Nintendo Switch Is Selling Faster In Japan Than The PS4 Did, But Not As Quick As The Wii U

If the Switch has been selling this well now, it is setting itself up for a great holiday season I reckon!

The Switch is doing incredibly well, imo, considering it's release in March, contrary to most other console releases.

I'm happy the switch is doing well. It's a great console and with more games, it can easily become my favourite Nintendo console! I just hope Nintendo keeps up the momentum.

That's great to hear. I really want this system to do well. Its the first Nintendo home console since the Gamecube to grab me like this. I enjoyed the Wii and Wii U but didn't feel attached to either of them like this. Lets hope the releases keep coming at a steady pace.

I know there are no rumours of this, but I'm holding onto hope that a new Luigi's mansion appears for the Switch. That is still one of my all time favourite games within the Mario universe.

It was always going to be the dominant console in Japan where the handheld/mobile is king. Ultimately it'll be the rest of the world which will define it's legacy and it's off to a solid start

@fullyilly there's a rumour of the first Luigis Manison being part of a gamecube lineup of virtual console games 😃

Bearing in mind the lack of released games, it is selling really well, MK8 will no doubt see rocketing sales.

It was always going to sell well in Japan. Hell, even the PS Vita which is dead to the rest of the world does great there. Japan is handheld country. Everything about the Switch seems to shout "made for Japan".

Since the Wii home console sales in Japan have nosedived.The PS4 did far better in a Japan than I expected as that was also launched around March I think and is not an handheld.
I expected the Switch to sell even better than the Wii in Japan.

It's the USA and to a greater extent Europe (UK) that I want to see sales figures over the next coming months.

It didn't take long for the wii u sales to drop massively once it was into the new year,won't take too long for switch to get a head. Also ps4 picked up sales further down the line eventually giving it a 1 million plus lead over it. The switch will overtake both next year probably

The sales numbers are very good. Once the new games start releasing over the year hopefully Nintendo can keep up the momentum following great sales at christmas too.

They can easily double it. Bring a Pokemon switch and milions will be in line to grab a switch.
Bring a new smashbros (with the same engine but new content) it will double the sales.
Bring and anounce the games everyone wants and some new amazing IP.

Also revive some classics, let them bring games like Megaman back in its glory, double dragon stuff like that, streets of rage etc.
Those games will bring alot lf people bac to the switch.

Pokken 3, bring a new Naruto game for switch, dragonbal is already anounced so yeah awesome.

The switch now needs good First person shooters, third person action games etc.
I have high hopes for the switch future. But Nintendo cant hold back now if they want to keep the numbers this high. We need a new Direct.

I hope they make them as fast as they can. With the release of mario kart and splatoon, the system will be picked up quicker by mainstream buyers.

Then, when the footprint grows, a full blown, high quality monster hunter will hit it out of the park.

10 million in about a year guys. Still predicting it

No Christmas boost makes this a bit more impressive, I'm sure. I just hope it stays consistent.

Btw Wii U did not have a new Zelda game on launch

@erv
That's a high number, I hope it does your prediction. Also I think games like lego world's and city can help sales. I would think it would also help if Yooka-laylee gets a physical release

The Wii U also had a more diverse launch line-up to cater to broader tastes, as well as having the distinct advantage of backwards compatibility, which the Switch lacks.

So in relative terms, the Switch is performing more strongly than the Wii U during its launch period. All we need now are ze games.

Ya, I've been following the figures. Everyone's like Switch is doing great, then you compare it to the Wii U and realise this thing could go either way. Too early to tell, though in my opinion, long term it won't be successful. It has way too many issues.

I just hope people are locked in various rooms now, planning the release of a mainline Pokemon game and a new Monster Hunter.

Comparing the Switch's current units sold to the WiiU's rate is interesting. The WiiU was coming off of the cultural hit of the Wii, and the Switch is basically coming from an environment that is the complete opposite, yet, it is selling, arguably, at a much healthier rate than the WiiU considering the time of year. With Mario coming in the holidays the Switch should do great then, but I think Nintendo is going to have to not hold anything back during E3 to really keep the ball rolling and get people excited for the consoles future (crosses fingers for a new Metroid).

@sillygostly "distinct advantage of backwards compatibility" You've just reminded me about why my Switch currently goes unused, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, my thanks for that

As someone with seas of time, and only an ocean ahead of me, those games can't be on the horizon soon enough.

