Switch Surpasses 10.5 Million Units in U.S. - Launch aligned sales are 22% higher than PS4 and 34% higher than XB1

[Raijinto]

WW? Zero chance.

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I'd say it's at least a little more than that.

Bear in mind of course it hasn't had a price cut yet (both PS4 and Xbox had by this point in time IIRC), a revised version or the game that'll most likely be the highest selling game on it released (Pokemon gen 8).

Who can say really with all that in mind.

 

[Bowser]

let me amend my statement then

no one is seriously expecting a joy conless Switch

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Fair enough

 

[Pokémon]

Bundles for $299 instead of $359
Switch for $299 including a $25/$50 Gift Card.

But no (hard)price cut, so far.

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Actually the only two bundles that were priced for $299 was the Fortnite bundle (the game is free to download anyways) and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle that was limited to Black Friday week. All the other bundles like Diablo III, Pokémon Let's Go or Smash were $359.

 

[Puroresu_kid]

Around 35% higher when launch aligned.



Might fall slightly short in the end. However strong software sales will make up the revenue/profit difference.

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Nice. 35% at a much higher price.

 

[famikon]

I'd say it's at least a little more than that.

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As I said – still zero chance.

And what you see in title - this is for US only. WW is another story.

 

[Raijinto]

As I said – still zero chance.

And what you see in title - this is for US only. WW is another story.

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Good grief. I can read English perfectly well thank you very much.

And whatever. People as stubborn as you aren't worth anyone's time really. You've completely cut out my take and refused to counter it with... anything.

Pathetic.

 

[Wiifitkid]

Good grief. I can read English perfectly well thank you very much.

And whatever. People as stubborn as you aren't worth anyone's time really. You've completely cut out my take and refused to counter it with... anything.

Pathetic.

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I dont see how it could.

If the PS4 is at 120 million in two years then the switch would need to sell like 85+ million in that timeframe.

 

[Revolsin]

As I said – still zero chance.

And what you see in title - this is for US only. WW is another story.

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Yeah man. And in Japan, it's only like... several million ahead launch aligned.

WW's gonna be a different story. Believe it, please.

But yeah obviously no one's claiming it'll outsell it in the next 2 years, but by the end of their respective lifespans.

 

[Dekuman]

Good grief. I can read English perfectly well thank you very much.

And whatever. People as stubborn as you aren't worth anyone's time really. You've completely cut out my take and refused to counter it with... anything.

Pathetic.

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Switch is ahead in US and likely Canada too. +10% to US numbers.
Definately ahead in Japan for 2018.

It all comes down to Europe and rotw. The zero chance retort.you.got was such a fanboy thing.you have to wonder why they are even posting.

Whatever the case both will be close forn 2018 but gotta.pick a winner I suppose

 

[ghostship]

From what I recall, most people were cautiously optimistic/unsure either way.

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Cautiously optimistic sounds about right, though their concerns were largely the same as gaf in that they generally considered that the lineup may be too thin, the price too high, and the system too underpowered to be a hit straight out of the blocks. I don't think it's too much exaggeration to suggest most articles were basically forum posts but with better spelling and grammar.

You can find some overly pessimistic or foolish comments, of course, - Eurogamer almost went full Doomed - but I don't recall many people writing it off.

 

[Deleted member 36622]

So with the really good game lineup the WiiU actually had, I wonder why even Nintendo fans were so averse to buying it.

Surely they couldn't have foreseen Nintendo re-releasing all the major games just a few years later on a new system.

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1) marketing was bad -> first trailer never showed the console, everyone thought for years Wii U was an accessory for the Wii. Nintendo also didn't push it much after launch.
2) The concept wasn't very appealing -> "you can play the games off the TV" great, except you can't move from your couch.
3) the timing was bad -> a year before next gen consoles with an hardware that was even less powerful than a PS3.
4) Pricing was bad given the hardware -> they lost that impulse buy appeal the Wii had with its insane launch price of 249.
5) Launch line-up was decent to good but it had no Breath of the Wild. The great games came out later with big delays.
6) developers went out on trashing the system few months after launch because it wasn't very powerful and a nightmare to develop.
7) The 2 screens mania that was a thing at the time, it didn't last very long.
8) Nintendo coming from the huge successes of Wii and DS was a bit more pretentious (almost arrogant) than today.
9) it missed many major mainline entries among their franchises: no Metroid, no mainline Animal Crossing, no Fire Emblem,...
10) the controllers situation was a mess: certain games required the Wiimote, others the balance board, the pro controller wasn't supported in all games,...

and many other reasons.

