Nintendo Switch breaks another record that most didn't see coming
Nintendo Switch breaks another record that most didn't see coming
The Nintendo Switch has shown it has staying power as it reaches a new milestone
🤯 Nintendo Switch has broken another record
🥇 It’s now lasted longer than any other home console before being replaced
📆 Nintendo has said it will announce the Switch’s successor this fiscal year
🔜 The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to launch in March 2024
The Nintendo Switch has reached another impressive milestone as it rapidly approaches its eighth anniversary on sale. The Switch has now lasted longer than any other Nintendo home console before being replaced, clocking in over 2,687 days since it launched on March 3, 2017.
According to VGC, the record was previously held by the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System outside of Japan), which lasted 2,686 before a successor was released. Compare that to Nintendo’s last console, the Wii U, which only lasted 1,566 before being replaced, and it’s an achievement few will have predicted.
Nintendo will reportedly release Nintendo Switch 2 in March 2025, which means the Switch could go more than 2,920 days without a replacement being launched. However, due to the Switch’s hybrid nature of being a home console and handheld, technically it isn’t the longest-lasting system.
The original Game Boy is still Nintendo’s longest-lasting hardware, reaching a staggering 4,352 days before its successor, the Game Boy Advance, was released.
Even though Switch sales are in decline, Nintendo announced a slew of exciting new titles for its aging system. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD are all due to release on the Nintendo Switch before the console is officially retired.
Nintendo has said it will reveal the successor to the Nintendo Switch “this fiscal year”, which means we’ll get an official announcement before the end of March 2025.
If you haven’t picked up a Switch yet, check out our Nintendo Switch vs OLED and Nintendo Switch vs Lite comparisons. Make sure you pick up the best Switch games, too, as Nintendo’s next console is rumored to be backward compatible.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.