The Switch is close to surpassing the total lifetime sales of the Wii U in Japan after less than a year on sale, according to Famitsu.
Last week, Nintendo's console sold 230,000 units in Japan, bringing its total in that region to 2,988,399 units. It launched on March 3rd this year.
At the last count, the Wii U had sold around 3.32 million consoles in its homeland. It launched on December 8th, 2012 - just over five years ago.
If Switch continues to sell at its current rate - and there's little reason to think it shouldn't - then it could potentially overtake its predecessor's install base in time for the start of 2018.
[source famitsu.com]
Comments 95
It prints Money
It's Brilliant for the Switch but I think it say's more about how the Wii U Failed to capture the publics imagination
Keep going, Nintendo Switch !
KEEP SINGING !!
... Eh, I mean...
KEEP GOING !!
230k per week? what the hell!
It could be advertising but my bet is mynintendo rewards system played a big part to the success
Almost a quarter of a million in a week...? 🙃
Surprised? Nope!
Now your selling with power! Nintendo power!
Convenience and content. Those are the two things that make this system great. Bravo Nintendo. ! Follow nintendo news more than i my own stocks lol
Japan love their handhelds. That's got to be higher sales than for the rest of the world combined last week. I'll wait for Media Create sales later, they're far more accurate, Famitsu often get sales figures wrong. Though there wouldn't be much in it. They said Switch had passed 2 million a while ago, when in fact Nintendo passed that milestone the week after.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/11/switch_passes_two_million_sales_in_japan_thanks_to_super_mario_odyssey_fever#comment4195575
It'll be the New Year when we get official confirmation that it's surpassed Wii U lifetime sales(January 3rd).
Last week, two weeks before Christmas. We will see the same or even more sales next week!
Also it helps that a report mentioned that many households are buying MULTIPLE units not unlike how they would a traditional handheld. What this means is thst Nintendo, in Japan, has the potential to outsell the PS4.
I own 2 and expect a 3rd next year. Everyone in my family loves it. I got 1 at launch and basically wouldn’t let anyone else use it. I play it everyday at work on breaks. Kids getting a family 1 for Xmas because they see how I haven’t touched any other of our consoles in last year due to the games and accessibility.
It’s the best gaming console I’ve ever owned.
And the good news just keeps rolling in. I just hope it maintains momentum and the games keep coming.
It has been very hard to find a Swiitch in Japan ever since launch, but last week you could walk into a store and by one without too much searching. I think that they have been focusing supply outside of Japan and just now had a chance to sell them domestically causing these big numbers. Source: live in Japan
I can't wait for Switch to outsell Wii U everywhere just so we can stop talking about Wii U sales and maybe start talking about sales that matter. Talking about Switch passing Wii U sales would have been like talking about Wii U passing Virtual Boy sales. But we didn't do thst, b/c we all know that Virtual Boy was an abject failure and it's sales didn't matter. Well Wiig U was an abject failure and it's sales don't matter either.
Iwata never wanted to talk about Wii sales in comparison to GameCube sales b/c he knew even GameCube sales of 22 million were a failure so beating them weren't worth talking about. He really wouldn't care about beating the lowly Wii U numbers.
Iwata said, "I do not intend to declare how many Wii we will be selling today, but Wii will be a failure if it cannot sell far more than GameCube did. In fact, we shouldn't continue this business if our only target is to outsell GameCube. Naturally, we are making efforts so that Wii will show a far greater result than GameCube."
I do think 10 million in less than a year was a big deal, 20m, 25m, big round numbers are nice to celebrate, but beating Wii U in any time frame is meaningless. 3DS will do 70m and some people consider that to be a failure after Gameboy and DS, blaming smartphone sales for the decline.
https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/223720-nintendos-3ds-sales-are-plummeting-the-nx-console-cant-come-fast-enough
Switch has a long way to go to get to 3DS numbers. A very long way.
So I'm all for celebrating sales milestones, but celebrating NOT being a complete failure is defeatist.
It's on track to do the same in the UK as well, had sold about 300K units at the beginning of October (this is GFK so not even including Nintendo's online store sales). WiiU never sold more than 390K. Would not be even slightly suprised if Switch overtakes WiiU's lifetime sales in the UK by Christmas
@rjejr Next year's prediction: All the articles will be about Switch passing the lifetime sales of the Gamecube within it's second year. Calling it now.
I'm personally excited to to see the console zoom past the Wii U and I'm interested in seeing how long it takes to pass the other milestone sales numbers set by previous consoles. It's just fun to keep track of after the last 5 years being what they were.
Forget Wii U.
It'll be passing PS4 and Vita sales in Japan next year... sometime around e3 to September. And it'll be passing Vita global sales in a few months.
It is doing insanely well in Japan though. It's time to get on board, developers. Get on or get left behind. If you can't put your games on Switch, I'm not really interested. 3DS and Vita are old news. Don't make the mistake of Jool Watsham. Know when it's time to move on.
@rjejr I kind of agree but at the same time I think it is something of note and something worth celebrating.
Surpassing the Wii U lifetime sales so quickly confirms that Nintendo made the right decision to effectively abandon ship. Had Switch taken a lot longer to catch the wind in its sales then they'd have to be answering serious questions about why games like Mario Odyssey weren't also on Wii U with its much larger userbase.
Now - instead - we know that Switch has a very well established userbase and it's an install base that sufficiently large to sustain Nintendo as it stands if they manage it well.
@Bizzyb What are you talking about, 'potential' to outsell PS4...? Switch is going to pass PS4 in Japan next year, easily. PS4 isn't actually that big of a seller, in Japan.
@-DG Definitely - It'll pass GameCube in year 2, then the N64 early in its 3rd year (if it doesn't quite manage it in year 2) and the SNES by the end of that 3rd year too.
It'll probably never catch the DS but Switch should live long enough to overtake just about every other Nintendo system. Although it might be tight with the Wii.
