Nintendo Switch Has Overtaken 3DS Lifetime Sales In Just Four Years

Obligatory fix Joycon comment.

Nintendo sold as many units in the holidays than sold between March and September which was peak pandemic. Let that sink in

My family has a Switch and Switch Lite and we’ll be buying another Switch in the next month or 2. By far one of my favorite consoles of all time.

@Abeedo Let's let that whole line of thought just..... Drift away.

😎

Well I guess it will have overtaken the GBA lifetime sales (ca 81mio) by the next report then. I'm sure it will surpass the Wii (but probably not the DS)

Well this is impressive to be honest, and I wonder how much more it can sell as Nintendo likely won't be replacing the console any time soon

Wow. The part that resonates with me is that the Switch Lite sales are almost as high as the Wii U sales.

Nay sayer : But, but ....Switch is just a lazy port machine, lack of AAA Western games, underpowered machine, $60 price tag, no 60 fps 1080 p for every games, blah blah blah....
It cannot be...!!
This might be a witchcraft !!

Amazing console, probably my second favourite ever, only the SNES supersedes it for me.
Hopefully Nintendo will keep the momentum up and announce a few more big titles soon as after Pokemon Snap in April there’s pretty much nothing on the release schedule.

It doesn't feel like Nintendo will replace the switch anytime soon, not with those projection numbers at least, which I really appreciate. I wanna see how far the little switch will go, how many impossible ports it will get, will it ever receive themes support? Will it ever receive an updated look for the basic looking OS? New features? more first party games?

Wait

The switch is the fastest selling console of all time?!

That’s a lot of
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
And
£££££
And more

.......
.

The key for Nintendo is going to be keeping this momentum going into the next year and beyond. If you look at the Wii on that graph you can see how it was doing brilliantly up until around month 50 so 4 years in but then it started to tail off quite sharply in year 5, whereas the PS1 and PS2 continued climbing at the same point in their lifetimes.

In March Monster Hunter will no doubt be a big success particularly in Japan, but I do worry that there isn't really a lot on the slate for the rest of this year, but we are still early on to be fair.

From Nintendo, we have Super Mario 3D World due next week and Pokemenon Snap in April which might be a surprise hit.

After that though? Maybe BOTW2 by the end of the year? I'd love to see the rumoured Zelda remasters ported like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword would be brilliant.

What else could there be though and will Covid have ruined the momentum?

You’d think this would convince Nintendo to increase their game output to live up to the hype of all of their teams working on the same platform instead of it only being marginally better than their Wii U output. Why aren’t they using the eshop to release more smaller scope games, they have a ton of franchises that would benefit from that.
@ Morph
New Super Mario Bros Wii caused console shortages to happen again 3 years after launch yet Nintendo didn’t try to capitalize on this they just thought they could use it to sell Wii U in 2012.

As a dyed in the wool pc gamer, Switch was the first console I've owned. There really is something magical about it. They nailed the form factor and are promoting a lot of interesting games that you won't find elsewhere, but the biggest thing for me is they made gaming fun again.

@Tantani Not quite - the DS did better

The failure of the Wii U probably meant we got the Switch sooner than we would have, but it also means we’ve had repeats of certain series like Mario Kart, SMB and Pikmin, which are the top first party franchises for me personally. So in many ways the Wii U was more exciting to me despite its market performance.

@SalvorHardin They are selling so fast there's no need to produce more games. And the eshop is already overflowing with smaller games.

And it took only 4 years to do the lifetime sales....

@SalvorHardin I wonder if Nintendo is maybe going back to the N64 model of "quality over quantity" I hope they've started taking their time again to make their games perfect (unlike half finished games like Super Mario Party) and unlike with N64 there will be plenty of third party and independent releases to fill the gaps.

I would like to see them buy up more developers or expand though so they could work at a faster pace than they have been, especially as Covid will likely have slowed development down too. People should be more understanding about that. We can't expect business as usual during a pandemic and from what I've heard Nintendo really wasn't setup well for home working.

