Nintendo Switch Sales Surge Past A Million In Japan

now can we have a Wii Switch?
seriously tho, good job Nintendo!

Cool!

It's all downhill from here... Doomed.

1 in 127 Japanese own a Switch. as of now
1 in 267 Americans own a Switch. as of May 26

It's doing well but it's not miles ahead of Wii U at this point. Only 180,000 in the difference. Some will cite supply issues, I'll counter that by saying Wii U had NSMBU and Nintendo Land at launch, while the Switch got a BOTW port and quickly followed up by a MK8 port. 2 of the highest rated games of all time. There's a long way to go before it's deemed a success or failure.

Edit: Adding in a point I made below. Another thing about this 1 million Switch units sold mark. The Switch is a handheld, not a console and as such it should be compared to handhelds, not the Wii or Wii U.

~ The DS sold 1.45 million units in Japan in less than a month of its debut.
~ The DS Lite and the DSi took 7 weeks to reach the 1 million milestone.
~ Even the 3DS which had a terribly bad stuttering start to its life got to 1 million in 13 weeks.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Well, it will hit the Wii U's lifetime sales sooner than you think.

I can only imagine how well the Switch would have sold by now if Nintendo were able to keep up with the demand. That is really the only thing holding them back from being an even greater success, more games will help but I almost feel like the market was waiting for a new piece of gaming tech that everyone wants to have and it seems like the Switch is it!

It only just now hit 1 million in Japan? Nintendo is doomed!

The problem with using all these sales figures to gauge it's success, at the moment is that they are strangled by the stock issues.

@abe_hikura @Dpishere Wii was strangled by supply issues, it still sold nearly double that of Switch in the same time period. The supply issues are only in certain parts, it's not worldwide. Numerous people from different countries have said likewise. I could easily go to a store and have a Switch in less than half an hour.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Let's wait till Mario odyssey comes out before we preach Wii U failure levels.

Taihen Yokudekimashita !!
Wow, even better than Mama... I mean, Wii U.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Ow... really ? Just 30 minutes you said ?
Then show us your Switch including your face for a prove once you got the Switch.
We will wait...

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Maybe so, but the market has changed dramatically since then. That level of success will probably never happen again so it is probably a good idea to lower your expectations to something a little more realistic for this day and age.

@Aaron09 I didn't say the Switch is a failure. The Wii U wasn't a failure after nearly 4 months.

@Anti-Matter I said "could". I don't want one right now.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE It has the biggest Nintendo game ever in the form of Zelda as well as the fastest selling Mario Kart game ever, and it's also getting the first non-linear Mario since Sunshine, Splatoon 2, Metroid Prime 4, a mainline Pokemon game, and presumably games like Monster Hunter (technically this already coming, it just isn't localized yet), Smash, and Animal Crossing, as well as many other smaller IP. If the Switch doesn't succeed even with that lineup, no future Nintendo console will, either. They're bringing almost everything to the table.

It also doesn't hurt that the Switch is a very attractive console in terms of its functionality, and people can actually understand what it does, unlike the Wii U. Plus, Nintendo is actually marketing it.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
But Wii U is a Failure now.
Just admit it.

Lets see how it handles in the long run and if it can manage to hold the public interest.

@Anti-Matter There's nothing to admit. Everyone knows that.

Europe doesn't have the same affinity for portable gaming like Japan, nor does it have the same affinity for things nintendo like the Americas, but I suspect the major culprit in Switch not doing as well in Europe (which is why there are less supply shortages) especially in the UK is the price.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Well... then you DON'T have to Defend your Wii U too much.
Your Wii U, including my Wii U too are Nintendo's Failure.
I admit it was not the good time for Nintendo.
But now look at Switch.

@RoomB31 Yep, the price is going to be a major hurdle for long-term success. Casuals won't pay €330 for a bare bones machine with no game included. And the cost is much higher when you factor in buying accessories, an SD memory card, a Pro controller, a game, travel case, a portable power bank battery, a screen protector, etc.

Switch's price will certainly decrease once they sell more, but I feel like for Japan, the reason Switch just hit 1 mil is because of shortages and when it was launched. Those 2 factors are why Switch hasn't beaten Wii in Japan for the same period. Plus, we can't really compare Switch directly with any mass manufactured gaming device before it. So that makes direct comparisons unfair in all cases. With Wii U, Nintendo also never had a shortage, so that's a good indicator that it's at least in demand compared to (one of) its ill-fated predecessor.

Nintendo fighting for components from considerably larger companies also doesn't help matters, that's why there is still a shortage. And once Splatoon 2 hits, the Japanese will go even crazier for the console. I can't wait for that, only because it means finding matches in Splatoon 2 will be extremely easy from launch.

surge past, right?

@feelinsupersonic That's what I was thinking. Surge pass doesn't sound right.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE the supply issues are in their biggest markets.

@Manjushri
I enjoy my Wii U, mate.
I use My Wii U for playing both Wii U and Wii.
Too bad, Wii U sales goes worse...

@SLIGEACH_EIRE people really don't need all of those things.

It may continue to trundle on in Japan but, in the west with no monster hunter it may stumble. As this was a key title for many.