@Donutman Me too! I've had a lot of game consoles and this is by far the best. I also bring it everywhere with me and play on breaks/lunches at work everyday. Haha
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I just saw the Media Crate numbers and you're right, those figures were a tad high. But 221,210 is still an astronomical number.
Switch – 221,210
PS4 – 45,161
New 2DS LL – 31,653
New 3DS LL – 19,115
PS4 Pro – 17,804
Vita – 9,049
2DS – 4,324
Xbox One – 2,175
New 3DS – 421
Xbox One X – 132
Wii U – 75
PS3 – 44
@Bizzyb we have 6 in my household (I have many kids). Whether the Switch should be considered a handheld, home console or hybrid - it is certainly placed as being a personal unit. Local wireless multiplayer is an awesome feature.
I’m just glad they’ve addressed the stock issues. I’m very curious to see how Nintendo plans to keep this momentum going next year. Pokémon will be massive, but what else do they have in store after playing their Mario and Zelda hands so quickly?
@flapjack-ashley Holey-Moley look at those Xbox numbers!
@StuTwo No doubt it will. I'm hoping for NES-like numbers for the Switch in the end, but I could see it even surpassing the 3DS if they play their cards right... Moving over their big hitting portable series' like Animal Crossing and Pokemon should do the trick...
I still say the WiiU deserved better, but I am glad that Nintendo learned from their marketing mistakes and that the Switch is doing so well.
Imagine when Dragon Quest XI gets released..
Well, it's not that hard--wait, in Japan?
Ooooooooooooohhhhhh.
@thesilverbrick Are you kidding me? Pokemon, Star fox, Metroid, Smash, Animal Crossing and Mario and Zelda sequels. Basically just take every franchise rep' d in Smash Bros and there's your answer. Nintendo does NOT have an IP problem
@thesilverbrick - Well Nintendo have a new Kirby and Yoshi game coming out next year. There's Metroid Prime 4 coming as well. And I reckon Mario Kart 9 in 2019-2020. I think Nintendo will be firing on all cylinders for the next 3 years.
Nintendo gave up on the Wii U after its first year. Wii U got maybe 4-5 high profile releases a year but had next to no third party support so there would be long stretches of time with nothing new to play for the damn thing.
Personally I think the Wii U was Nintendo's worst console they've ever made (that lasted a full console cycle anyway) and am happy to see the Switch, which I wouldn't call a technical marvel or anything but it's clear Nintendo actually tried with this thing, succeed.
@rjejr
I think you're really underplaying the significance of this. After Wii U flopped-in fact, since 2013 when it was obvious Wii U was going to crash-land, the big question was can Nintendo bounce back or is that it for them as a Console manufacturer? Beating Wii U sales very quickly answers that question in the most succinct manner.
@Bizzyb No, Nintendo doesn’t have an IP problem, but very few of the games you mentioned have mass market appeal. Ask the average consumer what they think of Metroid and you’ll get a bunch of puzzled faces. Nintendo wants to sell this thing like the Wii so they need big name games that appeal to massive audiences. Pokémon is a series like that, and to a limited extent so is Animal Crossing (though the mobile app will eat part of the market share of a potential Switch version). Smash is a surefire winner as well, but beyond that, Nintendo played its best cards very quickly and will have to think outside the box to keep this momentum going. Can they do it? Possibly, but i haven’t seen anything yet for 2018 that looks phenomenal on the first party front. Kirby and Yoshi aren’t exactly setting the internet on fire like Zelda and Mario did. And as far as Mario and Zelda sequels, those are years away.
@Prizm We’ve never seen more than one Mario Kart on one Nintendo machine. I highly doubt that will change.
@thesilverbrick
I keep seeing this question asked and it baffles me. We know Fire Emblem, Pokémon, Kirby, Yoshi, Bayonetta and Metroid are on the way. We still don't have Smash Bros, Animal Crossing, Mario Maker, Donkey Kong, 2D Zelda or Mario, Tomodachi, a Switch-specific Mario Kart or all sorts of B-Tier (saleswise) franchises like Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, Starfox etc. The goldmines of Mario and Pokémon spin-offs remain untouched. All their games on one system makes it a lot easier for them. No need to split them across two systems or make multiple versions of the same game.
I think with the Switch, Nintendo has chance for a couple of interesting things: first one is making medium franchises go big. Like Metroid, Starfox, Kid Icarus, etc.
The second one is creating new and exciting IP. I hope they go for more mature games.I would love to see a mature game with a Nintendo twist. I also think that their insistence with making Bayonetta an exclusive is a step in the right direction.
Super Mario Odyssey is great, and I've had tons of fun with it, but I'm in my mid thirties, I've played pretty much every Mario game that matters and I want my favorite videogame company to grow up with me.
The Wii U really was a huge flop.
@thesilverbrick Historically (either by choice or coincidence) yes there was only one Mario Kart (and 3D Mario excluding sequels) per gen per system. But it's different this time around since the Switch launched mid-gen. And considering MK8 Deluxe was just an enhanced port, then we shouldn't rule it out entirely. You could even say Deluxe is not the Mario Kart game for Switch and even BotW since they were meant to be for Wii U initially. 3D Marios on the other hand, as far as I remember only had sequels (i.e., Galaxy 2) per gen so I bet if there will be another 3D Mario in the entire lifespan of the Switch, it'll be a sequel to Odyssey. But who knows, really. These games came in the first year so they have plenty of time to make sequels and/or new ones this gen.
If the ps4 and xboxone outsold wii u in one year then this is not really news lol. (No idea if they did, but if they didn't surely there is a more impressive headline to be had?)
@Zyph
I have no doubt we'll see a Mario kart sequel on Switch. Previously there have been two per generation, split across two systems. Now there's only (going to be) one system to support but two Mario kart games provide huge revenue. They won't want to miss out on that, especially given how well the Wii U port has sold.
