The Legacy of the Nintendo Switch

What will be the legacy of the Nintendo Switch? So far it's off to a fantastic start. Despite Nintendo recently lowering expectations on yearly sales down to 17 million from 20 million, Nintendo Switch sales are extremely high. This is great news for Nintendo coming off the previous system, the Nintendo Wii U, which sold 12 million units in its lifetime. The Switch surpassed those sales in the first year alone.

Since its launch on March, 3, 2017, Nintendo has sold over 32 million Switch units. These sales numbers helped it be declared both the best-selling console of 2018 and the best-selling Nintendo console during a Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S. This is a record achieved without any drop in its $299 sales price.

Software sales have been high as well, with 163.61 million units since launch. Nintendo has continued to supply fans the titles they like, and some of its most popular titles have sold ten million or more copies. Titles like Smash Bros. have achieved this sales record in a very short time; this shows that Switch owners are eager to buy these popular franchises.

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 15.02 Million

• Super Mario Odyssey - 13.76 Million

• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 12.08 Million

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 11.68 million

• Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! - 10 million

2019 will be another year that empties the wallets of both casual players and hard core collectors. Nintendo and third party publishers have releases planned for many popular franchises. These titles include:

• Yoshi's Crafted World (March 29th)

• Mortal Kombat 11 - (April 23, 2019)

• Super Mario Maker 2 (June)

• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (July)

• Animal Crossing (2019)

• Luigi’s Mansion 3 (2019)

• Pokémon (2019)

The legacy of the Nintendo Switch will be better than that of the Wii U, and its sales numbers suggest that it could be as popular as the Wii or even the DS line. In fact, the merging of the console and the portable unit places the Switch in unexpected territory. Will it sell more like a console or more like a portable? The rumor of a lower priced Switch Mini adds further speculation, as a lower initial cost unit may pull millions of more users into the Switch system as Nintendo pulls support from the DS line and focuses only on the Nintendo Switch. Since March, 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch has been surprising and delighting consumers, and the Switch looks to be creating a positive legacy - a legacy that will have many wanting to relive their childhood memories far into the future, creating a need for collectors to work to preserve this legacy. But will the Nintendo Switch be the object of desire in 30 years as the NES is today? Will the Switch Game Cards be playable in a Switch far into the future? Please join our forum and and check out our "Legacy Score" to find the best games to hold onto for the future. Most of all keep checking back here as we follow the news of this game system and as it creates its Legacy.