@eeyore Very good point. Switch has the Wii U game, Zelda: BOTW, one of if not the greatest games ever. And Wii U limped onto shelves with Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U. Had Nintendo not sabotaged the Wii U Zelda for Switch, it would be in big trouble. And what's the next big game on Switch? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, another Wii U game.

@Danpal65 Yeah, E3 this year will be the main determining factor in the Switch's potential.

The headline alone should be enough to notice how unimportant this is in the long run.

@MarcelRguez Yes, this.

Nintendo switch is selling faster in Japan but not fast as the Wii U

Switch needs to run the marathon and pace itself, not sprint out to a good lead and then tire and fall back.

@KiWiiU_Freek
Lol. That's what happened to wii u

I've only just realised that there is an ignore function for the comments. I'm over the moon, as I can now block the constant flow of negativity from certain people.

Anyway, this is a great start. Yes, they need to keep the momentum going well into 2018 and beyond, but I athink they know this and they seem to be firing on all cylinders.

FWIW, I'm experiencing approximately 0 of the 'issues' that Switch supposedly has. I'm just enjoying the **** out of Zelda.

@NintySnesMan
Exactly, slow and steady.

For all the failures that the Wii U had commercially, it for me had some of the purist gaming experiences available.
Probably why Wii U games will sell well on Switch with added features.
They might've already been released on Wii U, but when so many skipped it, why not add in a few features and re release Wii U games on Switch, especially when the originals were so good in the first place.

Now release Pokken Tournament with all the extra characters and some new levels, DK Tropical Freeze with local co op and same with Hyrule Warriors, just for examples.

@Danpal65 this was the plan, no doubt Nintendo is getting ready to sell the Nintendo Switch hard

@KiWiiU_Freek Which is exactly why big releases for the Switch are spread out across this year and next. And yet people complain about this pretty clever strategy.

I don't care too much about the figures at launch, especially in Japan, where we all knew it would do well. I want to see how this turns out in the long run, and how Nintendo's strategy of staggering releases plays out. I think the Switch can easily surpass the Wii U and possibly, though quite unlikely, the GameCube.

I am very optimistic but still cautious, Nintendo has had a strong start but it always will because of the loyalty of fans like us. Hopefully both the advertising and critical acclaim for Zelda are helping to get it into the general publics consciousness. But it doesn't feel like there is Wii like levels of awareness out there.

I'm naturally a fence sitter, but were I to call it I would say the Switch will be a success. And potentially a missed opportunity for Nintendo if it isn't.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE what do you mean "way too many issues"?

@KiWiiU_Freek
I am sure the switch will get more wii u ports, Ninty will want to capitalise on many of the great wii u games. I would like to see a sequel to Devils Third but I can't see that happening after the disappointing sales of the first game,it was a great game for bringing ppl together with the clan system,also many arguments lol

I still don't see long term success for Switch. Ever since Wii, Nintendo has taken a "secondary console" approach that I find puzzling. Sure it worked for Wii but that was 11 years ago.

Nintendo's core die hard fanbase will always get sales over 10 million but for the casual fan, the hype is already gone it seems.

All they need is a new Pokemon game and it'll be huge !

@gatorboi352 I have to disagree. I take my switch out in public a lot and strangers approach me and ask me about just about every time. The portable factor alone is going to keep it on the minds of the mainstream. As more sell you will see more in public. Something the wiiu is not capable of. I have already ran into another person in public who had one set up at a coffee shop. He was also someone who skipped the wii and wiiu.

@KiWiiU_Freek Pokken has a really strong base in terms of gameplay so I hope they add all the features it needs for it to be a huge hit when it comes to the Switch.

We all knew that the Switch would do well in Japan. They love their portable game consoles over there.

What surprises me is how successful it has been elsewhere. I think that the PS Vita suffered in the west because it launched right into the peak of tablet-mania over here. Since that time the tablet market has reached saturation and has slowed down considerably. People are looking for new tech ideas and suddenly an portable HD game console is cool! Unfortunate for Vita, but really good for Switch.

Of course, having Zelda at launch is a big factor as well.

@faint
Wow, what game did you play for Switch until strangers wanna know about your Switch ?

@faint This is key. The portable nature of the console means people see it. That's what has happened with mine so far (very similar experience) and I'm most encouraged with how college students responded to it. In my experiences, Snipperclips and yes, even 1-2 Switch made people react in very positive ways.

And most already knew about Zelda BotW, that game is out in the mainstream.

