I'm a veteran from the original on ps2, then the freedom games on psp.
Portable means nothing to me. The quality of the experience and access to my friends is more important, which is why I'm not picking up rise. World was such a great growth in the series and everyone I know who plays MH has a ps4 or 5 now, most of whom have been playing nearly as long. Not all those people have switches, and those that do, most aren't willing to pay for another online membership for a single game, myself included.
Your comment just rings really hollow.
You sound like a lapse player who case back in World or at the very least not someone who wasn't willing to go the extra miles for this franchise like very few of us did and despite my petty gripes with Monster Hunter World I will follow the franchise where ever it goes and jump through however many hoops as I have to because this franchise to me has been a Quality Experience since the start and it has never stopped being one.
Here let me share a few tidbits on how far I went for this franchise:
- I was there 11 years ago trying to set up Xlink Kai with my WiFi setup so I can play MHFU online with other players
- I was there 10 years ago learning how to run CFW on my PSP just so I can apply a bare bones English Fan Patch to my imported copy of MHP3rd so I can hop on Ad-Hoc Party on PS3 and play with other players online
- 9 years ago I had to buy MH3U on both the Wii U and 3DS because only the console version can play online but I still wanted the portability so I got the 3DS version too, unfortunately the text size/font on the 3DS version was bad for me so I also had to buy a 3DSXL just to make the text legible for me and I imported a Circle Pad Pro+ from Japan just so I can stop using "The Claw" on the game.
- In 2015 I was fiddling around VPNs,Patches and Mods on PC because I wanted to experience Monster Hunter Frontier G
- When MH4U finally released in the West I once again went out of my way and bought the New 3DS simply because MH4U ran better on that system versus my old 3DSXL
- I already had a Switch but yeah you are correct the sole reason I pay for Nintendo Online right now has been from the start just so I can play Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate with others online
I should note than none of my gripes with World have nothing to do with the fact that's it's on console only (It's more about some design choices they made) and I don't care where the franchise ends up but I do prefer the Portable games because they allow me to put more time on the game while I'm not at home.