Nintendo Switch Ends 2017 On A High With 2.5 Million Units Sold In Japan Alone

Awesome, long may it continue. NintenDOOM indeed...

I must say I have eaten my words from earlier in the year when I said Switch wouldn't be successful with its price tag and low power. I still hope it has a price drop soon though.

Really damn impressed. Goes to show how different Nintendo is from the Wii U era.

This year hasn't ended yet. The Nintendo Switch sales in Japan will easily pass 3 million units by the end of this year. At this rate, it will outsell the PS4 in Japan in 2018.

2017 ain’t over yet. The Switch should reach 2.8 million+ by the end of the year here.

I'm really happy it's doing well. It's nice being able to chat with others about it, and they know what I'm speaking of for once.
It's refreshing and it's been great fun since I had it.

Kudos Nintendo! Here's wishing you continued success.

Only the last 2 weeks 250k (10% of all sales).
It's great times for a Nintendo fan.

Hopefully this means more JRPG's.

Every week on the Japanese charts its clear that the Switch is by far the dominant console over there, what's even more impressive are the sales figures for first party exclusives which have huge attachment rates compared with the competition. Splatoon 2 on around 1.5 million, Mario closing in on the million, Zelda up there as well and Mario Kart 8. Nobody else is getting a sniff 😃

Doomed!

Seriously, the Switch has a chance of hitting 3m by year end.

@BensonUii you beat me by a few seconds!

In Japan at the moment they basically sell what they ship.

If you guys called 3DS "a JRPG heaven", better fasten your seatbelts now.

Having two of the greatest games of all time on a portable with console power (and a clear name) seems to interest people. Who knew?

The Switch is likely to cause a dramatic shift in the next few years. MS is all about power and pushing reality with their small stable of exclusives that don't also hit the PC. Sony though they're more like Nintendo with a lot of good games that their people and second parties make. They're now seeing that console gaming is getting pushed out as more people go mobile, but people also want that mobility to not just be some touch play nightmare either or wonky tacked on controllers with me-too bluetooth service.

Nintendo provides that. Do not be surprised if they make their own mobile chipset hybrid in the future instead of a straight up system. They don't want to lose, but lose they will and the Japanese market to a Japanese company comes first and Nintendo go that and it worked but they also worked it to appeal elsewhere. Sony right now isn't appealing at home so well, but do elsewhere and they need both to be in a long term better space. Imagine a world where MS pushes it too far with pricey boxes and Nintendo/Sony get most the game ports between their hardware and have the best line-ups.

@Savino That doesn't make any sense.
First, the Switch is a hybrid, not just portable.
Second, even if I don't doubt Kimishima is a good president, the switch was developped when Iwata was president.

@tanookisuit I don't own an XBone, so can't say for certain, but aren't all MS developed exclusives now coming to Windows 10 as well?

Keep stronger, Nintendo Switch !
Keep kicking PS4 Butt (If ps4 has butt) !!

Awesome

You can be sure Sony is taking notes and PS5, whatever form it will take, will be heavily influenced by this. Count on it.

@Rhaoulos exactly

@Savino stupid thing to say you clearly don’t know what you are talking about

Could be over 3 million before end of 2017......still 3 to 4 weeks left and they have been over 100K last 2 weeks and historically the next 2 or 3 weeks have been the strongest sales wise in Japan.

As long as the games keep coming, I'm happy. Third party won't be able to ignore Nintendo for a while.

Not surprised at all considering it's a handheld system.

Im glad nintendo learned from the wiiU and evolved even further like a butterfly.
now i want them to bring alot of first party AA games. Common Nintendo has the best library ever, give us a full HD Kirby a new Kid icarus, metroid, Fzero, starfox, Smashbros, pokemon HD, or a Nintendo VS game would be nice like Marvel vs Capcom.

@Savino Well, Iwata set this ball arollin’.

Cant believe how much money I put into it this year.
And I hope, my wife doesnt either

@The-Chosen-one
"Nintendo VS game would be nice like Marvel vs Capcom."
Ooh...
I wanna see Animal Crossing X Portal Knights , Mario Sports Mix 2 , Mii Fantasy (Miitopia + Final Fantasy), etc.
Also, ARMS + Dragon Ball (despite i am not Dragon Ball fan) can be very interesting twist.

Where the hell is @sligeach_Eire 😕 Guess he must be bummed from all the good Switch news and how at this rate it could actually catch up to Wii sales As long as the software keeps coming.

@Savino Yeah that's clear since he has the highest selling system in Nintendo history to his name..........oh wait.

