- Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa says the Nintendo Switch has reached its lifetime’s middle
- It is still going strong, surpassing 100 million units sold
- It is likely upgrades will extend the Stitch’s lifetime by a few more years
The Nintendo Switch has been on the market for almost five years, and Nintendo’s president says it should last for at least five more.
The Switch Reaches Its Life’s Mid-Point
Since its release on March 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch has become one of history's most successful consoles. With its sleek design and both handheld and docked modes of operations, the Switch brought something new and interesting to the market. Its unique playstyle modes and vast game library, ranging from classic Nintendo titles like Super Mario Bros. to modern FPS games like Doom Eternal, have cemented the console as one of the most influential electronic products of all time.
However, according to an interview for Bloomberg, Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa said the Nintendo Switch has reached its lifetime’s halfway point. “Switch is just in the middle of its lifecycle and the momentum going into this year is good,” Furukawa said. The console is already five years old, and if Nintendo's president says it has just passed half its lifetime, that means it should be around and supported for five more.
This also hints that the company might not be releasing a new console in the next half-decade. “The Switch is ready to break a pattern of our past consoles that saw momentum weakening in their sixth year on the market and grow further,” Furukawa added.
The Switch Is Still in High Demand
Furukawa’s prognosis may be right, as the Nintendo Switch is still going strong. The console is still very coveted and recently it even surpassed 100 million copies sold worldwide since its release in 2017. With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing many people to stay home and look for indoor entertainment, the Switch saw a significant rise in sales.
The increased demand, along with a chip shortage directly caused by factories closing down during the pandemic, led to a shortage of the console last year. In fact, Furukawa warned this shortage may continue into 2022.
Currently, the Nintendo Switch has had just one upgrade since its launch, made in August 2019. It improved the console’s chipset and battery life. The company also released two other versions of the Switch, including the Switch Lite in 2019 and the OLED model in 2021.
Despite its aging, in some people's opinion, hardware the console is still going strong, with sales expected to stay stable during 2022. However, Nintendo fans who want to see a brand new console will probably have to wait a few more years for any information on that.
