First I want to get the more objective evidence (I most likely wont be able to get it all), then I'll talk about my preference.
- Hardware sales
- WiiU & 3DS have sold a total of 89.5 million units
- Switch has sold, as of VGChartz December 2023 estimate of, 136.26 million units
| WiiU & 3DS | Switch | |
| Hardware | X | ✓ |
- Software sales
- WiiU & 3DS have sold a total of 495.34 million games
- Switch has sold, as of Nintendo IR information from the 6 month earnings release in 2023, 1,133.23 million games
| WiiU & 3DS | Switch | |
| Hardware | X | ✓ |
| Software | X | ✓ |
- Nintendo published software
- WiiU & 3DS had 223 Nintendo published gamesSwitch has, as of 2024 announced lineup, 130 Nintendo published games
| WiiU & 3DS | Switch | |
| Hardware | X | ✓ |
| Software | X | ✓ |
| Nintendo Published Software | ✓ | X |
- Awards
- WiiU & 3DS had 16 awards (8 of the awards came from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)Switch had 15 awards (not counting Hades which gained 11 awards, and 8 awards came from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
| WiiU & 3DS | Switch | |
| Hardware | X | ✓ |
| Software | X | ✓ |
| Nintendo Published Software | ✓ | X |
| Awards | ✓ | X |
- Metacritic 90+ scores
- WiiU & 3DS had 17 games with 90+ Metacritic scoresSwitch had 30 games with 90+ Metacritic scores
| WiiU & 3DS | Switch | |
| Hardware | X | ✓ |
| Software | X | ✓ |
| Nintendo Published Software | ✓ | X |
| Awards | ✓ | X |
| Metacritic 90+ scores | X | ✓ |
Based on this information Switch looks to be the better console compared to the WiiU & 3DS together.
Personally I really miss the applications on the 3DS home page like, Flipnote studios, 3D games, Badge Arcade, etc.
The Switch honestly needs something like that, and then it will be very close to irrefutable.
The 3DS and WiiU were backwards compatible with DS and Wii, respectively, which increased their library to some of the greatest purchased libraries of all time.
I think that the WiiU and 3DS era of Nintendo was fantastic, and I hope Nintendo can keep the love and hype up for the next console.
Lifetime Sales Predictions
Switch: 160 million (was 120 million, then 140 million, then 150 million)
PS5: 130 million (was 124 million)
Xbox Series X/S: 54 million (was 60 million, then 57 million)
"The way to accomplish great things, is to be indefatigable and never rest till the thing is accomplished." - Joseph Smith Jr.
Lifetime Sales Predictions
Switch: 160 million (was 120 million, then 140 million, then 150 million)
PS5: 130 million (was 124 million)
Xbox Series X/S: 54 million (was 60 million, then 57 million)
"The way to accomplish great things, is to be indefatigable and never rest till the thing is accomplished." - Joseph Smith Jr.
