Anniversary: Nintendo Switch Launched Four Years Ago Today - Nintendo Life

Four years ago today on 3rd March 2017, the Nintendo Switch was first released across most regions worldwide.

With its monstrous sales records and incredible library of games, it's not especially easy to remember how different things were for Nintendo before the Switch's arrival?

Switch arrived in style back in March 2017, launching alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – one of the finest launch titles the world has ever seen and indeed, one of the greatest games of all time according to critics.

As the console reaches the "middle of its life cycle," Nintendo is confident that it'll go on to surpass the Wii.

Have you enjoyed your time with Nintendo Switch over the last four years.

Feel free to share your favourite Switch memories with us in the comments below.

New Year's feels like it was last week.

I'd love another year like the 1st.

Happy 4th Anniversary, Nintendo Switch!

To celebrate this special occasion Nintendo is removing all Switch consoles and the entire library of games from the market.

The Switch has been a massive success, and even more impressive when you look how the Wii U sold, looking forward to the second half of it's life cycle!

There is no question of it overtaking the Wii in terms of sales, the only question is where it ends up on the overall console sales list.

It's been nice having a large of chunk of the Wii U library on the Switch, hopefully Nintendo releases the rest of the games like XCX and Zelda remasters.

4 years and no game matches the value of BOTW.

Unfortunately, for me, it has felt like downhill since launch!

And what a great 4 years it's been.

Nintendo systems typically last about 5 years.

Botw feels like it came out last month and new years felt like a few days ago.

I am planning to probably start BOTW for the first time in the next couple weeks after wrapping up the main game in Mario 3D World and Link’s Awakening DX.

Happy birthday to my favourite console until the PS5 came out.

the switch is as old as i think the 3ds still is in my mind.

and it does seem like a good timeframe to hopefully get a new revision within a year.

4 years!

I've beaten about 4 Switch games in that time.

Looks like I've got work to do...

The Switch still feels pretty new to me (though I'm usually a late adopter).

So happy that the switch exists, its hard to grab some gaming time on other consoles, due to a full time job and a 1 1/2 year old.

I still love the bigger cousins with the PS5 but it is the perfect console for me to tackle longer games.

Plus, as an indie machine, I've played some bangers on the console!

The Switch for me has revitalised my desire to get fit thanks to games like Ring Fit Adventure even more so than previous attempts like Wii Fit.

Everything about it feels like it was built for my preferences (mostly).

Just like what @JuiceMan_V just said my gaming prior to Switch was a lot less and almost completely on the way out of my life.

The Switch completely reinvigorated my gaming like night to day.

I think if Nintendo didn't switch things up with this console, their days would be numbered.

4 years went by so quickly.

Edit: The Switch is my favourite console of all time?

Happy 4th anniversary to my top fave console.

I remember how I finally got mine and how it felt like pure magic even on a bunch of demos (I had no funds left to allocate to actual games out the gate😄).

Contrary to the fan buzz around, there was already a whole lot to look forward to, but for all my fascination and the prospects ahead, I frankly never quite imagined the size of the library I'd eventually amass on this juggernaut, nor the amount of hours I'd pour into it.

At the time this was because it felt cheaper to spend £60 on a game which by all accounts ran the same on both formats than to spend £360 so I could play it on a console which also ran 1-2-Switch, and frankly I didn't have the extra £300 at the time?

After 35+ years of enjoying this hobby of ours, who knew the Switch would become my all-time favorite platform.

This time 4 years ago I was waiting, anxiously...

Switch is the first console to have Star Fox, Stunt Race FX, Hollow Knight, all the Dooms and Breath of the Wild on it.

Of course it is the best console I have owned to date.

Four years of nonstop fun.

This has been my go to system without fail and is now sporting my largest game library?

The hybrid nature and the varied library has really kept me engaged and entertained!

My favourite console of all time.

I really enjoy playing the Nintendo Switch, it play great new games like Super Mario Oddysee, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Dragon Quest XI, has great indie titles to enjoy and plays a wide range of retro games!

Hopefully another 4 years left and then back to making a separate handheld and main home console.

4 years and the drifting controllers are still broken and all the games are ports.

I have waited years to be able to replay that game.

They need to go back to making a dedicated separate handheld, the amount of games the switch has compared to what the 3ds/wii/wiiu had combined is appalling.

A tonne of mario universe games.

shame on Nintendo for creating such a masterpiece (excluding the 3 Pro-controllers I've gone through due to shoddy potentiometers, cloud save functionality, lack of themes / folders for the UI & the lack of varied Virtual Console titles spanning multuple systems).

Always room for improvment, but a cracking little system with a great library of games.

The hybrid format has been a winner for Nintendo and the Switch brand has exploded in the last few years.

I doubt that will happen, and there seems to be a lot of games on the console, with more coming.

And I’m aware it’s four years every time the fan in my Switch starts like an angle grinder.

