Is the Switch still part of the eighth generation of consoles (Wii U/PS4) or did it start the ninth?

[AuthenticM]

Determining video game generations has gotten weird. Consoles from different manufacturers used to launch all around the same time, using same-ish hardware. I think the determination of generations used to be done by taking into account both of these things: competition and hardware.

Though starting with the Wii, hardware didn't really matter anymore. The Wii was the Gamecube's official successor, but had very different hardware capabilities from those of the PS3 and 360, and yet, it was still part of the seventh generation of video games consoles, per wikipedia.

The Wii U followed the Wii. It kickstarted the eighth generation of consoles, and competed with both the PS4 and the Xbox One, despite almost being a generation of hardware behind.

Enter the Switch. The official successor to both the Wii U and 3DS, though it is still competing with the PS4 and the Xbox One. Neither wikipedia's page on the eighth generation of consoles, nor its other on the Switch mention anything about which generation of consoles the Switch is part of.

Personally, I think the Switch is still part of the current, eighth, generation of consoles. Hardware doesn't matter anymore. The Switch is still competing with the PS4 and Xbox One, and will do so for another several years, as next-gen consoles are rumored to come out anywhere between 2019 and 2021 (I'm putting my bets on 2020). The Switch is certainly starting a new era at Nintendo, with its being both a portable and home console. But I'm not seeing anything that would justify putting it in a new "generation of consoles". It doesn't feel like one. It's been mentioned before, but the Switch feels like an extension of the Wii U. Like how a butterfly is the same entity as when it was in caterpillar form. It's the same, yet different.

The Switch is basically the Wii U with its skin shed. It's what the Wii U was destined to become.

 

[UltraMagnus]

8th IMO. Switch w/PS4-XB1 tier graphcs (Tegra X3?) will be part of the ninth.

 

[jroc74]

Started the ninth.

Especially considering the sales disaster the Wii U was.

 

[Thatguy]

It probably best fits as a cutting edge next gen portable with a nice dock. I don't think Nintendo wants us thinking about CPU and GPU and RAM when defining generations, which is part of the brilliance of switch design. it's hard to really classify. Sure has great games though.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

9th

8th started in March 2011 with the 3DS

 

[Deleted member 9479]

No more generations.

 

[Deleted member 1413]

The 3DS was out pretty close to the end of the previous generation but it's part of the 8th.
As a successor to two 8th generations systems, it's likely part of the 9th.

Generations are likely to get more muddy as iterative hardware upgrades become popular.

 

[Platy]

9th because it is nintendo's 8th generation sucessor.

But generation talks stopped make sense a long time ago

 

[FiXalaS]

I dunno generations are now a mess anyway, with stop-gap hardware and Switch happening (and possibly it's iterations later) I think generations are a thing of the past now.

 

[Bandage]

It's the Switch generation.
The last of all generations.
The beginning of the Age of Switch.

 

[Deleted member 14002]

We had a thread on this. General agreement on 9th.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/so...h-and-does-it-even-matter-at-this-point.3790/

Thread was locked after 2 pages cause Admin said it didn't matter.

 

[Skittzo]

It doesn't really matter anymore, I think the idea of console gens is dead.

 

[Erevador]

Nintendo exists in a parallel dimension.

 

[LordOcidax]

Is not about what people think... Is the 9th gen. Period.

 

[Mona]

people liked to say the Wii U was part of PS4 gen, so i guess that means the Switch is PS5 gen

asmuch as people would to think otherwise, it really is just personal preference where the lines are drawn, PS4 Pro could have started the next generation for someone, its arbitrary anyway, it doesn't affect things enough to warrant investment in which is categorized as which

 

[Kingpin Rogers]

8.5. Same as PS4 Pro and XBX. Surely?

 

[casey_contra]

The Switch is still competing with the PS4 and Xbox One, and will do so for another several years, as next-gen consoles are rumored to come out anywhere between 2019 and 2021 (I'm putting my bets on 2020). The Switch is certainly starting a new era at Nintendo, with its being both a portable and home console. But I'm not seeing anything that would justify putting it in a new "generation of consoles". It doesn't feel like one. It's been mentioned before, but the Switch feels like an extension of the Wii U. Like how a butterfly is the same entity as when it was in caterpillar form. It's the same, yet different.

The Switch is basically the Wii U with its skin shed. It's what the Wii U was destined to become.

Click to shrink...

While I agree that the fact that they exist in the same market means they are technically competitors (especially because a lot of people can't afford two consoles), I do think there has been kind of a "parallel device" strategy/effect with the Switch. I think it's a much easier system to stand alongside PS4 or Xbox One. Even in terms of discussion I find most debates between Microsoft and Sony, with Nintendo on it's own island. I actually think 8.5 might be a good way to put it.

I don't think Switch sales will be drastically affected by the release of PS5/Xboxwhatever even if there isn't a major "Switch 2" or hardware revision (definitely expect one minor one though).

 

[Midas]

8th. Nintendo is just late, as always. But it's not like it matters.

 

[cw_sasuke]

It doesnt matter.

 

[Satonaka]

I would say 9th, as Nintendo consoles have always defined the beginning of a generation, starting with the NES. However, generations start to blur, and Switch releases in the same time window as Xbox One and Ps4 revisions which are not only "slim" versions but also increase power. The generational talk is starting to become a thing of the past.

 

[JayWood2010]

7th generation - Wii/X360/PS3

8th generation - WiiU/XBO/PS4

I was on a forum in the past who wanted to argue this as well, but the WiiU was the next generation of Nintendo whether people wanted to acknowledge that or not. Generations isnt about power, but in reality it doesnt actually matter what generation it falls under. I would say 9th personally.

 

[FrakEarth]

They got what.. 4 years out of Wii U? I guess more like 2 and a bit given how barren it got near the end - but that's not far off a full generation, at least as far as some legacy consoles go.

All manufacturers have kind of gone out of their way this generation to break the 'generation' paradigm. Microsoft and Sony with their stop-gap consoles, and Nintendo with it's hybrid break from the norm. All signs point to all three trying to create an architectural road map, something they can iterate on rather than renew every 4/5 years. I think we're going to see streaming come in to play again at some point too.

 

[WestEgg]

I think we won't know the answer to this until the PS5 and Xbox Gigante launch. Right now, we're kind of in this 8.5 generation with the hardware refreshes and the Switch coming out now. If consoles do become more iterative, the concept of generations may be reaching it's end. It may also be time to stop assuming all major console manufacturers are running on the same timeline, and that the concept of Generation is limiting to what products can be introduced when.

 

[AuthenticM]

We had a thread on this. General agreement on 9th.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/so...h-and-does-it-even-matter-at-this-point.3790/

Thread was locked after 2 pages cause Admin said it didn't matter.

Click to shrink...

I missed that thread. That doesn't seem like a good reason to lock a thread, though.

 

[DevilMayGuy]

They're just late to the 8th imo.

 

[ZhugeEX]

We already had this thread.

Generations are a concept. They don't mean anything and It's pointless arguing over it.