Nearly 11 million Nintendo Switch consoles weee sold during the 2019 holiday season. This makes the hybrid console Nintendo’s third best-selling home video game system behind the Wii and the 8-bit NES. It also means that with over 52 million units sold, the Switch has surpassed the SNES lifetime sales total of 49.1 million. That is particularly impressive considering that the Switch has been on the market for less than three years. Total Switch sales were up 15% year-on-year.
The SNES was Nintendo’s 16-bit console that was released in United States in 1991 and a year earlier in Japan. The system was discontinued in 1999.
The Nintendo Switch had its best holiday sales period ever in 2019 which is largely due to the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield. That game sold over 16 million copies and has managed to eclipse launch window sales for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Mario’s brother, Luigi, also proved popular with consumers last year. Luigi’s Mansion 3 sold over 5 million copies since its release last Halloween.
On the other hand, the 3DS is barely making a blip on the sales radar. The venerable handheld sold about 260,000 systems during the holiday period. You can argue that the 3DS serves as a low-cost alternative for price conscious consumers but it seems that the Switch Lite – a purely handheld variant of the Nintendo Switch – is destined to take over that role. Expect the 3DS to be discontinued within the next two years.
The Nintendo Switch will likely clear 100 million unit sales during its lifetime, especially after a price cut or two.
If you have not yet jumped on the Nintendo Switch yet and are looking to buy one, you might consider getting the Animal Crossing limited editikn console. David has all of the details about that for you.
