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The Nintendo Switch is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the Wii U and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4; it also competes with the ninth-generation consoles, Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S and Sony's PlayStation 5.
The Switch is a tablet that can either be docked for home console use or used as a portable device, making it a hybrid console. Its wireless Joy-Con controllers, with standard buttons and directional analog sticks for user input, motion sensing, and tactile feedback, can attach to both sides of the console to support handheld-style play. They can also connect to a grip accessory to provide a traditional home console gamepad form, or be used individually in the hand like the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, supporting local multiplayer modes. The Switch's software supports online gaming through internet connectivity, as well as local wireless ad hoc connectivity with other consoles. Switch games and software are available on both physical flash-based ROM cartridges and digital distribution via Nintendo eShop; the system has no region lockout. Two hardware revisions have been released: the handheld-only Switch Lite, released on September 20, 2019; and a higher-end version featuring an OLED screen, released on October 8, 2021.
The Switch was unveiled on October 20, 2016. Known in development by its codename NX, the concept came about as Nintendo's reaction to several quarters of financial losses into 2014, attributed to poor sales of the Wii U and market competition from mobile games. Nintendo's then-president Satoru Iwata pushed the company towards mobile gaming and novel hardware. The Switch's design was aimed at a wide demographic of players through multiple modes of use. Nintendo opted to use standard electronic components, such as a chipset based on Nvidia's Tegra line, to make development for the console easier for programmers and more compatible with existing game engines. As the Wii U had struggled to gain external support, leaving it with a weak software library, Nintendo preemptively sought the support of many third-party developers and publishers to help build the Switch's game library alongside its first-party games, including many independent video game studios. While Nintendo initially anticipated around 100 games for its first year, over 320 from first-party, third-party, and independent developers were released by the end of 2017.
As of December 2023, the Nintendo Switch has sold over 139 million units worldwide, making it Nintendo's best-selling home console and the third-best-selling game console of all time, behind the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. Switch sales have been strongly tied to sales of Nintendo's first-party games, with nine having sold over twenty million copies each: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pokémon Sword and Shield, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

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