It's not really fair to say the switch is under performing compared to the Wii at this point since the Switch launch has taken place in March compared to the Holiday season release of the Wii. The Switch is on pace to have a better initial 12 month period than the Wii once you are able to compare each having a Holiday season under their belts.

Nintendo has been extremely strategic this time around with a March release, early adopters will be out of the way paving the road for Mario Odyssey to be an actual system seller where Nintendo will sell additional systems to those that would not have bought the system otherwise. There will be a different reason for the stock shortages, and Nintendo will finish its first full year switch cycle much higher than initial projections, both internally and externally.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE ok just prove the local shops have them,photo proof.

It's also tracking behind 3ds sales and said machine didn't even have zelda or mario kart so near launch. Switch will never get the casual market wii got and sales will drop once most Ninty fans have bought it,

A million has been sold and the heavy hitters for Japan still hasn't arrived - Splatoon 2 is next month and Dragon Quest X is in August....
Damn. If Nintendo manages to fix the supply issues, the Switch is going to leave that million mark behind quite quickly!

The Switch hasn't since the holidays yet either. I'm not sure if Christmas time is a big selling time of year in Japan, but that could also explain the Wii difference, on top of the shortages.

@Lord I think you have that a little backwards. MH doesn't do well in the West compared to Japan. Either way, World being on multiple systems makes me think Switch is still getting an original entry.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE the Japanese are also big supporters of their native systems, even if they're deemed failures. They were also supportive of the vita, and it did modestly there (as opposed to being a niche system here. A niche system I love, but niche nonetheless). And they've never taken to any of the xbox systems there.

Even if the supply side had been sorted out, I don't think the Switch would have rivalled the Wii, which truly was a phenomenon. However, you could probably bump those figures by another 20% or so if the shelves had stayed full. The Switch isn't doing too badly in the UK - it's still sold out in several physical store chains, and even a giant like Amazon is struggling to fulfill orders on extra grey joy-cons and the like.

I'd also reconfirm that nobody needs all the accessories. Just a Switch, a screen protector, a case and Zelda and/or Mario Kart 8D, and that'll do. And pretty much everybody who gets a Switch is happy with it.

@timson72
There was a article on here yesterday, can't remember it's name, but many people from different country's were saying how switch was readily available, there was Mexico, Italy, Austria, Australia, Canada plus others, so yeah it's not a global shortage. Just remembered the article was 2 days ago, it's about Ninty apologies for short supply

@timson72
He refused to do that (buy the Switch in 30 minutes from his house).
He said "If"...

@timson72 Get real! I'm not going out to a store to take a photo just to prove to you I'm right.

Go here:

https://www.smythstoys.com/ie/en-ie/video-games-and-tablets/nintendo-switch/nintendo-switch-consoles/nintendo-switch-neon-red-blue/p/157569

Click on "Click & Collect" then "Select Store", type in Dublin or anywhere else in Ireland and you'll find loads available. You're welcome.

The Wii had a spectacular launch and first year in Japan. In fact, Wii sales peaked in 2007 in Japan and momentum went downhill from their.

Nintendo Switch should see sales rise in 2018 (and maybe 2019 as well) given that's when Pokemon and/or Animal Crossing will likely be released, so I think the Switch should be able to outperform the Wii in Japan despite the lower launch sales, much like the NES, SNES, GB, PS1, PSP, and 3DS.

Meanwhile delusional people like Mahe think the Switch is selling terribly...

Are people forgetting the Wii launched at Christmas time? Nintendo made sure they had enough stock for a bumper Xmas period, but after Xmas it was impossible to find anywhere in the world.

Switch launched in March. And Nintendo basically all but admitted it was a soft launch to prepare for Christmas 2017.

Nintendo had clearly not thought Japan would be as hooked this time around, and shipped more systems overseas instead.

Hopefully with Europe well saturated now, they can get back to fulfilling demand in the homeland.

@timson72 Amazon.co.uk has them in stock today. Local stores in the UK also have them. Also, my local stores in Reykjavik are full of them.

@Leostacks
I wouldn't say Japanese take to their home systems and certainly not of late, vita has sold 5.650 million so far and still selling I may add and Wii U is stuck at 3.3million, this isn't great but like you said vita sales are OK, it will probably reach 7 million ish. Xbox did OK with 360, it sold over 1.7 million, all the sales figures are from mediacreate, I think Microsoft would have been happy with those sales, especially compared to original xbox and Xbox one. Yep that's why I own a vita because it's niche, I love Japanese games and Vita is the best place to go to for them

@SLIGEACH_EIRE

I'm with you on this one.

The British isles and Scandinavia seem about saturated with units now.

Bilka.dk here has more than a thousand units available for immediate dispatch.

Many (online) stores in the Netherlands are having trouble keeping a steady supply. I do think it's getting a bit easier to get a Switch now, compared to the first 2 months after launch.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE

I see the Emerald Isle is still contending with the great Nintendo Switch tsunami of 2017...

Have local and national authorities at least gotten the piles of excess Nintendo Switches that were blocking emergency routes and crippling major thoroughfares cleared out?

