The reason for my question: I don't want to own obsolete hardware in 10 years. Lately most games seem to depend on a "phone home" feature, which is not really an issue for my pc because it is always connected, but a console is something I want to play always and everywhere.

I already did some searching and found that games can be played offline fine (most of them, some exceptions are there like Multiplayer and Mortal Kombat), but:

There is something like the paid Nintendo Online Account. I am not planning on having a paid account. How much of the system depends on the account?
Can I have progression in a game (let's say: one of the Zelda franchise) and will my Wife and Kids all have their own progression, without having to pay for X accounts?
People who own a Switch, let's take this to extremes, do you feel like in 20 years from now you can still do the same things on your hardware as you can do now? (No multiplayer is fine)

Also, feel free to rant about "paying is not owning", the state of the gaming industry is horrible.

edit: Thank you all for the comments! I don't post a lot, so it was kinda overwhelming :)

For clarity:

I meant I want to "buy for life" (not really "life", but, if the hardware survives you can play on pre-internet consoles forever - you can even buy more games if you can find them)
I want to buy a physical copy of the games, not download them

I've decided to go with the Nintendo DS for now (I have a DSi - this week I bought a couple of games, 2nd hand). Reasons:

I already had it
Joycons on switch. Multiple people mentioned having problems with them. I don't count on being able to buy them new in 10 years, meaning they will have to last.

Again: thank you all for the useful input!

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[–] myliltoehurts@lemm.ee 6 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Very difficult to predict the future, but my bet would be on no (to the in 20years question).

I doubt the hardware would last 20 years and eventually it'll become hard to source parts as the popularity falls off, even if you could repair it yourself. I'm sure anything with an online dependency will not work either, but offline games have a chance.

But the real question is would you want to use the switch in 20 years (or honestly, even today)? There is already a better alternative (steam deck) with a much more open platform with way more capabilities and I believe it can already emulate Nintendo games (although no first hand experience with that)

I have a switch myself and would never recommend it to anyone personally.

[–] wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

My dude, the DS Lite is 20 years old already. There's plenty of video game hardware still kicking 20 years out. The only hardware in the switch that shows any signs of wearing out over time is the analog sticks in the joycons and the rechargable batteries. Both already have replacements available and will likely continue to.

You can also play it docked, with a wired controller, if you somehow can't get generic rechargable battery replacements for it.

Hardware does not break down that fast.

[–] TwoCubed@feddit.de 1 points 9 months ago

Nah, the thermal load on the Switch components is way higher than in the old handhelds. Plus, we're living in a time where corners are cut and obsolescence is planned. The switch will never last 20 years without repairs to battery/PCB/display/etc.

[–] Petter1@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago

My 3ds will live 20 more years easily, my batch one switch as well, tho