
Nintendo's Q1 financial results have been posted - we'll be pulling them apart very soon - but the big news is that the Switch has sold 4.7 million consoles worldwide since its launch at the start of the year.
In addition to that, 13.6 million pieces of Switch software have been sold globally. Of these, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has contributed 3.54 million sales, Zelda: Breath of the Wild 3.92 million and ARMS 1.18 million.
Nintendo's recent results detail the period April through June 2017, during which 1.97 million Switches and 8.14 million Switch games were sold.
Nintendo's target of 10 million consoles for this financial year still looks doable, but stock shortages have hampered the company's efforts, with Switch proving very hard to come by in its homeland.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 149
How much did the wii u sell?
4.7 million in 4 months .... nice!
It will achieve WiiU lifetime sales in one year or so.
They are pretty much selling what they are able to produce. 10m by calendar year end looks easy.
Anyone else remember when the Switch was dead on arrival?
@panthro 13 million in total
Lmfao @ the WiiUs failure
PS4 has 60 million in 3 and a half years.
If Switch is having 5 million each 4 months, it's easily 15-18 million a year, not counting spikes because of new releases and holidays.
So 60 million in 3 1/2 years doesn't seem too farfetched
Now if only they could produce these damn things consistently...
That is about 2 million Switch sales in the first quarter and all games are 3 first party games to the end of June have sold very well and Splatoon 2 this month has done really well.
@Decapre Thing is Apple keep nicking all the parts.
So basically whatever they make, they sell. With Christmas still to come, it's only stock issues that will stop Switch getting to 10 million or even higher this FY.
Here is how Switch shipments compares to 3DS and Wii U shipments during the same time frame:
3DS Q2 2011: 720,000
Wii U Q1 2013: 390,000
Switch Q2 2017: 1.97 million
It's hard to believe people still think the Switch is "barely" selling more than the 3DS or Wii U.
I still can't find a Switch anywhere in the UK. It's becoming beyond frustrating now. I respect there are stock issues due to difficulty sourcing components but I'm seriously hoping they get this sorted as soon as they can.
Nintendo shipped 8.14 million copies of Switch software and 5.85 million copies of 3DS software last quarter, which means 3DS software sales are already beginning to fall below Switch software sales despite the 3DS's absolutely massive install base and software library compared to that of the Switch. The last time quarterly 3DS software were this low was back in Q2 2011 - the quarter when the 3DS struggled the most, as it was after the launch hype ended and before the infamous price cut. It's pretty clear the 3DS is fading away as the Switch continues to build momentum.
Nintendo will likely miss their FY2017 3DS software sales forecast of 40 million, while they will likely comfortably exceed their FY2017 Switch software sales forecast of 35 million.
@TheMadPolarBear I've found that Smyths have been good for regular stock. I'm told that every week or two my local shop gets in around 2/3 boxes (so 10-15 units). They generally hang around for a few days.
Also the Official UK store has been good for stock (many don't check it)
@JamesR I'll have to check Smyths out thanks! I've been checking the UK Nintendo store but they're constantly out of stock, saying they're expecting to get stock the middle of the month (this has been the case since June). They also say that they have a back order but don't say how long that is. If i order with Nintendo, I have no idea how long i'll have to wait, which is pretty frustrating.
Game are being the usual idiots they are. They're probably the only store in the UK I'm aware of that actually have Switch stock. Why? Because they're selling them as part of a £480-500 bundle. Seriously, it is a joke. No i'm serious, it's hilarious.
It would almost certainly a higher number if they could fix their supply issues.
@TheMadPolarBear try the Very website; they were in stock a couple of days ago
ARMs has broken 1m? Excellent, I don't want it getting lost under the Splatoon wave.
Great start, just hope for Nintendo's sake the stock issues can be sorted sooner rather than later! Would be a real shame if stock is still this scarce at Christmas.
@TheMadPolarBear -
Try this stock checking site too -
http://m.stockinformer.co.uk/checker-nintendo-switch?ref=20&kwa=nintendo%20switch%20console%20stock
I was watching last week when new stock was arriving (next batch mid-August?) and some shops were selling out in minutes!
Very impressed by the numbers thus far, but of course, the struggle is still ahead of them.
@electrolite77 I think they should break 10mil by the holiday season as long as they are able to meet demand. I would guess they are probably targeting to supply more than twice as many as this quarter (4 - 6 million) during the holiday quarter.
@TheMadPolarBear Amazon says stock by 24th August. I suggest you just pre-order one and wait. That'll be much more reliable than trying to catch them in stock.
Sweet result. And this considering the stock issues in Nintendo main markets too, especially Japan with long queue just for a raffle. Also happy to see ARMS passing 1 million! That also means it has about 1/4 attach rate, pretty cool for a new IP.
