That’s right, for hardware that’s now eight years old and never got a price discount. It currently sells for C$400 – but they’re about to jack the price.

There are Android tablets that are much cheaper than the Switch, more powerful, more battery efficient. Also, play games better.

Yet, Nintendo is jacking the price.

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[–] 4 points 1 year ago (26 children)

There are Android tablets that are much cheaper than the Switch, more powerful, more battery efficient. Also, play games better.

You're not really suggesting that playing mediocre android games on a touchscreen tablet is the same market as a handheld gaming device with controllers

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 year ago* (25 children)

    No, I’m suggesting that it’s 2025—not 2017 anymore.

    Android gaming is now very good, with many excellent titles available at an affordable price.

    What’s more, you can play them very easily with an actual controller.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    What android games would you suggest?

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  • [–] [S] 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Genshin Impact, GRID Autosport, Pascal’s Wager, Sky: Children of the Light, The Banner Saga Trilogy.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    There is also dead cells, slay the spire, monster train, disable immortal, etc.

    However, those are also all playable on switch too. Technically you can emulate the switch on android, but I think this brings up the biggest flaw in gaming on android; you're either emulating or streaming for most good games.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (19 children)

    Android has a couple high-profile indie games like Stardew Valley and some rare ports of older games, that's it. I wouldn't call it very good. and unless you're willing to shell out $150+ for a great telescopic controller there's no way playing on the tablet would be comfortable.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (11 children)

    The OP is really blowing smoke up Android's ass when it comes to the quality of native Android games. Most "top" mobile games are freemium crap riddled with microtransactions.

    What it does have, however, is emulators. Including one for the Switch itself. Paying $350 for decade-old hardware and $80 for games is just bad value compared to a $300 used S21 and $0 games.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    If we're going by piracy logic then you can buy a $200 used Switch and hack it to download games for free. I genuinely don't think a phone or tablet would ever be a good experience. nobody is going to play with touch controls, it doesn't let you play games on the TV, the emulator has compatibility issues and bugs, not to mention how most phones throttle hard when they get warm. I'm not buying this discussion at all.

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  • [–] [S] -4 points 1 year ago (9 children)

    Take a look at GRID Legends Mobile and tell me what on the original Switch looks better than this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItnOLA7-Er4

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    Oh, there's no doubt about that. I'm not disagreeing that Android has some good-looking games. The problem is that games like GRID Legends Mobile are the exception, not the rule.

    The Switch is crap, yes.
    The Play Store is also overwhelmingly crap, though.

    If you exclude all of the mobile games from both stores, the Switch simply has a better catalog of games.

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  • [–] [S] 0 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    Let's be real.

    Android's problem isn't lack of good games. Nor is it performance of hardware. It's discoverability.

    But really, that's also the problem of every storefront. Steam too has a lot of legendary games. But they're also hard to find because shitty asset flips are so abundant.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago*

    Yeah, I agree with you on that.

    If discoverability was better, I'm sure Android would get way more ports of good games. With the way it is right now with shovelware and Google pushing microtransaction-riddled crap over one time purchase games, though, it's treated as a second-class platform because it's not nearly as profitable as other platforms.

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  • [+] 2 points 1 year ago (6 children)
  • [–] [S] -1 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    No, you just suck at finding good Android games.

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  • [+] 1 point 1 year ago (5 children)
  • [–] [S] 0 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t a fair comparison since the original Switch never had it. We’re comparing the original Switch to Android, not PC or PS5 to Android.

    The problem with demanding exact "equivalents" is that it feels dismissive—like you’re rejecting games without giving them a real chance. Instead of chasing direct counterparts, focus on finding great games that stand on their own merits.

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  • [+] 1 point 1 year ago (4 children)
  • [–] [S] 0 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    I’ve already mentioned several games and even shared footage of a well-known title that outperforms everything on the original Switch.

    Yet, you’re still asking for a direct 1:1 equivalent. Games are creative works—not interchangeable commodities.

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  • [+] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)
  • [–] [S] 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    You’re literally making vague, empty demands and acting like I’m failing you. 😂

    Until you can actually put words to what “caliber” means—like “this game needs that feature”—your whole argument is just entitled whining dressed up as critique.

    Try again when you have a point. Until then, it’s just hot air.

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  • [+] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)
  • [–] [S] 0 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I’ve seen this act before—you come in dismissing everything based on vague, shifting criteria you refuse to define. Why? Because it lets you move the goalposts whenever the facts don’t fit your narrative.

    Until you actually lay out concrete criteria instead of hiding behind empty words, all you’re doing is wasting oxygen with hot air.

    Try not to trip over your own excuses next time.

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  • [–] [S] -5 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    Wrong-o. Android has Genshin Impact, GRID Autosport, Pascal’s Wager, Sky: Children of the Light, The Banner Saga Trilogy.

    And they outperform the Switch with hardware that’s less expensive.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    Android has Genshin Impact, GRID Autosport, Pascal’s Wager, Sky: Children of the Light, The Banner Saga Trilogy.

    ...So basically mediocre Android games and rare ports of older games. Nobody is buying a handheld console to play these.

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  • [+] [S] -13 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Buddy, you’re completely out of touch with reality.

    The Android gaming market is leagues larger than Nintendo’s—and it’s not even close.

    Better games, better hardware than the original Switch. Other than first party titles, there’s no reason nowadays to buy an eight-year-old Switch.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    You're comparing apples to oranges.

    The mobile gaming market is leagues larger than every other market combined. That doesn't mean the games are even remotely comparable to console games.

    It's an entirely different target audience. Mobile games are focused on quick sessions and design patterns designed to encourage spending money on microtransactions. Games made for the traditional gaming market are mostly designed for longer play sessions with more mechanically complex gameplay. I as well as many others prefer the latter.

    Nintendo's store is full of shovelware, but at least you'll find more traditional games than just ports of indie hits. Or, buy a Steam Deck and enjoy something better than both.

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  • [–] [S] -5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    To me, this is one of the funniest things in gaming culture right now.

    I mean, have you looked closely at most Nintendo releases lately? They often feel like glorified indie games. They just happen to have big-budget marketing that indie developers lack.

    Meanwhile, people act like Nintendo is some untouchable giant of innovation. Let’s be real: when was the last time a Mario game genuinely pushed boundaries? Nowadays, most releases are cash grabs riding on nostalgia and brand recognition.

    No one, and I mean no one, is out here mistaking Mario Kart World for a visually groundbreaking, ambitious masterpiece like Black Myth: Wukong.

    Maybe instead of throwing shade at indie devs, you should appreciate that indies often deliver fresh, daring experiences Nintendo no longer risks taking.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

    Which part of my comment was denigrating indie devs? Indie games are great. Android gaming is currently not.

    If I'm looking for a good non-mobile game, I don't go looking in the mobile game store. I go looking on PSN or PC, where the focus is on the kind of game that wasn't designed as a phone-first experience.

    The fact that Android has some good traditional games or ports of indie gems isn't something inherent to Android. The overwhelming majority of those games were on PC or console first.

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  • [–] [S] -1 points 1 year ago*

    Android doesn't just have ports of good indie games, it's got lots of indie games that originated on mobile first -- only later ported to console or PC.

    Examples: Alto’s Adventure, Monument Valley, Endurance, Désiré.

    If you're unaware of these games, it's not because Android as a platform sucks for gaming. It's because discoverability is simply bad.

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