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Analyst Michael Pachter says Nintendo "isn't that smart," should drop the Switch dock and go Switch Lite only

Here we go again...
by rawmeatcowboy
23 October 2020
GN Version 5.0

Analyst Michael Pachter was one of the most prominent voices in the video game industry when it came to analysis and predictions, but he's been a tad quiet in recent years. Looks like he's aiming to change all that today with some comments that Nintendo fans are sure to see as inflammatory, if they don't outright dismiss them.

In an interview with GamingBolt, Pachter shared his thoughts about Nintendo and their success with the Switch. This is when Pachter reveals that he doesn't understand the whole vision of Switch, and thinks Nintendo should take a different route.

“I don’t really understand the whole hybrid concept. I think that was something Iwata did to differentiate the Switch, and he wanted to have a console that could go back and forth from console to portable. But I don’t think most people play it in both modes, I would say that maybe 20% of Switch owners play both modes; and I think most Switch owners play it handheld only. So I honestly don’t understand the whole point of the hybrid. Who cares? Play it as a handheld.

And Nintendo isn’t that smart, so you never know what they will do next, but I think the smart thing would be to get rid of the Switch console and only have the Switch Lite, get rid of the docking station, get rid of playing on the TV; maybe offer a Fire Stick style dongle for those who do want to play it on the TV. But I just think that a portable-only Switch makes the most sense, it’s the cheapest to make, and they could make the screen nicer and the build quality better.

I am not sure what we will see from them next generation, if there will be upgrade to processing power. They should at least put some flash memory in it so you can download some games and not have to screw around with cartridges.”

Pachter has had some hot takes in the past, and obviously this one fits right in with those. While Pachter may not understand the whole hybrid concept, it seems to have worked out quite well for Nintendo, as the platform continues to sell extremely well. Along with that, as far as we've seen, the traditional Switch has always outsold the Switch Lite, which would show that people like the flexibility that the base Switch provides them.

I always try to avoid snark and sarcasm in my posts, and I'm going to do that here as well. That said, if you'd like to hear my more colorful thoughts on these comments, I'm sure I'll have plenty to share on this weekend's podcast!

Thanks to Dondom95 for the heads up!

[Link, Link]