@TheMadPolarBear Nintendo is only shipping about 40k units per month to the UK but the UK usually isn't a very viable market for Nintendo.
@TheMadPolarBear I'd place an order with Amazon UK - they won't take any money until they have stock, so if you find one elsewhere or change your mind you can just cancel. I ordered with Tesco Direct (who take money upfront, but I had a £20 off code and a stack of Club Card points) and I had to wait a month for it to arrive. Happy hunting!
@TheMadPolarBear I ordered the Splatoon 2 hardware Bundle over the weekend from the Official Nintendo UK Store, but they cancelled the order yesterday, gutted, was for my son for Christmas, he is mad about Splatoon on Wii U. BUT my local Smyths currently have two in stock, I can't get till tomorrow though, and I can't seem to reserve it! Good luck with your search.
@panthro
Hard to tell exactly how long it took Wii U to reach 4.7 million units.
On September 30, 2013 (10 months after launch) Wii U had sold 3.91 million units.
On December 31, 2013 (13 months and 2 Christmases after launch) Wii U had sold 5.86 million units.
(Source : Nintendos own figures)
So some point between them two dates. Either way, a lot slower than Switch which hasn't even had a holiday season yet.
It's time to put to bed any remaining belief that the two systems sales are in any similar.
@roboshort
Hopefully. A big release or two early next year (Q4 of the FY), some decent stock and they could top Wii U lifetime sales within 13 months.
@TheMadPolarBear just order from Amazon uk. I ordered in early July when it was out of stock and next stock was august but mine came within a week after I ordered even tho it still shows out of stock
That's rather pitiful. I half expected them to be around 7 mil by now, but those stock shortages are a noose around the neck for sure. So here's hoping Nintendo buys back Switches in countries where they go unsold, to make sure countries that hunker for them (Japan) get their fill.
@electrolite77 I agree in part. The switch is selling better than the WiiU and Nintendo are strugling with supply, WiiU's were more readly available than the Switch.
I think the WiiU (and your figures) showed there are around 5million Nintendo fans globaly that will buy anything they produce. It remains to be seen whether the Switch truly does have the zeitgeist and will make the transition from 10million to 20million quickly.
I hope so, Super hyped for Metroid prime 4
Could have sold a lot more if they got the stock sorted. Mine came in handy this morning, as I had to take someone to a hospital appointment and was waiting an hour, so I sat there playing Minecraft on Switch, good times
@TheMadPolarBear my first post, argos seem to have stock of splatoon and switch at the moment they seem to get stock every few week's, and i hope that this help's you out.
And pokemon is still coming..ouch Pokemon can sell 5-6million consoles just for this game at the worst
That's impressive sales but there's a lot to consider. Wii U was Nintendo's first foray into HD development and they struggled big time at launch and for some time after. They had Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U. Compare that to one of the greatest games of all time, BOTW, a Wii U port. And then MK8D, another great Wii U port where the only real effort they made though was to fix the Battle Mode that we'd been asking for for the past 3 years.
@TheMadPolarBear
I have no idea if Aussie stores would ship to UK but wouldn't hurt to look - EbGames, JBHiFi, Harvey Norman or Target.
Nice. Lots of interesting points to analyse here. Two confusing factors here:
1) Availability - inconsistent availbility in different markets changes perceptions of the console.
2) Software - some great early software launches.
I think the risk time for Switch is probably in January of 2018 in that holiday sales are done and there isn't too much software with firm dates into 2018.
However, I think the sales results show the one critical point - consumers understand what the Switch is and what the unique selling point of it is. This is something both the 3DS and Wii U struggled to do at launch. The 3DS turned it around but the Wii U did not. This is enormously important and quite positive.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE What do you mean buddy? I hear the whine, but don't see the point.
I've seen the Switch in stock in many stores here in Norway since very early in May. The Switch was only really hard to find for 2 months, so for about 2.5 months everyone that wanted one, could get one!
However, certain controllers and accessories are still hard to find.
@Steel76
"I don't know if the Switch isn't selling as well over here in Sweden or we're just being lucky when it comes to Nintendo shipping units over here, as it's in stock everywhere, both online and in stores."
@GrailUK It's pretty simple, the Wii U's launch was rubbish compared to Switch.
@fafonio Don't count your chickens before they hatch. The PS4 is still outselling the Switch 2 to 1 on a weekly basis. So unless they do something about the shortages, I don't think they're going to catch up that easily. I also believe the PS4 is outselling the PS1 and PS2, so it's on track to become the best selling PlayStation. I'd say 120 million is a safe prediction. As for the Switch? I think it's way too early to say where it'll end up. Remember, the 3DS outsold the DS in its first year, yet the DS managed to sell twice as many systems in the end. First year sales aren't the best indication I think.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE wow! You are a Wii U diehard. Facts are the Wii U was a product nobody asked for. People didn't buy it as it wasn't wanted and looked like a fisher price toy. The console was toxic.
