 The Nintendo Switch just broke a 30 year old record, or nearly 30 years old, because technically I guess there hasn't been 30 years for it to break this record. The point is, it has done something that no one else has done, not the PlayStation 1 or 2, not the DS, not the Wii, not Xbox or any other prior Nintendo system. This record is astonishing. This record is barely being talked about in the annals of gaming, and this record has to do with sales. Yeah, it's not the best selling system of all time, but it's only done something now five times in a row that we've never seen before. And now before we get into the exact record Nintendo Switch just broke, I want to remind you about today's sponsor, E-Win Racing. They make chairs for all types and sizes. I think there's five different size chairs, all weight classes, all heights, look, you can use code NPR for 20% off. There's a link down in the description that you can go and find the chair for you. So the record that Nintendo Switch broke is leading the MPD for five straight years. This has never happened in the history of video games. And now look, the MPD has only been technically tracking since 1995. So we can talk about how maybe the Nintendo Entertainment System or maybe an old Atari would have been a sales leader for maybe four or five straight years in the United States. So there is a system that may have done this, but it's unknown because sales data wasn't really tracked back then. That's kind of the crazy thing. A lot of those early console sales numbers, even like the lifetime to date sales numbers for the Nintendo Entertainment System, weren't really tracked. So once tracking began in 1995, literally Switch has done something that has never been done before. Yeah, you heard me right. Five straight years leading the MPD in sales when it comes to video game consoles. This includes handheld. So we're not just talking about home console, handheld console as well. Nothing has led for five straight years. So yesterday a report came out that Nintendo was increasing Switch production heading into the new fiscal year, which makes a lot of sense given that Tears of the Kingdom is a very early launch. They're going to need more switches available early in the next fiscal year than they've ever needed before. So increasing Switch production right now to meet that demand for Tears of the Kingdom makes a lot of sense. But the interesting thing, of course, is that obviously heading into year seven, most companies aren't increasing production, but there's kind of a unique situation with Tears of the Kingdom coming in May. It's going to be a system seller. They need to have more switches ready early than usual. But the interesting part, of course, is with the five straight years of leading the MPD is the other report that came out from Nikkei that they are in negotiations for, well, the next generation system and getting mass production underway. And in that report, it stated that they were going to have this new system come out in like the second half of 2024. At least that's their estimation. Now that's interesting and everything. But what's cool about that, because I saw a lot of comments. A lot of comments saying, what, no new system in 2023? Man, Nintendo's stupid. They need a new system now. Do they? You may want a new system. That's a personal one. But when it comes to need, five straight years leading the MPD, five straight years. That means you could argue the switches now had five straight peak sales years. Because well, the US is the number one market for system sales. So five straight peak sales years. I want to let that sink into your mind for a moment compared to every other video game system on the market. I don't care if you're into Steam Deck. I don't care if you're into PlayStation or Xbox or Nintendo or some obscure other like Aya Neo or something. One line is for five straight years, Nintendo Switch has been number one in unit sales never seen before. That's five straight peak years. Now, can they do it for six? It's going to be a bit tougher, I think. I think it's going to be a bit tougher. I think this is going to be the best sales year ever for PlayStation 5, at least to date. Obviously, this is year three. We're only about early to middle of life cycle for PlayStation 5, crazy to even talk about entering the middle. And you might think it's how could it be the middle? This is going to be year three for PlayStation 5. Year three. Just let that sink in. Year three and most systems last for six, five to six years. It's crazy, crazy that we're kind of in the middle of the PlayStation 5's life cycle of the Switch is still the best selling system. Look, I don't think Switch is going to end up topping the MPD charts this year. I could be wrong. Maybe Switch ends up coming out ahead. Maybe they have a bunch of bangers coming out. Maybe there's a new Mario Kart or a new Mario game or, you know, another Pokemon game or something crazy that ends up pushing sales of Luigi's Mansion or, God, I don't know, Star Fox will move units on Metroid Prime 4. Maybe they end up having a banger lineup this year. And you know what? Switch ends up leading for a record six years in a row. That is a possibility. But if you want to talk about why they might not need a new system this year, it begins with recognizing the current success of Switch as is. While the sales have technically been declining since the peak 28 million sales they had back in 2020, it's still on track to be over 20 million in the current fiscal year that ends in March. And yeah, that also means beginning in April, they probably are going to be on a projected sales pace of anywhere from 15 to 18 million for the next fiscal year. Let that sink in for a moment. If we think Switch needs to be replaced. Meanwhile, it will be on pace to sell 15 to 18 million in the next fiscal year. I think you might be mistaken. I did say, and I'm on record, last year at one point thinking, you know what? With the sales declining, maybe 2023 is the right time to drop a brand new next generation system because, hey, you still have a massively successful system and you still want to hit while that system is a success. But assuming they can do 15 to 18 million in the next fiscal year, 2024 is still not too late. Switch will still be heavily relevant, still be selling over 10 million units probably projected in that fiscal year, despite new hardware coming out. There'll probably be a price drop for the Nintendo Switch as well to help boost those sales in 2024. So the more I think about it, the more I do think realistically from a sales perspective with 5 straight years leading the MPD, yeah, they can wait until 2024 to release that new hardware. This is not about personal wants. This isn't about third party games. This isn't about trying to get better performance out of games. This is just speaking strictly about sales. And I think that's something we need to keep in mind. Nintendo is a business. They're in the business of selling video games and, well, systems. That's what they're in the business of. And while Switch is still massively successful, while the fervor for the software is high, software sales are high, system sales are high. They don't have to be in a rush to get a new system out. They just need to get one out before nobody cares about Switch anymore. And while you might argue, oh, Switch is collecting dust for me. Oh, I replaced it with Steam Deck. Oh, I'm playing my PlayStation or my Xbox more than my Switch or PC gaming more than my Switch. That's fine. Nintendo had over 106 million active users in the last year. This is from Nintendo themselves. I'm not making these numbers up. Over 106 million active users in the last year. They are at the peak of their subscription numbers for Nintendo Switch Online. Slowly creeping up to 40 million people subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online. That's not counting like family memberships, which could have multiple people involved with that. Oh, and by the way, we just had the fastest selling Nintendo published game of all time in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Rage on the performance all you want. Rage on the pop-in. Rage on the game all you want. It is the fastest selling Nintendo game of all time. They are still technically peaking with Switch. And you know what? Matiers of the Kingdom on the horizon, at least for the short term here, I don't know that Switch is really going to slow down that much, at least in the first half here of 2023. So honestly, guys, the more you think about it, the more things lined up, this record being broken. Yeah, Switch is going to be just fine. Seriously, it's going to be more than fine. And also be sure to tune into our Nintendo Prime podcast next week. Be a special guest, Kit and Krista, former Nintendo employees with over 20 years of combined experience at Nintendo. Coming on the show next week, it's going to be a fun one. And I'll catch you guys in that next video.