@GrailUK the xboxone sold a whooping 88k ltd, a little over a third of what the switch sold this month alone (and this is taking into account the og xbone, the revision and the X); the PS4 took a while to reach the wiiu, but the switch is already at the halfway point of its ltd (these numbers are all Japan)
Wii-U crying in the corner
@electrolite77 I’m aware all those IPs exist, but the question is, will Nintendo use them? And will they be done in a compelling enough way to convince consumers who haven’t already bought the console to go out and buy one? You’re forgetting that the Wii U had many of those games, but they did little to nothing to help sell the system. Also, this time last year we knew most of the first year lineup for the Switch. But at this point, all we know for certain is next year we’re getting Kirby, Yoshi and Fire Emblem (not exactly system sellers). Games like Pokémon and Metroid aren’t necessarily due in 2018. Granted, they could throw some huge surprises at us in a Direct next month, and I sure hope they do. The potential is definitely there, but it remains to be seen whether or not Nintendo is poised to capitalize on these intellectual properties and whether or not they can keep compelling mass-market releases coming at a reasonable pace. They definitely have the ability, but I’ve seen Nintendo make some pretty silly decisions in recent years.
@Pineapple_Mohawk Blammus! That is impressive.
@Zyph Multiple Mario platformers and Zelda games on one console have happened before, but Mario Kart never has. And honestly, what could a Mario Kart 9 bring to the table that 8 hasn’t already done? Games like Mario Kart and Smash are “one per console” for a reason. They are based on a tried and true formula that doesn’t usually innovate very much. Releasing multiple games from those series in a single generation would wear them out way too quickly. I hate to say it, but more than likely Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be the Switch’s only Mario Kart. I could see them releasing some more content via DLC, but as for building a new one from the ground up, we probably won’t see that for several more years and on whatever the Switch’s successor turns out to be.
WiiU sucked in design and even more so in implementation since they decided to basically tell third parties to suck it at many levels.
The sales in and out of the home land is more than proof of that as much if not more so by how many people are jumping on board that ignored Nintendo for years if not console generations.
Time for the last hanger on types in denial over that turd to step up or move along. Salvage what little good the WiiU had, put those games exclusively on Switch so a real base can enjoy it right.
Impressive for a portable! Or wait, it's a portable so... not impressive?
Am I doing this right?
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Nintendo is selling much, much, much more Switch hardware outside of Japan than in Japan. For example, in November, Nintendo sold well over 2X more Switch hardware in the US than in Japan.
@StuTwo "we know that Switch has a very well established userbase and it's an install base that sufficiently large
Sufficiently large? It's the same size as the Wii U install base and about half the size of the Gamecube install base. Sure, it got there sooner, but it had Zelda, SMO, Spaltoon 2 - which is driving Japan Switch sales - in it's first 9 months. It's the 20% of it's lifespan, NY Jets started the season 3-2 and now they are 5-9. Switch won't go down in flames like that, but Wii should be the goalposts, not the Wii U.
@JaxonH Forget Wii U.
I should have just said that.
@-DG I look forward to talking about Gamecube, it's been awhile as it was buried under the rug by the Wii's success. I'm also looking forward to rumours of Luig's Mansion 3 on Switch, maybe a port of 1. I'd rather talk about Gamecube ports on Switch than Wii U ports on Switch, I'm still playing Zelda BotW on my Wii U, but it's been awhile since I fired up Super Mario Galaxy.
@subpopz thx
@electrolite77 If my kid brought home a test where he got a 13 out of 100, then brought home a test where he got a 14 out of 100, I'm not seeing that as being very significant, whether it was the same quarter, semester, or year. The Wii U was an unambiguous unmitigated flop at 13.4 million. Switch passing that terrible number is nice, but until it starts doing 50 mil there really isn't anything to celebrate in comparison to Wii U.
People want to say 10 mil in 1 year is nice that's all well and good, it is nice, I won't argue with that, but constantly comparing it to the failure that was Wii U doesn't make it a success b/c Wii U was that much of a failure. The Dreamcast sold 9 mil, should we be running around with party hats saying "woo hoo, Switch outsold the Dreamcast"? Beating Wii U sales doesn't make it good, it makes it not historically horrific. The longer we look back at Wii U sales the lower we are setting the bar. Gamecube sales 22m, SNES sales, 50m, NES 60m, Wii 100m. 3DS 70m, DS 150m, Gameboy 200m (all combined). Switch outsold Wii U, yipee?
@rjejr it’s not as simple as that though. Wii might be the goalposts but the adoption rate for ambitious software (not just mini game compilations or Just Dance) was relatively poor.
Wii U had a smaller adoption rate but good Nintendo games sold really well on it.
Switch has a high enough install base already that Nintendo can release a few big first party games a year that are profitable to be worth their while making.
Plus to take your analogy about test results - if 14/100 was good enough to get over the threshold to go to university and 13/100 was just under then it’s a major improvement.
@StuTwo "14/100 was good enough to get over the threshold to go to university"
Hardware threshold, like university, is 70. As in the number of 3DS sales 3DS in millions. B/c if there is no 3ds Two or 4DS then Switch is also the repalcmeent of the Gameboy, DS, 3DS line. And 14 mil isn't going to cut it with htos ecomparisons.
Wii U comparisons may be fine and dandy now, but unless a 3DS successor gets announced next year, then Switch is it, and it needs sales 7x greater than it has now to not be considered a failure. Not 7 million more, 7x more. Long way to go. Don't celebrate a half time lead in any sport, still a half to play.
Superbowl LI
halftime - Atlanta 21 NE 3
final score - Atlanta 28 - NE 34
@rjejr
Child A answers all the questions on a test correctly in 50 minutes but Child B answers them in 10 minutes yeah, that's pretty good for Child B. In Nintendo's case it's significant because it indicates bouncing back from a flop. Same way Sega releasing a system straight after the Dreamcast that outsold it in 10 months would have been.