@kobashi100 I've used my Wii-U aplenty, and I've not died from some strange poisoning. There were errors made with it, sure, but so was the case with Gamecube and just about every console Nintendo has made thus far. Even the Switch is subject to this with Nintendo being too cautious in the wake of Wii-U, thus stifling sales.
@kobashi100 How am I a diehard? I said the Wii U's launch was rubbish. And yes the console had a tonne of problems including its name and being thought of as a Wii add-on by the general public. But it did have some great games. The 2 best games on Switch are Wii U ports. And I said before Wii U launched that it would be a failure. Still didn't stop me buying it on day 1.
and still no virtual console.....Sigh
To everyone saying "oh, they could've sold millions more without stock shortages", have you heard Apple and other mobile device manufacturers are taking all of the parts? Apple gets more parts than Nintendo currently because their products have been proven to sell well over long periods of time. Nintendo, on the other hand, still need to prove that the demand is high enough for the Switch to be popular through the next 5 or 6 years.
@oOFincHyOo It will come at some point!
@Matthew010 I've heard that the particular chip that's being fought over, is already being made more as we speak. And I'd say those that are selling the products should stop worrying about the long term, and start selling making/selling more produce.
ARMS at over a million!! 😊
@Rudy_Manchego I'd tend to agree about 2018 up to a point. For the Wii U the first post Christmas spring was a disaster but, even the Switch release schedule were as barren it's not in anything like as bad a situation.
Primarily because a number of 'evergreen' titles have already been released - like Splatoon and Mario Kart. Those games will continue to be played and sell a lot of units for a very long time. The software library by the end of the year should also be attractive and extensive enough for people to pick up the console on the basis of it without necessarily needing a single big new game to drive sales and interest. Over time it will become a cumulative effect.
Overall these figures are great. I don't know what figure gives Nintendo a big enough install base to allow to sustain themselves at their current level but being upwards of 5 million so far they will almost certainly have surpassed the Wii U lifetime sales by this time next year. If nothing else that validates their decision to drop the Wii U early - it's a gamble that's already paid off.
Long term they're probably looking at a long term install base bigger than the 3DS has managed.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I must confess, I admire how much you love the Wii U
@Grudgebearer Oh that's good to hear! #NintendoSwitchMasterRace here we come!
I would love to read a story on the status of this part Apple keeps taking. Everything seems to be just hearsay.
About a million a month. That's the kind of numbers they need to be hitting if they hope to sell 60m consoles. Even though I've no interest in Switch at its current state. Well done Nintendo.
@TheMadPolarBear try ASDA- I got one there no bother last week. You can click & collect and they only charge you when the console is being picked for collection. Though I also ordered Splatoon 2 as well- which they ended up not having. So I ended up with a console and no game. Had to go to Smyths for that!
imagine sales figures if they had made enough
Stop caring about the sales numbers. If you like the console and you can afford it, get it! If you don't like it, let it pass. It shouldn't matter to you how much the system sold as long as you enjoy it. And don't give me that more sales means more 3rd party support argument. Nobody buys a Nintendo console to primarily play COD or Assassins Creed.
Also a lot of those Wii U sales numbers floating around here are just plain wrong and misleading (looking at you @westman98). Post your sources; here are mine (2,5m - 3,0m in the first 6 weeks) http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/01/11/how-successful-was-the-wii-u-launch
http://www.businessinsider.de/nintendo-switch-vs-wii-wii-u-sales-chart-2017-5?r=US&IR=T
It's still early, but Switch is in a pretty safe place now. The hype from Zelda, Arms, Splatoon 2 and Mario Odyssey (and assurance of real Pokemon and Metroid coming) has pretty much everyone on board, software wise. And hardware wise, people were already on board. There's insane interest among pretty much everyone I talk to, most of whom aren't traditionally Nintendo gamers. And converts spreading like wildfire more each week.
So, we'll check back in spring time when Switch is surpassing Wii U lifetime sales and has a full year of games under it's belt. That's when it's gonna hit it's stride.
I guess the Cartmanland approach to console production is paying dividends
@MasterSchnitzel Of course i we care about how well the system sell, bigger player base = more games. Its as simple as that.
I think the portable ability can be a key to players buying 3rd party and not only Nintendo games.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Wasn't only the launch, the product itself was sub-par. The dual screen setup offered little substantial with the exception of a few titles and came with plenty of caveats that made it less desirable for consumers.