Glad Nintendo's brand is relevant again, even if it's in a capacity that doesn't necessarily resonate with me. Have been in (temporary) possession of a Switch the last month or so and it's pretty cool I guess. Odyssey is nice, even if it's made me want to revisit 3D World and Galaxy 2 instead. Still have no desire to go out and buy one for myself though.

"Speaking of PS4, Sony's console has hit the 5.5 million unit marker in Japan. The system has been available since February 2014, while the Switch doesn't even have a full year under its belt yet. At this rate, Switch's Japanese install base could overtake PS4's in 2018."

I find this kind of stuff just silly. You can't compare Switch to PS4/XB1 when things are in favor for Switch, yet turn around and say "well, Switch is just a portable" when things are not in favor of Switch. It's either a direct competitor to those consoles or it's not.

@Thierry Yea it's a copycat business. Though, Sony and Microsoft will will fail at their attempt. For example PlayStation move, X Box Kinect.

You can't project early sales onto the following years.

@Savino

Why is Kimishima better? Because he is the president when the system that Iwata came up with the brilliant minds of Nintendo actually is on sale?

Because he is president when Iwata credited games are going out and getting 10's?

I really really don't see the connection here.

I'm glad the Switch is doing well. As for the Sony haters, why? Who cares what one is doing compared to the other. I'm glad for owning both systems, as they both have their goods and bads! Other than that, and back to the article, as long as nintendo keeps up with the demands and they continue with the game launches next year (as what they've done this year...and I'm talking about the retail scene), then the Switch should become like the Wii (hopefully without all of the junk games coming for it). Again, in my opinion, it means putting the games onto the retail shelves though, so it doesn't look empty! Seems to be doing a good job right now, so keep it up nintendo, and keep up with the advertising too, don't stop after a year or so!

@Thierry You do realize that nintendo copies off of others too, right? With Sony's VR system doing extremely well, you don't think nintendo will try and copy that too...even if it's in the future? I love nintendo too, but you can't just make them seem that they're the best company over another, when all have their highs and lows about them. Sony has had just as many bad decisions as nintendo...same with Microsoft and Sega and Atari did the same exact thing. Nintendo is doing good in Japan and over here, but it's still got a ways to go in the US to even come close to beating the PS4. And don't forget how the PS2 completely beat the Gamecube...granted I even thought the gamecube was a better console and still chose it over the PS2. I'm not a huge Sony fan either, I hated the PS1 and PS2, but both the Switch and PS4 are great systems and they're both great companies. Just imagine if they both would have stayed together...the machine and the games...both would have dominated everything else!!!!

@Timppis I agree. The Wii was a hit, he just had trouble selling the Wii U to audiences and had trouble with the 3DS for a year. Other than that, nintendo's had their ups and downs just like every other console. Who was to blame with the Gamecube, the Virtual Boy, the Game Girl...yup, that didn't last long either...and Iwata made money with his decision in the Amiibos. I think he was good too and the president now, still has a lot under his belt, and who knows what nintendo's next system will sell and do! Agree whole heartedly with you on your statement!!!

I'm really not surprised, Japan loves their handhelds. The Switch is probably a dream for them.

@Savino What about the DS and Wii? They both sold quite well!

@gatorboi352 Welcome to the fun side

@SteveF agreed. I have more games for Switch in less than a year (17) than my Xbox One (8) or Wii U (8) combined! Discounting the wii u virtual console of course, not sure 10 SNES games count for wii u.

@Savino

Iwata oversaw this project until the day he passed. While Kimishima deserves credit for successfully rolling out the Switch, Iwata and the development team behind the machine are the real heroes of it's success. Why do you think Iwata's Golf game is hidden on every system? Also don't forget too, game of the year contenders like BotW were in development for a long time, so he obviously played a big part there too.

@gatorboi352 the Switch is direct competition to the PS4 and Xbox. I would argue that the 3DS is also direct competitoon too.

Being portable and not very powerful, you'd think Switch would be the perfect system for retro gaming, Virtual Console or whatever.

@Thierry
I really hope they do. That’s what drives progress. Nintendo implemented a whole lot of original concepts in the industry. Others copied and drove these concepts forward.

The way forward is a “powerful” handheld that can utilise additional graphical GPU power and RAM built into the dock when used as a TV console. Sony’s dock may include a Blu-ray player to load the game to the handheld.

That is the console of the future. Either Sony or Nintendo will do it first when cost/performance/power can be reasonably met.

Not long ago they were saying the cost of 4K gaming was to expensive for a console. Look where we are at now.

