Nintendo Switch is a console that seems like it’s been with us for a lifetime. It’s a console whose release seems so distant that those of us who bought it on the first day can’t even remember when that was. And it makes sense when we put it in context. The console was released on March 3, 2017. It may not seem like it was that long ago, but if we compare the Switch’s numbers to other Nintendo consoles, then we have to admit that it is. It’s a long time.
With 2,687 days behind it, the Switch is already the longest-lasting console in Nintendo’s history. That’s why, if you feel like you’ve been playing with the same console your whole life, that’s normal. If you feel like it hasn’t been that long, well, we have a bit more context to give you.
Until now, Nintendo’s longest-running console has been the Famicom, its first home console and its first console in general. Launched on July 15, 1983, it was discontinued on November 21, 1990, when its even more popular successor, the Super Famicom, was released. Or Super Nintendo, as it was known here. That means that the reign of the Famicom, the longest of any Nintendo console to date, was 2,686 days, and that, as of today, the Nintendo Switch has managed to surpass it.
The numbers for both the Famicom and the Nintendo Switch are far from being the norm. The average lifespan of Nintendo consoles is around 1,900 days, with the Wii U being the shortest-lived console with the sad honor of only 1,566 days of existence. However, the Famicom was on the market for almost a year longer than practically all of Nintendo’s other home consoles.
If the successor to Nintendo Switch isn’t released before March 1, 2025, that would mean the console would reach at least 2,920 days of life. It could endure almost three years longer than the other home consoles that’ve been released. A testament to the commercial success of Nintendo Switch which, accompanied by the fact that it’s the best-selling console in history, proves that Nintendo’s rush to release the next console is unfounded. And not without good reason.