I've always seen the Wii U as a stopgap console, one that was slapdashed together to tie things over until something more unique and attractive appeared. The Switch is setting up to be that product.
@Steel76 To the ones who doesn't know. (Taken from here: https://home.kpmg.com/se/sv/home/nyheter-rapporter/2017/01/se-news-tax-on-chemicals-within-certain-electronic-products.html
"Sweden has introduced a new tax on chemicals within certain electronic products that are sold in or brought into Sweden. The tax took effect from 1 July 2017, and impacts various white goods and electronic products including (amongst others): ovens, fridges, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, telephones, routers,
games consoles and computers."
"For in-scope white goods chemical tax will apply at a rate of 8 kr/kg, and for electronic goods at 120 kr/kg, with a maximum tax of 320kr per product." A Nintendo Switch costs around 3500kr/390€/420$ without this tax.
So, my theory is that our Scandinavian Nintendo distributor Bergsala, placed an order on a ton of extra units before the 1st of July so it wouldn't be effected by this tax. And that's why we have so many extra units. Or it could be the things you mentioned.
Well......after the 102K sales week in Japan, plus the rest of the sales world wide in July, the Switch has to be well over 5 million at this point. If they can manufacture enough for the Holiday season then we may see 9 million or more by the end of 2017. I'd be shocked if the 10 million goal wasn't hit by March.
Hopefully this is good news from a games perspective. Should mean more games in general amd some extra 3rd party support from some.of the bigger name publishers to give everyone more options in gaming.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE The Switch is also getting a lot better software support since launch than the Wii U did. It's like, while they are trying to court third parties, they wanted to get as many high quality games out in the first year to justify the system.
And the Switch has yet to see its first holiday season. Hopefully they have some more consoles to sell.
@Som64 that... Is a good point. People forget that it's not Nintendo making all these decisions where to sell these consoles.
@westman98 What were your sources for those numbers? I know for the first quarter of each devices life, the sales numbers were very close, which I assume is where people make the assumption that they are still selling similarly. Also, are those quarters calendar or fiscal? At this point, I think it's pretty easy to see the Switch is doing very well, but I also understand why others who don't keep up with Nintendo news on a monthly basis may not realize it is doing much better than the Wii U.
@FX102A mmmm, I liked the dual screen setup of the Wii U, but the concept is a lot harder to sell to consumers or developers.
@FX102A That same line could apply to Switch.
"I've always seen the
Wii USwitch as a stopgap console, one that was slapdashed together to tie things over until something more unique and attractive appeared."Apart from HD Rumble which is nothing more than a gimmick, the Switch introduced nothing new. In some cases it has less features than previous generations.
@StuTwo Sure, I think if we get some great Nintendo Directs late year that show 2018 has a good slate of confirmed titles with solid release dates then that will mitigate that risk.
Agree on the 3DS sales being beaten by Switch.
@TheMadPolarBear Yep i avoid that shameful company like the plague.A real shame they didn't go into liquidation a few years back.Plenty of the uneducated,casual 'hardcore' crowd still shop there though so that tells you all you need to know.....
Not surprised. But very impressive so far.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE That line could be applied to any console that under performs, really. At this point, I would say that line cannot be applied to the Switch - It's clear the Switch is going to be around for quite some time, and it seems like a more fully realized version of the Wii U vision - though games that utilize both screens would have been nice. To bad dumb consumers that are easily confused and Wii U's terrible marketing ruined that one for us.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Switch has Less features than Wii U and so what ??
Will it kill you ?
I will accept Switch just the way it is, even still lack of some features from Wii U.
Accept it Just The Way It Is.
I liked the Wii U a lot, but I do think that, on a conceptual level, it blows the Wii U out of the water. Actually, it blows pretty much every console ever made out of the water. This thing feels like the future. I will be PROFOUNDLY disappointed if Nintendo ever goes back to making pure home consoles again.
At this point, how well it sells in its first year is down to Nintendo and whether they can get their act together and manufacture enough units to even begin meeting demand.
Love them both

As others have said Smyths is a pretty easy place to get a Switch. I work from home so have more free time then others, but its seems if you really really want one in the UK you can get one. It takes a bit of effort but not like in Japan and the US where it just isn't possible to find one full stop . The UK though is a weak nintendo market. The next few months is 3rd party territory until Mario in October (Rabbids is Ubisoft and Pokken is Namco) so be interesting to see how things move during that period.
@Anti-Matter yea switch comes in black. Accept it just the way it is.
With more Switch stock and plenty of big games then 10 million seems do able.
Sounds like the console has a bright future.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
"Apart from HD Rumble which is nothing more than a gimmick, the Switch introduced nothing new".
