RIP Nintendo Switch

With the Nintendo Switch 2 is on its way, my good ol' regular Switch is on its death bed (8 in console years is like 80 in people years), so I just want to take a moment to say a proper "goodbye."

Because frankly it's my favorite console of all time. Best ever, I'd probably vote PlayStation 2, for its time. Best all-time right now is probably a patiently-shopped, intelligently-crafted budget gaming PC just for the nearly infinite amount of fun and productivity, or maybe a Steam Deck.

But for its first 5 pre-Steam Deck years, it was special. The most important facet to me was having a single device play some of my favorite games at home and anywhere else. Even if they were in that first-party Nintendo niche or last-gen, that's exactly where my gaming tends to live.

These days some other pros include: an immense game library full of compilations, indie gems, 7th-generation greats, party games that compliment the hardware, and the best-overall first-party selection of any Nintendo console; and the relatively low price and ease-of-use making it very accessible.

Some cons include: hardware that was already a few years old at launch, it always lacked big-game chops; great portable PC gaming devices really changing the market (for the better); the crappy eShop; and that ugly little "Nintendo tax," basically a few extra dollars for any software purchase.

I think what I'll always remember and appreciate most about the Switch is all the "finally" moments it brought me. Finally I could play Skyrim and Diablo 3 portable, then finally I could play that same save file at home. Finally I didn't have to buy two versions of Mario Kart or Smash Bros for portable and home consoles. Finally I could have inexpensive docks for one console all around my home.

And now, finally, my Nintendo Switch can die, slowly and dustily and on my shelf, watching in pain and horror as I buy more games for my Switch 2 I won't play while ignoring the embarrassment of original Switch riches all around it.

Thank you, Nintendo Switch, you'll always be my favorite console of all time... until you aren't someday, who knows. Also you're the first console I ever played with my brand new firstborn child, which is cool.