The Nintendo Switch is a popular console. Since it has launched, this hybrid handheld and television based gaming device has revolutionized the way players of all ages experience games.
Because of this, the NPD predicted that Nintendo’s premiere console could be the best selling console of the 2020 holiday season. That’s in a year where two brand new consoles, The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, are launching. It should be noted that these new consoles are incredibly hard to come by, with pre-orders selling out everywhere, leaving the Switch looking like a very viable option for many holiday shoppers.
There’s no doubt about increased demand for the Nintendo Switch. It has been estimated that households are going to be picking up multiple Switch consoles before the close of the year.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has swept through the world, the Switch became a welcomed distraction, with new games like Animal Crossing New Horizons providing an injection of wholesome fun for the whole family.
The Switch has been the highest selling console in the United States since December 2018. That’s right around the time that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, one of the system’s most popular titles, was released.
The Switch has held onto that spot for a record setting 22 months, beating out the previous record held by the Xbox 360, which sold the most consoles for 21 months, from August 2011 to April 2013.
The NPD’s Mat Piscatella has noted that the Switch is, “selling at or above levels never before seen in the US.”
Just recently, the Switch passed the 62 million unit mark, moving it ahead of the lifetimes sales of the original Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo.
It remains to be seen if the Switch will continue its forward momentum following the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
The Switch is currently the second highest selling television console in the history of Nintendo. The first is still 2006’s Nintendo Wii, which shattered records, moving a whopping 101.63 million units over its lifespan.
As a handheld console, it still falls well below the numbers set by the Nintendo DS family, the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 3DS. It’s rapidly gaining on the 3DS, though.
In the grand scheme of gaming consoles, both television based and handheld, the Switch currently holds the spot of #12. The highest selling console of all time is still the PlayStation 2, which released in 2000 and sold 155 million units. In a close second is the Nintendo DS family, which sold 154.02 million devices.