All that said, it's very early yet as these things go. I'm encouraged that it seems to have weathered the "controversies" so far but the library is going to start feeling anemic to (core and vocal) owners of the system very soon. It's so important that something as universally liked as Mario Kart 8 is coming to the Switch, then Splatoon 2 which has come buzz, and then, critically Mario in the Holiday season.

That is making the whole launch rest on first party Nintendo games, though. I'm fine with that personally, but once many gamers play Zelda on the go, they are going to want the big third party games on it and I'm thinking those third parties might not respond fast enough to supply them. A couple reassuring announcements on that issue at E3 would be very helpful.

Switch would have sold well over the 500,000 if was released during the Holiday's and Nintendo actually kept stock. x3. But Yeah I will expect way over 500,000 this holiday season with a brand new Mario coming.

@faint : And this is precisely why I believe the Switch has the potential to be enormously successful in the long term. It has the public visibility that the DS had coupled with the added convenience of multiplayer anywhere, without the other player(s) requiring a console of their own. That will immediately endear a lot of people to the console. We just need Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to hit the streets to get that ball rolling. Zelda is impressive and all, but it's not the sort of game that you can just hand over to somebody to play for a few minutes.

And with the Switch out in the public sphere, there will be fewer morons misinforming others of just what the Switch is (which is a major problem that hindered the Wii U).

Switch can sell in Wii numbers in the long term, but only after a price cut (or a generous bundle). The standalone Switch costs $469 in Australia, while the latest models of the PS4 and Bone cost only $299, and that's with a generous assortment of games (yet still nothing that I'm interested in ).

@Anti-Matter Zelda gets them asking about. A few times I've switched over to fast racing rmx for multiplayer with a few people.

@sillygostly yeah I'm not sure why you guys are getting such a mark up. It's only 300 in the us.

Is the Christmas season in Japan as important as it is in the US? Seems like a weird thing to point out.

So weird its still trailing for the WiiU for now. But being ahead of the PS4 is a good thing, even though Sony doesn't have a strangehold on Japan like they do in the U.S.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I'm not sure I entirely agree. First I wonder what "long term " means these days for Nintendo.

Secondly, the software library will get better, the price will drop/bundles and I think once the system gets to a certain point, more third parties will have the confidence to port/release.

Finally, I'm sure they must be considering VC or at least a steady release of older systems hits. I missed out on Wii U and I'm about ready to play GC titles again.

Basically, Im feeling pretty confident about its long term (3-5 years?)

Game's long term health on the other hand....

I think the underlying story here is that the sales are very impressive as it's off holiday, and enough off of it people would have spent their christmas(or other holiday) checks from family by now missing the entire hype rush. The fact that as they return into stock in far fewer numbers for now from the original burst they're scooped up fast still. With more and more systems coming and solid games to back it with a Christmas Mario on the horizon as well they've set themselves up better this way. You'll see millions of units in hand and use by the time late fall rolls around, and even more wrapped up for the 12/25. They'll have a heap of games out from all sorts of makers of key franchises and Mario to really drive some movement as well.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I'll agree that it's too early to tell - but I don't think the issues have been that huge so far - and I say that as someone that had to have a Joy-Con repaired. They seem to be acting pretty quickly to rectify the problems. I think E3 will be the real tell - what games are coming up, virtual console, and hopefully a few other OS quality of life improvements... I think the Switch is well on it's way to being more successful than Wii U. More successful than 3DS? I doubt it, but as long as Nintendo set their expectations/budget accordingly, there's no reason they can't be very profitable, even if they only sell 20-30 million.

I wonder how much stock issues have affected the sells numbers where I live stores like GameStop and ToysRUs have been getting restocks on a regular basis which sell out in a matter of minutes literally people have even been camping outside of these stores the night befor just to be the first in line when the stores open so far the Nintendo Switch is looking like it has the potential to be a huge hit for Nintendo just keep those good games coming.

Can't infer much from this.

People tend to forget that the WiiU had an excellent if not phenomenal launch. Things looked GREAT for WiiU. The problem was that was the last time there was any interest in the system. They never built on the momentum, never had any must have games, even their Mario offerings were so-so. They didn't have any real flagship games to tout for the first two holidays (excluding Lego City that was stealth launched) and 3D World (which was a great game but not a hardware selling flaship title. Mario was always a tech demo for the old consoles, and 3D World wasn't), so the world lost interest waiting for the "big games". And a year after launch the marketing engine of the PC twins ramped up and sucked up all the interest. And half the "must have" games went to 3DS.

