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Console wars concluded? Nintendo Switch is the most popular of all-time

Switch has sold over 90 million units in just four years of production – is it number one?

Nintendo hikes annual profit forecast despite gaming boom slowdown
Nintendo was among the gaming giants that experienced a boom in demand during the coronavirus pandemic - Copyright AFP/File Kazuhiro NOGI
Nintendo was among the gaming giants that experienced a boom in demand during the coronavirus pandemic - Copyright AFP/File Kazuhiro NOGI

Which is the most popular gaming console since the original television plug-in boxes appeared during the 1970s? How can such a qualification be made? The company NextDayDelivery has attempted to do so by conducting a study of the most successful game consoles of all time.

Those who a fans of the Japanese invention will be not doubt pleased to see the Nintendo Switch coming out in the top spot. In fact, Nintendo takes both the top two spots, with the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo DS.

In terms of what is bubbling below, a second Japanese led technology initiative follows with the next generation PlayStation 5. This is followed by other Sony products until the U.S. Xbox Series X appears in ninth place. Such is the greater dominance of Sony over Microsoft that Sony’s consoles make up five of the top ten spots .

The standings in the poll is based on sales data for game consoles over time. Hence the qualification for ‘popular’ is related to units sold.

With the chart-topper, released in 2017, the Switch has sold over 90 million units in just four years of production, giving it the top spot in the list with an average of 22 million consoles sold per year.

Many of these sales came during 2020, with sales on games for the console increasing 122 percent during the COVID-19 lockdown. The Switch is a hybrid console that can be used via a television screen and as a handheld at the same time.

The full data set is:

ConsoleUnits sold (million)Years in productionAverage sold per year (million)
Nintendo Switch90.54422.64
Nintendo DS154.9917.21
PlayStation 4116.44814.56
PlayStation 513.4113.4
PlayStation 2157.681213.14
PlayStation 387.4199.71
Wii101.64119.24
Game Boy Advance81.5199.06
Xbox Series X919
PlayStation102.5128.54
Game Boy118.69148.48
Nintendo 3DS75.9498.44
PlayStation Portable81.09108.11
Xbox 36085.8117.80
Xbox One50.3786.30
Nintendo 6432.9365.49
Super Nintendo Entertainment System49.1133.78
GameCube21.7463.62
Nintendo Entertainment System61.91183.44
Xbox (Original)24.6583.08
Sega Genesis29.54112.69
Atari 260027.64161.73

The data suggests that although the PS4 and Xbox One have been a part of a fierce console war for the past eight years, it Sony’s console that is more successful in having sold more than double the units of Microsoft’s counterpart.

In terms of changing trends, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X feature in the top ten despite only being in production for only one year.

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Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

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