With regards to Mario, we have tennis, golf, Paper Mario, Mario Party, all the ports from Wii U plus Odyssey so they've got enough in my opinion.

Edit: I forgot Mario Maker, Mario Kart / Mario Kart Live, Mario & Sonic Olympics, the 3D collection, the Mario games from NES / SNES, the short lived Mario Bros 35 & Mario Rabbids.

Breath of the Wild was released four years ago today.

With 3 more years of strong 1st party support, a meaningful price cut and no follow up till 2024 however, it stands a chance of reaching DS levels.

@electrolite77 the 3ds had an absolute tonne of games and that was whilst Nintendo was also making games for the wii and wiiU.

The Wii U struggled when they were supporting 3DS.

And all the NintenDoomed fandom predictions have come true it has become a universal Gaming console unrivaled by the likes of xbox or psX in terms of sales and staying power.

In only 4 years have broken records taking system lifespan to even come close to those number in less time.

Best console of all time, there, I've said it.

As a casual PC gamer for my whole adult life (the last console I played a brunch was the N64) when I saw the switch reveal I literally went on FB to post a "shut up and take my money" meme..?

My favorite console of all time that restarted my love for gaming!

I wonder what impact the Switch will have on the future of video games?

4 years, guess we should give up on folders and themes then, huh.

I've purchased my Nintendo Switch on Day 1.

Definitely my Favorite Console of all time.

Love how the fruit wants to be like you bc you’re so cool

No fancy photo with all my game cartridges this year (putting 470 cartridges aside is way too much hard work for this NL staffer) so here is an artistic image instead with a reminder that life was so much simpler merely 4 years ago

@UltimateOtaku91 More than half of the games you mentioned came out after the 3DS was 4 years old

Even if they're not the games you're looking for, there are still more than a ton of games that have been released on the Switch, physically and digitally, by the big publishers and indies

computational algorithms agree, thinking like me means people must be smart

“Finally my time to serve is here” -Wii U (with dozens of folders rescues Switch by porting each folder for only 9.99 )

Switch-chan, like many other hardware humanizations, is by Merryweather Comics

@JustMe i felt like it would never end

just a general thought, but i like the persona banners currently up

The best 4 years of Nintendo fandom

8 more years

I didn't get a Switch day one mainly because after the Wii U I was hesitant before I saw all of what the Switch could do, once I had it in my hands I fell in love with it and I still play it almost every day, the library is insane and it just keeps getting better with each year, unless the next system Nintendo makes is radically different, which I don't want, I can't see myself needing another system for a long time

I've had my Switch since October 2017, I don't play games anywhere near as much as some people in here, but the time I've had with this lil machine has been fantastic

I love the stripped back no nonsense, no bloat vibe to it, it's just a plug and play console

I love having all those old NES/SNES games at my fingertips, the arcade shooters, the Capcom collections, Zelda BOTW, Odyssey, Dragon Quest XI, Luigi's Mansion, Grid, Pure Pool, Smash, Okami HD and many more...not counting the stuff I still haven't bought in my wish list over the years that are waiting for me, and of course the games to come

And in 4 years they havent done a single update to the OS despite people wanting it

And in true Nintendo fashion they have sqandered potential such as N64 game, a proper NES and SENS Library and even Gamecube

Same here, nice easy interface that's quick, wink wink Wii U !!, and a perfect machine for Nintendo's first party games, If I want third party I will play them on my Xbox One

My favorite Nintendo console, with much more to come

In terms of games I’ve played, amount of time spent, variety of content, and the way it fits into my life, possibly my favourite Console ever

I love it when people tell us about the size of their TVs, like people really care or are impressed

I've had my Switch for a little over a year and will likely be playing it for many years after it's considered "retro"

The other end of the spectrum from the overly anti-Nintendo folks

Not only getting high profile 1st titles like Botw, Odyssey, Smash Ultimate, FE3H and Animal Crossing etc.,but having access to high profile console ports on a handheld system has been a dream for me

I know people always scoff at ports, but man, being able to play games like Doom, Skyrim, Witcher 3, the bioshock trilogy, borderlands trilogy etc., most of which I never played on the go is fantastic

I think I beat it in about 40, then kept playing until like 65 hours or so

No good if you want Mario/ Zelda though 😁

@Ghost_of_Hasashi Well with that kind of mentality no wonder why after 4 years we still have the same problem, you are basically saying get used to it, and yeah I understand that nothing is perfect but if feels like 1 out of 5 are defective compared to PS5 which is hard to tell since only scalpers have the console and they just got the message that they need to fix the issue so for now it’s only a matter of waiting for a fix if it’s really that bad and I haven’t heard any complaints for Xbox

At least one or two of those were disappointed Nintendo fans being salty, these days all we get is Agramonte telling us what he likes to play AT HOME and ON THE GO and how the PS4 is the best console ever

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