With 4 weeks of sales to be seen, it's not inconceivable for us to get 2 weeks ~150k and 2 weeks with ~100k to make for 3 million units sold domestically.

@gatorboi352
Excuse me ?!
So why are you here if you keep mocking Nintendo Switch all the time ?
This is the Fact.
Nintendo Switch kick Xbox 1 butt soooo High !

@Hotfusion 4K still is too expensive for a console. We're almost there yes and the One X does a good job getting close but we're not there just yet.

Next console generation for sure though. Hardware will have matured enough for it.

"At this rate, Switch's Japanese install base could overtake PS4's in 2018."

And this is why you will see Japanese devs giving the Switch stronger support from this point forward.

@TheMadPolarBear
Totally agree about 4K. But look where we are. It wasn’t that long ago that the first graphics card that had the same capabilities as the XboxOne X would have costed you a car.

Full 4K next generation for sure as you said. Maybe, just maybe, even Nintendo. I demand a SLI type handheld/dock.

@Anti-Matter That's because Japanese don't care about Western games or consoles. They only care about Nintendo, Sony and the typical Japanese genres. Europe/America is more open-minded with Japanese and Western games enjoying success.

Sony and Nintendo still continue to lead the way.

Can't believe that at this point is still hard to buy switch online.

I wan't to get one RN to play Xenoblade 2 :<

@Thierry I think the one feature both Sony and Microsoft will take from Nintendo is the instant start of the system. I have a Xbox One S and it's painfully long to start. I can only assume PS4 is the same.

@WaitroseDad64 Use instant-on feature and your Xbox One S/X will be ready for you in just a few seconds.

@roadrunner343 Not all but most. When it first came out the XB1 was going ha-ha over Titanfall, which they conveniently didn't mention came out same time on PC and looked/played better given more capable hardware there. Historically much of what XB got also hit Windows PCs from their own few franchises, not all, but most. They dilute their own value in their system as long as you have a decent computer made within a few years of the system they are pitching with the dual releases.

Like an user above explained, more information would be necessary. Switch sold less in seven months than PS4 in five months even though PS4 is older.

@tanookisuit Historically, I knew it was most, not all - but I thought MS recently (within the last year or so) made an announcement that everything would be cross play moving forward. Need to search a bit more - there's also the possibility I completely fabricated that story =P

@gatorboi352 "You can't compare Switch to PS4/XB1 when things are in favor for Switch, yet turn around and say "well, Switch is just a portable" when things are not in favor of Switch."
When did Dom say that or did you put words in his month? Anyway, "the Switch is just a handheld console" is what most haters say.

I appreciate the Lord of the Rings reference.

@gatorboi352 Still sticking by your “GameCube-level lifetime sales numbers” prediction for Switch? Just curious. It’s worth noting that the Switch is already nearly halfway to that number.

Barring some serious stock issues, the Switch should reach 3.5-4.0 million units sold by the end of the year in Japan.

It will have 3 million sellers - Splatoon 2, Mario Odyssey, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

@BlueOcean You also have to take into account that the Switch had severe stock shortage issues, whereas the PS4 didn't.

Nintendo is the innovator (always has been).

Sony can only try to imitate the master.

Great for the Switch, but 4 year old PS4 is still outselling Year 1 Switch worldwide.
PS4 just crossed 70.6million.
http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2017/12/ps4_sales_cross_70_million_units_milestone_psvr_passes_2_million_units

Those Japanese numbers don't really mean much to me. I'm European & unfortunately only a fraction of the awesome JRPGs will make it over here.

I'm still extremely skeptical about the Switch's long term success in the West.
I still think it's only a matter of time before major publishers abandon the Switch. Watch WWE2K18 sell like hot garbage.

@bezerker99 The Switch is a fantastic product. PSVR is the greatest innovation this gen, but Switch is a close second (IMO).

@NinNin Yet the article is comparing Switch with PS4 from start to end...

I’d like to hear more about 2018’s lineup and plans for VC.

@Fight_Teza_Fight I mean if you want a system in one year to outsell the market leader that has had 4 years...youre insane. Its physically impossible

very impressive

The sales numbers simply tell me that Nintendo Switch is a more successful console than WiiU was, and it goes to show that efforts by Nintendo to create an innovative and flexible console in combination with the announcement of good games earn consumers' attention and literally pay off! As simple as that.

@MaSSiVeRiCaN Got a feeling he's playing on his brand new Switch and is so wrapped up in Odyssey he has no time to comment here.

@roboshort
If the Switch only sells an additional 300,000 units in December in Japan, that would be catastrophic.

