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.
Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game seeing release on Nintendo Switch
Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game is planned for upcoming launch on Nintendo Switch, according to Amplified Games and Posh Cat Studio. This one will be ready to go on September 3, 2026. Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game is a charming cozy sleuthing game. Playing as the university freshman...
No Man’s Sky is Europe’s next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial
For the latest Switch Online Game Trial in Europe, Nintendo has announced No Man’s Sky will be made available. The entire game can be played for free if you’re an active member starting on August 20. It can be downloaded on both Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch. Additionally, all save data transfers to...
The Duskbloods Characters and Classes leak
FromSoftware’s long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods is entering its first closed beta network test soon and ahead of that the characters and classes have leaked. The classes have been given excellent sounding names and there’s a wide variety of them to choose from. While details...
Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game Arrives on Nintendo Switch On 3rd September
Amplified Games Ltd and Posh Cat Studio have confirmed that Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game will arrive on Switch on 3rd September. The post Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game Arrives on Nintendo Switch On 3rd September appeared first on COGconnected.
Elden Ring’s Rough Switch 2 Build Is Gone, As FromSoftware’s Cleanup Signals How Good The Duskbloods Could Run
FromSoftware was originally supposed to launch Elden Ring on Nintendo Switch 2 last year, but the Japanese publisher headed by Hidetaka Miyazaki eventually chose not to compromise on the port's quality, and delay the Tarnished Edition to August 28. Looking at some new footage, the Japanese...
Excellent Sci-Fi Thriller 1000xRESIST Gets The 'Nintendo Switch 2 Edition' Treatment This Week
1000x2. After a sneaky ESRB rating appeared online earlier this year, we've been waiting for Fellow Traveller and Sunset Visitor to make 1000xRESIST - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition official. Well, surprise, the studios have now done exactly that, and the release is right around the corner. This...