Nintendo scores a hit with Switch 2, but can it keep the streak alive?
Less than a week in, Nintendo's hot new handheld the Switch 2 is already breaking sales records – including ones set by its iconic predecessor.
Nintendo announced Wednesday that the Switch 2 has sold more than 3.5 million units around the globe, crowning it the fastest-selling Nintendo console of all time. Considering the massive success of the first Nintendo Switch and the longtime success of the Nintendo DS – the second best-selling console of all time, just behind the PlayStation 2 – that's an impressive distinction.
'Fans around the world are showing their enthusiasm for Nintendo Switch 2 as an upgraded way to play at home and on the go,' Nintendo Chief Operating Officer Doug Bowser said.
'We are thankful for their response and happy to see the fun they are already having with Nintendo Switch 2 as they explore new features and games that bring friends and family together in new ways.'
Beating its own record
For comparison, Nintendo moved 2.74 million units of the original Nintendo Switch the first time around, in 2017. Those were already impressive numbers at the time, with a month of Nintendo Switch sales passing 20 percent of the Wii U's sales across the odd hybrid console's entire lifespan. The first Nintendo Switch hit 152 million units sold in March, putting it on track to eclipse the record of the Nintendo DS, which sits at 154 million units.
The Switch 2 launched on June 5, following a pre-order period that saw the consoles sell out online in a flash. Prior to the midnight release, gamers around the globe lined up outside Nintendo flagship stores and chain retailers, fittingly killing time playing games on their soon-to-be last-generation handhelds in the original Switch's waning hours.
Improving on greatness
Nintendo's Switch 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but with the wheel still rolling so well, why would they? The Switch 2, which retails for $450, boasts a larger 1080p screen, a beefier processor that can run more complex games, enhanced social features and an improved software shop (Switch fans know that the eShop update alone could justify an upgrade). The new console launches with Mario Kart World, an open world version of the cartoonish racing game that's defined Nintendo consoles since the Super Nintendo.
While the Switch 2 might be a little tough to track down for a while, inventory woes won't hold a candle to Sony's rocky next-gen console launch in late 2020. Gamers hoping to snag a PlayStation 5 upon its debut often came up empty handed as the global chip shortage and sky-high pandemic demand squeezed the console's supply. Sony only declared its supply chain woes officially over three years later.
Nintendo is facing intense demand with the Switch 2, but these days Trump's tariffs were the company's main launch concern. The Japanese company pushed back pre-order plans in April as it navigated challenges the trade war might pose to its global sales.
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