While I love the Switch, I think both the 3DS and the Wii U did many good things that the Switch either lost for no good reason or in order to become a more standard product.

Also, I really miss handheld gaming being more affordable than home consola gaming, with games being like 40-45 bucks at most and handheld systems being like 150 bucks (or even as low as 80).

Wii U was better in some aspect that put the Switch to shame.

Local multiplayer, TV one player and another player on the controller screen was fantastic.

Ability to backup your game saves easily to a HDD.

Call of Duty lol.

Only hardcore gamers would say that the Wii U and 3DS were better than Switch, because only they are stupid enough to make such an outrageous claim.

Thankfully, VGC is a sales website. Back in 2017 it was a regular occurence here that Wii U fanboys would bash Switch after they had predicted that Switch was destined to fail. It was their way to cope. I don't remember hearing anything from these guys after 2018 because they had been laughed out the door.

No.

Wii + DS on the other hand, completely opposite.

Great games stuck on a tiny screen with awful speakers isn't my thing. Citra, love it.

Switch is better but 3DS gave that handheld feel as the true great grandchild of the gameboy.

WiiU + 3DS can play all Wii + DS games. Wouldn't that mean that WiiU + 3DS were at least the same as the Wii + DS?

Hardware and software sales were better for Wii + DS, but the WiiU and 3DS can still play those games, and even give them a higher quality, 1080i.

I've honestly enjoyed every generation of Nintendo consoles.

The Switch is absolutely superior.
• The volume and diversity of software is greater 3DS and Wii U combined.
• The hardware and hardware interface is superior. Hybridization vs 3D and having to look down at two separate screens not in proximity of one another.
• The unified library is superior to two separate libraries.
• For me, the volume and quality of RPGs on Switch can’t be touched by Wii U and 3DS combined, even a major one like Xenoblade Chronicles X doesn’t match the hundreds of RPGs on Switch which include Final Fantasy 1-X and 12, all the Dragon Quest games (except 10 and 9… which is odd because Nintendo published 9), Xenoblade 1-3, Grandia 1 and 2, almost all of the Saga games, upcoming Suikoden 1 and 2, the Mana games, Witcher 3, and many others.
• The Switch OS is vastly superior, sleek, and without the 2-3 minutes of loading before you even get to the game selection (although, they kinda fixed that a little).
• The Switch has three indisputable killer apps, including Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8D, and Animal Crossing NH. The Wii U and 3DS didn’t have any killer apps - Mario Kart 7 was a major title, but it didn’t replace Mario Kart Wii as the definitive Mario Kart experience, although it joined it… Mario Kart 8 on Wii U failed to even do that. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Wii U took that game to an entirely different level with its additional content, additional features, and dedicated screen 12 player local multiplayer (with a WiFi connection)

And the bottom line is Switch joins NES/GB, SNES/GB, and Wii/DS as one of the four generations of growth with average annual hardware and software sales increasing over past generations. 3DS and Wii U joined GC/GBA, and N64/GBC as a period of decline for average annual hardware and software sales, as the creative directions failed to inspire as much interest in consumers.

While I personally loved the 3D on the 3DS, there is no doubt that it was the cause of mass hysteria surrounding the damage the feature could do, as well as a lot of negative reactions by people who didn’t want to see things in 3D. Overall, this hurt the 3DS. Without 3D, the 3DS library is chicken feed when compared to the bountiful feast that is the Switch. Wii U, not much more to say about it - to bring up Mario Kart 8 again, it’s a fantastic game on the Switch (and one of the three undisputed killer apps along with Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing NH) that, to reiterate, finally replaced Mario Kart Wii (and Mario Kart 7) as the new definitive Mario Kart experience.

It was such a bummer in the 8th gen when a cool game was announced and then it was like "oh, it's for 3DS" when I'd much rather play it on a big screen, in HD graphics, with a comfortable controller and proper speakers. Even when the games were good, I just wished they were on a console instead.

Plus, having to buy two separate systems just to access everything was a major pain in the arse.

And that's the beauty of the Switch unifying the two; you can play either as a console or a handheld, depending on your preference, and you don't miss out on anything.

Sure, if you look at it like that.

But if you look at it from the point of view of when it happened, there is a reason why Wii + DS sold 255+ millions, and WiiU + 3DS not even 90.