 

[famikon]

Yeah man. And in Japan, it's only like... several million ahead launch aligned.

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in Japan launch aligned Switch even behind 3DS. Japan is dying market, so I wouldn't count on it.

 

[JayWood2010]

Very impressive. The thing about the switch is it is brilliant in terms of hardware design (mostly), but better yet it had a fantastic launch year with games doing well. I would say it was one of the better launch lineups that i can think of, and it just seems to continue its goodwill from there.

 

[Welfare]

PS4 doesn't pass 10.5M until Month 25, November 2015. (10.8M)
XB1 doesn't pass 10.5M until Month 26, December 2015. (11.1M)

By Switch's month 26, PS4 will pull ahead. Switch should pull back ahead and keep a good lead after it price drops or new model comes out. PS4 2016 sales were down from 2015, Switch 2019 should sell more than 2018.

 

[Raijinto]

I dont see how it could.

If the PS4 is at 120 million in two years then the switch would need to sell like 85+ million in that timeframe.

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Well that's a different parameter there, the debate up to this point was merely Switch > PS4 LTD, it selling more in the same timeframe is a whole different thing and obviously even more difficult. Even then I'd still say there's a chance, but not very likely at all.

But as I said above it's all pointless when one side of the discussion is just 'zero chance' twice. So yeah I'm done if that's all there's is to it.

 

[Braaier]

Damn! The Switch is a beast! Can't wait for the revision this year. I'll buy one day one. Nintendo getting one more sale out of me.

 

[Estarossa]

Time for Sonya and MS to pack it up, I guess.

 

[Wiifitkid]

Well that's a different parameter there, the debate up to this point was merely Switch > PS4 LTD, it selling more in the same timeframe is a whole different thing and obviously even more difficult. Even then I'd still say there's a chance, but not very likely at all.

But as I said above it's all pointless when one side of the discussion is just 'zero chance' twice. So yeah I'm done if that's all there's is to it.

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Gotcha I must of misread the original post. I thought the original argument was that the switch would outsell the ps4 in a few years.

Ltd is definitely possible depending on what Nintendo does to lengthen the systems life cycle

 

[Oregano]

in Japan launch aligned Switch even behind 3DS. Japan is dying market, so I wouldn't count on it.

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The Switch is behind the third most successful system ever in the market? Big whoop.

 

[Imran]

https://www./threads/betting-time-do-you-think-the-switch-will-be-a-success.1333545/

But GAF/ERA told me two years ago, Switch is doomed because it has no teraflops.

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It's a fascinating look at how a community self-reinforces its own opinions.

There was no traditional wisdom saying Switch was going to fail based on the factors we knew. It was a gut feeling based on the last failure and the price. So how did everyone end up having the same gut feeling? People reacted and then everyone looked to those reactions, became mentally biased toward them, and soon enough it became an overarching truth that the Switch was too expensive and had no market.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

It's a fascinating look at how a community self-reinforces its own opinions.

There was no traditional wisdom saying Switch was going to fail based on the factors we knew. It was a gut feeling based on the last failure and the price. So how did everyone end up having the same gut feeling? People reacted and then everyone looked to those reactions, became mentally biased toward them, and soon enough it became an overarching truth that the Switch was too expensive and had no market.

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I didn't expect this level of success, but it was always interesting for me that people looked at the Wii U instead of looking at the 3DS.

Physically, the Switch is a handheld/portable device that can be docked and used as a home console. We knew development was being essentially merged. It was getting Pokemon and other traditionally "handheld" franchises. The pessimism was strange.

 

[Aleh]

in Japan launch aligned Switch even behind 3DS. Japan is dying market, so I wouldn't count on it.

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The 3DS had a huge price drop to sell that fast

 

[Soph]

This is honestly not that impressive. Nintendo was always going to sell the Switch to the core Wii crowd in the US of about 20 million in total, sales will drop off a cliff in the coming year for sure. They only achieved this result by stuffing the channels and having scalpers buy up most of the stock. Looking at these figures launch aligned doesn't count since they had an extra launch period and holiday, besides if you add up Wii U + 3DS or Wii+ DS these numbers are actually fairly terrible.

It's honestly not all that impressive, PS4 and Xbox One are nearing their seventh year on the market, while the Switch is new and hip, making the resulting competition fairly low. Also you can't actually compare the numbers between them since the Switch is a handheld. Everyone predicted the Switch would be a succes at the start of this generation, I don't know why all of you act so surprised. Even if they are hitting 19.5 Million for this year they will still be miles away from their target of 20 million Switches, tepidly high software sales in comparison won't make a dent either.