Apart from one major innovation inherent in its design you're right. And I'd wager that's part of the reason it's selling well. No bolted-on unnecessary gimmicks that Nintendo don't know how to use and are there for the sale of appearing 'innovative'. Just good, solid gaming hardware with a good, solid games line-up.
It's such a shame they couldn't keep up with demand.
It took Wii U almost a year to have the same hardware sales figures the Switch made in four months. If they can get more units on the market, especially in the October to December period for Super Mario Odyssey and Christmas, they Switch will do fine.
Great news for Nintendo! Glad to see the Switch is a success and selling better than the Wii U thus far.
ARMS seems to be like a big winner here. Really: fighting game, new IP, and over 1 million in so little time? that's insane.
I preordered mine and got it right near launch, but I still haven't seen one on a shelf in stores to date. I check at every store, just out of curiosity. Still haven't seen a single one of them on a shelf anywhere around me, or when I travel for my job. Suffice to say that stock issues are the only thing stopping that number from being much higher, I'm sure.
@fbnaulin Right? I thought it'd risk being DOA with Splatoon 2 coming out a mere month after it launched (I didn't get it for that reason in particular). Glad to see a whole lot of other folks still grabbed a copy, though!
Hope this gives Nintendo the confidence to bet on themselves and produce enough units for the holiday season. Nothing attracts 3rd party support like a real, large playerbase.
The "we sold out really fast!" stories only take you so far.
@ballistic90 It was a unique concept but a concept without enough viable applications that offer truly unique experiences has little value. Simply put that outside of a few cases, the Wii U added little that couldn't be recreated in other consoles through other methods. Whilst it was cool having easily accessible maps and items through the Gamepad or holding it up for scanning; the same could be done by pressing a button.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Apart from being able to use it for both singleplayer / multiplayer in any room in the house or at work or on the bus/train/boat/plane/Virgin Galactic.
Thats a pretty big difference. For some people it makes all the difference.
@roadrunner343 @MasterSchnitzel
I'd say @westman98 is quoting official Nintendo figures and calendar year quarters as they tally up. The following Wiki pages sales figures are all sourced from Nintendo's published sales figures
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_3DS_sales#2011
@Anti-Matter I don't agree with @SLIGEACH_EIRE here, but your response is awful. As consumers, we should not "Accept it the way it is" if there are issues or missing features. Again, in this case, I don't agree that there is anything substantial missing - as I mentioned earlier, I would like two screen games back, but otherwise, the added features outweigh those missing. Even so, the mindset that we need to accept things as they are is an unhealthy one.
@electrolite77 Thanks, I'll check them out. Didn't realize the wiki's had sales broken down by quarter like that. I'll have to look into it a bit more. I'm not saying @Westman98's numbers are wrong, or accusing him of intentionally misleading people as others said, but I think it warrants a second look, as there are certainly other factors at play here - the time of year each released, when they released in relation to Nintendo's fiscal quarter, games, etc... Either way, everything I've seen so far has been very positive for Switch, so that doesn't negate the point he made in any way, in my opinion.
Right on but does this mean third party support? I going to continue looking on the bad side of things a say big companies are still waiting for what it does. So 3 year old indies on the horizon I guess. Does any one know any person at super giant games because I want Bastion on this thing. That is all.
To quote a wise man on the fate of the console; "dead in the water".
By which he surely meant, "dead hot properly on our hands baby, WOWZERS this thing is ON FIRE! Tried to put it in the water but the thing kept burning like some sorta crazy inferno, HOT DAMN!!!".
But of course, the wise favour brevity, and such crassly drawn-out sentiments are better left to the those of lesser judgement.
As the Haiku poet distills the tranquility and majesty of nature into a mere 17 syllables, the prophet of the Comment Section proclaims the fate of the oncoming console in a mere 5.
"Dead in the water", he did pronounce. And so it came to be. Dead hot like OMG get me some water right now hot damn.
@westman98 No one is thinking that.
It is interesting though, reading some of these comments, that people just assume and apply the current trend to 'forever going forward'. Like, things in the future won't dictate future supply and/or demand for the Switch.
Kinda like how sales and demand for Wii fell off a damn cliff after 3 years. Yeah, I can totally see that being a thing with Switch once the 3rd parties bow out/stop making Switch exclusive versions of their titles.
Doomed.
That's amazing. Great to see Arms do over a million.
Also, HOLY **** at Mario Kart. Did almost half the original's LTD sales in just two months. That attach rate is incredible.
@roadrunner343
Um... well.
It kinda like "It's not right, but it's okay."
Missing some features from Wii U for Switch are kinda dissapointing , but not really dissapointing as Wii U's failure.