It will reach 3.5-4.0 million by the end of the year in Japan.

@GravyThief Why would it? Can't put a price on FUN! You can, however, on POWER! lol

@roadrunner343 I don't know. I have zero interest that sketchy company console as it since the original has offered me nothing of personal value I couldn't get on my computer. I just followed Nintendo, then later Sony with Sega dead and both them have things you can't get elsewhere giving them value. I have a disused PS4 though now seeing that their IP this go around has bored me and the good stuff was on my PC too which outperforms a PS4.

It wouldn't surprise me if MS did that thought. They can stake a claim placing their games on PC/Laptops, and if the surface devices step enough on there too since they run Windows 10 too. That would be their mobile mode using a wireless xbox controller.

@Savino Nobody has to agree on that.

@YummyHappyPills Of course not. It's a year-year comparison (They are already at 10.4mil for the year). Sony's financial period starts & ends in March. Switch released in March.

The PS4 is quietly selling like gangbusters, even when it's up against new hardware.

@HexagonSun Not to start a fight, because it seems like you hate sony, their VR is actually pretty nice compared to many of the others, and is selling very well.

If you also remember, Nintendo and Sony were together with the Super NES, but nintendo (being weird and ignorant) laughed them off, even when Sony announced it would make a console. PS1 outsold the N64...but after Sega quit, they were the two that were competing (which brought many back to the era of Atari battles, then Nintendo and Sega battles...where Genesis won the battle over the Super). PS2 dominated once again (granted I loved the Gamecube better) and Microsoft came into play beating the Gamecube as well. The gamecube controller was tweeted after the befuddled N64 controller. The analog was actually introduced during the Genesis/Super NES era by a 3rd party company, the same company that also introduced a touch pad controller for the Genesis (I forget what the company was). Rumble was actually a feature various game companies had before too...Tiger Electronics had it before nintendo. Sony did copy the Wii remote (God only knows why), but even Nintendo's Zapper gun was a copy from arcades...they were just ones that brought it to a home console. Other than that, every company copies each other...Nintendo is now copying online (and paying for it) and they copied an online store. Nintendo is also copying Microsoft and Sony by going the mobile games. Nintendo lags behind (not really caring about that though), but all 3 have their greatness and weaknesses. They all copy.

@EvilLucario As someone who just got a Wii U about a year ago, was very impressed and upgraded to Switch, I don't see that much of a difference. Switch joy con are as confusing as the Wii U controllers. Mobile is possible, but limited battery life and costlyness makes it more at home... at home. But it doesn't matter; I'm happy if Switch becomes a success.

That explains why Japanese devs are now rushing to meet demand. 2.5 millions already? If this keeps up it will reach PS4 level by the end of next year. Maybe Square Enix, Atlus/SEGA and Bandai Namco will give us some delicious Japanese RPGs.

@JLPick Wasn't the Zapper based on an old Gunpei Yokoi toy from the 70s?

@JLPick Yeah sure nintendo was the big bad bully who left the Playstation project of the tiny innocent Sony. Open your eyes. Sony is a huge megacorp compared to Nintendo and they just wanted to eat them and make them third parties.

@BensonUii That's inaccurate. Switch sold 7.63 million through the end of September. We don't know October sales.

2.5 million...in Japan alone. Very impressive. I can't wait to see the overall total for all regions!

@BensonUii "From June 2017 to November alone, PS4 sold 10 million units"
Do you have a link?

@NinNin http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2017/12/ps4_sales_cross_70_million_units_milestone_psvr_passes_2_million_units

(Hope this isn't considered spamming)
Announced on 12th June 60.4million, 3rd December it crossed 70.6million.

@gatorboi352
SONY just announced 70m PS4s sold to consumers. I really don’t think they are losing much sleep over Japanese sales.
That is MASSIVE.

Yes, it would be good to have high Japanese sales but life isn’t that bad without them.

Switch is tailor made for for the current Japanese market.
Everyone is a winner, more or less.

@Fight_Teza_Fight @BensonUii Thanks.

@subpopz Technically speaking...I never said Sony was the first...but also, neither was nintendo. Mad Dog McCree came out way before that, and before that was the wonderful (and headache inducing) red and blue glasses.

@bitleman Wow. Why is this site full of nothing but 'nintendo does no wrong'. I think you need to open up your own eyes and look at all of nintendo's mistakes and failures. By the way, making fun of Sony doesn't hurt me either. I'm not a fan of neither, I'm a fan of gaming. If you honestly pick one company, then you're that company's fan, picking numerous and catching their weaknesses and strengths is a true fan of gaming.