@rjejr I'd be happy with a Gamecube VC, since I doubt many GC games will be getting remasters anytime soon. We already had Windwaker HD and TPHD. The best we could hope for is a new Luigi's Mansion and an HD Metroid Prime Trilogy.
Also I agree with you that 3DS-like sales should be the bar, and Wii-like sales should be the end goal, but that doesn't change the fact that it's fun to watch the Switch zoom past other consoles on the way there.
( Probably a stupid Question: If I play a Wii game like MP:Trilogy on my Wii U, or if I download a Wii VC game and play it on Wii U, does it display in HD or SD? I've never tried this since I still have my Wii hooked up... )
Man I love the Switch but the Wii U will always have a special place in my memories.
@thesilverbrick
No I don't necessarily have 100% confidence that Nintendo will make the right calls. However I know they routinely put out 20+ games a year so one game a month including 3/4 big hitters is well within their reach. Also as much as I spent years hooting with derision at what they were doing in Iwatas day they've got off to a good start with the Switch so I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
As for Mario Kart, I'd bet actual money we'll see another one on the Switch. The release years have gone 01-03-05-08-11-14-17 (port). There's no way we'll be waiting until 22/23 for a new game.
@rjejr
I'm fairly confident that the Switch will outsell the 3DS worldwide.
Even if the Switch will likely never reach 3DS sales in Japan (selling 25 million in Japan is unprecedented and will be hard to replicate), it will sell a great deal more than the 3DS in the west and abroad to offset the sales difference in Japan, thanks to a booming indie scene and a somewhat notable amount of western 3rd party support (both of which the 3DS never received).
@rjejr depends on the university!
I’m not actually disagreeing that the 3DS is the actual par that Nintendo should be aiming for - I’m just highlighting that direct comparisons aren’t necessarily as useful as they seem.
It’s how many copies of big first party games that Nintendo can sell that’s really important long term. In this regard the Wii U (whilst a dismal failure overall) wasn’t actually as bad as it’s install base figures suggest and the 3DS (like their previous handhelds) wasn’t as good as it’s overall install base would suggest.
Still - and agreeing 100% that the game has just begun and is far from won - Switch is outpacing 3DS and has more places to go. The sales momentum (now it’s clearly the future for Nintendo) will continue in ways that we sometimes overlook.
@thesilverbrick - The Wii U had three Mario Kart games. Two were ports (VC). Every console has its unique MK game made specifically for that system. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is 95% port, it is not a unique Mario Kart game made especially for the Switch.
MK8D was a quick money-making release to help sell the Switch in its early months.
I have no doubt that MK9 will be released for the Switch, but likely not until 2019-2020, to give room for all these other upcoming releases (and MK8D will still be selling strong for a while yet, so it would hurt sales to release MK9 too closely).
@Prizm Comparing MK8 Deluxe to the VC versions of the SNES, N64, GBA and DS Mario Karts is a joke and you know it. Those were straight up emulation while Deluxe was an enhanced game, complete with a retail release.
@electrolite77 And again, what could Mario Kart 9 on Switch bring to the table that 8 didn’t? The formula for Mario Kart has barely changed in over 20 years. If they released a new one on Switch it will be unfavorably compared to 8 Deluxe for being too similar and being released on the same console. Mario Kart games sell perennially for the life of the system. Nintendo has no need to do another one on Switch and if they did it would absolutely be more of the same and criticized as such.
@StuTwo "The sales momentum (now it’s clearly the future for Nintendo) will continue in ways that we sometimes overlook."
I'm not overlooking it, I'm waiting for it, there's a difference. I'm expecting a very good ND in January highlighting a very good year for Switch in 2018. But then I remember Wii Music, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, MP:FF and SFZ gyro controls nobody wanted. So while i expect good things, they aren't yet carved in stone. So I'm hedging my bets. Early 2019 may bring PS5 and Xbox Two reveals for the holiday, with games the Switch simply can't play. That's when the real battle for Switch supremacy begins. So they better keep up the head of steam in 2018 w/ a good ND in January. Switch Fit isn't going to cut it.
@westman98 I can imagine Switch outselling 3DS, but that's also dependent upon a Switch ecosystem of Switch Lite, SwitchBoy, Switch Mini, New Switch, Switch "Core" w/o the dock for $80 less. Maybe SwitchTV though they really don't need it since it's selling so well as is. If they were to keep it as is for $299 like they did for 4 years with Wii U I would imagine sales slowing down but I think variations will be plentiful. 70mil would still be a lot though, and 3DS may make it to $80 if they keep the New 2DS going for kids another year or 2 for $99.
So things should end well, and I'll be happy to celebrate then, just don't feel like now is the time, counting chickens before they're hatched and all that.
@-DG "fun to watch the Switch zoom past other consoles"
As I just typed to the other guy, yes, lets talk about Switch passing "other consoles" that sold well, not one that didn't.
I'm pretty sure they are all just SD, but I think I recall the TV saying the output was HD, but it would still be square, not a rectangle. It's been a really long time since I played a Wii game on the Wii U. My kid has the Wii set up in his room for Wii games. They do look slightly better on the Wii U, I think HDMI does better than the Wii cables, whatever they were. I remember moving my Wii from a 32" SD set to a 52" HD set and almost all 3rd party games looked so much worse. SSBB and SMG looked good though.
@electrolite77 "In Nintendo's case it's significant because it indicates bouncing back from a flop"
But how high has it really bounced?
One car is driving down the highway w/ 4 flat tires, 1 car is driving down the highway with 3 flat tires. Neither of them has gotten anywhere yet just b/c the car with 1 good tire has passed the car with no good tires.
Can't have analogies w/o car analogies popping up at some point.
I don't see it as "good" that Switch has passed Wii U so much as it isn't bad. One person is dead, one person is brain dead in a coma on life support. Sure, coma is better than dead but I ain't asking the coma patient to get and up dance to celebrate that their not quite dead yet. Not that Switch is anywhere near dead, which is why we should stop comparing it to Wii U. Hasn't it outsold any good selling consoles in it's first 9 months we can compare it to? PS2? DS? PS4?
