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The Switch is officially Nintendo’s most popular home console.
Anyone who was playing video games back in 2006 remembers the sheer frenzy that accompanied the release of the Nintendo Wii. Stores were sold out of the things for months on end simply due to how popular it was. For the longest time, the Wii has been unopposed as the most popular and profitable console Nintendo has ever released. As of this week, though, the Wii has officially been dethroned.
Sales of Nintendo’s current console, the Nintendo Switch, have officially surpassed the total lifetime sales of the Wii. Since its release in 2017, Nintendo has sold 103.54 million Switch units worldwide, beating out the Wii’s record of 101.63 million. With the Wii defeated, the only more popular Nintendo platforms are handheld ones like the Nintendo DS and the original Game Boy.
The Nintendo Switch Has Now Sold Over 100 Million Units Worldwide, Overtaking The Wii https://t.co/RJiQlQDrIQ pic.twitter.com/ZElp4M6pCM
— Forbes (@Forbes) February 4, 2022
Unfortunately, the monumental achievement is accompanied by some less-than-stellar projections. Nintendo recently adjusted their sales projections for the remainder of the fiscal year, bringing Switch sales expectations down to 23 million units from 24 million units. Like many other manufacturers of hardware and electronics, Nintendo blames this drop-off to the ongoing shortage of chips and semiconductors that has been affecting the tech industry for months now.
“The outlook for semiconductors and other components has remained uncertain since the start of this fiscal year and distribution delays remain unresolved, so production and logistics continue to be impacted,” Nintendo said in a statement.