@SpeedRunRocks It was. Inspired from the classic arcade machines and toys of the past (think laser tag). Atari had something similar on their system, which was a flop. Nintendo had something with theirs, but they always seem to kill it early in their systems (NES, Super NES and Wii). Not to mention of how fast Sony kills those peripherals too, and of how the other companies kill them too. It's a neat feature, but there was always that love of discovering and playing it in classic arcades over the home consoles...besides the lagging wallet of putting quarter after quarter into the machines!

@Fight_Teza_Fight WWE looks like it's not going to sell well, and for good reason (unless they patch this). https://kotaku.com/wwe-2k18s-switch-port-is-gnarly-1821064668

And when we get Pokemon Switch, expect units to increase 10 million+....if Nintendo can keep stock.

@BlueOcean
"Not outselling PS4" is not the same as "Not selling well."

This "winner takes all, go big or go home" mentality is nothing more than salty fanboy nonsense.

@Savino
'Luck' or not, the Wii and DS were what Nintendo needed at the time. It was the company's most successful period ever (from a sales perspective, software is always subjective), and Iwata was the one who reigned over it. He gets credit for that. The new guy has done a good job, but that doesn't mean people have to sh*t on Iwata. He bailed Nintendo out big time back in the mid-late 2000s.

@Savino

"Yeah, he oversaw the project, indeed... but good ideas not always go ahead without proper menagement. Look at the Wii U!"

I mean no offense, but this sentence makes absolutely no sense given the context of your argument. When the Switch, (the current success we are debating about) was in heavy development, Iwata was the management. When Kimishima took over at the end of 2015, the Switch design was nearly complete by that time.

"While Iwata was waiting a forgotten glory that nintendo had 20 years ago, Kimishima is making the way to it."

Sure he oversaw the worst console Nintendo ever had, but Iwata and crew effectively took the best things about the Wii U and transitioned them to the Switch in an effective way. What was the one thing people liked about the Wii U? That you could play the gamepad while someone else was using the tv. It was that idea that led to the Switch we have today.

I like Kimishima, I really do. He put up a good marketing campaign, and oversaw the rollout, but you are giving him wayyyy too much credit for the Switch's initial success story.

The Switch is going to be huge in Japan. The more people buying Switches, the more exposure it will get, due to it being a hybrid console on the go. People will see other playing it and that alone will sell more consoles.

But there's still 24 days left in 2017! I'm sure they can sell a few more Switches by then.

Not worrying about Sony for a moment, the Switch really did have a great launch and has become much more popular than many people thought. I don't think many people were underwhelmed with this year which is always a good sign! I think we'll be seeing a lot from the Switch moving forward with these levels of success.

At this point in its lifecycle, the 3DS had already sold 3.3 million units in Japan alone, and that's with the disastrous launch window that it had, leaving it far behind Wii & DS.

Now NS is falling even further behind. In just a few short weeks, the 3DS/NS comparison will look even worse.

@GrailUK The doombringers are out somehow again.

So Capcom...how about Okami HD and Devil May Cry HD Collection hmmm?

@YummyHappyPills Not again...

@JLPick Very sensible comment.

@GravyThief Honestly, kudos to you for being big enough to say you were wrong. Our world would be a better place if that happened more often with we humans. I also thought it was going to be a tough sell at that pricetag (was expecting 250) but I've been pleasantly incorrect too!

Go Switch, go!

@westman98 You are the salty fanboy, not me, I'm not even a Sony fan, I'm just saying that comparing Switch to PS4 must show the whole picture. Some people just want to hear part of the story so Nintendo is always the best and most successful company. Switch had a good first year but PS4's fourth year was better.

@BlueOcean
Neither I nor the article ever suggested the Switch was the "best" and most successful platform outside of Japan. Anyone who suggests otherwise is mistaken.

@Mahe
https://image.ibb.co/cjjKcw/2017_12_06_22_25_10.jpg
Where are you getting your numbers from, because it's certainly not from reality??

I'm also pretty sure the 3DS has sold way more than the Wii in Japan. Like double (24 million for 3DS vs <13 million for Wii)

I never owned a Nintendo console before, yet the Switch was a day 1 purchase for me. I was sold instantly. Happy that its getting such big exposure. Hope it will continue like this ! ^^

@electrolite77 Absolutely. I'm reserved about the long term success of the Switch, but It's an awesome time to be a gamer.

Remember when 'analysts' claimed that consoles are dead? PS4 & PSVR provide me with incredible experiences that I can't get anywhere else. The Switch offers me high quality exclusives and a console-like experience on the go.

