To me they did it right... Enough of ' master of none' Do games, and do them correctly. Mobile games should be easy enough to port if the publishers see it fit to do so, if not, then so be it.I'm guessing this is the result of the earlier launches of the Xbox One and PS4 consoles as well as the fact that many of those who wanted those consoles, likely had them by now. Not that the Switch hasn't done well, but the parameters of success listed are debatable to say the least.
Overall, I'm disappointed with the Switch and a bit frustrated because it could have been so much better with a few different decisions. The form factor and even the hardware - basically a Tegra tablet w/ JoyCons + a Dock etc..- were a great start. However, it is the software that has let me down. I was hoping that Nintendo would have gone with an Android powered OS with a Nintendo skin and their own store preloaded, allowing easy use as a convergence device and wide support. The decision to knock together their own OS was a disappointment, but I at least expected Nintendo to evolve a bit and make the most of their hardware. The Switch could have offered utility applications like browsers, e-reading apps, multimedia (the Switch pretty much begs for Kodi support given its portable and docked options), and more but Nintendo wasn't having any of it - even less support than their 3DS which offered Netflix/Hulu , picto-chat and a few other free utilities. So after all this I felt at very least the homebrew/modder/hacking community would be able to pick up the slack; to date, I've spent more money on Nintendo's Wii / U / 3DS hardware and software because they were some of the few devices that could be modded with relative ease and without risk of bans for modding (bans for cheating/hacking during online play and ruining's everyone's time were still present and I have no problem with this) Of course, as if on cue Nintendo decided to lock down the Switch more than previous consoles, doling out hardware bans for modified Switches even doing innocuous things like running homebrew or updating their systems without burning e-fuses. There is still a thriving Switch mod scene, but thanks to Nintendo's ham-fisted attempts it pretty much comes down to everyone who mods either A) staying offline all the time to avoid bans or B) getting banned and thus unable to go online to the Store, update games, buy new stuff, play online multiplayer etc - both cases meaning players have zero reason to ever purchase anything legit for the Switch ever again! Its painfully evident than the justifications for such behavior come from the "we want ALL the hypothetical money, instead of some real money" thinking, as despite the ease of modding on previous Nintendo systems most of them were massively successful!
All of this seems like a real waste to me. My overall distaste for the idea of a modern "console" aside (I see no reason for proprietary, locked down versions near-off-the-shelf hardware bound to and controlled by a middleman to the extent common), the Switch could have been a great multifuction device allowing both "tablet/utility/media/possibly Android" stuff and "Nintendo gaming", both taking advantage of hardware control and dock features. Unfortunately, Nintendo is too addicted to complete control and insistence on a $300+ single function mobile device that the current software and policy choices were made instead. Nintendo's main strengths are their first party titles and these will always be their main draw, but I hope the pressures of the changing world will encourage them to evolve a bit. I've long said that I wish Nintendo would give up on the whole console thing and instead focus on open platform development (ie PC, Android on mobile ) for software and sales of peripherals and hardware meant for use on said open platforms; I'd greatly prefer to buy Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade and more.. on Steam were they available! I've put my money up when SEGA did just this, offering Valkyria Chronicles , Yakuza, and other classic as well as brand new titles on PC! However, I feel that Nintendo is too set in their ways for the moment and that "successes" like those mentioned here, mostly based upon the software not the console itself, will justify their ongoing path. H
And so I wait. I wait for a new implementation of EmuNAND for custom Switch firmware makes it safe to split one's system into a modded emulated partition and a stock one for online play without issue; a minimum viable compromise. I wait for the surprisingly rapid development of the Yuzu (https://yuzu-emu.org/) emulator that will eventually allow near perfect play of the titles I'd very much like to enjoy from the Switch library, enhanced in all the ways an emulator can do so on a beefy PC. Or I wait for Nintendo to change their draconian policies and expand to open platforms... but while I wait, I find myself not purchasing content from Nintendo that I would do so under other circumstances. I'm sure some will just say "well, Nintendo doesn't need you etc...", but I'm far from the only one, and much like their freak-out after the slump of the WiiU, they should learn that refusing to change their ways and insist that a few first party titles or exclusives cannot solely sustain a platform.
The one thing coming is game streaming, already in use in japan reportedly to good results.. so in some ways they are ahead there.. again focus on games, forget everything else, as its going to come out half assed most likely.