WIRED’s review of the Nintendo Switch captured something the gaming industry had been circling for years: people don’t want a console tied to their living room. They want one that follows them around without feeling like a compromise. The Switch managed to pull that off with a design that looks almost casual – like it isn’t aware it just solved a decade-old portability problem.
The magic is in how simple it feels. Dock it, undock it, keep playing. No ceremony, no complexity. Just continuity. It’s a good reminder that innovation isn’t always a leap; sometimes it’s the removal of friction you didn’t realize was limiting you.
The Switch also taps into something bigger: technology that adapts to life instead of the other way around. When a device fits effortlessly into your routine, it doesn’t feel like a gadget. It feels like an option you always had.
If mobility is becoming the baseline expectation, what other “stationary” experiences are waiting for their Switch moment? And how long before we start expecting this level of flexibility everywhere?
Related article: Wired