@rjejr
I don't think beating Wii U in and of itself is the focal point though, because as you rightly stated, that's no real accomplishment. The focal point is beating Wii U in less than a year. Because the trends matter.
If Switch beats Wii U in less than a year, it means, statistically speaking, that it's likely to reach 75 million lifetime sales- possibly more. There has never been a console to sell 15m in a year and then suddenly flop. So statistically, it's very significant because it tells us whereabout the Switch will be years from now. It also means Nintendo is unquestionably back from their slump, and it means the future of their home console hardware is alive and well... all things that weren't so clear just a year ago. It makes evident the stark contrast between where they were in the Wii U era... and where they are today.
It's not passing Wii U that matters, but how quickly it managed to do so. That all said, this has been pointed out several times now, and I think it's time to shift focus to comparisons with other platforms that are still relevant in the market. PS4 has sold 5 million units in Japan to date, and Switch, in just 9 months, has reached 3 million. At that rate it'll do 24 million in 6 years, which is almost exactly what 3DS has done. But this is ignoring the fact that the first year of a healthy console is almost always less than its second and third and fourth year. So the Switch could actually do even more, provided it ups the ante as it approaches its prime in years 2 and 3.
What's a Wii U? (I kid that is what I am browsing this site on.)
@JaxonH "and it means the future of their home console hardware is alive and well..."
Except we both know that whatever the Switch is - hybrid, tribrid, portable w/ TV out, portable home console - it is NOT a home console. And b/c of that you can't really look at it's success in Japan as the success of a home console, Xbox is a better indicator of home console sales in Japan. And if and when PS5 and Xbox Two launch, then Switch may have some competition. Maybe, that's years away still.
And I'm aware no console has slowed down from such a fast start, but how many other consoles have launched w/ GotY Zelda and GotY candidate SMO and one of the biggest selling games in Japan Spaltoon 2? And Japan also got MHXX on Switch as you well know, and people in Japan will be waiting on that Pokemon game. So I don't necessarily think Japan's sales are comparable to US or EU sales of a "home console".
And if you go back to my first post you'll see I said I can't wait until we stop talking about Wii U, b/c I'm sick of talking about Wii U, I'd rather talk about something else.
The worst selling Playstation home console - since you mentioned "home console" - is PS4 at 70 million, and that will surely rise w/ God of War, Spiderman, TLoU2 and RDR2 next year. Then PS3 at 80, PS1 at 103m, PS2 at 155m. You want to talk about good home sales, lets get within 15 or 20m of a Sony home console first. So about 40 more mil to go. Or about 4 more years. It's too early to celebrate, that's my point.
@rjejr
It's portability doesn't take away the fact it's a home console. It's both, but one doesn't negate the other. It doesn't matter if it's portable- if that's what it takes to keep their home consoles relevant then so be it. It's still a home console that's relevant. What matters is that we, the gamer, continue to get home console games from Nintendo. Zelda is a home console game. It's from the Wii U for goodness sake. And that's what people want- a continuation of home console Nintendo games. Switch offers that. Switch ensures we will continue to be offered that. People don't care how they achieved it, all they care is that it's been achieved.
And regardless of PlayStation, if Switch hits 75 million or more that's good. It doesn't matter what PlayStation does, that's good. That's healthy, that's enough to be a juggernaut of a platform, to get plenty of games, and offer a thriving ecosystem of video games to us, the players.
Xbox 360 sold around 80 million. Nowhere near the 155 million of PS2. Did that matter whatsoever? Not at all. 360 was an incredible platform with more games than you can count. You don't have to sell PS2 levels to be a successful console, you don't have to sell 150 million to celebrate. Platform A doing more doesn't suddenly make Platform B less relevant, less important, or less enticing.
And I don't really see celebration anyways. I see sighs of relief. I see hope. I see contentment that Switch would need an act of God at this point to actually fail. Which means a thriving platform with plenty of games is pretty much a certainty at this point. And tbh, that is worth celebrating. Especially off the back of Wii U.
It's awesome. Like others have said it probably says more about the Wii U's failure than the Switch...
But it cannot be denied that the Switch selling more than all other consoles combined in the same week is truly astounding.
@gatorboi352
"Impressive for a portable! Or wait, it's a portable so... not impressive?
Am I doing this right?"
WRONG !!
You again ?!
What's now ?
Keep trolling with Negativity ?
You lose Now !
Not bad for an underpowered, overgimmicked, overpriced piece of mobile-hardware trash with nothing but first-party games going for it!
Despite having very good memories playing it, this just reminds me on how flawed a system the Wii U was in its very concept and design. I love Nintendo’s attempt to experiment even though it has the tendency to produce products that are either sudden success or slogging bust.
From when I first saw it I felt the Switch had great potential but was cautious. Never expected this level of success though.
I also never realised how much I would love the console’s hybrid nature; basically fulfilled a long unknown desire.
@JaxonH "It's both, but one doesn't negate the other."
But it does matter, b/c it doesn't negate it, it ADDS to it. A car is just a horseless carriage, but it doesn't sell b/c its a horseless carriage, it sells b/c it's a car. Wii U was a home console, it didn't sell, Switch launched w/ basically the same games as Wii U - Zelda is even on Wii U - but what Switch has going for it is that it's not just a home console, it IS both. And being both does negate it's sales when comparing them to a home console, it's cheating. You can't compare a pro sports team to a college or high school team, Switch is a pro type console b/c it does both, comparing it's sales to a home console in Japan isn't a fair comparison, so yes, being a hybrid does negate it being a home console when you are making sales comparison to a home console. They are 2 different things, and if being a home console w/ Zelda was all it took then Wii U would have sold well in Japan. It's home console aspect is negated in Japan by it's portability.