I heard there were concerns over wiping out entire species of coastal sea life due to dumping over-loaded barges filled with excess Nintendo Switches into the Atlantic...the sheer volume of which has caused sea levels to rise several inches, even causing some coastal flooding as far as the East Coast of the United States.

I sure hope Ireland can get this situation under control.

@Pod The UK is not saturated with units. I wish it was! I've looked at multiple stores online and it's sold out everywhere. Asda, Argos, John Lewis, Tesco, Amazon, Game, HMV, Debenhams...I want one but none seem to be available until mid July, and I'm not going through CEX.

Wowzers! Imagine how many they would have sold if they could manufacture the bloody things! Stock estimated to arrive mid July in the official Nintendo store!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Oh, did you remember when I promised to show you a photo proof if I owned Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ?
Deal is a deal. I posted you my photo of the proof. Should I post to you once again ?
While you just simply Refuse that request just because " I'm too cool to do that.", I did for you.

Those arguing that the Switch isn't selling in Iceland or Ireland need to realize these are tiny countries with very little relevance I terms of moving the sale needle.

Japan and the US is where Nintendo will make its fortunes, as it always has. And in those countries, it's sold out.

@Agent721 I believe the Wii U sold as many in Europe as it did in Japan, so I wouldn't disregard all of Europe, even if there are bigger markets within Europe than Ireland and Iceland.

As already stated, a major difference is that by this point in their lives both the Wii and Wii U had gone through the Christmas period which likely helped boost sales. The Switch hasn't had this yet.

Although this is unlikely to impact in countries where stock runs out immediately regardless of the time of year.

Unless Nintendo is hoping to ramp up stock in time for Christmas.

@Anti-Matter I didn't ask for anything and I'm not trying to be rude but I don't really care that you got a game.

That is really good news considering the falling trend in demand for consoles in Japan.

@Agent721
True. However, Europe as a whole is most definitely a very important market for Nintendo, more so than Japan. It usually makes up more than one third of their systems lifetime sales.

@Sinton

I agree with you. But those with a bone to pick with Nintendo arguing that Ireland has stock, a country with less people than Los Angeles County, are clearly so over the top bias against Nintendo they can't see how ridiculous they sound.

Bring the Irish stock to LA, it'll sell out in a day. I'm in Vegas right now and on my small plane flight from LA to Vegas yesterday, two of us had a Switch on the plane. The things been out a few months only. I didn't expect to see two grown men pull out their switches.

Europe is not irrelevant. But arguing that one single country has stock and hence its not selling that well, is asinine, disingenuous and see through.

@alasdair91 No, people aren't forgetting that, I mentioned it in my first post and I'm sure someone did before me. People here get that it actually could have sold a million faster if it weren't for the March launch. Also, I'm not sure about the last part of your post...

@Equinox

250,000?!! My neighborhood in LA has 90,000 people. That's one single neighborhood.

@19Robb92

I agree as a whole. It's very important.

@Equinox Same goes for the city of Boston. But it all adds up.

@Action51

LoL! The great Switch Tsunami, run for the Irish Hills!!!

@Agent721 Yeah, I totally agree that it's a too small sample to tell whether a console is succesful or not. I'm just arguing that the one console sold in Reykjavik is just as important as that one sold in Brooklyn.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Hahahaha... (sarcasm)
Didn't care if got better Mario Kart 8, the Deluxe version ? Hm... ?
Well... if you do really care with Switch (you said you want to buy it later), at least the way you give comment about Switch are NOT condemn it like a Big Fault.

@Agent721 - I used that sort of over-the-top language when someone on another forum was talking about how he saw bins filled with returned Splatoon discs at a game shop...which I knew from dealing with that person before was a lie, or at best a huge exaggeration.

So I upped the ante...to ridiculous extremes.

Wii and Wii U launched right before the holidays.

The fact Switch has sold more than Wii U in Japan in it's first 3 months despite launching in March, despite being sold out since it's release, and despite the fact Wii U sold a massive number of units it's first 60 days on the market... is telling.

Wii U tanked immediately after hitting the 4m sales marker. So, it may have similar comparisons for the first few months, but going forward we're going to see the gulf widening at an alarming rate as Switch continues to sell out.

GO SWITCH!

@Anti-Matter Seriously, are you on Nintendo's payroll or something? I love my Switch and I am a huge Nintendo fan in general, but just about every article you are harassing @SLIGEACH_EIRE about buying a Switch. It's getting old.

@Anti-Matter just because it was a commercial failure doesn't mean it's not a great gaming console. Personally, mine has over 300 games spanning 10+years and like 15 different consoles in 1. My Wii U will never be unhooked as long as it works or I can find a replacement. And I'm not getting into how it is used for Netflix, YouTube, internet but everyone in my house as well. And we have iPads and iPhones too, but Wii U is our most used console.

@roadrunner343 This is exactly why I hate the Nintendo fanbase. People are always harrassing people, trying to force them to accept their opinion as fact. Not everyone has to share the same opinions!

@Donutman
I have Wii U too.
For playing both of my Wii U and Wii games.
Great machine actually. I enjoy my Wii U.
Too bad, the sales is not good.

All Nintendo has to do going forward is not **** this up.