The only reason why I (& I assume others) brought up PS4 is, because NL brought it up.
The Switch is doing great and I expect it to outsell PS4 next year once it gets a price cut this time next year.

That's darn impressive, especially for a platform that a lot of people predicted to be "DOA" and still predict to "fall off a cliff".

This makes sense - it's the only console I've ever owned. Before now, I've been exclusively PC. If it's seduced me over, then stands to reason that it's had a similar effect on a lot of other people.

@BlueOcean Switch will prob match the ps4s first year sales. Thats big.

DOA.

@tanookisuit nobody wants a second ps vita. It was a nightmare. It won't happen. Playstation will play it safe with an even stronger desktop console. And yeah as long as Sony got GTA, COD, Battlefield, Fifa and Pro Evolution will be ok..

@GravyThief We would all love a price drop .....but .....why would Nintendo do that? They are selling like hotcakes.

I bet the team at Nintendo is gonna have one hell of a party to celebrate one of the most successful years they have ever had.

@GravyThief It’s a hope but a delusional one.

Switch is riding too high to get a price drop anytime soon. Holiday 2018 is the earliest chance for a temporary official drop and even that is fairly unlike I feel.

Wouldn’t expect a a permanent drop until 2019 at the earliest

@Nintendofan83 @GravyThief

Price drops happen when you can't move consoles. Wii U and 3DS both were set at too-high starting prices for what they were offering. 3DS was able to recover with a price drop. Wii U wasn't. Switch doesn't need one to sell, so it won't get a drop until there's significant drop off. Probably around the time when they're also trying to get people to upgrade to a Switch 2 (or more likely, in my opinion, just upgrade their docks for something that can superpump up the Switch to 4k while docked).

@Mahe Here you are, with your hot takes polluting our air like a fart in the wind. Butthurt much?

Dang...and Christmas season is still yet to happen...
Can't wait to see the complete year one's total sales numbers for all regions. THAT SWITCH IS ON FIRE!!!
It will be interesting to see what Sony's future strategy is since thier current one of simply slapping a new number on thier next system is starting to weaken.
...And Microsoft should just stop trying.

In 9 months Switch has sold half of PS4 lifetime sales in Japan and still Pokemon and AC to come.

At first I was an unbeliever. I was bitter from the Wii U era. Now I adore my Switch. It will outsell the PS4, not because it is a better console, but because it is a different concept. That was the brilliant thing.

I still like my PS4 better. But that's unfair, I have plenty amazing games like all the Wolfensteins, The Last of Us remastered, Bloodborne, Uncharted trilogy and 4, The Witcher 3, Destiny 1 and 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last Guardian.

The Switch is way too new to compete with that. But I'm getting the feeling that Nintendo will turn me around eventually.

@HexagonSun I did interpret wrong...sorry. I agree with you on most parts. The Virtual Boy was a risk, failed, N64 was a big risk (which it did come in second place in the console wars, but was ignored...I hated the controller and I believe that's what drove most people away). The gamecube was a great system (great control), but it was that stupid handle on the back that threw most people away from taking it seriously (besides also the purple color...glad they changed it to black later on). Loved the gamecube though, still my favorite nintendo system (granted the NES was my favorite as a teen (yup, old and Atari was my kiddie system first). Sony took quite a few risks too...(Move, Wonderbook, The Cameras and even the VR)...plus, the cursed price tag on the PS3 that gave them plenty a plunder. Wii U was definitely a flop and for some reason, I never even got into it (games felt rushed and not as glorious as what nintendo could do). Wii was phenomenal...but, all the junk games made it disappear fast, and most of the great games were hidden in the junk ones, but it was fun and ingenious for it's time! Switch, is just a hyped up DS to me, I still count it more as a handheld and for VITA, Sony wanted it to be like a PS3 from the start (just never left it take off at the start, and the expensive memory cards killed it too early). Handhelds have always been nintendo's strengths though...Sega, Atari and Sony could never compete, granted Gamegear and PSP gave them somewhat of a challenge. Right now though, I just hate people that go against either companies. Nintendo has their strengths...their IP's are fun and exciting, and Sony has their strengths...their IP's are also fun and exciting...not really an Xbox fan (original one only), so can't really compare the XBONE with them...but Sega (as I've had the Genesis, Gamegear, 32X and Dreamcast) also had their great IP's. I guess I don't go choosy, as it seems like I've owned every system at one time...except I never owned the Virtual Boy (played it in stores, couldn't take the eye strain) and the Atari Jaguar (too expensive) and XBONE (still don't see a reason). PS1 I hated, PS2 was alright, but I only owned it for the DVD player. Happy with both the PS4 and Switch and even the VR, but don't want to dip anymore.