"It doesn't matter what PlayStation does"
Well that's a lie and you know it. If PS4 sold 13 mil like Wii U it most certainly would matter. You can't just say - oh Sony sales don't matter b/c they are too good. The sales of Sony consoles are what helps determine the parameters and what qualifies as "good". Otherwise in Japan all you have are Xbox sales, so selling 1 million in Japan would be considered a success. Sony systems always have been and always will be competitors. You just said yourself Switch is all about getting home console games on the go. Well Sony and it's multiplats help determine what home console games are. If there were no Sony systems all Nitneod would have is portable games. So yes, Sony system sales do matter in determining if Switch sales are "good" or not. Not that Switch has to pass them, after Wii U and 3DS 75mil would be good, but we only know 75m is good b/c it's about what Sony has sold. Sony consoles help determine what hardware sales numbers are good or bad. W/o them you only have Ntinedo and MS, and they would both be outliers when compared against each other, you need Sony, the 3rd number, to set the pace. Or Sega if they were still around, but they aren't, Sony is. But no, Switch doesn't have to pass any Sony consoles, but the Sony consoles do help to set the barometer. 80m-155m is the ballpark of success. That's how we know Wii was successful at 100m and Gamecube was not at 22mil. Would you rather we compare Switch sales to Apple's 1 billion iPhone sales? Of course not, Sony it is.
Xbox 360 sold around 80 million. Nowhere near the 155 million of PS2.
Why would you compare 360 and PS2? You do realize 360 sold the exact same time period as PS3 right, that's the comparison, and they both sold 80m, that's why 360 was successful, b/c it compared to Sony's console. W/o the Sony PS3 selling 80m you'd have no idea whether 360 was successful or not. Also selling the same time as Wii which sold 100m. In the ballpark. We know Wii U was unsuccessful at 13m b/c of Wii, PS3, 360, PS4 and X1 sales. All of them. You can't judge sales of anything w/o comparison numbers.
"And tbh, that is worth celebrating. Especially off the back of Wii U."
Well you can celebrate, I'll stick w/ the sighs of relief. And it wouldn't take an act of God to scuttle Switch sales, just Nintneod business decision like they made during the Wii U life cyle, games like AC:aF and SZF. And Zelda being delayed 2 years (OK 16 months for you). It's Nitnedo, who knows what they'll do? Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Hold off on the celebrating until success is a little clearer. Hopefully after the January Ntinedo Direct where they show us SSB4 Deluxe for the spring, Pikmin 4 for the summer and Super Mario Maker 2 for the fall. Then I'll celebrate. But if instead they show us Switch Fit and Switch Music, well, that's not good. I know which Id' prefer and expect, but Nintendo never does the expected. I never saw the 2DS coming. Or the New 2DS. So that's twice they've caught me off guard recently, so I'm done w/ predictions of what Nintendo might do.
@thesilverbrick Notably though there's not a single game developed by Nintendo announced for 2018 yet.
And even though by now due to the enormous sales numbers of MK8 Deluxe I also fear there won't be a Mario Kart 9 on Switch, I as a player would still have loved it. I understand that it might be hard to sell it to the masses, but unlike a game like smash Bros, I think there's enough variety and progress from one Mario Kart to the next for me to buy it again and enjoy it (just comparing MK Wii or 7 to Mario Kart 8 and it's courses, for instance).
@rjejr
And being both does negate it's sales when comparing them to a home console, it's cheating
Xbox One has a 4K Blu-ray player. That's two different things. But it still counts as a home console, despite "cheating". PS2 had a DVD player and PS3/PS4 have Blu-ray players. Those consoles would have never sold as much as they did without them. But it still counts. Sales is sales. Doesn't matter how it's achieved. Of course Switch is selling because it's a portable. But so what? It's still a home console. This isn't a 3rd grade pissing contest. "Oh but it cheated!". All people care about is continuing to get home console games from Nintendo, which seemed to be in jeopardy after Wii U. Switch ensures people like YOU can continue playing their home console games, on a TV.
The sales of Sony consoles are what helps determine the parameters and what qualifies as "good"
No, they don't. Again, this isn't some preschool fanboy pissing contest. "Good" is defined by selling enough to become a viable platform with lots of games and support. What Sony does has no bearing on that. Either it sells enough to get lots of games and support... or it doesn't. 75 mil, 100 mil, 120 mil... It's all the same. It's enough.
You can't judge sales of anything w/o comparison numbers
Absolutely wrong, for reasons stated above. Relative comparisons mean squat. You judge sales by whether they are enough to create a viable, thriving market which brings games to the table, both from Nintendo themselves and 3rd parties. No more, no less.
Hold off on the celebrating until success is a little clearer
It's pretty clear, man. Switch could do 50 million or it could do 100 million... there's alot of possible outcomes. But regardless of what happens, it would have to do 20 million lifetime sales to actually impact it's future. And that's almost impossible at this point. Even if it slowed down and did half of its current sales the rest of the generation, it would still hit 45 million lifetime sales, enough to outperform Xbox One. There's really no chance of it suddenly flopping so badly it loses all support from 3rd parties and Nintendo. Could it happen? Sure... And PS4 could suddenly stop selling too. But is it likely? Absolutely not.
Even if they announce some crap games, we have Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Metroid Prime, Dragon Quest, SMT, and goodness knows what else in the pipeline. They could literally halt all software development at this point, and just release those games already announced and nothing more, and it would still do well enough to not have to worry.
Notably though there's not a single game developed by Nintendo announced for 2018 yet
Kirby Star Allies
Yoshi Switch
Fire Emblem
Pokemon (possibly)
Bayonetta (Nintendo published)
Bayonetta 2 (Nintendo published)
DQ Builders (Nintendo published)
Octopath Traveller (Nintendo published)
So there's a few games for next year developed by Nintendo, and a few they're publishing as well. But most of next year will be announced in January, or at least enough to fill out the first half of the year til e3.
They said they have no intention of slowing down, so I expect to see Smash, Pikmin 4, Animal Crossing, and a couple surprises. Or maybe we'll see none of those, and instead be completely surprised... Either way, I'm confident they'll keep us drowning in games.
