The Switch has now overtaken the Wii as Nintendo’s best-selling console in history

Nintendo Switch Bluetooth speakers and headsets

Sales reports put the Switch as the best-selling Nintendo console ever. While it seems as though, mostly due to COVID-19 and subsequent shipping shortages industry-wide, that console sales would be much lower than normal – and to some degree they are, but the Switch has surpassed Nintendo’s juggernaut Wii sales numbers according to the latest numbers. After Xbox Series S had a strong holiday season last year and Sony looking to put another million PS4 consoles out in the wild this year to make up for a lack of its latest machines, the latest Switch sales numbers clock in at 103.54 million since its launch back in 2017, making it the best-selling Nintendo console ever. More details below. 

Switch is the best-selling Nintendo console ever

Nintendo cites strong sales on the OLED model as a key factor in the latest uptick. Describing its launch as a “good start,” Nintendo said the OLED model Switch moved 10.67 million units from October to December of last year, dwarfing the number of hard-to-get current-generation Sony boxes folks were able to get their hands on. 

While the latest data in combination with 2022 forecasts have now cut expected sales by 1 million – sales were effectively down 8% last year – Nintendo is still predicting it will move another 23 million units.

While Nintendo’s sales are 6% lighter at $11.52 billion through the first nine months, its software is still holding strong. Nintendo said it just experienced its best quarterly consumer sales since the launch of the Switch. This was heavily driven by Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl with 13.97 million units sold over the last nine months while its mascot racer that just won’t die, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, still managed to pull in 7.96 million in sales with Animal Crossing: New Horizons listed at 4.99 million. Metroid Dread – the latest entry in Nintendo’s beloved sci-fi action franchise – has thus far sold 2.74 million units. 

9to5Toys’ Take:

All in all, the Switch platform has been a major success for Nintendo, especially in the current supply climate it is dealing with. At one point it was hard to imagine anything overtaking the Wii numbers, but that is a thing of the past now. With Pokémon Legends: Arceus now out in the wild, it would appear that its forecasts are likely on point and the Switch will remain the best-selling Nintendo console for quite some time.

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