system like the Switch, I cannot go back to the small 3DS screen. Shame for the loss of the double screen, but the gains surpass the losses.