I mean, the N64, GC, and Wii U all had strong sales starts too--and the Wii U actually had a load of untapped potential in the various features of the hardware and possible services that could have been brought to it--but Nintendo let those consoles fall behind the competition, and in the Wii U's case it just totally and utterly dropped the ball, to the point it became its lowest selling home console ever and one of its most embarrassing gaming systems to date.

If Nintendo can do things right going forward with the Switch, which includes things like nailing the Virtual Console and online service, price drops in the not too distant future, ensure it has a constant stream of solid first party titles, keeping all the indies on board, securing far more big AAA third party content, keep adding in the various firmware features and services that people expect to see, and just general stuff like that, then the Switch has a chance at being its best selling console of all time.

Only Nintendo can really **** this up for everyone from here on out imo--and I'm still not entirely convinced it won't.

@roadrunner343
Eh... sorry if I was a bit Diva attitude.

@WiltonRoots you can get one through Amazon uk. They grey one is in stock and the neon will be available July 10

The Wii U was a failure, period. Do I hate the console? No! It’s probably my favorite home console I ever had(before the switch). All it’s going to take is this holiday season, that’s all it will take to either make or break(in terms of overtaking Wii sales) Nintendo just has to do their part of ensuring there is a good amount of stock for sale and they are in the perfect position to overtake Wii sales. I’m not saying they will for sure, but I’m saying that all this arguing is moot until we see the missing advantage the switch hasn’t had yet(being holiday sales of course).

@Anti-Matter that might be a image you found on the internet. You need to show your face like you told @SLIGEACH_EIRE

@roadrunner343
Yep, it's very old now. It's more like a obsession

@Sonicman I don't get it. I only play Nintendo consoles (And PC). I am wearing a Mario blue-shell t-shirt right now. I have multiple system revisions of just about every piece of Nintendo hardware, going back to the original NES. I am pretty much the epitome of what someone on the outside would consider a Nintendo fanboy (Though, I like to think I am still fairly objective)... and yet this behavior still drives me insane. And to be fair, it's not just Nintendo fans. It's every fanbase. The Nintendoomers on other websites can be overbearing.

@UK-Nintendo
He has shown a image before, it's best he doesn't again lol, joking Mr matter

@UK-Nintendo
Okay. Check my profile.
I added my Instagram address.
You can see my Real face.

Another thing about this 1 million Switch units sold mark. The Switch is a handheld and as such it should be compared to handhelds. The DS sold 1.45 million units in Japan in less than a month of its debut.

@Donutman - I feel very much the same.

My Wii U has been incredibly practical and gets a ton of use. I have a nice library of physical and digital Wii U games, as well as a huuuge library of Wii games. I also like it for the gamepad which gets signal in much of my small apartment, and is a great player for Crunchyroll, Youtube, etc...

My fear is that through an accident or just years of use my Wii U or the pad will eventually fail, and since it was never a popular console, it will be hard to get it fixed or replaced. I really don't see myself ever selling or getting rid of it.

You would think the Apocolypse was upon us reading the comments section in some of these threads .

@SLIGEACH_EIRE

I think I understand your metrics here:

It's a console when we're comparing system specs, what third party games are available, and whatever else puts it at a disadvantage to competing consoles...

But when it comes to sales and price-point, we call it a hand-held to make it look less impressive at retail and overpriced.

Got it!

@EDF lol

@Action51 I've said before as a handheld it blows the 3DS out of the water. But as a console, it's not much better than the Wii U. I see it as a handheld but when I buy it I'll be using it as a console. But even as a console it's nerfed because games have to run in handheld mode as well. So unless someone does a DKC: TF, we'll never see its full power.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE - You kind of undermined your own tactics here.

I was trying to make light of how some people call it a handheld or console depending on the criticism or praise you want to launch at the moment.

So you go ahead and confirm that even after claiming it is specifically a handheld (post #95), you admit you'll be using it as a console...so that you can criticize it for "nerfed" gaming in handheld "mode"...which means you now say it's not exclusively a handheld! (post #102).

So thank you for validating my post.

The last 1.5 months have been rather slow for the Switch due to component shortages, which is fine for a relatively slow month like May 2017. But these shortages need to end soon; Splatoon 2's launch will be massive and will bring the Switch's LTD sales up to 1.5 million rather quickly, and Mario Odyssey will blow past Mario 3D World's lifetime sales by the end of the year. Games like MHXX, FE Warriors, Pokken DX, and Xenoblade 2 will also help the Switch greatly during the late summer and holiday season.

Nintendo's recent note to investors acknowledging these supply issues is a good sign that things will be fixed prior or during Splatoon 2's launch, so I remain cautiously optimistic.

Good news.

Well that's good to hear, hopefully the Switch can be a success.

@alasdair91 Amazon.co.uk does not have them in stock unless you are willing to pay an extra 30% to a scalper. I rang around half of London last week looking for another one for my son, most places laughed when I ask if they had in stock, telling me they last 2 hours max. I even tried Iceland but they only had frozen fish fingers

@UK-Nintendo Nice! Thank you - I'll check on there now.

Edit - not yet, Neons tomorrow...I will try then.