So how we have the fact that Switch is doing better than PS4 launch (which did bad) and worse than WiiU launch (that did very well) in Japan, which makes sense. But momentum is the key. PS4 despite being #1 in Japan is actually doing awful there. It's BARELY ahead of WiiU which didn't really do comparatively bad there, but NO home console is much of a success there. 3DS is the only success story in Japan. If there's a transition from 3DS to Switch, it will gain massive momentum. If there isn't, it'll hover in nowhere land like PS4 and WiiU.

I think the Switch will have no problems being successful in Japan. For a March launch, those numbers are great. And we have to keep in mind that Zelda isn't nearly as big there as it is in other regions, so some could argue they had even less of a reason to buy it. 1-2-Switch has done well in Japan because of their love of party games: Wii Party U even sold well enough here to get its own Wii U hardware bundle.

Japan loves portable gaming - as evidenced by its huge sales for 3DS and Vita - so the Switch will do great. We have Splatoon 2 coming (which the original was a surprise success on Wii U there), Mario Kart does well there, and Mario in the winter... plus whatever unannounced games that will come at E3. If they announce a mainline Pokemon game for the Switch, it will sell like hotcakes everywhere.

While its future is still up in the air in other regions, I am confident the Switch will succeed in Japan.

A good launch is nice, but what's really important is establishing and keeping up momentum. Based on the way Nintendo is spreading out its releases and keeping public awareness on their new system, I think it's fair to say that Nintendo isn't going to let the Switch fade away like the Wii U did.

Speaking of which, Nintendo is apparently showing up at the anime con I go to every year to show off the Switch. That NEVER happened with the Wii U. I'm really glad they realize the console isn't going to advertise itself.

I love my Switch and I hope beyond all hope that it will be successful for Nintendo. I'm not sure we will ever see Wii/PS2 numbers again now that cell phones and tablets are so popular, but at least some good sales. I do think the Switch will be more popular than the Wii U, but it really concerns me for the sales outside of Japan. Big publishers have yet to announce any major third party games even while Nintendo is securing more production. Some publishers have even gone on record saying they are going to wait and see, or they are not sure the hardware can handle their games. That is going to seriously hinder sales in the West if there is not major third party support. I just hope Nintendo keeps on supporting it with their amazing titles, but a bunch of indie games are not going to work.

Selling the fastest in a limited amount of time is not really saying much. What will be an accomplishment is Switch's long term sales. Only reason we should care about sales as a consumer is for the future library of the console.

Good news, as long as this momentum carries. Best way to do this? Bringing the heat with the games. Best time to make a splash with game announcements? E3.

See where I'm going with this? 😎

All this sounds more impressive when you realize is March and Splatoon 2, ARMS, Fire Emblem Warriors, Xenoblade 2 and Mario Odyssey are yet to come.

@carlos82 lol don't troll btw the switch did better at launch then the PS4 did in the states also.even outsold the wiis launch lol.

"Nintendo Switch Is Selling Faster In Japan Than The PS4 Did, But Not As Quick As The Wii U"

Yeah, Wii u sold soooo fast...that it was a utter disaster!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE only issue I see is people being careless with the switch.had mine since day 1 and no issue
@AlternateButton I know this guy has something to say bad about Nintendo on every post

@XCWarrior Christmas isn't big in Japan (Christmas Eve is a big date night for couples) but for New Years kids get money and usually spend it. It's the best time of year to sell a game system, or at least it was when I was there in the 90s. PlayStation 1, for example, launched on 12/3/94. Saturn launched like a week before IIRC.

Japan is Nintendo country, and when Pokémon comes to Switch, it will start selling 3DS numbers.

Actually, considering how well Splatoon on Wii U sold, it will also be interesting to see how well that game sells and whether the portable multiplayer has any sales-factor.

@Slim1999 I don't think you understand the term troll. I didn't say anything negative and as far as I'm aware we don't have ecactus sales figures for North America. Only that it's Nintendo's best launch which puts it at more than 600,000 after 3 days in the US and I believe PS4 at 1 million in 24 hours in the whole of North America.

As I stated Switch will likely dominate in Japan as they move away from home consoles but we'll have to wait and see how it does everywhere else in the long term

#'s mean nothing without the right games.

Wii sold HUGE numbers, but i don't really love my wii. outside of Nintendo's own efforts, we missed a LOT of multiplat big titles, or got gimped and delayed ports, and then a TON of shovelware.

