Nintendo Has Sold Over 700 Million Video Game Consoles To Date

That seems impressive until you realise Sony has sold over 500 million with fewer consoles.

Sony's recent 500 million is more impressive since it was done with far less systems. Good for Nintendo though and I'm glad they're back on the map.

I agree with the two above

Yeah, thought it might have been more.

Where are the Virtual Boy figures?

Glad to have contributed 14 to that number.

I have 6 Nintendo systems included there: Wii, Wii U, Switch, DSi, 3DS, new 3DS.

Surely the Switch should go in the handheld column? Without getting into a debate over it's hybrid nature what can't be argued is that the actual console is physically a handheld. That aside the likes of GameCube and Wii U were criminally undervalued by the gaming public

Interesting to see Playstation sold aproximately as many Home Consoles as Nintendo sold Portables (same number of different consoles too). Really goes to show where each company excels and that there really is a market for both handhelds and home consoles. It'll be interesting to see how the Switch is affected by this and how much it'll sell.

It's absolutely beastly how the GBA managed to sell 80 million in so few years.

But that was a time before smart phones.

@FragRed and in less time.

I have bought or had bought for me:
NES, Gameboy, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, 3DSXL, and Switch, NES mini, and SNES mini.
Lotta years of entertainment. Hope the Switch sells at least NES levels!

Those DS and Wii software sales, holy moly =O I always forget how obscenely lucrative that period was for Nintendo

@carlos82 I only came into the comments to find one about whether the Switch is a home or handheld console 😆

Whoopty doo!

@thesilverbrick Hey now, they don't want to make all of Nintendo's other systems look bad by the almighty Virtual Boy.

@Aven I'm happy to oblige 😁

@FragRed I swear I didn't plagiarize your comment lol. I was typing mine on my phone and at the point it was looking like I would be the first comment. 😉

Are we getting a limited Switch Run aswell ?

@Spoony_Tech I’m already creating a YouTube video comparing both comments. I expect a somewhat apology/not apology video from you after losing your job in the comments section in 2 days time lol 😉

The only thing about Sony selling 500 million consoles is you also have to think about the fact that nintendo kickstarted a brand new age of consoles, those first few generations video games were still way more niche than they are today. Sony definitely helped expand the market, but if they had been around for the first couple generations then their number still may only be as much as nintendo's if not worse.

@FragRed Lol! Got every reference!

@Hikingguy I will further that with a good thing Sony didn't enter the market as a partner with Nintendo as who knows how things would look now.

I have bought 14 Nintendo consoles over the years (NES, GameBoy, SNES, N64, Virtual Boy, GBA, N64 (again), GC, Wii, DSi, 3DS, WiiU, 2DS, and Switch in that order). I still own 11 of them. Only casualties are the SNES (given to one of my brothers because it had been replaced as an active hook up by a Retron 5), first N64 (forced to abandon it at my parent's house by my younger siblings), and Virtual Boy (had a large solo cup of red wine spilled on it in college and was subsequently too gross to keep). Outside of the Virtual Boy, which still ran when I threw it out, every single one of those systems is still functional, although the NES had a new pin connector installed around 2001 or 2002.

Let me know when I can start using this...

...

Since everybody seems to be brining up the Sony jumber, anybody want to do the money math, number of consoles sold by average price? Average price b/c obviously we will never know at which price a console was sold. I remember buying my GameCube for $99 the day after they hit that price and Wii $250 at launch. My PS2 was $199, after FFX released, and PS3 $299 in some great Amazon bundle.. I have no clue what the earlier Nintendo consoles sold for but if anybody wants to get way carried away and adjust for inflation feel free.

Nintendo should be so happy when Switch passes the Gamecube, that was the baseline goal Iwata had set for the Wii, to beat the Gamecube's failure.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-revolution-will-be-globalized/1100-6136453/

Good point/question in an earlier comment, why isn't the Switch in the portable column? It's a handheld with a dock for TV out. Sure it can play some home console games, but the reason many people buy the Switch versions of those games is to play them in handheld mode. I suppose they could put it in both but that would mess up the totals. Guess we'll have to see if there's a new 4DS, Switch Mini portable or SwitchTV (no screen) next to let history decide.