@phirst
I agree there's a platform where Switch could potentially drop off. Personally I'd guess it's about where the Wii U finished in terms of Nintendos core audience but it's a guess. As long as the games keep coming it'll be able to go beyond that into the mainstream.
I've always predicted the same thing-3DS will fade out in terms of first-party support during 2018, they'll drop the Switch price before the 2018 holidays, release a handheld-only more durable (kid-friendly) variant in early 2019, Switch will become their sole development platform meaning all Nintendo's franchises in the same place and go on to sell something similar to 3DS.
@roadrunner343
It looks as though some of the links on that Wiki are broken but a Google search will bring back the right PDFs. I agree on the quarterly comparisons not necessarily being that important, it's the LTD figures (especially given the Switch not having had a holiday season yet) that paint the most interesting picture.
All good signs. Now if only Ninty could keep up with the demand....
@gatorboi352 I suppose that's the difference between evidence and speculation. You can speculate that it will continue to do well or you can speculate that it won't. Either way it's just opinion. The evidence shows that it has sold incredibly well. This is a good news story for any Nintendo fan and a bad news story for anyone who enjoys pouring scorn.
@IceClimbers agreed. Looking at the software sales (both BotW and MK8D would have broken the top 10 lifetime sales for Wii U) I'm certain they are preparing ports of other successful Wii U titles (Mario 3D World/Mario Maker/Bayonetta 2 etc...)
1-2-Switch is already a 1m selling game.
Think about that. Especially with so many wanting it as a pack-in
I have several friends waiting for Fifa 18 to buy the console. That game is gonna be the official office-break game. Which is amazing, people who own a PS4 are considering getting the Switch's "inferior" Fifa, because it can be played in glorious HD anywhere.
I know anecdotal evidence doesn't count towards industry predictions, but it counts towards "total amount of fun Im having" which is enough for me.
This makes me so happy for Nintendo! But I'm still dissapointed at the lack of features such as good voice chat & an online browser.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE sour grapes still I see...
Let's hope there is enough stock for Christmas. So glad I impulse bought my Switch in the UK in March now, I've not seen one since
"launch at the start of the year."
No, it launched two months in, right before the start of the fiscal year. Nonetheless, selling nearly 5 million Switches in 4 months is very good and puts them on pace to meet their 10 million goal, especially with the fall sales season yet to come
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I actually don't think the term applies. The Switch makes the Wii U feel like an in-between console. And I used to be on your camp. I wasn't gonna buy a Switch, but got one as birthday present. I know it is mostly subjective, but it is a superior console, it feels like a more realized piece of tech.
I haven't played any game that incorporates the HD rumble thing, and I don't think I'll buy Mario Kart again for the reasons you state in other comments.
However, having played both versions of Breath of the Wild, that game actually feels like it was made for the Switch, at least it seems like the definitive version, which is something that Twilight Princess didn't have on the Wii, for example.
I think that a year into the Switch's lifespan it will be pretty self evident that it is a far superior concept than the Wii U. And I am eating my own words here, because I felt betrayed by Nintendo myself.
NINTENDOOM!! Jokes aside, this is very good results.
Also this is without Odyssey.
And outside of Holidays!
@Al_Godoy I will always feel betrayed by Nintendo. No amount of time will change that.
@westman98 While all that is true, Switch has had better software releases than 3DS in the period you specify.
I feel that, as long as they can actually produce 10M switches this year, and as long as they get them into stores before black Friday, 10M switches sold this year should be easy for them.
@roadrunner343 @MasterSchnitzel
All the hardware numbers that I have pulled for comparison are quarterly sales when launch aligned, not cumulative sales when launch aligned. Sorry for the confusion.
@gatorboi352
In no way is the Switch's current momentum being driven by 3rd party software/exclusives, and I doubt that will change in the future unless Nintendo just stops developing Switch games.
@TheMadPolarBear Amazon.de and Amazon.fr have the Switch in stock as well.
Here is how quarterly Switch software shipments compares to quarterly 3DS and Wii U software shipments during the same time frame:
3DS Q2 2011: 4.54 million
Wii U Q1 2013: 1.73 million
Switch Q2 2017: 8.14 million
BTW Arms has now sold more than Punch-Out on the Wii (1.18 million for Arms vs 1.14 million for Punch-Out).
At 3.92 million copies sold in 4 months, Zelda BOTW is on track to become the best selling Zelda game ever on a single platform. Sales should hit ~6 million by the end of Nintendo's fiscal year ending March 2018, if not sooner.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is on track to outsell Zelda BOTW on the Switch by the end of the year, if not sooner. It will probably outsell the original Mario Kart 8 within the next 18 months of so.