@Anti-Matter Switchcraft?

@Tantani I think it's only behind the DS, but as far as home consoles go yeah...crazy isn't it?

It's really incredible how well Switch has done. Imagine how much more they could have done with a larger release schedule...

Another thing: all this sales success and they can’t be bothered to pay someone to regularly update the SNES/NES apps like they were sort of doing well before they hit 80 million? How does exceeded sales expectations then mean fewer updates to those apps? Only Nintendo!

Talking point fodder right here

@SalvorHardin Yep, where’s Pullblox (Pushmo) for example? Even a Pullblox World port would be fine with me. Give us more smaller eShop games, Nintendo. Oh and the big AAA’s, too! 😉

But you have to count the 3DS double, because is has two Screens.
And if you count the backwards Compatibility you have to count it as three Systems!

This is why a "Switch Pro" is pointless and not needed, a bunch of hardcore gamers might want it but everyone else clearly couldn't care less. A "Switch Pro" can't fix the problems the Switch has without making it a whole new thing what will split the playerbase.

The Switch Lite is the handheld console I have dreamed of my whole life. Console gaming in my hands. F*cking brilliant.

@Morph @The_Pixel_King @Rob3008 Yes, we're in a health pandemic and people should be more understanding that that will effect Nintendo's development schedule and will continue to do so. We've already heard how it delayed the Year of Mario releases and cancelled a planned Super Mario Bros 2 theme of Mario Maker 2. From what I read they weren't really well setup for home working either and still pretty much worked as they did in the 90s, using fax machines for things etc. :-/

Justified. The Switch is incredible. It dragged me back into gaming after over 15 years away. That and being off work for a couple of months. And I'm playing a whole world of things I never even knew about this time last year.

The Wii in 4 years of its lifetime had THREE (3) unique mainline Mario games! No Mario needed, I guess.

(Yes, the Switch will be getting its third mainline Mario game soon, but only one is entirely unique to the system.)

@Kinpatsu Same here and the funny thing is that I didn't even think I'd like something so "last-gen" when I cared a lot about specs.

@Clyde_Radcliffe I was referring to smaller, first-party eShop exclusives from Nintendo. Something we (well, I) needed before the pandemic started.

@NGNYS Worth noting its hard as hell to buy a PS5 or Series X right now and that the PS4 has got all the sales it can really get now. If the Switch had launched along side the PS4 and X1 it may have suffered, Switch came out at the right time and place and had one of the best games ever along side it plus last year it was the perfect console for Covid life and had the best game for it in Animal Crossing. The Switch could very well reach 100m but trying to downplay the PS4 to boast about it as well as ignoring context like time and place and covid just implies you're a fanboy.

Now the Switch will need to exceed combined 3DS and Wii U lifetime sales, and it would have well and truly kicked last generation's butt.

@The_Pixel_King Not first party but they published some like Part Time UFO, The Stretchers and Good Job. What I find baffling is Nintendo barely promoted these releases... They could've had demos, Tetris 99 themes, promoted more on social media etc but instead just let them (presumably) flop.

Is there an argument to be made that a larger population is a contribution to increased sales?

Amazing numbers. Congratulations to Nintendo. I love my Switch, my favorite Nintendo console!

Biggest holiday quarters ever for Nintendo hardware:
1) NDS 2009: 11.89 million
2) NDS 2008: 11.66 million
3) NSW 2020: 11.57 million
4) NDS 2007: 11.16 million
5) Wii 2009: 11.30 million
6) NSW 2019: 10.83 million
7) Wii 2008: 10.41 million

Switch came very close to overtaking the NDS's record.

