Here's why you won't see a new Nintendo Switch anytime soon

With the latest and greatest new PlayStation and Xbox consoles in high demand, the video game makers at Nintendo surely must be ready to dump its nearly 5-year-old Switch game system, right?

Not so fast.

Sure, Sony and Microsoft's new systems, released in November 2020, are lusted after and still nearly impossible to find on store shelves. But the Nintendo Switch is not always assured to be in stock, either.

Why is that? The Nintendo Switch has been the top-selling video game console in the U.S. for the past 30 months – yeah, you read that right, the leading unit seller for 2½ years – according to research firm The NPD Group.

That surpasses the previous longest streak (21 months) held by the Xbox 360, from August 2011 through April 2013, according to NPD.

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The Nintendo Switch may not be as powerful as the newer Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles, which play games in 4K and eventually could display 8K games. But the Switch delivers HD games on TVs and can also serve as a portable game device, too – a strength in homes where other family members command the big screens for binging of streamed TV and movies.

And hit games, such as "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" became delightful diversions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Nintendo has already sold 84.6 million Switch units – including the Switch Lite, which is a portable-only version of system – and the company forecasts sales of 25.5 million in its current fiscal year, which ends in March 2022. That would push the Switch past the 110 million mark, and beyond total sales of the popular Nintendo Wii (101.6 million).

The Wii became Nintendo's biggest selling home system ever, despite lacking the HD video of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But the Wii and its motion controllers, which in addition to letting you play Mario games also let you bowl and swing a virtual golf club and tennis racquet, attracted many casual gamers in addition to diehards and went on to outsell those systems.

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Nintendo Switch sales to dip, but still strong

The Kyoto, Japan-headquartered Nintendo forecasted Switch console sales to dip about 11%, which is expected as a system ages. But demand for Switch consoles, games and accessories remain high, says MatPiscatella, NPD's executive director of games.

In May, 10 of the top 20 best-selling games were on Switch – as were three of the year's top 10 sellers ("Super Mario 3D World," "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" and "Minecraft"), based on NPD's charts.

Total 2021 video game sales remain ahead of last year, despite a 2020 spending surge as Americans adapted to a stay-at-home lifestyle during the pandemic.

"Switch is doing a great deal of the heavy lifting in the positive results we continue to see in the console space, despite a very difficult comparable year ago period which itself saw gains regularly in the 30%+ range," Piscatella said. "Based on my read of the data, it's still very much full steam ahead for Switch through this holiday at the least."

A packed video game lineup for Switch

Rather than tout an update to the Switch console or an entirely new game system, Nintendo at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) pounded a drumbeat for its aggressive new release schedule.

The newest release, "Mario Golf: Super Rush," is out Friday, and there are many ways to tee it up with Mario including traditional golf, speed golf, and battle golf, all playable by up to four players. There's also a solo challenge role and a golf adventure mode in which you can bring your Mii into the game.

A longtime fan of real and virtual golf, Bowser Nintendo of America president Doug describes the adventure mode as "an RPG-like game where you combat through skill challenges and there are boss battles that come into play. ... For those who are hard-core sim golf players or just enjoy Mario games in general, I think it is going to delight them all."

Also out Friday: A remastered reissue of "Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2," with "Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin," due July 9 (a demo is available Friday), and a remastered "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD," out July 16.

September brings "WarioWare: Get It Together!" (Sept. 10), a game for two players to compete a selection of minigames. Then there's "Metroid Dread" (Oct. 8) and "Mario Party Superstars" (Oct. 29). November brings "Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and "Pokémon Shining Pearl" (Nov. 19), remastered from the Nintendo DS originals.

Then in 2022, Nintendo plans to release a sequel to "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" and "Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope," as well as "Pokémon Legends Arceus" (Jan. 28).

Despite "lots of talk" about the possibility of new hardware ahead of E3, Nintendo was "very clear E3 for us was going to be all about the games," Bowser said in an interview during the event. "We really talked about a wide swath of games targeted towards core gamers and Nintendo fans, and towards broader more general audiences."

Technology versus timing

When it comes to the the evolution of console hardware, Nintendo is "always looking at various technologies and how they may impact gameplay," Bowser said. "It is not technology for technology’s sake, it’s technology that will fundamentally enhance and improve the overall gameplay experience and then choices are made whether that technology is integrated into existing platforms or generations or that is something we implement into future platforms or generations."

Looking back, the Wii was released five years after the arrival of the Nintendo GameCube in 2001. Nintendo brought the Wii U to market in 2012, six years after the Wii launched.

With the Nintendo Switch – launched less than 4½ after the Wii U – "we really do believe that we have the ability to redefine how people think about a console life cycle and the longevity of a console life cycle," Bowser said.

Conditions make this an inopportune time to switch from the Switch. In addition to still-intense consumer demand, the global semiconductor chip shortage caused by the pandemic has impacted Switch production.

Nintendo's forecasts take the chip situation into account, Bowser said. "At times demand does outstrip supply," he said. "We are continuously working with our retailers and our production facilities to produce as much as we possibly can to meet that demand."

Regardless, the Nintendo Switch had a record-setting year for console unit sales. And this year, it will likely have the second-best year ever for a console, said David Cole, founder and CEO of research firm DFC Intelligence. "Staying with the current Nintendo Switch makes sense," he said.

Those conditions and the Switch's solid lineup of games suggest it will be at least until the first half of 2022 before Nintendo would announce any changes to its hardware strategy, Piscatella said. "But who knows?"

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Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nintendo Switch: 'Mario Golf' the latest video game to drive console