The last thing I would like to mention in this article is that only 24% of Switch's current LTD hardware sales and 18% of the Switch's current LTD software sales come from Japan. Even if Nintendo had stocked more hardware in Japan, it's pretty clear that the majority of the Switch's success comes from the west.
The illusion that the Switch's momentum is strongest in Japan due to all the lottery lines that we have seen is just that...an illusion.
Great numbers for Nintendo but it does highlight an issue for 3rd parties. If 13.6 million Switch games have been sold so far, it means that around 75% of those games sold are Nintendo games (mk 8 , botw, and arms are 8.64 million combined.) That doesn't leave that much of the pie left for 3rd parties so I get why so many of them are hesitant to pledge support when you look at numbers like this
Was at Target this morning and saw a couple on display. Of course I jumped on the opportunity and bought one.
There is a big commercial day coming up here, and the retailers are pushing the Switch in a bundle due to its price.... But those bundles flew! They ran out of stock in less than a week.
If I'm lucky, I should get my console tomorrow (please, for the love of everything holy don't be out of stock....). Once Apple finishes getting the pieces for the Iphone 8 Nintendo should be able to ramp up production for Christmas. Let's hope they do - at the rate their are going, they will surpass the Wii U's total sales by the middle of next year.
@TheMadPolarBear I agree. I've got splatoon 2 waiting on me. But haven't been able to buy a switch. My friends think it is funny I'm buying games for a system I don't have yet. But when I eventually find a switch, I'm set.
I believe they could double production and still be sold out.
@Oat
Yes, Nintendo consoles are often a struggle for third-party publishers. That's why if you want full third-party support you need another console. However, the counterpoint to that is the third-party stuff on Switch so far has not exactly been AAA. Bomberman, SF2, Disgaea etc aren't really big hitters.
@dknintendo 3rd party games selling well? You got a source for that?
I finally picked one up tonight at Target!
@electrolite77 I'm in complete agreement with you on that. I just wanted to point it out because often times some Nintendo fans forget that just because Nintendo is doing well does not mean that 3rd parties are doing well too.
@Grudgebearer Right, because selling twice as many units as anyone predicted is just so disappointing.
@SoIDecidedTo They pretty much have doubled production, and they basically are still sold out. That said, I've seen Switch in a handful of stores in the Portland, Oregon area this last week or so, and Target and GameStop both seem to have plenty available online this week, so the first signs of the fruits of that production gear-up are probably just now starting to stream into the market.
At first I thought Monster Hunter and Pokémon would make Switch sales go nuts, now I rely on Pokémon and Metroid.
Although I'm not part of the MH community, I know how these games were important to the 3DS and it's a bit sad to see what Capcom is doing
@Nolan420 @Grudgebearer @dknintendo
As @Oat has already pointed out, these figures suggest third-parties have struggled. A total of 13.6 million Switch games have been sold. Of those Zelda (3.92m), MK8D (3.54m), 12 Switch (1.22m) and Arms (1.18m) account for 9.86 million. That leaves a total of 3.74 million (minus Snipperclips sales) for the 50+ third-party games.
It was always going to be the case that first-party games drove Switch sales and the Third-party games released so far haven't been huge so hopefully publishers expectations have been realistic. NBA, FIFA, WWE, Skyrim etc will give us a better idea of what chance third-party games have of selling but it's hard to avoid the conclusion that third-parties are currently struggling to make much impact and anyone wanting full AAA Western third-party support will need to look elsewhere.
@Nolan420
I'm quoting Nintendo's total, officially published sales figures. That includes everything.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/nintendo-switch-hits-4-7m-units-worldwide/0185116
@electrolite77 I'm not expecting full triple A support from the West, but I do hope third-parties will make some games from the ground up, or bring some good ports over (The 2 third-parties that I have right now, out of 4 games, are good)
I also don't believe Skyrim should be in that list, considering it's older than most of the ports we've gotten so far. Kimishima said that when 10 million was reached, we'd see more support, so let's see how much of those words hold up. I do believe we'll get more, I'm just hoping third-parties won't be hung up on the thoughts that Nintendo consumers only buy Nintendo IP (which is sadly true for a large part), since if that's prevalent, the third-party situation will NEVER change.
All in all, I'd just like to have a device with Nintendo's and Third-party offering.
@BAN Not necessarily, my expectations were simply quite a bit higher. I half expected it to be close to 6 million by now.
@Nolan420 That is, however, just the US and just the Eshop. I'd need broader numbers than that, and I mean games that aren't so universally loved and appealed that they could, in theory, be ported to a toaster and still sell (Minecraft).
Nintendo helped very closely with Snipperclips and I even think they'd picked it up specifically, so I'm not sure on that one's status as first or third party.