Biggest holiday quarters ever for Nintendo software:
1) Wii 2010: 85.33 million (77.40 million excluding pack-in Wii Sports sales)
2) Wii 2008: 82.38 million (72.96 million excluding pack-in Wii Sports sales)
3) Wii 2009: 80.42 million (70.32 million excluding pack-in Wii Sports sales)
4) NDS 2008: 78.75 million
5) NSW 2020: 75.85 million
6) NDS 2007: 71.29 million
7) NSW 2019: 64.65 million

Despite the lack of a massive holiday release like Pokemon, Nintendo actually shipped more software in Holiday 2020 than in Holiday 2019. Sales of evergreen titles are simply insane.

The Switch is literally unstoppable. Outpacing even the Wii. It's going to be the best selling Nintendo console in the end.

Only the DS might be a problem, but only if there isn't a Pro model.

@mariomaster96,

It has a great chance to overtake both the DS and PS2, and as yet has had no price reduction or revision.

@johnvboy Incorrect, there was the 2019 revision with the improved battery life.

The Switch sold in the last quarter, almost what Wii U did in it's whole lifetime.

GBA is most likely behind as we speak. Probably even Gameboy because gluing its sales together with Color's sounds inexplicable even on Nintendo's part, the ones who designed the hardware (unless they really don't expect their modern shareholders to tell the difference between the two or just didn't use to want Color sales looking dwarfed as a separate number). Some rough estimates actually assume Gameboy sales to be somewhat below Advance's. Among portable consoles, Switch should be basically an all-time third behind NDS and PSP, although it might well surpass PSP before March.

DS and even PS2 range still feel like a tall order, but Wii and PS4 numbers seem to be in the bag by 2023.

We have two Switch in my house, and my daughter now wants her own. Two also in my brother’s household.

"Because Switch is a combination of Nintendo's portable and home hardware, you really need to combine sales figures to get a true reflection of its success"

So, even if it beats the DS, you'd really need to combine DS sales with Wii to have a true reflection of its success?

Come on @Damo

For a "make it or break it" console, the Switch went above and beyond, and despite all of our complaints, it has not yet stumbled on sales and continues to excel. Bravo, Nintendo!

@sanderev,

I think we are splitting hairs with that one, I mean a more substantial revision like other Nintendo consoles have received.

@electrolite77,

A sales slump is just around the corner unless Nintendo give into all the core obsessive minorities demands.

@Damo Yeah, that doesn't work. There were a lot of people with both a Wii and DS. And most people only buy one Switch.

@Damo,

Come off it Damo, you are comparing a lightning in a bottle console generation, when motion and touch controlled games were a massive novelty to the masses, 250 million units is just unrealistic. The core consoles from Sony and Microsoft only usually manage around 160 million units of Hardware combined.

Nintendo had a tough decision after the Wii U and 3DS, their handheld business was declining and they had just had their worst performance from a home console, the Switch was a stroke of genius that seems to get very little credit on here when it performs well.

So now it's doing awesome and a Nintendo life staff member states well it's doing o.k. but what about the DS and Wii's total of 250 million.

@Damo Had the concept of the Switch been a separate TV console and a handheld from the start, do you think they would they have sold more units? Or possibly have made a weaker case for either market overall if one was weighted?

@johnvboy the concurrent revenues of the Wii and DS will matter to Nintendo, certainly. Even if they don’t have a modern answer to them.

I remember someone posting that the Switch wouldn't sell more than 20M units...I don't think I've seen them post in a while.

@NinChocolate,

My point is there is no current market for these two consoles, as low cost smart phones and tablets have become more wildly available.

The Wii U and 3DS existed because of the massive sales success of both the DS and Wii, Nintendo thought it was as easy as just releasing updated versions of both machines, when in reality most of that casuals that bought a DS and Wii had simply moved on.

@Damo I agree. The concept of the Switch hardware has paved Nintendo’s success here. A play in either traditional market would likely not have given them better results even with innovative compatibility.

@Damo,

Totally agree, but that two console business in no longer there for Nintendo, the 3DS and Wii U only managed 88 million or so consoles between them, and as I said the DS and Wii generation was a case of being there at the right time for Nintendo.

