Nintendo Console Reportedly Coming To Billions Of New Players

The heyday of the Nintendo Switch is officially over now that its successor console has launched, but that might not be stopping the manufacturer from making its aging hardware more widely available.

Nintendo’s hybrid system is the second best-selling gaming console of all time (the Switch 2 is hitting impressive milestones as well), rivaling Sony’s chart-topping PlayStation 2, but if a new report proves accurate, it could take the top spot next year.

The Nintendo Switch will be made available in India early next year, marking Nintendo’s long-awaited return to the market. India is conceivably the biggest untapped market in the world, with the country’s population approaching 1.5 billion people. Indian consumers can get their hands on official, local Switch models starting early in 2027, around February or March, when the console is set to turn a decade old, according to a report from the Day Zero podcast (via ABP News).

It will reportedly cost roughly ₹20,000, which equates to about $208. There has so far been no indication on the price of Switch games in India. Nintendo has not had an official presence in the market since the Wii and DS days, but that hasn’t stopped the Switch from making it into India regardless. The console is commonly bought outside the country or via an active grey market. Nintendo officially returning to India with the Switch will, however, theoretically make the console more easily obtainable and widespread.

An official debut in India may be what the Switch needs to finally usurp the PlayStation 2 as the best-selling console of all time. Sony hilariously revealed new PS2 sales data in 2024, bringing its total number of shipped units up to 160 million, conveniently keeping it ahead of the Switch. As of February this year, the Switch was closing in on 156 million units sold, and entering a new, massive market like India as sales continue to trickle in from elsewhere may put the record within reach.

There doesn’t appear to be any information on when or if the Switch 2 will also be made officially available to the Indian market. The newer console is currently in the same boat as its predecessor, where players in India have acquired the system through unofficial channels. Nintendo recently increasing the Switch 2’s price may be a hurdle to it similarly becoming available in India. Prices of electronics are often the reason that newer hardware doesn’t come to many regions worldwide concurrently.

Nintendo has not yet made an announcement regarding the Switch’s supposed upcoming debut in India, though if it truly is coming in early 2027, official word would conceivably come well ahead of time. It may be a decade old, but the Nintendo Switch could still be showing signs of continued success.

Brand

Nintendo

Original Release Date

March 3, 2017

Original MSRP (USD)

$299.99, ¥29,980, £279.99, €329.99

Operating System

Proprietary, codenamed Horizon

Storage

32 – 64 GB, expandable via microSD

VR Support

No