I'm getting a Switch tomorrow, as an early birthday present to myself.
Plus I keep seeing BOTW being played through my neighbour's window and its making me super jealous haha!
@Grudgebearer
I'm confident we'll see more support if/when Switch continues to sell. Whether it sticks around or not depends on how these games sell, which has been a struggle so many times it's difficult to count.
@electrolite77 Aye, I hope we get some good numbers for these, even if they're old ports. Though I think Rabbids could give some good insight, albeit skewed due to Mario being included, in how 3rd party can potentially sell well.
I know I'm one of the few that has genuine interest in quite a bit of third-party games on the Switch.
@Nolan420 I must've really rushed it then, considering I'm at 135 hours (At least my Switch said so) and that's with a lot of extra mucking about, killing Lynels.
@Grudgebearer Why would you expect that? I mean, that would be cool, but right now you're basically saying that the insane success of switch isn't insane enough for you. They're selling twice as many units as anyone anticipated, and it's significantly more than most consoles sell in the same time frame, so it just strikes me as extraordinarily odd that anyone would complain about that. It makes me wonder if your fedora's too tight or something.
Oh, and don't forget that this is the sales figure for the period ending June 30. That was a month ago, so Switch probably HAS sold six million units by now. If we could somehow see the numbers for the last thirty days, I'm sure it would bear that out.
@BAN Probably due to Kimishima saying that reaching 10 million has more support, and thus more games, come in: http://nintendoeverything.com/details-from-nintendos-77th-annual-general-meeting-of-shareholders/
Q3: There were many NES/SNES games but relatively few for Wii U, which had a short lifespan. Is Switch doing well? I read about Zelda’s 300-person debug team, but I think that’s a very good thing that should continue.
Kimishima: Game devs flock to healthy hardware. Indies are booming. We plan to sell 10M Switches this FY; 13M by fiscal year end. Sorry to users who couldn’t buy Switch. If 10M sold, more devs will jump aboard. Will also make indie-friendly environment.
I've hooked myself into that 10 mill, so I was hoping it was better than it seemed. I know the stock shortages are pretty bad, and I don't have a clue what good-selling is, but out of wanting to see the Switch get more support, I'd like it to get to 10 mill as soon as possible
@Grudgebearer Do you understand what a "quarter" represents? It's three months of time. There are four of them in a year. Switch sold nearly half of that desired 10-million in just over a single quarter. So I am genuinely baffled by your thinking on this topic.
@Nolan420 I can only give you the tip of trying to time your dodges with the sword and board ones, blocks with the mace ones, and looking for a middle-road with the spear dudes. And never fighting them in a distance battle, because they start firing pin-point accuracy arrows in the air that you can only avoid by running like you're on fire.
Other than that, heavily upgraded defence armour if you want to be as safe as possible, or offence (Barbarian) armour to put them down asap.
@BAN I've explained you my thinking, what more do you want me to say? Excuse me for wishing the Switch to be the best it can be, albeit that my first comment was made when I was rather annoyed and irritated, thus it didn't exactly convey that.
As for the sales thing, they're working on increasing stock, but neither you nor I have the details of that, so we don't know if they're able to get it fixed as desired. The part shortages may be more crippling than expected, and thus steering the same course/having less sold, or the other way around, making/selling more, I wouldn't know, as I've no clue who provides them those parts, and if they can reliably increase production.
@Grudgebearer I understand WHAT you're thinking. What I don't understand is WHY you're thinking it. There's no scenario where selling at a rate that's two times faster than expected is even remotely a bad thing.
The fact that Nintendo have been able to ship as many units as they have is a testament to how hard they're working to increase supply. That IS the proof of their production increase. The difference between what they've sold and their pre-launch sales estimates is an obvious representation of the number of extra units they've manufactured. If they hadn't increased production, Switch would be sitting at probably 2-3 million units sold at this point.
And yes, obviously everyone here wants Switch to perform well (with the exception of maybe gatorboi and sligeach). But what I'm saying is that it has performed extremely well, and your expectations for it to somehow sell even better are unrealistic. Nintendo would have to have been clairvoyant to foresee the demand for Switch. No one else thought it would sell this well. But even if they did anticipate demand to be this high, that doesn't mean the manufacturing situation would be any different, because there's a ton of competition for the necessary components and for factories that can assemble them.
@BAN An old, probably miss-read something that the Switch had sold close to 5-6 mill quite some time ago. But never mind that.
@Grudgebearer Well like I said, it probably has reached 6-million by now, because that 4.7-million figure was registered a month ago.
@Nolan420 Best of luck on your Lynel killing spree
@panthro It sold about 13.7 million units in 4 years, from 2012 to 2016.
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