It feels like forever ago that we were all squinting at that first three-minute trailer, watching a guy detach his controllers to play Skyrim on an airplane. Honestly, it was a weirdly emotional moment for Nintendo fans. We’d just come off the Wii U era—which, let’s be real, was a bit of a disaster—and everyone was wondering if Nintendo still had "it." They did.
The Official Word: What Year Did the Nintendo Switch Come Out?
If you’re just looking for the quick answer: The Nintendo Switch officially came out on March 3, 2017. It launched worldwide on that same Friday, hitting shelves in North America, Japan, Europe, and Australia all at once. It’s kinda rare for Nintendo to do a massive, simultaneous global launch like that, but they knew they needed a win. After the Wii U sold only about 13.5 million units in its entire five-year lifespan, the stakes were sky-high.
But the 2017 release date is only half the story. The "NX" (that was its secret codename) had been rumored for years. Satoru Iwata, the legendary Nintendo president who sadly passed away before the console launched, first teased the existence of "a brand-new concept" back in March 2015.
Why the 2017 Timing Was Such a Gamble
Most consoles launch in November. You want those holiday sales, right? You want to be under every Christmas tree.
Nintendo didn't do that.
They dropped the Switch in March. Why? Basically, they needed to make sure they had enough games ready so it wouldn't pull a "Wii U" and sit there gathering dust. By launching in March 2017, they gave themselves a full nine months to build momentum before the 2017 holiday season, where they absolutely crushed it with Super Mario Odyssey.
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A Timeline of the Switch Family Releases
Nintendo isn't really the type to just release one version of a console and call it a day. Since that 2017 debut, we've seen several iterations that changed how we play.
- March 2017: The original "V1" Switch arrives. It had a battery life that was... okay. You’d get maybe 3 hours of Zelda before it started begging for a charger.
- August 2019: The "V2" refresh. Nintendo didn't really market this as a new console, but they swapped out the processor for a more efficient one. Suddenly, that same Zelda session lasted 5.5 hours. You can tell these apart by the bright red box.
- September 20, 2019: The Nintendo Switch Lite hits the market. This was for the "handheld only" crowd. It ditched the docking feature and the vibration, but it gave us a real D-pad.
- October 8, 2021: The Nintendo Switch OLED Model launches. This is the one most people want now. Bigger screen, vibrant colors, and a kickstand that doesn't feel like it's going to snap if you look at it wrong.
- June 5, 2025: The successor, widely called the Nintendo Switch 2, finally makes its debut, marking the end of the original Switch's solo reign.
What Made the 2017 Launch Special?
You can't talk about what year the Nintendo Switch came out without talking about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It’s arguably the best launch title in history. Usually, you buy a console and a few "okay" games to hold you over. With the Switch, people were buying the console specifically as a Zelda machine.
In fact, in those first few months, the "attach rate" was over 100%. That means more people bought Zelda than actually bought the console—basically, people were buying the game before they could even find the hardware in stock!
The Evolution of the "NX" Concept
Before it was the Switch, it was the NX. Rumors were everywhere in 2016. People thought it was going to be a VR headset. Some thought it was a portable-only device with "free-form" screens.
When the reveal trailer finally dropped on October 20, 2016, it was a relief. The idea of "switching" between a home console and a portable was simple enough for anyone to get. It’s funny looking back now, but at the time, people weren't sure if the public would care about playing console games on a bus. Spoilers: they did.
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How the Switch Changed Gaming Since 2017
It's now 2026, and looking back, the Switch didn't just sell well; it changed the industry. Before 2017, "handheld" games were seen as "lesser" versions of "real" games. You had the 3DS version and the Wii U version.
The Switch killed that divide.
Milestone Moments
- Surpassing the Wii: In 2022, the Switch officially outsold the original Wii, becoming Nintendo's best-selling home console ever.
- The Animal Crossing Craze: In 2020, New Horizons became the unofficial "soundtrack" to the global lockdowns. It pushed the Switch into the hands of millions of people who didn't even consider themselves "gamers."
- The Third-Party Boom: For the first time since the SNES, third-party developers actually wanted to be on a Nintendo console. Getting The Witcher 3 or Doom Eternal to run on a tablet was a technical miracle that happened years after the initial 2017 release.
Is the Original Switch Still Worth It Today?
Since the Nintendo Switch 2 came out in 2025, you might be wondering if the 2017-era hardware is obsolete.
Honestly? Not really.
The library is massive. We're talking over 10,000 games. If you’re a parent looking for a first console for a kid, or a casual gamer who just wants to play Stardew Valley in bed, the original Switch (specifically the OLED model) is still a fantastic piece of tech.
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However, if you're looking for 4K graphics or the latest "Pro" features, you’re definitely going to want to look at the 2025 hardware revisions. The original Switch used the NVIDIA Tegra X1 chip, which was impressive in 2017 but definitely shows its age when trying to run modern, heavy-hitting titles.
Summary of Key Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| First Mention (as NX) | March 17, 2015 |
| Official Reveal Trailer | October 20, 2016 |
| Launch Date | March 3, 2017 |
| Switch Lite Release | September 20, 2019 |
| Switch OLED Release | October 8, 2021 |
| Successor Launch | June 5, 2025 |
The Nintendo Switch didn't just come out in 2017—it saved Nintendo. It bridged the gap between the living room and the commute. Even with newer, more powerful handhelds like the Steam Deck or the Switch 2 on the market, the original's impact is permanent.
If you're still rocking a launch-day 2017 unit, give it a pat on the back. It’s been a long, legendary run.
Your Next Steps
If you still have an original 2017 model and notice the battery is dying faster than usual, you don't necessarily need a new console. You can actually send it to Nintendo for a battery replacement or look into the V2/OLED models for a significant boost in playtime. If you're looking to buy your first one, stick with the OLED model—the screen difference is worth the extra $50, no question.