@WiltonRoots cool. Gone back to

Grey July 10
Neon July 25

@SLIGEACH_EIRE you're only looking at the current state while what you really should be doing is look at the momentum. wii u's momentum was DEAD a couple of months in while switch's is still super high and will only increase with splatoon 2 and odyssey.

Still waiting for my switch, come on nintendo! 😁

@SLIGEACH_EIRE It's called a hybrid. It's no rocket science. The switch can be used as a full home console without any disadvantages compared to a "real" console. More importantly, it runs full console games.

If the whole business world, the whole market & all customers see the Switch as a console competitor, you can't just go around and claim otherwise. You can form your own opinions - really. But you can't form your own facts.

@manu0 People said the same of Wii U with Pikmin 3(July/August 2013) and Super Mario 3D World(November/Christmas 2013), similar times of year. It didn't work. 3D Mario's haven't sold well, especially compared to the 2D games. Which I think is a shame as I enjoy the 3D games more.

@ninkza Sorry dude, it's you living in Cuckoo Land. It doesn't run full console games, they're limited because of having to also run in handheld mode. The controller is nerfed because Nintendo wanted to make it break down into 2 pieces. It doesn't have a D pad, the right control stick and buttons are in the wrong position as a result. You have to buy a Pro controller for a more comfortable experience. But it's still not right. The Wii U Pro controller has the best layout. It's weak as a console and that's why we've very little 3rd party support. AGAIN.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE The difference is that the Wii U was launched over the holiday season. The Switch was launched during a slow retail time.

@rockodoodle But then I can say if it's such a quiet time of year they shouldn't have any problem manufacturing enough Switch's.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE They aren't limited if it's docked. And even if they're limited, they're still console games. The controller part is your opinion. And yes, it's weaker than other consoles. Don't see how any of this makes it less of a valid console.

I'm not going to jump on the @SLIGEACH_EIRE hate train because the guy is entitled to his opinion and is expressing it on a public forum... We're all different with different outlooks and opinions on stuff, if we all felt the same life would be pretty effing boring!
BUT...Saying that switch docked is held back because developers also have to support undocked is a tad silly as it's like saying a game in PC can only be as good as the minimum recommended requirements allow but due to the ability of software to scale that's not the case, same with switch

Always an argument here. It's depressing. I think anyone who is being honest with themselves can tell the Switch is doing well and will surpass the WiiU very soon, doing far better than WiiU over its lifetime if nothing calamitous happens in the near future. I think we can also safely say it's not going to sell anywhere near as many units as the Wii or the DS. This is such a pointless argument. The Switch is what's happening now. The Wii and the WiiU AND the DS are dead systems. Switch could tank overnight, it won't bring the WiiU back. That ship sailed a long time ago. I don't get what the point of contention is here.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE what? that's really not the same at all. splatoon is massive in japan. and hype for odyssey is already way above what it ever was for 3d world.

@manu0
Yep, Splatoon is also huge in NA, having sold more than the Japanese version

@MsgBoardGamer
I can play ps4 games on my Vita, but it doesn't mean it's a ps4 or home console, or does it thanks to remoteplay nah

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Like I said before, I recommend actually using a controller before you critique it. The vast majority of people have no problem using the Switch with the JoyCons in the grip or in portable mode. The most frequent complaints I hear about are holding individual JoyCons for multiplayer and holding both JoyCons in each hand. Holding a single JoyCon for playing multiplayer isn't ideal, but that's intended for quick multiplayer sessions when on the go, rather than long sessions at home. Holding a JoyCon in each hand isn't necessary at all, due to the grip.

As for power, the Switch is more powerful than the Wii U which you love singing praises about, so I don't really understand why you're using that as an argument. Besides, Nintendo stopped caring about power after the Wii era. Nintendo consoles also haven't had great levels of third party support since the SNES.

I also disagree with the statement about the Pro controller. I prefer the Switch Pro controller to the Wii U's (granted, I didn't use that one nearly as often because I'm not a Wii U owner, so it could be that I'm just not used to the Wii U one), and even if some people think it is slightly inferior, it's still one of the best controllers on the market. Not many people would disagree that it's better than the Dualshock 4, for example.

Wow, and there are more heavy hitters on the way, too. If Nintendo can fix their supply issues, we're set!

Edit: After reading some of the comments, mine seems a bit generic.

@rockodoodle
It would normally be a slow time in March but not when new hardware is involved, that slow month don't count then. Also switch wasn't fighting other companies like they would have done at Christmas time for people's money, Ninty had it all to themselves, I have no doubt switch wouldn't have sold as much as it did in March, it was a good move by Ninty. At Christmas competing against ps4, xbox, 3ds, phones I Phone and Samsung in particular plus Tablets Ninty would have struggled for consumers attention, obviously Ninty thought the same that's why they released in March, they didn't just pluck a date out of a hat draw, it was carefully planned, they could have waited but they needed space where switch could shine best and a good thing with E3 around the corner

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
No reasonable person believed the 3rd entry to an incredibly niche franchise and a 3D Mario game that looked far too similar to the prior 3DS entry was going to save the Wii U, which was already pretty much doomed to fail by its fourth month on the market.