 

[byDoS]

It's a fascinating look at how a community self-reinforces its own opinions.

There was no traditional wisdom saying Switch was going to fail based on the factors we knew. It was a gut feeling based on the last failure and the price. So how did everyone end up having the same gut feeling? People reacted and then everyone looked to those reactions, became mentally biased toward them, and soon enough it became an overarching truth that the Switch was too expensive and had no market.

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You've just explained how politics goes on the internet.

 

[famikon]

The Switch is behind the third most successful system ever in the market? Big whoop.

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You just proved my point.

 

[KCsoLucky]

It's a fascinating look at how a community self-reinforces its own opinions.

There was no traditional wisdom saying Switch was going to fail based on the factors we knew. It was a gut feeling based on the last failure and the price. So how did everyone end up having the same gut feeling? People reacted and then everyone looked to those reactions, became mentally biased toward them, and soon enough it became an overarching truth that the Switch was too expensive and had no market.

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Same thing prior to the PS4 launch, and then a couple of years into this gen "of course, Sony always dominates". Large community reactions like that are always started by a few rallying other to their cause.

 

[maximumzero]

Got a good chuckle from this tweet this morning:

 

[Oregano]

You just proved my point.

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The 3DS sold more than any PlayStation platform in Japan.

There's nothing to prove because your point is shit.

 

[Weebos]

Got a good chuckle from this tweet this morning:

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To be fair this article was predicting it's performance based on the Wii U. Not that it is a particularly worthwhile take, but it's less ridiculous than that tweet makes it seem.

 

[Timppis]

I dont see how it could.

If the PS4 is at 120 million in two years then the switch would need to sell like 85+ million in that timeframe.

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Why would you assume PS4 is at 120 million in two years?

 

[fiendcode]

I wonder if Nintendo will actually support this console long-term.

They've prematurely ended support for all their previous consoles. NES was the only system that had major releases more than a year after its successor was out.

Ending Switch's lifespan early without a decent plan will just lead to another Wii U disaster.

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That's not true. SNES, GB, GBA, DS and 3DS each also had notable 1st party releases for a year+ after their successors were out.

 

[Fredrik]

Crazier when you remember that digital sales aren't included in that stat.

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Yeah that's just nuts. Can't be unusual to buy digitally. Works great. Game cards are more fun than blurays but I buy everything I can digitally on Switch. The kids just have some physical copies because of birthday/Christmas gifts.

 

[dom]

Why would you assume PS4 is at 120 million in two years?

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B/c next year we will be near 110 if not slightly past it.

 

[808s & Villainy]

I wonder what 2019's holiday season will be like. I think Animal Crossing + Gen 8 Pokemon should sell better than Smash Bros + Remake Pokemon

 

[ArchedThunder]

Most people are actually expecting a joyconless Switch for 150 USD. I'm one of those expecting a Switch Pro, simply not this year, probably late 2020. My bet for this year is a simple redesign à la DS Lite, keeping the same form factor.

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Late 2020 would probably be bad timing, since that's likely when the PS5 and next Xbox come out. Early 2021 when those systems are supply constrained would make a lot of sense.

 

[Slam Tilt]

How many times over the past 5-6 years did we have to look at charts like this and hear the copy-pasted phrase "The Wii was an anomaly, Nintendo systems have seen a regular decline each generation, the Wii U represents what Nintendo can expect going forward?"

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I always thought charts like that were disingenuous because they omit handheld sales.

Hopefully this kind of garbage can be retired for good, but who knows.

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Don't bet on it.

 

[Instro]

in Japan launch aligned Switch even behind 3DS. Japan is dying market, so I wouldn't count on it.

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Ehh that remains to be seen long term. The 3DS's huge price cut helped the system immensely in Japan along with the subsequent release of Monster Hunter.

 

[Aleh]

I wonder what 2019's holiday season will be like. I think Animal Crossing + Gen 8 Pokemon should sell better than Smash Bros + Remake Pokemon

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That's a given if you ask me. Pokémon especially will catch many people off guards, even if we're talking about Pokémon.

 

[base_two]

This is honestly not that impressive. Nintendo was always going to sell the Switch to the core Wii crowd in the US of about 20 million in total, sales will drop off a cliff in the coming year for sure. They only achieved this result by stuffing the channels and having scalpers buy up most of the stock. Looking at these figures launch aligned doesn't count since they had an extra launch period and holiday, besides if you add up Wii U + 3DS or Wii+ DS these numbers are actually fairly terrible.

