Nintendo's latest financials have revealed the Switch has now outsold the Wii and original PlayStation in terms of lifetime hardware sales - shifting a total of 103.54 million units worldwide since its arrival in 2017.
It's amazing news for the hybrid system, and while we've already heard from Nintendo's president, what does the Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser have to say about this latest milestone? Doug believes it translates to over 103 smiles around the world.
"A picture is worth over 103 million smiles! Thank you for your support!! #NintendoSwitch"
Nintendo, as you might recall has the following mission statement about putting smiles across the faces of players around the world:
"Nintendo's mission is to put smiles on the faces of everyone we touch. We do so by creating new surprises for people across the world to enjoy together. We've forged our own path since 1889, when we began making hanafuda playing cards in Kyoto, Japan. Today, we’re fortunate to be able to share our characters, ideas and worlds through the medium of video games and the entertainment industry."
In the latest report, Nintendo's president Shuntaro Furukawa has reiterated how the Switch is still apparently in its mid-life cycle - with the key goal right now to further strengthen its momentum as it surpasses the six-year mark. Here's what he had to say, if you did miss it:
"Switch is just in the middle of its lifecycle and the momentum going into this year is good. The Switch is ready to break a pattern of our past consoles that saw momentum weakening in their sixth year on the market and grow further."
As for the best-selling video game systems of all time, the Switch's next device to surpass is the PlayStation 4, which is currently sitting on 116.6 million lifetime sales. And Nintendo's Game Boy and Game Boy Color units combined sales are at 118.69 million.
How many Switch have you purchased so far? We know Doug has got a few!
Comments 43
You’re welcome, for the 3 Switch’s I’ve personally purchased 😆
Q : How many Switch have you purchased so far?
Me : I just only have Switch machine.
I have only one, but I'm considering upgrading to an OLED and maybe also getting a Switch Lite for casual gaming and as a "Game Boy Advance" system for Pac-Man Vs. on Namco Museum.
Dunno where everyone’s getting the money for multiple Switches. Cost of living is through the roof and I spent long enough saving for one, never mind multiple.
The Switch is like the DS, cheap to make, breaks kinda easily, people are gonna buy like 1 or 2 replacements. That's why it's gonna keep selling, along with its bloody amazing library. I'd say since the Switch/BOTW launch, we are in a new Nintendo renaissance of games and innovation/creativity not seen since the Gamecube/early Wii days.
@nessisonett
Plenty of ways to get the money, get a good job, stay single, don’t have kids, work a side job, maintain a reasonable budget. If most people can afford an iPhone and multiple streaming subscriptions, then they can afford to buy more than one Switch. A Switch is about 1/3 of the cost of an iPhone. It’s not that expensive.
@Don Gas and electricity prices just went up by 54%. A whole lot of families who would have been able to get their kids a Switch for Christmas absolutely won’t now.
@Don I bought the Oled Switch but I’ve had the same phone since 2014. The browser on it works about as well as the Switch’s browser at this point lol
I love my Switch and now after 4 and a half years of owning it, I think it's safe to say it's my favourite ever console in my 40 years of gaming. It's given me everything I hoped it would when it launched - 80/90's arcade classics by the boatload, sequels to 16 bit classics like Streets of Rage IV and Sonic Mania,, 90 fps like Quake, Duke Nukem and Doom - lots and lots of DOOM. Modern 90's fps like the SUPERB DUSK. Ports of 3rd party games that I missed from the PS3/360 era, the best indie games, Rocket League and SHMUP's. Tons of SHMUP's. I love it.
My only real disappointment with the Switch is with Nintendo themselves. There's been far too few brand new games from them. If I didn't own the Wii U, I'd be fairly content as I'd have a new Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, 3D World, Bayonetta 2...We need more unique experiences ike Astral Chain and ARMS. But things are looking much better this year.
All Nintendo needs to do is to keep this model but better more advanced hardware for the future. Also, bring back the Virtual Console. People do not mind buying the software again.
Iwata and Reggie were real legends. I keep forgetting current Nintendo president/ceo's names... never mind they didn't do anything yet that is worth remembering their names anyway.
@Don Everyone lives differently! A phone is more useful than a switch, and streaming services are, at a quick glance, much cheaper, easier, and better than buying a switch. Also, the solutions you gave are a little half-baked. What are you supposed to do, divorce your wife and abandon your kids to play nintendo? Just because we have the privilege to play video games doesn't mean everyone does. It's not as easy as just saying "get a job" to someone with a low paying job or no job at all. Please, keep this in mind! It helps us be kinder and better as a nintendo community and a community of people. Have a nice day!
Technically speaking, a picture is worth 104.5 million smiles. Wrong again, Bowser. Come back when you can do math.