Mario Odyseey won't sell 30+ million like NSMB on the DS or Wii, but it will nevertheless perform incredibly well. The hype for Mario 3D World was almost nonexistent in 2013, while the hype for Mario Odyssey is immense. I expect Mario Odyssey to comfortably outsell 3D World by the end of the year.

@Anti-Matter WiiU was a great time for Nintendo, great iteration of games.

@MsgBoardGamer
But you can play vita games on your TV thanks to pstv, though it's a pain to do so, but yes I know I was only joking with ya, there is no denying that ps4 can be played on the go though

@MsgBoardGamer Do you've any idea how many notifications I get a day? And so many people ask me questions. I can't be answering all of them. I've over 50 notifications today alone.

I could play Gameboy and GBA games on my Gamecube via the Gameboy Player. That didn't make it a portable though. Like a lot of people say, the Switch is a portable that can be hooked up to a TV. And all that extra power is able to do is bump the resolution up from 720p to 1080p and/or increase the framerate from 30fps to 60fps because the games have to operate in handheld mode as well.

Now, if a developer was to forget about handheld mode I think it could be possible to make more beautiful games. That's why the games look no better than on Wii U because that's about the level of power the Switch has in undocked mode.

I have a question if anyone can answer me. If the Switch is not region locked...what is stopping people from buying online from a country with a favorable currency exchange rate and getting it cheaper there? Is this not possible/allowed? I remember people buying Japanese Amiibo because they weren't as expensive over there.

Also I went into my local Walmart in the U.S. recently and saw a Switch behind their glass cabinet. There are possibly more in their warehouse. So no, I think these stock issues are only in specific areas.

@MsgBoardGamer "I can hook it up to my TV and play video games. That's what a home console does."

Apparently if we talk about specs and functionality, it's a console. But if we talk about sales, woosh, it's magically a (with DS comparable) handheld. Guess someone's just salty the Switch sales are higher than the Wii U.

@djtwenty9
Indeed.
I have Wii U too last year.

It is currently still immensely difficult to buy a switch in many Japanese cities, and they're going for ¥44,000 as opposed to the ¥32,000 rrp, which includes tax, on Amazon. This number could have been so much higher.

1 million is probably a good number. Really only nintendo knows if it happy with its sales figures.
Japanese console market is getting smaller. Many people have more onto smart phones only.
I do think it needs to show stronger sales for 3rd parties to have interest in developing for the console.

I love the Nintendolife comment section lol its like the worst soap opera you've ever seen....yet you can't look away!

Not to be a downer again, but succes is relative. I remember that the Wii sold soooo massively, yet in the end the Xbox360 took almost over (only in the west, of course). What happened there?!

@Ichiban It's awesome, isn't it? It's not as fun, though, now that the moderators have decided that it's best that I ignore one of the other commenters. You can probably guess who it is by perusing this very thread, which shows just what a presence he has.

Kinda getting tired of reading @SLIGEACH_EIRE posts and the responses they get. Just tired so tired.
Anyway the news is pretty positive. Switch is doing well considering software is still getting there.

@Filth_Element You've just made your own contribution.

@Nintendoer Did you rob my gif for your avatar? I'm afraid I'll have to issue you with a C&D order.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/05/weirdness_the_sad_tale_of_the_deflating_pikachu_that_couldnt_dance#comment3942973

@frogopus I really agree with your points and they seem to take in the broad idea of the system and why it exsists.

However I just wanted to add that the compromises that the Switch makes are just different compromises to the other consoles. Namely that it's portable and they are not - we're just not used to thinking like this so it seems like an outlier.

Nintendo is changing the conversation and the way we think about playing game again.

@Filth_Element Yep, so much white noise on the boards right now. Bickering does no one any favours - especially the addicts.

Good to focus on the Nintendo related news and opinion - there is so much substantial and intriguing stuff happening / not happening yet. Fun times to be a fan of Nintendo games!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Oh no, he caught me! I'm making a run for it. YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!

(Insert "But guys, Sligeach has to uphold his GIF's trademark and is in the legal right," comment here)

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Wait, how'd you even realize this? I didn't comment on this yet.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Looks like Galway needs more SWITCH players lol . . . .

@westman98 - To Put a finer point on your post, the initial reveal of Super Mario 3D World brought the typical Wii U era outrage and cynicism that gamers had been programmed with.

It wasn't until they cut a second trailer together showing how different it actually is from the 3DS game that people started warming up... Up until it's release it had a lot of lukewarm and negative press with people calling it a re-hash (that was the popular term for Nintendo games in classic franchises at the time) of the 3DS game.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
It is true certain parts of the world could easily get Switch within half an hour. In my country, Switch piles in dozens in stores waiting for people to buy. What they say stock supply constraints is actually referring to official retailers like Japan Nintendo stores, online too, GameStop, toy r rus (USA, Europe) etc... Asia, other than hong kong, are not official retailers. We buy in tons of switches (from official whenever their batches come) n they sitting there waiting for customers. And anyway, Nintendo never bother to consider other parts of Asia (except china - not officially released yet, Korea) as real buyers so they basically just ignore all kinds of promotions here. And my country is famous for afraid to lose out n buy in tons of tech. It's still true for Nintendo that worldwide official retailers have supply constraints but but not exactly every single dot on world map. What's the difference between official and non official retailers, you might ask. Official ones try to follow the suggested price plus a bit more for tax. Non official ones are just like, for instance, you and me. We buy in from official stores and sell more than $100+++ per piece to get higher profits from current popular trend and which is why they still sitting in stores. Lol. I'm not a seller btw.

