Nintendo Switch
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Released
- 2017
- Generation
- Gen 9
- Type
- Hybrid
- Launch price
- $299
- Media
- Flash
- Units sold
- 155.9M
About Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the Wii U and competed with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One; it also competes with the ninth-generation consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lifetime sales
Official manufacturer-reported figures.
156.6Munits
1.6Bgames
10.0games / console
Worldwide; Nintendo reports the Switch family together (incl. Switch Lite and OLED).
Source: Nintendo Co., Ltd. IR — Dedicated Video Game Sales Units, as of June 30, 2026.
Library & collector facts
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇺🇸 North America
- March 3, 2017
Pricing
Launch price (2017)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $299
- 🇯🇵 JPY
- ¥29,980
- 🇪🇺 EUR
- €330
Controller
Joy-Con / Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Launch titles & exclusives
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild · 1-2-Switch · Super Bomberman R · Skylanders Imaginators · Just Dance 2017 · I Am Setsuna · Snipperclips · Shovel Knight · Fast RMX · World of Goo
None — 1-2-Switch (the launch tech demo) was sold separately, drawing criticism
Breath of the Wild · Tears of the Kingdom · Super Mario Odyssey · Mario Kart 8 Deluxe · Super Smash Bros. Ultimate · Animal Crossing: New Horizons · Splatoon 2 / 3 · Xenoblade Chronicles 2 / 3 · Fire Emblem: Three Houses · Metroid Dread · Pokemon Sword/Shield/Scarlet/Violet
Still in production (as of 2026)
Pokemon Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu Edition Switch (2018); Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition (2020); Splatoon 2 PAL/JP Edition (2017)
Variants of Nintendo Switch
Hardware specs
- Os
- Nintendo Switch system software
- Cpu
- Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57
- Gpu
- 256 Maxwell (microarchitecture), Maxwell-based CUDA cores, Docked: 768 MHz, 393 GFLOPS, Undocked: 384 MHz, 197 GFLOPS
- Ram
- 4 GB LPDDR4
- Power
- 3.7 Volt, V 15.95 Watt hour, Wh (4,310 mAh) Li-ion battery, Duration: 2.5–6.5 hours/4.5–9 hours, Charger: 7.5 Watt, W 5.0 V 1.5 Ampere, A/39 W 15.0 V 2.6 A, Lite , 3.8 V 13.6 Wh (3,570 mAh) Li-ion battery, Duration: 3–7 hours
- Sound
- Undocked: Linear PCM 2.0 stereo speakers (with pseudo-surround), Docked: Linear PCM 5.1
- Weight
- 297 g (with Joy-Con)
- Dimensions
- 239 × 102 × 13.9 mm
- Display Output
- Original: 6.2-in, IPS Panel, IPS (237 pixel density, ppi), 720p, Lite: 5.5-in, IPS (267 ppi), 720p, OLED: 7-in, OLED (210 ppi), 720p, Docked: 480p/720p/1080p via HDMI
- Storage Internal
- Original/Lite: 32 GB eMMC, OLED: 64 GB eMMC
Hardware revisions
- Original 'Erista' HAC-001(2017)
original launch hardware (Tegra X1)
⚠ Fusée Gelée bootrom exploit means every unit shipped before mid-2018 is permanently softmoddable
- 'Mariko' HAC-001(-01)(2019)
patched Tegra X1 (Mariko), ~2x battery life, no bootrom exploit
- Switch Lite HDH-001(2019)
handheld-only (no detachable Joy-Con, no TV out), Mariko silicon
- Switch OLED HEG-001(2021)
7" OLED screen, wider kickstand, improved dock with wired LAN, larger 64GB storage
Launch colorways & special editions
- Splatoon 2 Edition (2017, EU/JP)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Edition (2018)
- Diablo III Eternal Collection Edition (2018)
- Pokemon Let's Go Bundles (2018)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition (2020)
- Monster Hunter Rise Edition (2021)
- Switch OLED Splatoon 3 Edition (2022)
- Pokemon Scarlet/Violet OLED Edition (2022)
- Mario Red OLED (2023)
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- Atmosphère (active, open-source); SX OS (defunct commercial CFW)
Reception & legacy
Cautiously optimistic at launch — many were skeptical of the hybrid concept after the Wii U flop, but Breath of the Wild's universal acclaim drove instant success
Joy-Con drift class-action lawsuits (ongoing globally); no paid online service at launch (a downgrade vs. Wii U); 1-2-Switch sold separately despite being a tech demo; Devotion delisted in Hong Kong
Saved Nintendo after the Wii U commercial failure; redefined the hybrid console category and pulled Nintendo back into the AAA conversation; lifetime sales surpassed the Wii (~140M+); the pandemic-era Animal Crossing: New Horizons boom became a cultural moment
References
More from Nintendo
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Nintendo Switch in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the Nintendo Switch, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
Sonic Frontiers Crosses 5 Million Sales, Sonic Adventure 2 Shoes Added In-Game
The open zone title, which recently launched on Nintendo Switch 2, continues to be a top seller for Sega after all these years.
Woodo gets Nintendo Switch release date, demo out now
We have an update on Woodo as the game’s release date has been revealed. Nintendo Switch is getting it on September 14, 2026. A demo is now available. One thing we’ll mention is that there is currently no Nintendo eShop listing for the Switch 2 version. It’s unclear if that means it’s coming later...
Первое крупное дополнение для Crimson Desert выйдет до конца года, версия для Nintendo Switch 2 на подходе
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Star Racer sets Nintendo Switch release date, new trailer
Whatnot Games is back with an update on Star Racer, revealing the release date on Nintendo Switch. This one is slated for September 3, 2026. Star Racer was just confirmed for Nintendo Switch last month. However, we didn’t have a release window, so it’s a bit of a surprise that it’s coming so soon....
Sonic Frontiers sales surpass 5 million copies sold
SEGA has rejoicing today as it has now shifted over 5 million copies of Sonic Frontiers with the milestone being achieved with help from the recently released Nintendo Switch 2 version of the 3D platformer. All eyes are currently focused on what’s next for the mainline Sonic franchise as Sonic...
The Open-Zone Platformer ‘Sonic Frontiers’ Surpasses 5 Million Copies Sold
Sega has announced that Sonic Frontiers has surpassed five million copies sold worldwide, marking a new sales milestone for Sonic Team’s open-zone action platformer. Sonic Frontiers originally launched on November 8, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch,...