The money saved on hardware is huge. 

Let me break down my experience (unadjusted for inflation) 

I got a 3DS at launch which was $250. Thankfully, Nintendo already course-corrected in September by slashing 3DS to $170. Hey, at least I got the Ambassador games.

I got a Wii U after the price cut and when a retailer had it $50 off. So, I got a Wii U 32 GB for $250 (no games included, but that's a great price for Wii U in 2014).

That's $500 (pre-tax) right there. Now compare that to Switch which was $300 for one hybrid system with a superior library to date than 3DS and Wii U combined. I did thankfully get an employee discount at the store I was working at during 2017 so I got Switch for about $270 pre-tax.

Many Nintendo fans such as I want to buy pretty much every new system they come out with. It was a godsend to only buy one with Switch, and the next system is all but guaranteed to be a hybrid as well.

Yeah, 3DS and Wii U did have free online. Additionally, virtually every 3DS game capped at $40, and plenty were $30 or $35. But I'll take many new releases Switch games at $60 (or at least $40-$50) over having to play on two systems. 

Yes, it's bad marketing.

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.

If you wanted Mario Kart, Monster Hunter or Smash to both play on the go or on a big screen and/or with a more comfortable controller, you had two buy two different games or two versions of the same game. For two of those games, you had to go and unlock everything twice. For MH, you had to use some janky workaround to transfer your saves.

With Switch, you get a game once, and you're good. There is no, "Do I want to be able to play it on a road trip and lunch breaks, or do I want to play on a nice big HD screen with a better controller, or do I splurge and pay $100 for both?" with the Switch.

That absolutely has effected my gaming experience.

Yeah I can't speak for the DS as I never owned one, but the Wii was a much, much better console than the Wii U. Its library was stronger and the Wiimote was a more compelling controller.

If you look at each console's library in a vacuum, then yeah, the Wii had the superior library. If you look at them in a cumulative way that works like it does in the real world, the Wii U is objectively better because it supports every single Wii disc, every single Wii input method, and gave you full access to the Wii Virtual Console and WiiWare. And then you throw the Wii U games on top.

For me, it's no contest the Switch blows the Wii U & 3DS era out of the water. During the Wii U era I remember just waiting months just for one compelling game to release, and all that talk would be surrounding that one game amongst the Nintendo community cause there was really nothing else to talk about. On Switch I feel like there are too many great games coming out too quickly all the time for my wallet to even handle lol.

To put into perspective the amount of content Switch has compared to Wii U. On my Wii U I got the basic 8GB Model and later got a 32GB SD Card, and that 32GB Card lasted me for the ENTIRE GENERATION without needing to upgrade.
On Switch I Have a 64GB Oled and first started with a 128GB SD Card, soon I needed more space so I upgraded to a 256GB Card, then til now where I now need a 512GB SD Card to fit the amount of games I have on Switch, and even that's running out of space where I might need to upgrade to a 1TB Card. It's not like Switch games are that much bigger than Wii U games either, the Switch just has so much more to play.

Comparing the Switch's library to the Wii U, there's just far more to play. Of course we got alot of sequels/ports of Wii U games like MK8DX, BOTW, Splatoon 2, Mario 3D World, Captain Toad, Hyrule Warriors & Age of Calamity, Bayonetta, Smash Ult, Mario Maker 2, Pikmin 3, NSMBU, and others. While some might discredit the Switch's library to be filled with Wii U ports, as a Wii U owner myself imo I don't neccesarily feel like they're experiences I got tired of, I enjoyed every Wii U port on Switch as much as when I first played them on the Wii U, a big part of that is the new content each port brings which makes it feel new and the fact that now I could take these full console games on the go which is amazing, letting the game be enjoyed in a new light and definitely helps fill out the gaps for me in content.

But there are also far more new experiences on Switch that were never on Wii U or vastly improved in quality compared to the Wii U's counterparts: Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade 2 & 3, I felt like the 2 Mario Parties on Switch are vastly improved compared to Mario Party 10 on Wii U, we got a traditional Kirby game along with a revolutionary 3D Kirby with Star Allies & Forgotten Land, Link's Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 3, mainline Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Mario 3D All Stars, Metroid Dread, we got Mario Golf & Strikers entries which I enjoyed, Mario Wonder, Prime Remastered, Pikmin 4, TOTK, Bayonetta 3. The game library is so good it's to the point where I really don't have anything to complain about at all, the Switch's library has fulfilled everything I wanted from Nintendo.