The Switch is the right way to go, as another thing it does is save Nintendo development costs of another console and focuses their software development in one direction as well.

A great example as well is the PS4, is this console seen as a failure because of the PS2's sales?, no of course not, as when the PS2 launched Microsoft was just getting started, but jump one generation ahead and Microsoft was sharing a 50% stake in that market, the last generation Sony had increased their share, but I doubt they will reach PS2 numbers again.

You can't simply post numbers with no context, and not take into account the current market factors.

@johnvboy Right, but those are still separate matters for Nintendo: the market in which they achieved that revenue, and how they can re-achieve that revenue. It’s still relevant.

Or, maybe better worded: the precedent of achieving that revenue, vs the market in which it was achieved.

@NinChocolate,

O.K it's still relevant because it happened, but due to the current market is unachievable.

@johnvboy Yes.

@Damo,

My point is it's unfair to compare all current and future hardware sales based on a once in a lifetime sales success.

It's like an umbrella company having record sales due to twelve months heavy rain, then trying to compare all later years sales where the weather was better, to this one massive success.

The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo's best option withing the current climate, as the option trying to operate in the core market against Sony and Microsoft would be suicide.

@Morph There’s quite a bit for the Switch: Monster Hunter Rise, Stories, Bravely Default, SMT, No More Heroes 3, Pokémon Snap, Hollow Knight Silksong and probably more 3rd parties and definitely more 1st party titles.... Nintendo seems to be shortening the time from announcement to release, though so we probably wont find out much about first party titles til later.

I can't believe it. YER NEXT GBA

@johnvboy of any company in the industry, Nintendo was far away in the best position to successfully create a machine that merged those markets. So market conditions are one thing, but Nintendo’s expertise is another. At some point, such a vast amount of expertise and history rebuffs the whims of current markets. Not many companies are in that position, but Nintendo was.

I wonder how many more Switch Lite consoles could have been sold if there was no JoyCon drift. For me - personally - the only reason why I don't have a 2nd console.

@Damo Like I said, people who buy handheld and consoles now only have to buy one. And just look at the Wii U and 3DS; in the age of mobile phones people don't really want three devices anymore.

So.. if the Switch would have been TV only with a separate handheld it wouldn't have done NEARLY as good as it currently does. (Comparable to or worse than the Wii U)

So no, it's unfair to combine the sales of the Wii and the NDS like that. Otherwise you have to double the sales of the Switch.

@NinChocolate,

So you are suggesting Nintendo can create a market for a handheld and home console, even though there is not one that exists anymore, because of their many years of market experience.

Cant agree with you on this one.

@electrolite77 but now many mobile gamers aren’t so mobile, and need something more substantial than what they played at the coffee shop

@johnvboy No, I’m saying they were exceedingly qualified to create the Switch’s current market, a mixture of both.

@Coxula,

I doubt any of the joycon drift issues have made the slightest impact as Switch sales have increased.

Couple of reasons for this, one we do not know how widespread the issues are, as we are only seeing core opinions, and we don't know how aware the wider mass market are aware of any joycon drift problems in the first place.

@NinChocolate,

They have done, you have the Switch and the Switch lite, this is Nintendo's current answer to the older two console situation.

@electrolite77,

They just will never see that the Wii and DS generation was lightning in a bottle, and a large percentage of that market has moved on.

Of course when the Wii U was failing this was one of the main reasons for it on comment sections/forums, the market for the console had jumped ship, selective reasoning.

@NinChocolate,

I would suggest considering the massive success of games like Roblox, not many mobile gamers want a more substantial experience, in the coffee shop or anywhere else for that matter.

@johnvboy I can’t really speak to the Switch Lite as it’s definitely a shareholder in the original Switch’s success. If you can connect the dots between Switch Lite and Nintendo’s previous handheld adventures, then I’m all ears.

