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Comment by shuntress | Hacker News Reader

I think you will produce less waste by replacing a Nintendo console every ~5 years than by replacing a CPU/graphics card(maybe motherboard+ram) every ~5 years.

The switch is smaller than my current graphics card. The switch + ALL of its accessories is (rough estimate) slightly less material than what is inside my PC case. Certainly far less electronics. Most of the Switch accessories are just plastic.

edit: If the one metric you want to maximize (or minimize) is electronic waste, the ONLY device you should own is a high-end smartphone that you carefully maintain so that you can replace it only after at least triple its expected (2 year) lifetime.

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Ok, but there's a lot of accessory therefor that need to be counted. Totally true about smartphone but I have replying about buying one console for one game, if you have plenty of game, why not but for one game it's a waste for me and this model of exclusivity fail. Why I would buy the copy of an old game for the same price? come-on! I pay once, and I own the game not matter the support!

Plastic are a big waste. Most of my computers made 10 years or more, always find someone that need one, or a part that can be reused. No need for new GF every year...

I agree that with the current library of games on the Switch it functions more as a single-use device which does make it vastly more wasteful. But the expectation is that new software will be developed for it going forward.

Plus the more modular nature of the components/accessories means that it is possible (though unlikely) that upgrades for different components may be made on a module-by-module basis. Which translates to less waste overall.

In terms of computers/consoles made 10+ years ago I think the same comparisons still apply. There are plenty of old consoles still in use today. Though old consoles were certainly less modular than old PCs.

No need to replace your console either, they tend to last for ages. We still play our Game Cube and N64 regularly (as well as Wii/Wii U), so total lifetime is pretty huge. It's enjoyable to play these old systems, where a video card isn't really that interesting 5 years later.

Unfortunately not the case for a lot of us Gamecube owners. There is some weird laser alignment bug that has cropped up on mine, and others. Where it no longer plays games. Thankfully Wii plays them.

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