Switch will be fine, no Nintendoom will befall us.

@Action51
Yeah, the reaction to 3D World was pretty bad. Even after the second trailer was shown off, reception toward the game was less-than-stellar.

3D World was the Wii U's big holiday blockbuster of 2013, yet (at least) in Japan, it had lower launch sales than Arms, a new IP in a niche genre released during the summer on a young and supply constrained platform.

That's how bad it's initial reception was. Mario Odyssey's launch sales will probably be at least 3X, if not 4X, the launch sales of Mario 3D World.

It really is unbelievable what an amazing success the Switch has been on all levels. Sales. Reception. Games. Excitement. Stoxk price. Nintendo itself probably couldn't have expected it. You just never know. Switch is a hit. An amazing piece of tech.

As a resident US citizen (Los Angeles), I can confirm getting a Switch has been a nearly impossible effort. Mind you, this doesn't apply to me. I was lucky enough to snag one at launch without preordering.

Additionally, amiibo are frustrating to track down here. The recently released Twilight Princess Link amiibo (Gamestop exclusive) only shipped enough stock to cover the preorders. In fact, that's the only one I'm missing from the Zelda Anniversary set. You could say it's my "missing Link."

I'll see myself out.

From my understanding, it's harder to get a Switch in Japan than it is in America, with the best way to get it at the lowest price is to enter a raffle.

If that's true, good news.

@westman98 - It really shows the power of narratives and positive momentum and media.

For Odyssey, the narrative is "It's gonna be the next (Galaxy, Sunshine, 64) Mario!"

Also reminds me of the consoles themselves. We kept hearing how "confusing" the Wii U was, but think about it:

The Wii U: It has a screen on the controller.

Switch: It's a portable, with detachable controllers, that also has a dock that makes it a home console.

Neither are actually confusing if you take 5 seconds to learn what it is.

@Sonicman OK, but isn't that every fan base ever?

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Can we really call BOTW a port when both came out the exact same day? It may of started out as a Wii U title but its not exactly like MK8 which had been out for years before the Switch port.

Suppose we better call the 3DS version of FE Warriors a port because it was announced like a week after the Switch version.

@Action51 yeah I never got that whole "Wii U is confusing" thing at all..ah it's a console with an inventory screen on the pad, cool. Like the DS made big.

@WiltonRoots Try using the site Very.co.uk that's where I ordered mine last week it says on the site the stock is coming for delivery on the 28th of June

@Action51
To be fair, telling someone that the Wii U "has a screen on the controller" is probably not enough for most of the casual gaming audience to know that the Wii U is a brand new console. And therein lies the console's biggest problem.

But yeah, Mario Odyssey is going to do sell gangbusters. Far more than Mario 3D World could ever dream of selling.

At first that sounds disappointing, but we're still in the stage where supply can't match demand- all this shows is that Nintendo had higher expectations for the Wii than they had for the Switch pre-launch- Not surprising when you consider-
1. The Gamecube sold significantly more units than the Wii U- while sales of the Gamecube were disappointing, the sales of the Wii U were humiliating
2. It didn't launch in the holidays
3. The Japanese gaming industry has been ravaged by mobile devices after the Wii's launch.
All in all, this just shows that like the Wii, supply is too low. It could be months or even years before Nintendo gets supply up enough to make a valid comparison.

Great! Can't wait to see what Splatoon 2 does to Japan. Does it matter if BOTW is a port, it's still a brand new Zelda game and most important thing is it was released on Switch's launch day.
Also, really liking Nintendo's aggressive marketing and making sure the biggest games coming out in the first year.

Damn this comment section is a bit brutal. At the end of the day, the sales for Switch seem on track. Nothing to brag about but nothing to start worrying either. We all feel the hype for Switch is definitely way higher than WiiU and arguably 3DS so I guess it's a sign of good things to come but... well they haven't necessarily came yet so all we can do is wait. There is a lot of good stuff coming to Switch but it is still coming. Once it's here then I think you can maybe make a stronger argument to the people who are still against the Switch but realistically it's been only a few months and because of that, naturally the Switch still has a lot to prove.

@MsgBoardGamer

So psp was a home console?

I mean demanding the Switch is a home console seems kinda silly. If you were making a handheld/portable list there is no way you keep the switch off of it because by definition it meets those requirements as well.

There are only 2 arguments why switch sales are hard to compare at this point. 1. it's hybrid nature makes it hard to compare. 2. It's supply limited so we don't really know what it could have sold at this point had it not been supply limited.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Correction: The Switch is a handheld AND a console.

@MsgBoardGamer Early adopters aren't finding the price to be a problem, which has been true of virtually every single Nintendo console ever, even the Wii U--but there's a whole lot of potential consumers out there beyond those who were getting the system no matter what anyway.

