Nintendo's Greatest Hits and Misses

Nintendo’s latest video game console, the Nintendo Switch, has been off to a great start. Since its global release on March 3 of last year, Nintendo sold 22.86 million units of the hybrid console, surpassing expectations.

As our chart illustrates, Nintendo’s history is one of hits and misses. While its first two video game consoles for the living room were blockbuster successes at the time, the Nintendo 64 and GameCube didn’t sell as well, the experimental and often forgotten Virtual Boy (thanks to one of our readers for bringing it to our attention) failed miserably. The Wii, released in 2006, turned out to be a surprise hit only for its successor, the 2012 Wii U, to flop entirely.