I think people like me could be the audience if only Nintendo lets more variety into their titles. Although, it's still too early to make any judgments on it.

Fair point. But the fact that they have Skyrim running on a Nintendo machine at all (sadly) is mind-blowing in and of itself. So I'm cautiously confident that the Switch will have variety. It won't just be 20283rd iteration of 3822nd version of Mario.

Alpheus, I think you missed my point in my earlier post. My phone and laptop, that I'm already carrying with me for my software related day job, already play good games and let me quickly surf the web. I put up with lugging around extra camera gear for my hobby when I need it, because that gear does things that the stuff I'm already carrying can't actually achieve. Sure, my phone has a "decent camera", but it in no way compares to the look and feel that can be produced on medium format film. (And it isn't nearly as fun, interesting, or relaxing to use as an all manual TLR.)

This new device doesn't even have the option of the clamshell design of my old DSlite that fit so nicely in my jacket pocket, and was easy to pull out for quick games while waiting for a bus, then snap close and put back without thinking or worrying about. It looks bigger, bulkier, and far more prone to damage. For mobile gaming purposes this seems like a huge step back to me from the standpoint of a user.

I don't see it taking off at all. AAA games are usually designed to be played in longer sessions compared to mobile games, so I don't see many AAA games being brought over to it...

Maybe nintendo will manage to carve out a niche again, but this pretty much signals Nintendo's exit from AAA-capable home consoles

@Luckless, maybe that's okay. I don't think they're targeting those who make due with what they have available to them, i.e. mobile gamers.

I think the playing with others might be a bit undervalued by some, I for one don't very much enjoy any of the mobile/tablet games, but would love to be able to easily bring a device that allows me to play quality games with or against friends when we meet up. Almost everyone has one or more friends that enjoy the occasional local multiplayer game, but doesn't own a console.

I don't think the Switch will be directly competing with PS4 or XBONE, it'll be more like the Wii.

Yeah, I'm on the side of the doubters.

To me, the form factor is just too big for the portable gaming market. And the graphics and power are probably too weak for console enthusiasts. It just doesn't seem to strongly belong anywhere. But Nintendo fans love Nintendo for their games more than their consoles I think, so we'll see how it does.

I'm not really sure how playing games on the decent laptop you're bringing along as part of your daily grind anyway is 'making do'. Making do would be pulling out the cellphone camera because you left the heavy and bulky SLR and 70-200 lens at home, and living with the results.

However if your goal is to take random quick selfies and post them online, then the phone is actually the better tool for the job than the SLR, and would not remotely be 'making do'.

But the point is: What exactly is this system, as a mobile device, really doing for me that couldn't have been done with the laptop already in my bag? Carrying a laptop around isn't exactly a unique thing in life these days after all. How is this a step up in mobile gaming from the very portable DS platform?

Depending on the type of games you want to play on your commute, its likely that the switch will offer a better experience than the average laptop -- Most people are issued a modest dual-core with mid-tier integrated graphics from their work, or have purchased similar for themselves. Its supposed to be a custom chip from nVidia, even 256 Pascal-generation shader cores would surpass those kinds of machines. If its maybe got 512 shaders running at a Ghz or more, we're talking north of a TFLop -- thats up in Xbox One/PS4 territory.

I can't say its ideal for me, and I doubt there's an outside-the-home appeal for most adults, but I can see the on-the-go appeal for the gradeschool-through-highschool demographic, and I think the move-around-the-house or play-while-my-guy-watches-the-game appeal is there for adults. If they sell the dock separately for a decent price it'd be nice to move from television-to-television, too.

The JoyCon controllers are a bit weird though -- I know they're meant to do in a pinch, but their oddly shaped, cramped, and asymmetric.

The idea isn't terrible, but again, the problem is that the graphics aren't going to measure up, plain and simple.

It does seem that the target audience has changed. The Wii U was super gimmicky, and so was the Wii in some ways. There is more of a focus on games, but it could be the two steps forward one step backwards type thing going on here. It's a wait and see game now. Does anyone know if they've released tech specs in it?

If it is me as an adult, I'd just leave it at home. Check.

If it is me as a kid, I can leave it at home and bring it to my friends or school (quietly!). Check.

If there's an electricity blackout, I can still play without having a UPS or an expensive, loud, automatic genset. Check.

Well, I guess it's great.

The spec seems to be between PS3 and PS4 or Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

IMO, if I have to look it in mobile gaming perspective, since I see this as a handheld, I never expect for a better / faster spec, but more on how I can enjoy the games with it or not, regardless of the graphics. It's like when I decide to buy PS Vita, Nintendo DS, and/or an iPad Pro, but not when I decide to buy PS3 or Xbox 360 and/or a PC.

However I'm more worried on its iteration. Again if I look at mobile gaming perspective, then it also compete directly with those mobile phones, if not PS Vita and others. Meanwhile, mobile phones iterate so freaking fast like PC components, leaving this Switch away from the spotlight over the intensive marketing of those phones, regardless of the spec. Yet, I can only see the iteration of this Switch to follow the same pattern of those gaming console does; which takes lots of years to release its next version.

The idea isn't terrible, but again, the problem is that the graphics aren't going to measure up, plain and simple.

I don't think people who play console games care about graphics as much, otherwise they would buy a PC.

It could be that Nintendo is aiming for the casual gaming market, considering that so many AAA games have in game purchases.

I am thinking of getting one, I missed the last generation of consoles because I felt the shift was to quick after I got my Xbox 360; I feel like playing console games again. Also I think it's the best looking console in a long time.