My Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and my Nintendo Switch 2 are two of the most engaging devices I own right now. As different as these two devices seem, they have more in common than you’d think.

5

They’re Both Portable Gaming Handhelds

I bought a Nintendo Switch 2 on day one, largely on a whim. I didn’t want to fight for a pre-order, nor did I want to wake up early to get one in person on launch day before they sold out. But I happened to be visiting my parents in a different corner of rural Virginia on that day, and I figured odds were good I’d be able to walk into the local Walmart at a rational hour and just buy one. That turned out to be true.

Before buying the Switch 2, my Z Fold 6 was my primary gaming handheld. I’ve written quite a bit about the type of games I think play best on a foldable phone. I keep an eye on titles to buy from the Epic Games Store. Also, NVIDIA GeForce NOW has been better than I expected as a way to keep up with games that don’t get ported to mobile. Since I often use my phone with a telescopic game controller, I’m already rather accustomed to the feel of a gaming handheld.

4

They Dock to Larger Screens

I’m a dad, and that’s a big part of the reason I wanted a Switch 2. Most of the games I want to play for other platforms are neither appealing nor appropriate for young kids. Most of the games I want for the Switch are family-friendly, so the kids can watch or join in. When docked to the TV in our living room, the Switch becomes a social experience.

I may not have docked my Z Fold 6 to our TV often for games (since I can just run the GeForce NOW app directly from the TV itself), but docking my phone to a TV is easy to do.

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For a while, connecting my phone to a massive virtual screen using AR glasses was my favorite way to game. I can also make my phone feel like a PC gaming rig by docking it to a monitor with a keyboard and mouse.

Part of the reason the Switch speaks to me more than a PlayStation or Xbox is that I am used to gaming on a handheld that you dock, and I don’t want to play all of my games in one location.

3

Both Can Prop Themselves Up

Unlike other consoles, a Switch can be taken anywhere. Even if I don’t feel like holding the console, or I want to game with someone else, I can just pop out the built-in stand and place the console on a table.

This has been something I already do with my phone. My must-have phone accessory is a cheap phone stand, and we have several of them spread throughout the house. Yet even when there isn’t a stand nearby, part of the appeal of a foldable is that it can prop itself up. I do this more often watching video or using my foldable for photography than gaming, but it’s a familiar part of how I use this device nonetheless.

2

They Work With Bluetooth Controllers

I have called the 8BitDo Pro 2 the perfect Bluetooth controller. If my phone is docked to a larger screen, that’s the controller I reach for. It has been my companion through Tell Me More and Lost Records: Blooms and Rage. I’ve also turned to it for mobile games like Figment.

When my son’s Switch came with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I found that both my son and daughter preferred this controller over the included Joy-Cons. So as a result of the Switch, we’ve gone from one of these controllers to three. When the time comes, a Pro 2 controller is there, ready to be reached for regardless of whether I’m gaming on my phone, directly through the TV, or via a Switch.

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1

They Have Digital Storefronts for Games

There are no physical stores when you’re a mobile gamer. On Android, games come from the Play Store or alternatives like the Epic Games Store. Regardless of how you feel about it, you can only buy a license to play a digital copy. Actual ownership of the game itself isn’t a thing.

Buying Nintendo games used to be an exclusively tactile experience. For years, I went to GameStop and searched the racks of used games for the best deals. Now the Nintendo eShop is an option for virtually all games and an exclusive option for many of them, particularly the indies that make up some of my favorite games. It feels remarkably similar to a mobile app store.

With so much in common, why did I see the need for a Switch 2? In addition to Nintendo’s gaming library, there’s just no other gaming platform that values couch multiplayer the way a Switch does. We can even go up to eight players in games like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart. That’s one thing that, despite their similarities, my phone just doesn’t do.