Nintendo Switch
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Released
- 2017
- Generation
- Gen 9
- Type
- Hybrid
- Region
- NA
- 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.
New Pokémon Winds and Waves Leak Teases a Legendary Monster Twist
Pokémon Winds and Waves on Nintendo Switch 2 may see players raising legendary monsters in a totally new way, leakers suggest.
DuneCrawl heading to Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch
Alientrap is bringing DuneCrawl to consoles, which includes Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch. It will be out for both platforms by the end of 2026. DuneCrawl, an open-world action adventure game with co-op support, lets players take on the roles of desert-faring privateers. Up to four people can...
Frostpunk releases 19th October on original Nintendo Switch
If you have yet to upgrade to the more powerful Nintendo Switch 2 system and fancy a new game then the acclaimed strategy game Frostpunk is heading to the original Nintendo Switch on 19th October. The game has been reviewed on multiple formats and has an average review score of 84 on Metacritic....
Kingdom Hearts Collection is 131GB on Nintendo Switch 2, reviews slightly mixed
One of the games that Nintendo Switch 2 gamers have been looking forward to getting their hands on this month is the Kingdom Hearts Collection. The collection which releases on Thursday will weigh-in at a hefty 131GB. You can also purchase the Kingdom Hearts Collection games separately and the...
CD Projekt Red Isn’t Done With The Witcher 3 Remastered, Lining Up PS5 Performance Fixes After Two Quick Patches
The Witcher 3 Remastered launched last week on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2, but CD Projekt Red hasn't stopped working on the third major edition of their highly popular role-playing game, as the studio already released two minor patches to address some of its biggest...
New Nintendo Switch 2 Console Officially Announced
Nintendo officially announces a brand-new version of its beloved Switch 2 hardware.