@johnvboy I don’t know what Roblox is 😆. I take your word for it.

@electrolite77 For sure. And I have no idea about the potential ceiling, so no argument. I think Nintendo as a company could survive on lower numbers, even just as a vendor in Japan given their long history in that country. Fortunately, they have products that appeal greatly, and they can localize vastly their output.

When I see how well it sells, I understand why Nintendo actively denies any plan for a more powerful Switch.

Loved reading all these positive comments guys We've come a long way since the days of the Wii U

What is even more impressive is that it has sold that many units as a hybrid console. Before, one gamer have bought a Wii and then a GBA and a DS to be able to enjoy gaming both at home and abroad.

After a long gaming hiatus, the Switch rejuvenated my love for gaming. People point out the flaws and I guess I get them, but hybrid portability almost cancels all of them out. The sheer variety of titles on the console is what makes it so great. Heck, some of the best games on the Switch are not the Nintendo first party exclusives, but rather amazing indie/third party titles like Hades, Ori, Dead Cells, etc.

So many people have switches and yet it is the loneliest console

@Damo So this must imply that, while the PS4 has been an amazing success, you really need to compare it to when they achieved 160-170 millions units sold between PS3 and PSP combined?
Let's be honest here: no one is going to sell 250 millions units in a single generation of gaming consoles again. But both Sony and Nintendo have posted some higher profits than before, so you see units sold is not all. Heck, Nintendo is going to post a record breaking figure in 3 months, with as high profits as the years they used to sold 30 millions DS + 20 millions Wii.

@SuperCharlie78,

My point exactly, the only story allowed on here that would make sense in a comment section, would be if Nintendo make a console and it bombs.

If it's a success then then the sages state it's just a lucky start, then as it reaches each and every sales milestone, impending doom is only just around the corner. Of course when all those wise predictions turn out to be incorrect it's just pure luck, that a console with no power and very few games is selling this well.

Then we get the icing on the sour grape cake, well it's not sold as well as the miracle generation of the DS and Wii.

Seriously you could not make any of this up.

@Morph,

Looking at these sales it does not look like the pandemic has ruined the Switch's momentum, and if it did anything it limited the amount of consoles available not demand for them.

And as I have said on many threads, you have to look at the Switch from a potential owners point of view, a cool device with tonnes of content available for it.

This proves that Nintendo should of combined the console and handheld market years ago.

Meh, still NintenDOOMed.

@johnvboy when I say ruined the momentum I mean the development momentum not the sales momentum (yet), but obviously a stunted development momentum will affect sales momentum eventually. We can only hope that Nintendo adjusted to home working fairly quickly and that they were able to keep all of their development projects going.

@Morph,

Pretty sure Nintendo will be keeping things going development wise, of course their projects will have had some delay due to the pandemic, but their teams would have had time to adjust to a different working environment.

Funny thing is they could still do very little this year on the software front and still sell 25-30 million more consoles, such is the strength of their current evergreen first party line up and the console itself, and as I said we have to look at this from the point of view of potential Switch owners, not solely from our own point of view, which of course will be more concerned about the potential lack of software going forward.

@NGNYS Nintendrone spotted

Nintendo expects to ship 205 million copies of Switch software during FY2020. If they hit that forecast (they will), then that means Switch will have achieved the biggest fiscal year of software sales ever for a Nintendo platform.

Biggest fiscal year software sales for Nintendo platforms:
1) FY2020 NSW: 205 million [Projected, with 176.10 million sold thus far during Apr-Dec 2020]
2) FY2008 Wii: 204.58 million (180.97 million excluding pack-in Wii Sports sales)
3) FY2009 NDS: 197.30 million
4) FY2009 Wii: 191.80 million (174.21 million excluding pack-in Wii Sports sales)
5) FY2010 Wii: 171.27 million (158.03 million excluding pack-in Wii Sports sales)
6) FY2019 NSW: 168.72 million
7) FY2010 NDS: 151.58 million