Sorry if this reply was long!

@BlueOcean Thanks.

@marandahir @Pikachupwnage @Nintendofan83 Oh I am not expecting a price drop anytime soon. I doubt there will be one for at least another year, if not more. But for me, until there is one, I won't be buying one. I'd be paying a premium for a feature I don't want; portability. That's why I'm buying a PS4 instead. It's cheaper, more powerful, has more games, and you can get most of those games £20 or under. That's a much more appealing proposition to me. I'll certainly miss Mario Odyssey and Yoshi and Metroid Prime 4 when they arrive, but I can live with that for now and I'll happily wait to experience them, for a time when I can do so at a reasonable price.

@JLPick Lol you're too sensitive. I'm not even a fanboy but it's true. Sony was a megacorp coming in a market of dwarves. Sega, SNK or NEC died quickly and it's a miracle nintendo survived this long but it won't last forever. You can't resist eternally to a megacorp who want to take control of an industry. Just look what happened with the Vita, it's hilarious. This thing flopped hard but got like twice more retail release than the 3ds. It was just Sony destroying the japanese industry just to kill the 3ds momentum. Just look what happened to the career of Jason Rubin, Shinji Mikami or Tomonobu Itagaki. When you stop getting friend with Sony your career gets shorter.

@dimi Maybe, maybe not, you have to go where people buy stuff of you're done. And why did you list a bunch of non-exclusives so sony would be ok? GTA and COD are on PC and many others. God of War, Uncharted, Sly, Jak, stuff like that are their unique things.

@westman98 The article:

"Speaking of PS4, Sony's console has hit the 5.5 million unit marker in Japan. The system has been available since February 2014, while the Switch doesn't even have a full year under its belt yet. At this rate, Switch's Japanese install base could overtake PS4's in 2018".

If we are comparing PS4 and Switch let's see the whole picture.

@RickRau5 The first year of Switch has been good, agreed, but the following years might not be necessary the same. We'll see. It depends on games, competition, support, etc. PS4 has sold 70 millions already and while Microsoft doesn't provide numbers, at least 32 millions have been sold before Xbox One X.

@BlueOcean
Exactly. The Switch will quickly outpace the PS4 in Japan. Not anywhere else.

@westman98 Yeah great, and PS4 performed better worldwide. That's the other half of the information.

@thesilverbrick No, I think at this time it's clearly evident it will surpass GCN lifetime sales.

Look, I get that you NDFers are on edge around here, but people can have level headed views that don't necessarily align with your own and change those views over time as well. Not every detractor here is sleigh...whatever his name is.

@Nintendoforlife it's a slick littel console, and I love the OS speed, albeit a bit bare on features.

My XB1 is still getting just as much love however. COD WWII and Wolfenstein.

@Anti-Matter I've told you before, if you don't like what I say, click the Ignore option for my posts.

@HexagonSun VR is pretty good, but just like you said, it's a big investment. I ended up getting through one of those buy here pay here kind of places, where's its monthly installments...just to try it out (in case I didn't like it, return it)...ended up getting VR Worlds and Until Dawn Rush Of Blood for it...the shark encounter was incredible and so was the coaster thrills of Until Dawn. You look anywhere, and there's something there to look at...pretty good in my honest opinion, and as long as you get enough of the good games for it, it's worth the investment. As far as the PS4 goes, there's plenty of great games on their store to play (many freebies too) and lots of genres in the retail scene too. I like the Switch right now, but I'm still waiting for enough on it to pick it up and play it more than just an hour or so per month (again, only have 4 retail and 8 downloads). It'll get played more when Kirby and Yoshi come out. Other than that, I bought the gamecube on day one launch too...however, there wasn't a line which made me feel sad, but they never got the black ones...only purple. The only part I hated was the memory cards were extremely hard to find, and it took me several months to actually find one (wave race and luigi's mansion got boring fast playing the same things over and over again). Gamecube is still my favorite nintendo console, and I'm not sure why. My NES started acting up after too much play and was eventually stolen when my wife and I lived in Florida (along with the PS2, Genesis, N64, PS3, Gamegear, PSP, Dreamcast and Turbo Grafx 16). Trying to get back those consoles and the games I've had are either impossible or too expensive, so kind of gave up on that. Other than that, the PS4 has many of the classic 8-bit titles...just got the Adventure pack that includes Dejavu and got the great Atari classics collections! Hopefully the virtual console comes onto the Switch soon, as we got rid of the Wii for it and got rid of the Wii U a few years ago due to lack of play (by far, would count it as the worst nintendo console...my opinion, but thought the games were raced and ended awfully quick for the prices). Mario Odyssey is great, and for some reason I can't get into the newest Zelda title (guess I still have love for the original and Link's Awakening as my favorites). But I'm like you at being able to sit down and play, not much time. My job doesn't take me away, just with a job, wife and 2x young children, there's no time!! Hope this helps you out with the VR decision! As far as VITA goes, if you have a 3DS, skip the VITA or go and get the PSP instead.

