Switch beats DS to become Nintendo's best-selling video games hardware of all time

Nintendo's legacy goes full circle as the Switch becomes the company's best-selling system of all time.

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It's official: Nintendo's latest Q3'26 results have made history, confirming that the Switch has outsold the legendary DS to become the best-selling Nintendo video game hardware of all time. The Switch has now sold 155.57 million units, finally breaking the DS' decades-running streak of 154.02 million sales.

The new milestone is a big one for Nintendo, as the Switch line represents the unification of two of the company's most lucrative platforms--handhelds and consoles. Based on our findings, the Switch has generated over $100 billion in revenue for Nintendo across its 8-year lifespan, including both the Switch 1 and Switch 2 generations.

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While Nintendo has shown signs of moving on from the Switch with its new Switch 2 model, the older hardware will continue to be supported with games, content, and services. The Switch 2 is likewise setting early records, beating out traditional legacy hardware like the Wii U in less than a year on the market.

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So far, Nintendo has shipped 17.37 million Switch 2 consoles, and the goal for the fiscal year is 19 million. It's likely that we will see the Switch 2 likewise overlap traditional classic Nintendo hardware over the coming quarters and fiscal years.

We do have to wonder where Nintendo goes from here--is this the end of its hardware roadmap, this unification of handheld and console, or could we see Nintendo create a whole new form factor?

The Switch 2's principle gimmick, the camera feature, was mapped out during COVID-19 lockdowns when people were working from home and using tools like Teams to communicate. What could the next gimmick be, and how will it shape Nintendo's future hardware?