Nintendo Switch overtakes DS as its biggest-selling console

Nintendo says the Switch has now sold more than 155 million units worldwide, pushing it past the DS to become the company's best-selling console to date. The figure covers sales since the device launched in 2017 and includes a period of unusually strong demand during global lockdowns.

The claim came with the latest financial results. The timing mattered. Investors marked the stock down sharply on the same day, with shares falling about 11 percent as concerns surfaced around software momentum and rising component costs.

The hybrid console's position in the wider industry is now narrow but still second place. Only Sony's PlayStation 2 has sold more units overall, with lifetime sales generally put above 160 million. Kyoto has not said whether it expects the Switch to close that gap, or how long it intends to keep the hardware on sale alongside its successor.

Early sales of the next device have been positioned as reassuring. The Switch 2, which launched in June 2025, had sold 17 million units by the end of the year. Management described the start as good, without offering regional detail or clarifying how much demand was pulled forward by owners of the first machine.

Some of the original success was not expected. Games industry analyst Christopher Dring said expectations at launch were low, particularly after the commercial failure of the Wii U. What followed was a run of unusually strong releases across core franchises. Mario, Zelda, Pokémon and Mario Kart all posted their best sales during the cycle. Secondary series like Luigi's Mansion and Mario Party also reached figures that had previously looked unlikely.

Timing helped. The hardware benefited from being both a home console and a handheld just as people were confined indoors. Freelance games journalist Rachel Watts said it became common during lockdowns, particularly among younger players and families. That demand spike is visible in the historical sales curve, but how much of it was structural rather than temporary remains unclear.

The problem now is cost. At a post-results briefing, Bloomberg reported that president Shuntaro Furukawa flagged higher memory prices as a potential drag on future profits. RAM, once a relatively cheap component, has become more expensive, with knock-on effects expected across consumer electronics from 2026.

Chris Scullion, deputy editor of Video Games Chronicle, said those pressures could limit how far the Switch 2 can go. He pointed to memory costs, US tariffs and uneven economic conditions across key markets. Success for the new console looks likely, he said, but matching the first machine may be harder. Selling a lot may not be the same as setting another internal record.

What remains unresolved is how long software sales can rely on the old hardware's installed base, or how sensitive Switch 2 demand will be to price increases. The sales number that now defines the first machine does not answer either question.

What this means in South Africa

South African buyers already feel the next chapter through Takealot, Incredible Connection and grey-import pricing, often weeks behind global launches and at a rand premium. Memory cost inflation that Nintendo cites globally arrives here as higher console and accessory tickets, not abstract bill-of-materials slides. Local demand will follow software availability and exchange-rate swings more than installed-base bragging rights in Kyoto.

What remains open

More primary-source detail will clarify timelines, pricing and local impact for South African readers.