I actually think that created fatigue for buyers and was the true undoing of Wii U. "I'm not buying it. I still have a Wii but I never play it." There weren't enough good enough games.

Switch could be in the same boat. Zelda woohoo! Play anywhere woohoo! ..... but play what anywhere? If this phase of Wii U ports gives way to a great catalog of first and third party including multiplats, then we're on a roll. If it gives way to Switch specific dumpster dives then the system can sell and still be a flop.

@Switch81tch I'm sorry but I don't see the viral positivity at all. I'm not just saying that. I haven't seen any ads on TV and nobody I know, knows about it or even cares. I see a small group in an Irish forum that I frequent where they're excited but that's not the general public. Even my brother, who has bought numerous Nintendo consoles including Gamecube and Wii U has no interest whatsoever because of what happened with Wii U and what the Switch is. Maybe it's just confined to Ireland as it's readily available to buy.

Wii u sales dipped dramatically after the end of a good 2013 holiday season. By March 2013, it was selling less than 10,000 units per week in Japan. Japanese gamers had to wait 7 months for the first decently notable game to release for the Wii U ( Pikmin 3).

With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Arms, and Splatoon 2 all releasing presumably within the next 6 months, I think the Switch will be safe from the a massive drought that helped kill the Wii U early in its life.

I'm still waiting to see how this thing is selling in a years time; then I'll be more confident about its longer-term success or failure.

Reasons switch sold less
-Switch is out in spring
-Minimum stock (still can't find a switch for a decent price!)

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I definitely saw a switch ad just after launch on RTE after the 6 news.

@Switch81tch very similar actually, sadly..but still selling well as it seems to be sold out in limerick city where I live ,although for some reason a store called Smyth's says it has some online :/ A friend was annoyed at that.

The Switch is clearly still facing some stock issues in Japan right, though the situation is improving, as indicated by the fact that the Switch's Week 4 sales were a good deal higher than its Week 2 and Week 3 sales.

Like @westman98 said, with MK8D, Arms and Splatoon 2 the future months look a lot brighter than those that followed the Wii U's launch. Mario Kart and Splatoon 2 will shift a few million units easily. Mario Odyssey and the next Sports upgrade should continue momentum through the Xmas holidays. In the future, more games using the new Zelda engine; next Pikmin, Metroid and Punch Out; new IP like ARMS; more RPG's. I think Nintendo could shift 70 million units lifetime, probably nearer 80, with ease.

While these numbers don't tell much about the long term, they are at least encouraging! A little surprised that the Wii U sold more than the PS4, but I guess the Wii U had a rather impressive launch line-up, unlike the PS4.

I wonder if Japan also has many stores with 50+ unsold copies of BotW, just waiting for console restocks?

That's the thing, even with such an early Mario Kart release, what does it matter if there's tens of games sitting on the shelves because there's no consoles to sell? This seems like a uniquely reoccuring problem for Nintendo. A lot of people will likely get disgruntled over time, since only the alert will be able to get consoles as soon as they restock. Are we going to see 50+ copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe hogging the shelves while waiting for console restocks, too?

For that matter, is that going to happen yet again with Spla2n? The big console push is going to be for the holidays with Mario Adventure, but until then, it seems console stock with be chronically low or empty. That might not sound so bad, but only the savvy will know about the library available on the NS - where are the digital game cards for titles like Fast RMX to pooulate shelves? Most people just see an ocean of unsold BotW copies, and soon the same for MK8D, and presumably also for Spla2n, etc until the holidays.

@Joeapple Sorry, no way. Couldn't have been RTE, I meant to send them an e-mail asking them if they were showing any Nintendo Switch commercials. Can't find a relevant address though. I've asked in Irish forums too and nobody has seen one. They seen a few on the UK satellite stations alright. I watch RTE all the time and have never seen any, not just Switch commercials, Nintendo ads in general. Compare that with Sony, they're never off the TV.

I don't see this as very prommising. It may not be Christmas but it has BotW and that should be huge. This doesn't bode well.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE There haven't been any in the U.S. either. We had the Superbowl commercial, but those are very short due to cost. Beyond that, nothing I've seen at all.

@Alshain01
While Zelda is a huge franchise in the west, it hasn't been a huge franchise in Japan in a while even despite the excellent reviews. Splatoon sold more in Japan on a failed console than every Zelda game since Ocarina of Time.

