Update: Nintendo has told IGN that it will still continue to sell the Nintendo Switch family of systems in certain markets outside of Europe after this date.
Nintendo of Europe has said that it will be discontinuing the sale of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch (OLED model) from mid-February 2027. This will mean that the original Nintendo Switch family of systems will have been made available for ten years.
From mid-February 2027, almost ten years after Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, Nintendo will no longer sell to retailers hardware in the Nintendo Switch family of systems – specifically Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model. Sales of Nintendo Switch hardware on Nintendo Store will also end in mid-February 2027.
I was 13 when the switch launched, it’s actually crazy to see it’s being discontinued.
So long Kinga Bowser!
So the time has finally come. I was between 21 or 22 when the original Switch was announce as NX. Good times.
These systems were fairly decent in terms of affordability even after the slight increase in price. I wonder if by then we would have a Switch 2 Lite, but even then it would still be a bit over-the-top. It would be nice if companies could start making systems that cost at or below $400.
With the surge in AI and cost increases, that’s nearly impossible. Unfortunately.
Part of the reason why is because of the reliance on NVidia parts. They have quite a hold on the market themselves, so when something happens, it affects Nintendo too. Systems before the Switch didn’t utilize those parts. They relied on smaller companies developing hardware and software, so they were able to have a bit more control in terms of what they can work with. At least, that’s how I perceive it. I could be leaving out details since I didn’t research, but that’s my hunch.
Well, no—Nintendo has been outsourcing the manufacturing of its consoles for over 30 years; since the N64, actually.
They can’t do it on their own anymore.
And don’t kid yourself about a €400 console—those days are over, due to inflation on the one hand and increased RAM costs on the other.
I’m aware of the outsourcing, but it’s only when NVidia got involved when the system only kept increasing in price, with the Lite version to offset the unaffordability problem. I think we can both admit that since the Switch family has some ties to NVidia (which is a trillion dollar company), they have a higher stake than we realize.
Of course Nvidia gets a cut of Switch sales—I believe it’s 40% of the price, actually.
But Nvidia also stands for quality, and they did a superb job with both Switch models…
Want to bet right now that the “Switch 3” will feature an Nvidia Spark or the upcoming Nvidia/Intel SoC?
That’s why the systems get expensive. They get their share, and they want to add their tech and get something out of it too. If Nintendo strayed away, they could have leeway on what they could do. It would be a tough path, but that’s how I see the price being reduced to possibly below $400.
It’s just a pipe dream, because no manufacturer can produce its own console entirely in-house—and even if they could, it would cost far more once R&D is factored in.
That was Sony’s mistake with the PS3: the R&D for the Cell processor drove up the price.
I’m thinking more in terms of what Nintendo did with the DS systems. They did not rely on AMD processors, but rather more of ARM processors, and the systems are still cheaply sold. If we’re chasing graphics, obviously they would deviate to more expensive options, but I think they should tone back a bit and go back to their roots.
It’s a nice dream, yet again… plus, the Switch uses an ARM CPU anyway, so…
Wanting to downgrade the technology just to save on cost isn’t realistic; we aren’t going to dig up 20-year-old components for that—especially since they aren’t even being manufactured anymore.
I couldn’t directly reply to your comment, but I just want to say I choose to be hopeful. If they can manage slightly modern graphics while making it affordable for a lot of people, that would be a great achievement. It’s not impossible or a dream, but it is doable, just rather difficult to get there.
Nintendo Lazy AF.. the voice actors for Star Fox sound like they are asleep compared to N64 version.
Now I go jerk off to Rouge or Blaze.
What makes you say it’s nearly impossible?
From what I’m reading, it’s only being discontinued in Europe because of the new replaceable battery regulations, right? Since it’d make less sense to put out a new Switch 1 revision when Switch 2 is already on market for over a year. I think it’ll stay in production for other regions, but this could be a sign of the times that Switch 1 has a couple years of production left
Meh.. Nintendo is getting lame. They can’t even do voice acting properly. Star Fox 64 was much better than this lazy new shit.. it’s like the voice actors are asleep.
Welp, time to go jerk off my nicely sized 6.5 inch dick to some Rouge or Blaze pron 🤤
Game consoles have almost never been cheaper in history. This claim that the Switch 2 is prohibitively expensive is factually false and it came exclusively from crybabies on reddit. Adjustment for inflation is real as is purchasing power. People always want things to be cheaper but they apparently don’t want to make more money. Better for a thing to be very supreme but expensive, than to wallow in the mud with a green eye.
To be honest with you consoles was never cheaper to begin with. Because many gamers desires it to be a little less cheaper so they won’t spend so much money on expensive things in stores. It’s like paying for a expensive surgery operation in your body for something you tried to get rid off honestly but sometimes, the bad tumor always comes back when the surgery never works out.
Oof, in this economy they might as well sell it through 2028. Even by 2030 this ram/gpu/data storage/smart car/smart phone/data center disaster in the market will still be crazy. So they should really capitalize on having a cheaper entry level system on the market. If nothing else but to sell online passes and to sell to countries that don’t have a larger supply.
Consoles was never cheaper to begin with because people or gamers don’t want to spend money on expensive things that they don’t want to do in the cost of living. It’s like paying for a expensive surgery operation that you don’t want to deal with.
I remember on launch day getting my OG Switch. Stopped at a local Target on the way to work early and they had a line outside. Walked up and a guy with Target asked me if I was there for the Switch. Told him I was and he gave me a ticket number and said it was the last one they had to give. Bought just the Switch and then downloaded Fast RMX as my first game. It has been a killer system for me. But, I have really enjoyed my Switch 2 since I got it on launch day last year. Everything is bigger with Switch 2.
Man, this site is terrible. You didn’t read the announcement, didn’t update the title, and then posted an equally misleading title in the followup post. Is this site run with AI or what?
SickR doesn’t live in America, so some of his articles are non American news. This announcement was for the uk, not America.
Yes, I heard that it’s to save money, because it’s too expensive to update both software. It forces others to upgrade to the Switch 2 that has replaceable batteries.