Another thing too is the 3rd party support which definitely helps fill out the Switch's library in between some gaps in Nintendo's releases, it always feels like there's something new to play especially with the far better 3rd party support its been getting, the best for a Nintendo system arguably since the SNES. I know a decent number of people may not care about 3rd party support on a Nintendo system since people buy the Switch for mostly the Nintendo games, but for me I absolutely love the 3rd party support since it gives me the option to play these big console 3rd party games on the go, many of them including all the features that you'd see on the PS4 version of the games which is surprising to see from a portable, it's honestly something I've never seen before. Games like Doom, Witcher 3, Fortnite, Rocket League, NBA2k, GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Apex Legends, Batman,Overwatch and many others definitely make the Switch even more appealing, as there's really something for everyone on this system now that it has good 3rd party support. I find myself buying and playing many of these 3rd party games on Switch just for it's convinience. The Wii U had zero 3rd party support after launch and even then there was no reason to buy these 3rd party games on Wii U since they offered no visual upgrade or really anything that the Xbox 360 versions didn't have.

While the 3DS was certainly better with releases, imo the games while enjoyable, just don't feel as memorable for me as the games offered on the Switch. The games on 3DS felt more like mini-handheld like experiences which are enjoyable for me as a distraction, but forgetabble compared to console like experiences for it to really compare to the Switch. A game like 3D Land, while a great game, for me feels forgetabble compared to a game like Mario Odyssey or even Mario 3D World for me. You couldn't get a Zelda BOTW experience on 3DS either. Many multiplayer games are more appealing on Switch since you don't need multiple consoles like the 3DS to play multiplayer games, just several controllers and play on the TV. Even if you do prefer handheld smaller like experiences, the Switch offers those games as well.

Just functionally on the hardware perspective too Switch is just objectively better. Leagues better than the 3DS in horsepower, but also in design, I feel like by the 2010s the 3DS's dual screen design with a resistive touch screen and low resolution just felt outdated in the age of smartphone and tablets. Same goes for the Wii U where the Gamepad just looked outdated with it's thick plastic design and again it's resistive touch panel. The Switch design felt like a true design evolution with it's sleek dark design,mat finish joycons, capacitive touch screen, embracing USB-C, and even the 720p resolution never felt outdated to me even in 2024, and in fact still looks good.
And of course the biggest thing that makes the Switch's hardware just objectively better is the ability to seemlessly play your games on the TV and on the go. This adds so much value to the Switch, now you can play handheld type games on the TV and console like games on the go and vis-versa. The convinience and versatility of it all is just so amazing which is why it might become the greatest selling console ever. Your save data from each game could now for the first time easily switch from the TV & on a portable device without needing to do any long transfers. The value of the system is so good, instead of buying a separate 3DS & Wii U which would cost around 450$ to get a handheld and console like experiences that are completely separate from each other with different library and very little connection to each other, you can just buy a hybrid like the Switch for 300$ which offers both, along with the exact same libraries and game save data whether your playing on the go or at home. It's such an amazing system just for that fact alone, you can play any game however you want on this system.
Another thing that doesn't get enough love about the Switch is how fast it is. The Wii U and 3DS were so much more sluggish to turn on and go in and out of applications, it felt outdated compared to the fast OS we were seeing from other consoles at the time like PS4 & Xbox One, even compared to smartphones and tablets which had super fast OS's. The Switch's OS is quick and now turning the system on is even quicker than the PS4 & Xbox One, making casually jumping in and out of a game so much easier.

I do wish the Switch had more features like the Wii U & 3DS had, but it doesn't outweigh how much more the Switch offers imo.

People don't experience games objectively though; entertainment is an inherently subjective thing, and by the time the Wii U came out those games were no longer fresh and new but been-there-done-that, which makes them of lesser value for most.

The Wii offered more new and exciting experiences than the Wii U did.

If SMTIV-4A and DQ7R ever get ported to Switch 2 I am selling my 3DS. I didn't like playing anything on that system. Enjoyed the Vita more as it had a nice screen and dual analog. All the SMT games on 3DS need modern ports. They are too good to be stuck on 3DS.

Loved the Wii U. Such an overlooked console at its time. There was a really glorious run of roughly 18-24 months of Nintendo exclusives on the WiiU between late 2013 with Wind Waker HD and Super Mario 3D world through 2014 with Mario Kart 8, DKC, Bayonetta 2, Smash Bros, Hyrule Warriors up through 2015 with Splatoon and Xenoblade X

Not to mention - Miiverse was the best online gaming community ever. Really positive and helpful.

I think if they had released and established the console and core titles earlier - things would be mighty different.

Is not every single big title from Wii U already on Switch at this point? (I don’t play 3DS so I have no idea how that might affect this.) Switch is arguably Nintendo’s console ever. Yes, even stronger than SNES and GameBoy combined.