@gatorboi352 Just checking. And I wouldn’t exactly call myself a member of th NDF. I find myself criticizing Nintendo more often than I defend them.

@bitleman You aren't looking at to what companies have gone under throughout the years of nintendo...look what happened to RARE when nintendo sold them, or look at many of the companies of the past NES era...also, nintendo used to be a music licensed company too back in the days and was a maker of toys and others...again, they're a megacorp company too who competed with Atari for game consoles too. I'm glad you hate Sony and Microsoft and think nintendo does no wrong, but they are all the same in what they want and do, and no matter what, all the SAME!!!! Great talking with you though, but I'm done responding to just hear you thrash everyone but the company you love! Funny stories though!!!!

@gatorboi352 Do you see yourself upgrading to the S anytime soon? Or is that more of a ehhhhh I don't really need it scenario.

Looking at some preliminary sales estimates in the US for November 2017, the Switch didn't sell anywhere near as much as the PS4 or XBO. In particular, the PS4 had a record breaking month with sales figures that nearly doubled the Switches sale figures. Makes sense, as both the PS4 and XBO where $100-$110 cheaper than the Switch during Black Friday. GameStop's $200 PS4 + $50 gift card bundle meant the PS4 was essentially half the price of the Switch at America's biggest video game retailer.

Nevertheless, the Switch still sold quite well, roughly in line with what the PS4 sold in November 2014 (the PS4's first non-holiday November), where it was still a full-priced console that had to go up against a price reduced competitor (XBO), much like what the Switch had to go up against last month.

@Savino To wave away the success of DS and Wii as a 'stroke of luck' does a tremendous disservice to the hard work and genius of hundreds of Nintendo employees.

The arrogance to think that you know better, when you don't know a damn thing is astounding. I might respect your opinion when you're president of Nintendo, but until then, nah.

@GravyThief

Premium? Nintendo's currently selling at a loss. It costs more to make a Switch and get it to a consumer's hands than Nintendo makes on the console sale. That said, more Switches in people's hands mean more sales of 60 USD-priced games, and also means more potential subscribers when the monthly online services account goes live next year.

I'm not saying you shouldn't wait. I waited until Skyward Sword before buying a Wii – nearly the entire life of the console! I was content with my GameCube and PC and Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS. I didn't really need the Wii until a big Zelda game came out that I couldn't play on the consoles I currently owned. If it's not the right time for you, it's not the right time, and I commend your ability to restrain yourself from the purchase impulse.

I guess all I want to say is that Nintendo is NOT trying to scam you out of money by selling at a premium. When they come down in price, it's because they're running out of people who will buy the console at the higher price point, and having access to those additional players (buying games, online subscribing, etc) who'd otherwise not buy becomes far more valuable than charging them full price. But you're not waiting for the premium prices to drop. You're bargaining Nintendo down into terms that are actually hurtful to them as a company.

Then again, Nintendo has billions in the bank – like liquid money they can spend at any time – so I don't really pity them anymore than any other company. I just think it's a curious logic I'm not fond of myself. I want to pay people their fair share. If Nintendo priced the Switch at it's actual cost, I'd have happily paid that higher price. In fact, that's what I did as an early adopter of the Wii U (though not an ambassador of the 3DS; I didn't upgrade quickly enough on that front). I recognise they wanted to avoid a repeat of the Wii U and 3DS price drops, though, and understand the market forces driving the sales at a loss.

@marandahir do we know Nintendo are selling the Switch at a loss? It's normally against their practice to do so, though it wouldn't surprise me given every other console seems to be these days.

I don't think there is anything underhand with their pricing, it's just regardless of how they market it, the Switch is priced as a super-charged handheld console, not an under-powered home console. I want a home console first and foremost, so I see it as being priced at a premium and hence the PS4 is a much more enticing proposition for me, even though it lacks Mario Odyssey which I really want to play!