Right now, demand is outstripping supply. Nintendo is essentially selling what they stock, and that's evidently not as much as what the Wii U was stocked back in holiday 2012.

How come they always compare things to a past performer?

The story of the Wii U is well told, one of the most extreme examples of a dying fad. Longevity is the name of the game here, I just don't think it's a fruitful story.

@westman98 Yes, but this game isn't really Zelda (it is but isn't). Other games more like BotW sell much better in Japan. Skyrim, for example, sold incredibly well for a western game in Japan.

@Alshain01
While BOTW is far open than any past Zelda game, it is still a Zelda game. Besides, open world games aren't anywhere near as big in Japan as in the west. Skyrim sold well, but not spectacular by any means. The best selling open world game in Japan this generation is GTAV on the PS4 (over 400,000 copies sold). Zelda BOTW on the Switch will surpass that, but that isn't a ridiculously high bar to overcome.

Switch sales will be interesting to see when Splatoon 2 launches.

@westman98 It's still not a traditional Zelda title and should sell much better in Japan than previous entries. It simply doesn't speak well to the Switch that it's not sold better already.

@Alshain01
Not being a "traditional" Zelda game doesn't automatically mean the game is supposed to sell dramatically better than previous Zelda games, especially in Japan where open world games aren't that popular (and when the Switch is currently still supply constrained). Making BOTW open world isn't going to change the fact that Zelda's appeal in Japan is quite limited, especially when compared to the west where Zelda has singlehandedly made the Switch launch the biggest ever for Nintendo in NA, Europe, and Australia.

Zelda is fortunate, though. We have seen many franchises undergo major gameplay changes to appease fans, only to see sales dip dramatically compared to their more "traditional" predecessors. See REVII and FFXV on the PS4 as notable examples.

@Alshain01 It hasn't sold better because there's hardly any console stock to pair BotW copies with. Nintendo went a little too ham on trying to get the attach rate to 1:1...

This honestly says more about the Switch's stocking issues than anything else at this point. IIRC 4th week sales were higher than the Wii U and 3DS's? When stock is there, it sells just fine.

Not even selling as well as the Wii U which is considered an utter failure by the gaming community. Epic fail Nintendo. This must be the worst selling console after Virtual Boy and Color TV Game.

That's a good launch for sure, but the Wii u shows us that Nintendo need to throw everything at getting lots of great games on their console and nailing the VC this time. If they don't the sales numbers will just fall of a cliff and it will be deja vu all over again.

@PlywoodStick I'm not talking about Zelda, I'm talking about the Switch. I know they didn't have less stock than the Wii U. It should be selling better.

@Deanster101 Sadly the next new title from Nintendo won't come till Christmas. At least as far as they have announced.

@NTELLIGENTMAN
The Wii U had better launch sales in Japan than the PS1, PS3, PSP, and PS4. I guess all of those consoles all ended up being huge Virtual Boy/Color TV-esque "epic failures as well .

Must have been a shame seeing most of Sony's platforms fail so bad.

Fun Fact time:

The GBA was the fastest selling gaming device of all time in Japan, selling over 1 million units in less than 4 weeks.

The GBA ended up selling just over 16 million units in Japan, which is a great number. However, the DS, GB, 3DS, NES, and SNES (as well as the PS1, PS2 and PSP) have all sold more than the GBA in Japan, despite those platforms selling far less at launch than the GBA.

These current sales comparisons between Switch sales vs PS4, Wii U sales etc. are meaningless with just 4 weeks of data. If the Switch is still trailing behind the Wii U's sales pace after a few months, then Nintendo has a very serious issue at hand. But right now, conclusions can't really be drawn. The Switch is still facing supply issues (though the situation is improving a bit), which explains why its 4th week sales were notably higher than its 2nd or 3rd week sales.

The phrase "...But Not as Fast as the Wii U" is eliciting some very strange and misinformed reactions.

Still early so not too concerned about it tracking behind Wii U. I still fully expect all the main Pokemon entries from now on will be on the Switch so that's going to be huge. That fanbase is crazy and for the first time people who want to get a 'home console' Pokemon experience can do so. That might draw in new crowds. I'm considering seeing what the craze is about now that I'll finally be able to play it on a tv.

@electrolite77 ARMS isn't a serious game, it's about as serious as 1-2 Switch. Spaltoon 2 might as well be a port of the Wii U version. Mario Odyssey is the next new game that has the potential to make a difference.

Quite impressive