I got two Switch which are my base Switch and Switch OLED, not sure how many my brother had probably five at this point since he had one, his wife probably had one and his three kids probably each had one too. The Switch probably will surpass the PS4 by next January but probably won't get close to DS and PS2 until 2025 that is if the Switch is still around by then and not get replaced by a successor yet. With no price drop it's probable the Switch family could beat PS2 by 2026, with a price drop they could easily beat both DS and PS2 by 2024 and that is if consumers are still even into the Switch by then.
@nessisonett mate I've felt that so hard
@OorWullie
Couldn’t agree more, Switch really does have something for everyone, my current ever growing backlog can attest to that. 5 years later and the hybrid aspect of portability still makes this the best value gaming console. Access to an amazing library of games, anywhere and anytime…I don’t recall a time my own collection of games for a home system was this varied.
103 Million sold in 5 years! Take into account the system hasnt even had a proper price reduction! It’s an amazing feat, I wouldn’t have ever imagined it but I now can see the Switch overtaking the mighty PS2 in lifetime sales. What a comeback from the Wii U era.
Fix the Joy-con drift problem permanently.
I'll reserve my smile until that happens.
I have 2 Switch consoles in my household and have had all Joy-con repaired and yet they still do it.
Not good enough Nintendo.
My Switch from launch is still fine….but I bought an OLED a few months ago. Still in the box.
Technically have 2 but probably trading my original in at GameStop soon. Although I am trying to convince myself not to keep it for nostalgia
@OorWullie I wish Rocket League was better optimised. It’s difficult to compete online compared to PC or the new consoles.
Doug hasn't done anything notable yet. Iwata built the Switch. Iwata cares about gaming and not just business as he was a developer once upon a time as well. Doug still has to prove himself.
@hakjie11 Facts! Those new guys are taking credit for something they had no part of. They still have to prove that they can build something successful for Nintendo's legacy.
@Don
So your advice to get multiple switches is spend your life alone and work three jobs? Sounds like a blast
It will pass the ps4 and gameboy/gameboy color THIS YEAR! Hallelujah!
I'm a simple folk, I'm happy with my Lite.
Here's to the next 103 million.
@ConCitySoldier Yeah, back in the days when you saw Iwata, Miyamoto or Reggie, you would want to get a picture with them, because they represented Nintendo and the gamers. Now these new Nintendo guys only appear in Financial times and they represent the shareholders only. I have to say that Xbox' Phil Spencer is the only current console gaming ceo who is doing some efforts to talk and listen to gamers.
My OG Switch from 2017 is still working as if it is new. The joycons on the other hand are atrocious
I never had any issues with other controllers
@Axecon I call BS. You have your thoughts, but I have had an original Switch since day one. It is mostly connected to a TV, but has gone with me on a 17 day cruise of the Pacific Ocean, and flown with me to a variety of destinations around the globe in the almost 5 years I have owned it. I still take it to handheld mode at least once a week and will confess, even passed out with it in bed a few times. It’s still running strong and I will finally upgrade to the 2TB storage chip we were promised at outset of the device, before I see this device failing.
This also comes from a person who had an original NES and SNES, as a kid, and they were in full operating order until the day I sold them for rent after almost 20 years of ownership. Apparently some people don’t know how to take care of what they have.
@Freek new joy cons aren’t terribly expensive, why repair? Go to a pro controller where you can, saves the joy con. In 5 years replaced joy cons twice, pro controller once.
@spmichelson
Repairs were done by Nintendo themselves.
I have 2 Pro controllers because the drift is so bad, Joy-con are not cheap, they're $99+ here in Australia and I refuse to buy more and risk it happening again.
Thankfully the pro controllers work fine.
I still can’t get over this guys surname! Is unreal considering his position…
So Mario is Bowser's boss
@nessisonett As much as I agree with you that the economy in the Uk is facing massive increase in cost of living, and that this will cause lots to suffer. But overall the general society in the uk could afford to have a switch and many others luxuries in their lives, but less than last year!
I've got two. The Lite and the OLED.
Still can't get over the fact that Nintendo's CEO is actually called Bowser. Lol.
What is he supposed to say else? 🙄
@spmichelson Oh I have my original Switch from year 1 too! It works perfectly fine, just a small scratch on the top corner and I've taken it traveling and camping several times. But I did go through 2 DS models as a kid because the back hinge broke off on my first model. And just imagine how many 4-12 year-old kids are likely to smash their screen or do some sort of damage on their switch that's gonna warrant a replacement? Also I'm kinda looking forward to the next Pro/2 model because I may jailbreak my original Switch to get Gamecube/retro games on it.
103 million smiles? He's obviously never visited the Nintendolife comment section. That knocks at least 20 off that smile total...
@nessisonett That's what happens when we put the world economy in the hands of a geriatric potato. And believe me it's only going to get worse.
@HammerGalladeBro They have Pacman vs on the switch as part of Namco museum. you can play online or versus bots.
""Nintendo's mission is to put smiles on the faces of everyone we touch."
Isn't that Activision's mission, too?
"Thank you for making us richer. That doesn't mean we will solve Joy Con drift or listen to any of your other justified complaints"
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