The original Switch is Nintendo’s best selling home console at over 150 million units sold, but with its successor right around the corner, why not look back at Nintendo’s previous systems, all the highs and all the lows.
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the Japanese company’s first notable home console, being a large success with over 60 million units sold, something that only dropped more and more with every successor, despite each one remaining generally well liked.
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) sold less than the NES, then the N64 sold less than the SNES, then the Gamecube sold less than the N64, sitting at 20 million units sold.
But then came the Wii, a console that aimed to attract people of all ages no matter if they had never picked up a controller in their life, achieved through the novel motion controls and overall simplicity, selling over 100 million units.
And with the massive success of the Wii, Nintendo attempted to capitalise on it with the Wii U, a follow-up console with similar branding, hoping the same audience would carry over.
Instead the Wii U ended up being Nintendo’s biggest home console failure, the system only reaching just under 14 million units, possibly due to the similar name making it seem like a Wii accessory, or a lack of solid game releasing, or perhaps the casual market just didn’t stick around.
But while Nintendo’s home consoles were never consistent, the company always dominated the handheld gaming space, with the DS especially being a huge success, selling over 150 million units.
Enter the Switch, a hybrid between a home console and a handheld, managing to capture both audiences and leading to a huge success for the company, the console on track to surpass the DS and possibly the Playstation 2 (the current best selling console at 160 million units).
With the Switch featuring some of Nintendo’s best selling titles within their respective series, the future looks bright for the company, but can Switch 2 recapture this magic or will this be the Wii U all over again?