@JaxonH "PS2 had a DVD player"
Actually now that you mention it, at the time that was cheating. It did help kill the Dreamcast.
"Notably though there's not a single game developed by Nintendo announced for 2018 yet"
Was that post meant for me? I know about Yoshi and Kirby, I just haven't bothered to mention them b/c we all know they are coming out in 2018. Well probably, I feel like they are though, 2D platformers that were probably in development for Wii U the past 3 years and held back for Switch, 2018 shouldn't' be a problem. And I usually think everything is going to be delayed, but Ntinedo has it down on switch, plenty of lead in time for a system they announced years before release. Metroid 4 may be awhile, but the bread & butter Nintnedo stuff will be non-stop.
@rjejr
I meant to tag the guy above. Must have forgotten to.
I'm all for Kirby- I loved Planet Robobot. But Yoshi I'm kinda ehhhh... Idk why, it's just not exciting me. Wooly World was excellent, maybe this one just looks too similar and more generic. I'm sure it'll be great though.
I want Donkey Kong Country. They should port DKC Returns and Tropical Freeze in an HD Collection. HD minecarts on the go? Yes please. Revival the best time trials ever created? Oh yes... please.
But 2018 is gonna be all about Monster Hunter, Ni No Kuni 2, Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles, Pokemon, Ori and Dragon Quest (hopefully, if Switch version of DQXI comes later I'll wait). And Xenoblade 2 DLC, obviously.
@rjejr
Btw, check out the hot new ride, chrome spinners and all that
@JaxonH
Kirby Star Allies
-> HAL Laboratory
Yoshi Switch
-> Good-feel, just like Yoshi's Woolly World
Fire Emblem
-> Intelligent Systems
Pokemon (possibly)
-> Gamefreak
Bayonetta (Nintendo published)
Bayonetta 2 (Nintendo published)
DQ Builders (Nintendo published)
Octopath Traveller (Nintendo published)
It's of course a very limited look at Nintendo games, but I think it's interesting to consider when talking about 2018's line-up that it doesn't even include a single Nintendo-developed game up to now.
2017 had Zelda, Odyssey, new IP Arms, new small IP 1-2-Switch, (depending on how critical one looks at it half-port:) Splatoon 2 and port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Plus Xenoblade Chronicles 2 by a studio owned by Nintendo.
So as you say Nintendo stated they don't have any intention of slowing down and a lot is going to be announced for next year. I think this shows just how much they could really still have in their hands (even if Zelda was probably postponed for the Switch's launch and 3D Mario and 3D Zelda in one year was probably the absolute height of what could happen in terms of their very biggest games).
@nwel
But those are mostly Nintendo owned studios. Most of Nintendo's output is from studios they own. And even with Goodfeel, it's 1st party property by a studio that works exclusively on Nintendo games.... that's what I would define as a Nintendo game.
If you only count actual internal Kyoto studios, there'd only be like 3 franchises in existence actually developed by Nintendo. Zelda, Mario and Mario Kart. And Splatoon. Still, that's peanuts.
@JaxonH that's pretty awesome! I don't care for Monster Hunter but if I didn't already have a PS4 I would of brought that
@JaxonH
"But those are mostly Nintendo owned studios"
-> As far as I know none of the companies I've listed is owned by Nintendo.
"If you only count actual internal Kyoto studios, there'd only be like 3 franchises in existence actually developed by Nintendo. Zelda, Mario and Mario Kart. And Splatoon. Still, that's peanuts."
-> Franchises whose mainline games are mostly developed by Nintendo include 2D and 3D Zelda, 2D and 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, the Wii Sports/Play/Fit games, Nintendogs, Brain Age, Arms, Splatoon and more. I'd say that besides Pokémon these include all the very biggest, most sold, most known and best received Nintendo games and IPs. Not just peanuts, but a main part of what makes Nintendo Nintendo. There are also even more games that Nintendo's internal studios plan together with other studios.
And I'd also say that these titles clearly stand out from the entirety of games with Nintendo IPs or developed exclusively for Nintendo systems. Their quality is higher and they're the real system sellers, so I'd argue it makes sense to differentiate between Nintendo-developed games and games published by Nintendo and with Nintendo IPs, but developed by partner studios.
Anyway, I didn't even want to argue with you about that, the point of my initial comment should be clear anyway — no matter how you want to call these games if not Nintendo-developed, not a single one of them has yet been announced for 2018.
And since they tend to be recognized more and of very very high quality, I think it's interesting that when talking about what Nintendo will have to offer in 2018, we're only talking about stuff that partner studios are working on and not about the very biggest Nintendo games, which are sure to come, too. People might think Yoshi or Kirby will be in 2018 like Mario and Zelda in 2017, but they're not, they're in addition to whatever Nintendo has in offer in 2018 instead of Mario and Zelda itself.
@JaxonH
Another interesting comparison if you say stuff from Nintendo's internal studios would only be peanuts:
2017 Switch games developed by Nintendo:
-Mario Kart Deluxe
-Breath of the Wild
-Splatoon 2
-Super Mario Odyssey
-Arms
-(Xenoblade Chronicles from a studio 100% owned by Nintendo).
Other 2017 Switch games published by Nintendo:
-Snipperclips
-Flip Wars
-Pokkén Tournament DX
-Fire Emblem Warriors
Put that way it's actually like the other games are just peanuts and now consider that all we know about Nintendo's 2018 right now are just games from this other category. That's the point I wanted to make.
@nwel
Of all the games you listed, that's like half a dozen franchises.
Over a span of 5 years of game releases.
At least half, if not more, of Nintendo's releases are from studios like HAL. Studios like Goodfeel. Studios like Intelligent Systems (which is every bit as owned as Monolith Soft).
