Nintendo Switch launched exactly four years ago today. The console-handheld hybrid has been a huge success – so much so that it still hasn’t seen a price cut.
Nintendo launched the Switch on March 3, 2017 for $299.99. The system looked promising after the flop that was the Wii U, but it has proven to be even more successful than imagined. As of December 2020, Switch and Switch Lite have sold nearly 80 million units globally. It could conceivably outpace the PS4 before Nintendo eventually decides to end production.
And that success has come despite the price remaining stubbornly locked at $299.99 for the hybrid version of the system. (Switch Lite is strictly a handheld as it cannot “dock” and connect to a television.) That goes for the no-frills model with Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy‑Cons. Meanwhile, limited editions like the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition Switch also goes for $299, but it doesn’t even come with a copy of the game.
At this rate, Nintendo may announce the Switch’s successor before we see the hybrid model get a price cut! That stinks for gamers on a tight budget, but it is evidence of the Switch’s surprising staying power.