Whatever Switch is, it's off to a great start, so that's good. N64 by Christmas?

@FragRed Yes, Sony acheived theirs with less than Nintendo. It’s not four home consoles that sold 500 million for the Sony. Their total was cumulative too: PS1/X, PS2, PSP/Go, PS3, Vita, PSTV, PS4, and PS4 Pro. Eight versions.

Those are the ones that I know about. PSX was a Japanese exclusive, but it was a PS1 with extras.

As for Nintendo, I have/had the NES, Gameboy, DS, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, 3DS and Switch. I’ve bought three different 3DS models: XL, Gold XL and New XL. Which brings my total to 10 consoles with duplication.

That sum are actually incorrect as it ignore Nintendo's dedicated and minor game consoles.

The Color TV-Game series: approx. 6,000,000 (source: "Game Over" by David Sheff)
The Game & Watch series: atleast approx. 43, 400,000 series (source: "Iwata Asks: Game & Watch". Numbers are as of 1989 and excludes the Ball reissue plus Mini Classic)
Virtual Boy: approx. 770,000 (source: Nintendo)
Pokémon Pikachu: unknown
Pokémon Pikachu 2: unknown
Pokémon mini: unknown
Pokéwalker: unknown
NES Classic: approx. 3,600,000
SNES Classic: approx 5,800,000

Nintendo's minimum number of sold hardware units are therefore approx. 767,170,000 units.

Let's start comparing software numbers...

@1UP_MARIO @Spoony_Tech @FragRed I would counter that it's still pretty darn impressive. If you only include the systems that launched during the PSX era, Nintendo's sales still total 497.95. To be fair, that is primarily due to portable sales, but impressive none the less. That also means that Nintendo had 200 million sales pre-Sony during a time that video games were far less mainstream. The audience is undoubtedly larger today than it was in the 80's/90's, so I'm not surprised Sony hit the 500 million mark faster than Nintendo did originally.

@NintendoVideoGa The article did specifically call out a few missing consoles, stating that the number would be even higher.

For how poorly the Gamecube sold, it's audience was definitely buying games. The Gamecube has the highest games to console ratio of any Nintendo console or handheld, sitting as a whopping 9.59 games. Followed by the Wii at 9.05 games. Not surprisingly, the Wii U is both the worst selling console and has the smaller games to Home console ratio sitting at 7.54 games.

The handheld game ratio is always a little iffy in my opinion, if you don't count all the second, third or fourth 3DSs (DS, GBA or GB/GBC) people have due to special additions XL, Lites, SPs, etc, I'm positive the games to console ratio is much higher.

If anyone is interested here's the full list.

NES 8.08 GB/GBC 4.22
SNES 7.72 GBA 4.63
N64 6.83 DS 6.28
GCN 9.59 3DS 5.05
Wii 9.05
Wii U 7.54
Switch 4.42 (so far)

@thesilverbrick that's what I want to know! If the Wii U was the next Virtual Boy as fanboys say, then that means they sold over 10 million Virtual Boys, so it should be on this list.

@TsukiDeity that isn't a final total though, Wii U games are still around (for example Just Dance 2019).

I'm just surprised the SNES sold "only" 49 million. At the time it felt like everyone had one.

@Rohanrocks88 This comment is kind of weird to me. Looking at the numbers from the DS and the Wii Nintendo definitely already played their cards right after the GameCube, the only real reason the Wii u did so bad compared to all their other systems is because they didn't do a good job of making it known this was a successor instead of what the PS4 pro or one x are now.

@pika677 Haha, the Virtual Boy was a total bomb. They only sold about 770,000 of them. The Wii U was a roaring success by comparison. I was moreso joking and drawing attention to what is arguably Nintendo’s largest failure ever. It’s funny that Nintendo seems to try to sweep it under the rug all the time.

@nab1
The gaming market was significantly smaller in the 1990s than it is now. Selling 50-60 million consoles back then was considered a massive hit. Nintendo was also very, very weak in Europe back during the 1990s - the NES and SNES each sold below 9 million units in regions outside of America and Japan.

What is surprising is that SNES software sales in America are quite low - the Wii U and Virtual Boy are the only Nintendo platform with lower software sales than the SNES in America. All that 3rd party support the SNES received didn't really matter in the west.