And, the fact people can even say the kind of stuff you just said about major third party support, particularly AAA games, it just an extremely sad and pathetic sign/truth of the times regarding Nintendo's consoles. It would have been beyond absurd for anyone to make such claims in the likes of the NES, SNES and Game Boy eras when Nintendo was truly at the top of its game and everyone who owned one of its consoles knew for sure they'be be getting all the best games from all the best publishers out there.

But here we are--sad really.

@Jeremyjones12992 Just the popular ones, and mostly the vocal minority.

@MsgBoardGamer The Switch is nowhere near past that point; not even close. After the fist year we'll have a better idea of how it's really doing. So far, however, it's looking very good.

It's ultimately irrelevant how the likes of NES, SNES and GBA got such amazing third party support--they just did, and that's all we care about and remember as gamers and paying customers at the end of the day. Those machines delivered--big time.

And you're totally free to prefer the Genesis/Mega Drive library, many people do, but the SNES' library is one of the greatest games libraries of all time, no doubt about it, regardless of what you think. Count how many SNES games appear on most Top 100 Games of All Time lists versus how many Genesis/Mega Drive games appear on those lists if you imagine otherwise. It's true that some Genesis/Mega Drive games looked/ran better than their SNES counterparts; but that's true the other way around too. For every Thunder Force 4 and Aladdin there's a Street Fighter II or Ghouls 'n Ghosts.

@MsgBoardGamer "Demand for the Switch is near the levels of demand that people had for the Wii."

Absolute nonsense, it's not even close. People on this site and others like it are living in a bubble. I don't see any buzz for Switch amongst the general public, not on radio, TV, magazines, newspapers, etc. The Wii was a phenom. It was pure hype and buzz, literally everywhere. It's one of those items that will be remembered for decades to come, like other craze products. I seen Wii ads all the time back then at launch, I even seen a few for Wii U. And this is the God's honest truth, I swear, I haven't seen a single ad for Switch on TV. And that's after nearly 4 months.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
I haven't seen any Switch commercials in my country Indonesia either.
That was NOT an Excuse for lack of Switch information.
Some people in my place know about Nintendo Switch existence even WITHOUT any commercial aired on TV.
So, what is your problem if Switch not aired on your TV ?
Will it kill you if you can't watch them ?

Oh, DON'T SAY if Switch was Not published on Game Magazine !
Did you remember this on Nintendolife ?

@Action51 I honestly thought the WiiU was just a screened controller. It wasn't until I was given one as a Bday present I learned it was a console. During this time I'd gotten married, a car, a new job, and lots of other stuff kept me busy and I felt I didn't have the 5 mins to learn it was a new thing. Just like "New" 3DS took far too long for me to realize IGN was talking about a new console, not new models of the same old 3DS. I've since gained a smartphone and more freetime, and since just before Switch was revealed, been following this site religiously.

@MsgBoardGamer If the other two companies can manage it, and they absolutely do, then so can Nintendo. Stop making excuses for it.

Until Nintendo starts making more than 500 Switches a month, I'm not putting a lot of stock into the system being a hit yet. Right now they are giving the illusion it's a hot item. But I saw way more, "I need to get one of these" with the NES Mini than I have with the Switch. If Nintendo would have stocked the NES Mini properly, I think it would be outselling Switch by a lot.

"Until Nintendo starts making more than 500 Switches a month, I'm not putting a lot of stock into the system being a hit yet. Right now they are giving the illusion it's a hot item"

I couldn't agree more!!

@MsgBoardGamer What utter junk are you talking about?

Both Sony and Microsoft have secured virtually every major AAA third party game for their current-gen consoles.

Nintendo hasn't even come close.

That's the failure on Nintendo's part--it's not even debatable at this point in time.

End of.

Lol. Your own link says sold out! So just what are you trying to prove? If anything your link proves YOU wrong!

@Dpishere One of the key things about the Nintendo Switch to me is that I have fun every single time I boot it up. I think that is something alot of forms of entertainment in the medium fail to provide. If I know I am going to have a good time when I boot it up I consider that a success. Especially considering that at the moment, the system can only be used as a gaming device due to its limited interface.

@EDF Don't you think a lot of people already have those things? I have a tablet from three years ago- no need to upgrade. An XBox One, no need to upgrade. I don't want a PS4. The Switch offers a completely different experience than the other devices. Plus it will also have a better library with a system seller in the new Mario game. I'll bet that the Switch has a strong run through Xmas and into next year.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I'm guess that it was two things- they misjudged demand of the console and supposedly they are competing with Apple for components.

This story is wrong. The Switch only passsed the 1 million mark this week, not last week.

Nintendo Switch Sales Pass One Million Units in Japan Much Faster than PS4

http://www.dualshockers.com/nintendo-switch-sales-1-million-japan-faster-ps4/

They're going by Media Create sales which are much more reliable. I know it was reported here on Saturday that it had done so in 16 weeks, but it's much more probable that it's 17 weeks. Not a big deal but still worth noting.

Switch sales are back down in their usual 20's again this week, 22,361.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Out of stock. Talking sh*te