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Home / News / The Nintendo Switch has now outsold the Wii

The Nintendo Switch has now outsold the Wii

103.54 million Switch consoles have been sold since launch

Nintendo Switch console

Nintendo just released its latest sales report for the end of last year, and the games company has done exceedingly well, despite the chip shortage. In fact, as of December 31, 2021, the Nintendo Switch has actually sold more units than the Wii console.

After a bump during the Black Friday and Christmas period, the Nintendo Switch has racked up an impressive 103.54 million sales since launch. That’s almost 2 Switches per person in England! Remember, the Switch has only been out since 2017, which isn’t that long ago.

Achieving such a high number of sales for the Switch is impressive enough, but the console has actually taken the crown from the original Wii console. The Wii amassed 101.63 million sales during its lifetime between its launch in 2006, and discontinuation in 2013. That’s 2 million less than the Switch!

It’s worth bearing in mind that these sales totals include the newer models, such as the OLED Nintendo Switch and the Lite version. But, the Wii figures also include all of the models, so the numbers even out.

Nintendo’s announcement comes as no shock to fans of the console. The Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console worldwide between December 2018 and September 2021, beating out the competition.

Speaking of the competition, Sony also recently announced in sales figures for the previous year. In these figures, the company revealed that it had sold just 17.3 million PlayStation 5 consoles. Granted, the PS5 was only released in late 2020, but its average annual sales are working out to be less than the Switch has been selling.

It’s incredibly impressive to see the Nintendo Switch sell so many units, especially considering the chip shortage over recent years. It seems Nintendo has been able to avoid supply chain issues and is on track to keep its crown as the best-selling console.

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About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around seven years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home