Huh, I wonder if there's going to be fanfare with each system Switch surpasses. Gamecube will be easy and N64 is likely before it's lifespan peters out. If it takes the SNES I'll be incredibly impressed. After that it's the one that had a decade to itself and the literal phenomenon that non-gamers thought was cool.

@Hikingguy I won't play the Switch out of the dock, but my kids rarely play in the dock, and there's 2 of them so...

It makes absolute 100% perfect sense for Ntinedo to put Switch in the home console category. I wont' argue with their choice. Wii U died, Switch replaced it, 3DS and, 2DS are still going, end of story.

But 3 or 4 years from now, or 20 years from now when websites like this are writing retrospective articles, will Switch still be solely in that category? I feel like it isn't written in stone yet. While Switch is getting a few console game snow, not sure what will happen when PS5 and X2 launch. Also don't know what will follow up their handheld line.

So I'm ok with it there now, it it may rightly be there 30 years from now as well, but I'm not certain of that last part and I think it's ok to discuss it even though I currently side with Ntinedo. I do think if you did a survey, there's a difference between Japanese and western gamers as well. I think they see it as a 3DS replacement over there. It got a port of the 3DS Monster Hunter over there.

@NintendoFan4Lyf
As a die hard Sega now Nintendo fan boy.....I loved my Master System...I think it sold 10-15 million....I thought NES sold 100 million easy the way that people talked about it.

@Spoony_Tech Sony was already planning on making their own system. They was trying to use Nintendo and partner up with them for their own benefit. The only mistake that Nintendo make was continue on with their cartridge format at the time, even though the loading times was better, but it was too cost effective for third parties.

@ekwcll That was indeed a mistake on Nintendo's part however Sony was backstabbed by Nintendo during the whole process and went on to develop the PlayStation on their own. I'm pretty sure that's correct.

@Hobbesyall that would be cool.

@Joe-b in the US and Japan the NES was everywhere. If you didn't have one, you knew a kid that did. The Master System was most popular in South America of all places, did small business in Japan, and was virtually unheard of in the US.

All in all well done Nintendo.

However geez that isva big dip between DS and 3DS such an overall sales decline might be a factor in why they went hybrid.

@Spoony_Tech @FragRed The numbers are about the same. Nintendo did 700 mil in 6.25 system lifetimes. PlayStation 500 mil in 4.75 system lifetimes.

@Joe-b Gotta realise a smaller percentage of the population played games back then, and said population was smaller.

@Rect_Pola
The Switch will outsell the SNES by the end of 2019 at the latest, and that's assuming Nintendo misses their 2018 (and 2019) Switch sales forecast by a few million units.

For a company that is irrelevant and should go third party, that's a lot of hardware sold.

It's funny that the DS was originally designed to be a "third pillar" or Nintendo hedging their bets on a brand new concept(that was made fun of at the time of reveal).
I think it currently stands as the best selling piece of video game hardware... ever.

I love articles like this so much,and just can't wait for the inevitable comments that Sony have sold so many consoles with less models of consoles,totally ignoring the fact that when Sony started releasing their machines the market was much bigger.

But who cares.

Still can't believe the Wii sold that much compared to the other consoles. I have about 4 GBA's and a Gameboy Micro. Miss the good old days.

Sony sold so many PS2s because it was at a perfect time where everybody wanted a DVD player. That or well, it had good games offered too ha.

NES, SNES, N64, Wii, Switch, GBA SP, DS, New 3DS, New 2DS...I helped by a couple. Thought it was more though.

We will never know how history would have favoured Ninty had they chosen cd over cartridge back on the N64 though.

@wazlon I am currently hunting for a reasonably priced micro. If you still have it, hold on to it.

@roadrunner343 I know that. I just complemented the article with most of those. 😉

@johnvboy

I was going to mention that and a few other facts, but it’s not worth it. When the knee jerk reaction is to bring up Sony, there’s no point in discussion...the commenters are already feeling, somehow, threatened.

I say good for Nintendo, as without them taking a huge risk with both the NES & Gameboy, we may not be here today.

