‘I still play it weekly’: The Nintendo Switch just passed a benchmark that poises it to unseat a long-held throne

Move over NES; after over 7 years without a replacement, the Nintendo Switch just became the longest-lasting Nintendo home console of all time. 

Nintendo first launched the Nintendo Switch on March 1, 2017, which means the console has been the current generation home Nintendo console for 2,696 days (or nearly seven and a half years) without Nintendo releasing a newer console to replace it. According to a report from VGC, The NES, or Nintendo Entertainment System, previously held the record with 2,686 days until the release of its successor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. 

Rumors that Nintendo will be launching a new console to replace the Switch have been rampant but don’t expect the Switch 2, for lack of a better name, to come out too soon. President of Nintendo, Shuntaro Furukawa, posted an announcement on X in May of 2024, stating that Nintendo will announce the Switch’s successor sometime during the current fiscal year. That means we’ll hear about the new console before March 31, 2025 (Japan’s fiscal year runs from April to March) but Furukawa’s statement doesn’t mean the Switch 2’s release is imminent; the Nintendo Switch was first announced in March 2015, two years before it was officially released worldwide. 

The Switch is one of the best-selling game consoles and is quickly on its way to beating out the PlayStation 2 to become the top-selling console ever. Its success doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its detractors; gamers have long complained of the Switch’s outdated hardware compared to its competitors. Responses under a celebratory post from IGN on X are a good example of how some players feel about the Switch lasting this long.

While a few responses brought up complaints of poor graphics and bad experiences running newer games on the Switch, the majority of responses were positive and celebrated the console’s latest achievement.

A few X users, like @KayVee_45, felt surprised at how long the Switch has been released. Given the Switch’s popularity and how often games are released on the console, it does feel like the Switch is still in its prime. Nintendo continues to announce upcoming releases for the Switch, like Mario & Luigi: Brothership and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

X user @Agent_Drew expressed his support for longer lifespans for gaming consoles, citing concerns over the rising price of gaming. When companies release new consoles frequently, some consumers may feel pressured to spend money they don’t have to keep up with the latest generation of consoles.

Longer-lasting consoles can be a good way to help alleviate that pressure, provided the console is still performing well compared to its peers. The Nintendo Switch seems like it still has some good years ahead of it but time will tell how long it keeps its new title.