The top 3 internal studios at Nintendo all just released games this year. We'll probably see the other top 3 release games in 2018-2019. What's the big deal? This is normal. You expect 6 game series to get multiple releases each year or something? Fire Emblem Warriors, Mario Rabbids, Pokken Tournament, Xenoblade Chronicles and Snipperclips were all developed by 3rd party partners or studios Nintendo owns a portion of (which is no different than Intelligent Systems or HAL, you can't have it both ways).
We'll see more games announced in the January Direct and/or e3.
@JaxonH
Thanks, you're right, Intelligent Systems is owned by Nintendo, didn't know that.
Anyway, you don't agree with me that the franchises I've listed from Nintendo's internal studios are the very best received, most known and usually real system sellers?
"You expect 6 game series to get multiple releases each year or something?"
No, I didn't say that. But I sure believe that there will be at least 3 games developed by Nintendo internally also in 2018, if not more, and of them we don't know anything yet. That's the whole point I'm trying to make.
What's your problem with that? Your basically saying the same (-> "We'll see more games announced in the January Direct and/or e3.")
We don't know the biggest headlining titles of 2018 yet. I think this is very interesting. And there are games developed by Nintendo internally every year.
@JaxonH Actually, I've done even a bit more of research now and I don't think intelligent systems is owned by Nintendo after all.
The best source that I've found is a translation of the Japanese Wikipedia entry for Intelligent Systems, which reads "It is like a parent company, but there is no capital relationship with Nintendo, it is a completely independent company."
@nwel
I just don't see anything abnormal. They'll tell us about more games in January and at e3. I have never counted how many games have been announced from a certain subset of studios... all I know is they'll have plenty of games- they always do. Whether they're from HAL and IS and Goodfeel or Tokyo EAD... I don't really care. I know they are game developers, and making games is what they do. When a studio has a game ready, we'll hear about it. In the end, there will be no shortage of games from any of their studios. So I'm not too concerned about what is or isn't known about certain studios when we only have a tiny slice of the bigger picture at any given time
@JaxonH Been reading all those articles about PS4 Pro Japan sales last week, knew 1 of them was yours. It does look good. I'm guessing that game is going to make a serious dent in your Switch time.
Target had 3 copies of the XC2 Deluxe or whatever it's called. Considered buying it for my wife - I finished KoA:R last night so we need a new game to play - but $100 was a bit steep for what was included, and then another $30 on top of that for the season pass. Had the season pass been included for $100 I may have picked it up. So now I'm back to square 1 on my wife's gift w/ about 24 ours of shopping time left. Not that I'm worried.
Oh, I really liked some of that Yoshi game, it had the best use of amiibo in any game I've played - 2 player w/ only 1 player - and the velcro level was fun, and it had easy mode, but after I finished it there was no lasting impression. Except the velcro. Kirby I've never gotten into any game. I tried Rainbow's Curse but they forced you to use the screen which I didn't like. Not sure I played Epic Yarn, the kids finished it in a few hours so I never started. And I think you'll get your DK bundle. TF was already in HD on Wii U, so they just need to update the first. Seems like easy money to me. Maybe not right away, but in time. I think they are trying to spread out the Wii U ports and Bayonetta is next up.
I'm not surprised the Switch is revolutionary.
@Hikingguy I wouldn't say that about Splatoon 2. It is definitely a full blown sequel. Multiplayer shooters sequels are often very similar from one entry to the next. Just look at the yearly Call of Duty's. There's only so much you can change without upsetting the core fanbase.
@JaxonH comment #81 That looks absolutely rad. I don't really like the idea of mid-gen console "upgrades", but that is an exception.
@AlwaysGreener
Are you a Monster Hunter fan as well?
Got into the series with MH3U on Wii U. Been addicted ever since.
@JaxonH Yeah, I had a friend who recommended MH4U for the 3DS, and I've been a fan of the series since. Although I haven't really gotten the chance to play it or Generations in quite awhile, due to work and my game backlog.
@AlwaysGreener
If you have a Switch, I'd recommend skipping Gen in favor of MHXX. Ya, it's in Japanese, but honestly it's pretty easy to play. This was my first time ever importing a game in another language and I felt really intimidated at first like it was going to be near impossible to do without hundreds of hours of research and banging my head against the wall... turns out none of that was true.
I was practically playing the game competently within 20 minutes of starting it up. They just took 10 or 15 minutes of checking out the menus and experimenting to see where everything was, snapping a few screenshots and adding text for translations (google phone app translates in real time) and I compiled all of my references in the forum. So basically all of the menus have been screen capped and translated. And then you just take advantage of things like premade items set and premade armor sets so that you don't have to fumble around with items every time you go on a hunt. Just go by the colors of the quest to know if it's a hunting quest or gathering or whatever... and ya. Muscle memory takes over from there.
On a sidenote, if you have a 3DS that has been modded you can actually grab the fan translated version of the game, and use Capcom's official save transfer tool to shoot your save back-and-forth between the two versions. This is great if you just don't want to deal with it at all- anytime you need to craft a new armor set or weapon you can just shoot your save over to the English version, do what you need to do and send it back to the Switch.
I mean, I know that World is coming up and it's probably easier to just go play that game, but I personally place a lot of value on having Monster Hunter on the go. And to be perfectly honest the switch is the only system I have any interest in taking with me anymore. It's basically tethered to my hip at this point.
@nwel
"not a single one of them has yet been announced for 2018."
Kirby Star Allies was listed for Spring 2018 and Yoshi for 2018...they are 2018 games.
@JaxonH Thank you for the advice, but I'll probably will have to stick with Monster Hunter World. Not to say that the points you've made were bad (In fact they're pretty useful), but with another Monster Hunter around the corner I'd rather focus my attention on that release. However I'd like to thank you for the forum you made a couple months ago about learning Japanese for MHXX, which has been quite useful for me, since I'm trying to learn the language myself.
Sorry, I didn't get the chance to reply to you sooner, because I've been pretty busy these past few days. Anyway, have a Merry Christmas.
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