Cheaper Nintendo Switch Lite remains least selling version

The Nintendo Switch Lite remains the lowest-selling version of the Nintendo console. While it’s the cheapest version, less than one in six Switch consoles sold in the past two years has been a Lite version.

The traditional Switch accounted for nearly half of shipments in recent years, while the OLED model accounted for 36 percent of shipments. In total, Nintendo has shipped nearly 38 million Switch consoles since spring 2021. In total, the console maker has shipped 122.5 million copies of its Switch, according to the quarterly figures.

The OLED model has been more popular than the traditional model since its release. During the past holiday quarter, Nintendo shipped 4.16 million OLED models and about 3 million regular variants of the Switch. Nintendo does not say why the Lite version sells less. The model does have a functional limitation compared to the other versions; the controllers are attached to it, so it cannot be used as a console to play on TV with separate controllers. Some games are also unplayable as a result.

Nevertheless, the number of deliveries of the Switch consoles in total is down compared to previous years. The chip shortage is over, but Nintendo has lowered its expectation anyway. The company expects to deliver 3 million copies of all variants together in the coming months. That would bring the total to 18 million this year, where the company was counting on 19 million a few months ago.

In terms of games, Pokémon Violet and Scarlet in particular did well with 20.6 million units shipped, says Nintendo. Splatoon 3 reached 10.1 million units shipped, Switch Sports is at 8.6 million units shipped.

Nintendo Switch OLED