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
No Nintendo Switch listings yet. List yours or browse similar items.
Nintendo Switch in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the Nintendo Switch, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
Duskbloods Network Test on Switch 2 Is Already a Flop
FromSoftware's first closed network test for The Duskbloods on Nintendo Switch 2 closed early due to server issues3
The Duskbloods Character and Classes List – Every Playable Character Revealed So Far
Every playable character and class in FromSoftware's Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods.
Fromsoft has issues with Duskbloods network test and it will be rescheduled
Players were looking forward to embarking on a session on The Duskbloods which is currently in the middle of a closed network test on the Nintendo Switch 2. However, Fromsoft has encountered some issues with the server and have closed today session. Don’t worry it will be rescheduled at a later...
63% of new physical games sold this year in the US have been on Nintendo platforms
As revealed by Circana, 63 percent of new physical games sold this year in the United States have been on Nintendo platforms. It’s unclear what the breakdown is between Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch. For those wondering, 32 percent of physical games sold were on PlayStation platforms. Xbox had just...
Tails of Iron 2 gains free “Blood and Brine” expansion
Starting today, Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter players can access a brand new “Blood and Brine” expansion. Nintendo Switch users can download it for free. The DLC introduces a brand new area featuring 11 new quests, 10 new bosses, a unique fishing mechanic, nine new armor sets, and new...
Jenny LeClue: Detectivu coming to Nintendo Switch 2
Jenny LeClue: Detectivu is getting a new Nintendo Switch 2 version, it’s been revealed. It’s planned for September 7, 2026. Some of you may remember Jenny LeClue: Detectivu from its previous release on Nintendo Switch. This is the Spoken Secrets Edition, meaning voice acting for the entire game is...