Switch Is The Longest Lasting Nintendo Console Ever
The Nintendo Switch has been hailed as one of the greatest consoles ever, potentially rescuing handheld gaming upon its 2017 debut. Its unique features have propelled it to become the third best-selling console in history, and also possibly providing Nintendo with a period of relaxation following challenging times.
The reason we say that is because the Nintendo Switch has officially become the longest-lasting Nintendo home console without a successor. Launched on March 3, 2017, it has surpassed the Famicom’s record of 2,686 days, marking 2,687 days and counting.
Importance: The Switch has been a massive success for Nintendo, which could be a major reason why it has taken them so long to put out a successor, as the hybrid console is still putting up a great fight more than seven years later, but has become outdated for newer titles.
If a successor to the Nintendo Switch isn’t released before March 1, 2025, the console will exceed 2,920 days without new hardware.
Since Nintendo’s Famicom (known as the Nintendo Entertainment System outside Japan), the intervals between console launches have generally shortened. The Wii, launched in 2006, lasted nearly six years before the Wii U was introduced. The Wii U, one of Nintendo’s biggest sales disappointments, was succeeded by the Switch after just 1,566 days.
The Nintendo Switch, being a hybrid console, has a different legacy compared to purely home or handheld consoles. Among Nintendo’s handheld devices, the original Game Boy holds the record with 4,352 days before the Game Boy Advance launched. However, the Switch surpasses the Nintendo DS, which lasted 2,288 days until the 3DS was released.
Here’s a look at the intervals between Nintendo home console launches, via VGC:
- Color TV-Game (June 1, 1977) – Famicom (July 15, 1983): 2235 days
- Famicom (July 15, 1983) – Super Famicom (Nov 21, 1990): 2686 days
- Super Famicom (Nov 21, 1990) – Nintendo 64 (June 23, 1996): 2041 days
- Nintendo 64 (June 23, 1996) – Nintendo GameCube (Sep 14, 2001): 1909 days
- Nintendo GameCube (Sep 14, 2001) – Wii (Nov 19, 2006): 1892 days
- Wii (Nov 19, 2006) – Wii U (Nov 18, 2012): 2191 days
- Wii U (Nov 18, 2012) – Nintendo Switch (March 3, 2017): 1566 days
- Nintendo Switch (March 3, 2017) – Present day (July 11, 2024): 2687 days
Nintendo announced in May that it will reveal the Switch’s successor by the end of March 2025. President Furukawa confirmed this, stating,
“We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year.”
The Switch was first announced in March 2015, making this nearly nine years of its existence.
In financial results published in May, Nintendo reported selling 141.32 million Switch units. If it meets its current year sales forecast of 13.5 million, the Switch could come close to surpassing the Nintendo DS (154 million) and PlayStation 2 (~160 million) as the best-selling console ever.
Despite being near the end of its lifecycle, the Switch’s sales performance remains robust, particularly in Japan, where sales have increased this year and it is fair to assume that the Nintendo Switch is not going away anytime soon, at least not until the successor is launched.
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