@Hikingguy "give Nintendo a huge amount of credit for"

I'm giving you this one b/c it's about 10 years above my pay grade - I used to really follow this stuff before wife and kids - but how much of that credit goes to Nvidia for creating the Shield and Nintneod just licensed it and slapped the Switch brand on it with a couple of cool Joycon and a dock? Not to say Nintnedo doesn't deserve credit for it and popularizing it and selling it, but this part - "ability to do all they do with such little power" - I feel is due to Nvidia. My understanding is the hardware that runs the games - not the cool stuff like Joycon and dock - is basically a Shield.

Future will be the judge. And a lot of it is out of Nintneod's hands. Like how soon do PS5 and X2 launch, and how much more powerful are they than Switch, can Switch run any of those games? Can "New Switch" launch near the other two and be just powerful enough, maybe 8GB RAM rather than 4GB? And how long do PS4 and X2 keep getting games - PS3 and X360 are just losing games now - so that Switch can keep getting ports of those?

Right now for me personally it's about the games, and I'm not too keen on SSBU, SMP or Pokemon, so I'm kinda taking this year off the hype and waiting for the next Nintnedo Direct to find out what's coming in 2019. I'm still waiting on Pikmin 4.

Not 1 billion? Nintendoomed.

The lesson: forget the hardcore and cater for the countless millions who just want some inexpensive first rate fun.

@Tim_Vreeland since it's at 727 mil now and the Wii U + the Switch have sold about 30 mil together, they hit 700 in the beginning of the Wii U lifetime. So more like 5.2 system lifetimes for Nintendo to sell 700 mil.

Edit: All right, we need to take the handhelds into account for this to work...

Playstation just crossed 500 million. I thought Nintendo would be more to be honest.

@FragRed @Spoony_Tech @1UP_MARIO
Not really. I agree with @Kirby-in-Kirkby.

Its an interesting fact but the lesser product tends to sell better then the superior product. In marketing it is known as Blue Ocean Strategy.

Just look at how "impressive" McDonalds and fast food chains outsell fine dinning and organic home made food chains and you might not find it as impressive anymore.

I'm with the finer dining restaurants...all the way.

It works basically the same way.

Case in point, I was more interested in the Wii then my parents, sister and grandparents were. They were all more interested in Sony's system because it was an all-in-wonder. Asked them what they think the future of gaming is and they say VR and Holograms.

Casuals knows what they want while hardcore are more invested in odd gimmicks like gameplay.

Blue Ocean products are very successful in their own right. The PlayStation-line is basically a glorified CD, DVD, Blu-Ray player which happens to also play games, movies, etc. PSP was a better GBA. Move was a generic version of the Wii Motes.

I would say that from a marketing perspective, Sony is far more successful and will continue to be. Sony is also the only entertainment company that makes their own hardware.

Mass marketing is the key.

In fact, I believe the rumour that PlayStation 4 might have VR baked right in.

I think Nintendo will be forever stuck this way. They products are Red Ocean set pieces masterfully done and targeted at a casual core audience. They are like Apple, kings of reinventing the wheel.

The Switch is another one of this. Ask a casual what they think of the system vs someone who is a hardcore. My sister for example says it is targeting the same core audience and doesn't entice someone like her to buy though she really like Zelda.

For what it is, it is very powerful but it is a hard sell. It won't flop but it isn't going to compete as well as one might think.

Nintendo should stick to the Hybrid Consoles (handheld/consoles in one) and sony and Microsoft should stick to what they do. I would never buy a sony handheld eve, nor a hybrid. I always had two consoles, Nr1 always a nintendo product and secons it was or Microsoft or Sony. They should stick to that (power consoles) Nintendo has gone their own road and i love it.

@RailX Thanks for the advice - will hold onto it then.

Sony numbers are pointless.. most people had to buy another ps1 when the first one broke... also I have owned about 24 Nintendo Systems (counting multiples and variations) never got a VB or the Micro GBA or DSiXL or the N3DSxl
NES
SNES
N64 ×2 (dK green one!)
GC
Wii
WII U
Switch ×2
SNES classic
GB
GB pocket ×2
GBcolor
GBA
GBA SP
DS
DS lite
DSi
3DS
3DS xl
2DS
N3DS
N2DS

Few more consoles and Sony will over take.

Love a bit of both me.

@electrolite77,

You get my point though.