The Nintendo Switch has been one of the most successful consoles in the history of gaming. In the blink of an eye, it went from a curiosity in early 2017 to a bonafide hit. The Switch started out as the fastest-selling console in Nintendo's history to becoming the quickest selling console to 50-million, beating the record held by PS4. The Switch is not just a fad, and in fact, Nintendo's hybrid console may go down as the best-selling system of all time.
2020 was another banner year for Nintendo, and that momentum has continued into 2021. Rumors are flying about a possible Nintendo Switch Pro that could be unveiled in the near future. With or without this new more powerful piece of tech, the numbers show that the Switch is already dominating like very few consoles ever have; thanks in part to a line-up of games that are also selling remarkably well. If this keeps up, the Switch could soon overtake every console before it. And if the Switch Pro does release, it will be almost inevitable.
The Nintendo Switch Sales So Far
According to the company's recent official fiscal year-end results, Nintendo has now sold 84.9 million Switch units. 28.8 million consoles were sold in just one year, including 14.7 million Nintendo Switch Lite consoles. The 2020-2021 fiscal year was the most profitable to date for Nintendo. What is staggering to behold is the idea that around 85 million consoles have been sold in just four years, as the console launched in 2017.
The Switch leapfrogged multiple consoles on the all-time list in the past year and now sits behind the PS3, Wii, original PlayStation, PS4, Game Boy family, Nintendo DS family, and PS2. If it were to have an identical year as it just had, by next year it will have outsold the PS3, Wii, and original PlayStation. The Credit Suisse brokerage firm originally forecasted that Nintendo would sell 70 million Switch consoles by 2022. It then revised that claim and upped it to 130 million by 2022 instead. Nintendo blasted past that 70 million number and could certainly still reach the 130 million number by the end of 2022; especially if the Switch Pro rumors are true.
The Switch and Its Competition
Nintendo and its leadership often discuss the idea of not directly competing against the likes of PlayStation and Xbox. Yet it cannot be denied that the video game companies are often compared head-to-head in one way or another. And with that in mind, Nintendo dominated the hardware landscape in 2020 globally.
In fact, the Switch was the best-selling hardware platform in units and dollars in the U.S., and also had the second-best year ever in those categories, only behind the Wii in 2008. The Switch outsold every other major console in the UK combined in 2020.
In Canada, the Switch broke the record by being the top-selling console in the country for at least 25 months in a row. Meanwhile, the Switch accounted for 87% of all console sales in Japan in 2020. These numbers are remarkable, but the Switch has been outperforming its competition since the day fans were able to get their hands on it.
Just a month before the launch of the Nintendo Switch, the PS4 had sold around 53 million units by February of 2017. Since then, the PS4 has sold 62 million units (the PS4 is now up to about 115 million). That means that the Switch's 85 million is more than the PS4 and PS5 combined since March 2017 (62 million +7.8 million) and more than the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S ever.
Software Sales Driving Hardware Sales, and Vice Versa
The Switch hardware itself is something that many love, whether it be the snappy hybrid nature of the 2017 original console, or the on-the-go, handheld-only Switch Lite. However, the library of the Switch four years into its lifecycle may be what is driving so much of its success. Whether it be the masterpiece Zelda and Mario titles that bookended the Switch's first year or Animal Crossing: New Horizons that has seemed to beat every sales record imaginable, the number of high-quality games have helped the console feel like a must-have system.
Of the top 50 selling video games of all time, six of them are on the Nintendo Switch either as exclusives or as deluxe editions. Those games include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Pokemon Sword, and Shield, and Super Mario Odyssey. Meanwhile, for the Xbox One/Series or PlayStation 4/5, only The Last of Us/Remastered just makes the list as the 50th top-selling game. Nintendo's exclusives dominate the list (even beyond the Switch), and the games likely help sell the Nintendo hybrid console.
The most remarkable selling Nintendo Switch game may be Animal Crossing. New Horizons sold 31.8 million copies in its first year. The idea of any game selling over 30 million copies in a year is almost unbelievable. Throw in the fact that this game is an exclusive and it may be unprecedented. There are still a bevy of titles that have sold over 10 million copies that aren't on the top 50 of all time, such as Super Mario Party, Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, Splatoon 2, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and Ring Fit Adventure.
Even beyond the high sellers, Nintendo pushes innovation, fun, and creativity with its games, and the end result is a high-selling console. It is likely that Nintendo will only continue to create exciting games that will propel its consoles off store shelves.
The Switch Pro and The Momentum of the Hybrid Console
For months and even years, there have been constant rumors of a new more powerful Switch console. So far, Nintendo has not necessarily needed it. With 85 million units sold in just four years, things seem to be just fine. However, it is better to get ahead of the game than to fall behind. The most recent Switch Pro rumors claim that Nintendo will announce a new console very soon and it will release in the coming months.
If true, this new edition to the Switch family of consoles will phase out the 2017 original console and replace it with a more powerful, higher resolution, more pricey model. Meanwhile, the Switch Lite will remain. The Switch Pro and Switch Lite could be a perfect 1-2 punch for Nintendo. A new game like Breath of the Wild 2 would be able to be played on the go with the Switch Lite with ease, but players would also have the pleasure and option of playing that same game with amazing graphical fidelity (perhaps 4k, 120fps) on the new Switch Pro, something that would compete with the opposition.
A new Switch console would invite a whole new wave of purchasers. The Switch Lite technically outsold the originally 2017 Switch last year, and part of that could be simply because it was the new toy. That would likely be doubly true if the new toy was bigger, better, prettier, and more powerful. The 2020-2021 fiscal year was amazing for Nintendo with 28 million Switch consoles sold. If this year Nintendo launched a Switch Pro, it could be even better.
Many fans would line up to purchase a more powerful Switch Pro, even purchase a second Switch on top of their original 2017 console (if they are able to). This same principle has worked for Nintendo with the family of DS and Game Boy products, which is why the consoles have sold so well. If Nintendo could average 25 million Switch units sold over the next three years it will have sold 160 million consoles, which would make the Nintendo Switch the highest selling console of all time.
Recently Nintendo of America Doug Bowser claimed that the Switch was only midway through its lifecycle. The console has much life still in it. This most definitely feels true if a "Pro" model were to be unveiled in the near future. The home console lifespans for Nintendo often have been shorter-lived, but the handheld family of consoles can go on for upwards of a decade. The Switch and its hybrid nature make it somewhat of an enigma. But if a Pro model comes out, it will feel even more like a Game Boy to Game Boy Color or DS to DSi-type evolution. And with how well the Nintendo Switch has sold in such a short time span, there is a very good chance that an extension on its life will result in the console going down as the best selling of all time.