It's honestly not all that impressive, PS4 and Xbox One are nearing their seventh year on the market, while the Switch is new and hip, making the resulting competition fairly low. Also you can't actually compare the numbers between them since the Switch is a handheld. Everyone predicted the Switch would be a succes at the start of this generation, I don't know why all of you act so surprised. Even if they are hitting 19.5 Million for this year they will still be miles away from their target of 20 million Switches, tepidly high software sales in comparison won't make a dent either.

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19.5 million Switches sold is "miles" away from 20 million? Stuffing channels? Don't do this. Don't be salty,.

 

[famikon]

The 3DS sold more than any PlayStation platform in Japan.

There's nothing to prove because your point is shit.

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That was 3DS. Switch even won't reach 20M in Japan.

 

[Aleh]

19.5 million Switches sold is "miles" away from 20 million? Stuffing channels? Don't do this. Don't be salty,.

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It's a joke post :p

 

[Deleted member 36622]

I wonder what 2019's holiday season will be like. I think Animal Crossing + Gen 8 Pokemon should sell better than Smash Bros + Remake Pokemon

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Mostly because Let's Go while still a success, it didn't sell as great as a mainline Pokémon entry.

Also Luigi's Mansion and Fire Emblem should do better than Kirby or Mario Tennis.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

19.5 million Switches sold is "miles" away from 20 million? Stuffing channels? Don't do this. Don't be salty,.

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It should be ridiculous enough to alert you to the fact that it's not a serious post lol

 

[Skittzo]

This is honestly not that impressive. Nintendo was always going to sell the Switch to the core Wii crowd in the US of about 20 million in total, sales will drop off a cliff in the coming year for sure. They only achieved this result by stuffing the channels and having scalpers buy up most of the stock. Looking at these figures launch aligned doesn't count since they had an extra launch period and holiday, besides if you add up Wii U + 3DS or Wii+ DS these numbers are actually fairly terrible.

It's honestly not all that impressive, PS4 and Xbox One are nearing their seventh year on the market, while the Switch is new and hip, making the resulting competition fairly low. Also you can't actually compare the numbers between them since the Switch is a handheld. Everyone predicted the Switch would be a succes at the start of this generation, I don't know why all of you act so surprised. Even if they are hitting 19.5 Million for this year they will still be miles away from their target of 20 million Switches, tepidly high software sales in comparison won't make a dent either.

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Masterfully done!

19.5 million Switches sold is "miles" away from 20 million? Stuffing channels? Don't do this. Don't be salty,.

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It's sarcasm. They've basically compiled all of the excuses/goalpost movements we see from time to time into one big post.

 

[Falconbox]

no Metroid, no mainline Animal Crossing, no Fire Emblem

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Metroid's never been a huge seller though.

 

[Peleo]

22% higher than PS4 launch aligned is the impressive record in my opinion.

 

[fiendcode]

in Japan launch aligned Switch even behind 3DS. Japan is dying market, so I wouldn't count on it.

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3DS is the 3rd best selling platform in history in Japan. Not keeping pace with that hardware, when Switch is nearly twice the price, isn't really a cause for worry.

More relevantly price wise, Switch is outselling PS1, PS2, PSP and Wii aligned. And it's probably going to outsell them all lifetime too in the region. Japan may be declining, but it's only a "dying market" if you're SIE.

 

[Oregano]

That was 3DS. Switch even won't reach 20M in Japan.

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Bit early to be saying that. Switch is outpacing the PSP and that hit 20 million.

Either way when the comparison is PS4, Switch is smoking it.

Where does PS4 rank in terms of fastest selling systems in the US by the way(when you include handhelds too)? and in terms of hardware units how this generation compare to last generation(PS3/360/Wii/PSP/DS)? Is the US market in decline?

Guess Sony can't count on it.

 

[808s & Villainy]

Metroid's never been a huge seller though.

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I would bet money the Switch version will sell the most of any Metroid (at least Prime) title. The audience meshes fairly well for the first time and the Switch doesn't have that "kiddy" stigma that previous Nintendo system's had to an extent. Not to mention most series are selling in line with, if not exceeding, their previous highs. Nintendo just has to advertise it as if it's their hardcore single player FPS title

 

[Aleh]

I would bet money the Switch version will sell the most of any Metroid (at least Prime) title. The audience meshes fairly well for the first time and the Switch doesn't have that "kiddy" stigma that previous Nintendo system's had to an extent. Not to mention most series are selling in line with, if not exceeding, their previous highs

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I agree, and I've never played Metroid. I think the stars have aligned in its favor this time