Switch becomes one of Nintendo's longest-running consoles without a successor

Nintendo's NES didn't get replaced by a next-gen console for 2,686 days after it was released. The company's first gaming handheld has now surpassed it, lasting 2,690 days and counting without any successor being launched. As for the NES, it was replaced by the Super NES or SNES on November 21, 1990, and when it comes to the handheld console, its successor is likely a couple of months away.

Recent reports hint that Nintendo is planning to launch the Switch 2 in Q1 of 2025. If this holds true, the company's original gaming handheld will last nearly 2,900 days or even more without being replaced by a next-generation console. This could make the Switch hold a solid new record.

Of course, the Nintendo Switch is still far behind the original Game Boy, which stayed in the market for 4,352 days before the company released a proper successor, the Game Boy Advance. However, the gaming handheld does beat the Nintendo DS. It lasted for 2,288 days until being replaced by the Nintendo 3DS.

Worth noting that Nintendo Switch didn't actually come with new hardware at launch. It runs on Nvidia Tegra X1, released back in 2015. Given how dated the SoC is, the gaming handheld can't match the performance of modern handhelds such as the ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme variant curr. $549.99 on Best Buy). This has basically made modders tinker with the hardware and make it more capable than it is in stock.