Switch Wii

The Nintendo Switch had a hugely successful week in Japan last week, shifting a massive 392,576 units according to Famitsu data. This places the console at an estimated 12.8 million sales over its relatively short lifetime, which means Nintendo's latest machine has just hit a new, significant milestone.

As spotted by Niko Partners industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, this impressive total actually puts the Switch ahead of the mighty Wii in Japan. Despite Wii's global dominance in the gaming world, the system only shifted 12.7 million units in Nintendo's home country, with the vast majority of sales coming from the Americas and across Europe.

Of course, the Wii's worldwide lifetime sales total is still a long way away for the Switch. Wii managed to rack up a whopping 101.63 million sales during its time on the market, with the latest official figures for Switch standing at 52.48 million. That number came in January of this year, though, so the hybrid's total will naturally be a little higher at this stage. Beating the Wii certainly seems doable if Nintendo supports the Switch for years to come.

Last week's spike in Switch hardware sales appears to have been caused by Animal Crossing fever hitting the nation; the game also broke a number of records over its opening weekend. The release of the new Coral Switch Lite wouldn't have done any harm, either.

Think the Switch will one day become Nintendo's best-selling console worldwide, ahead of the Wii? Share your thoughts with us below.

[source twitter.com, via nintendoenthusiast.com]