Switch Has Been The Best-Selling Console In Japan For Six Months, Almost 5 Million Units Sold

Very impressive, looks like we won’t be short on excellent jrpgs being developed now

Probably will at least match PS4 sales early 2019 once Pokemon arrives (this November). The Switch should sell double what PS4 sells this holiday in Japan. But it's a wrap in 2019.

Switch = AWESOME !!
PS4 = Prrrrt.....! 😝

And i bet they are still selling pretty much every console they can send to stores.

Great news, I just wish they would speed up the western support with games like dragon quest 10-11, resident 7, Kingdom hearts....

I am very hopeful that Super Mario Party and especially Pokémon Let's Go and Super Smash Bros Ultimate will do wonders for the Switch in Japan, and elsewhere of course, but just to see the Switch really dominate it's homeland.

I can imagine what kind of sales the Nintendo Switch will generate in Japan when a new Animal Crossing, a new Pokemon and an all new Monster Hunter gets released, as popular as handhelds have been in Japan the Switch was always gonna be aces for Nintendo in Japan.

@super-nintendo

It is not a main Pokemon game, just another cash in of the first game. It will not affect sales that much. Smash Bros. Will though I am sure.

Gobal sales rounded up look like,
Ps4 80M
Xbox 40M
Ninty 20M
Still a long way to go to beat the others but it's all to play for!
Smash, Pokemon, animal crossing, metroid, pikmin yet to land!

Good. I always like sales numbers that are great. It assures me there are people online to play with, and many great games released on the systems

@FragRed,

The console is still selling well in the U.S...don't let the vocal internet forum minority convince you otherwise.

20 million or so consoles sold so far...the masses do not care about tripple pay...er I mean tripple A titles.

@Anti-Matter
Haha, what a joke! PS4 = Games en masse, Quality AND Quantity!
Switch 2018 = Joke, old Games selling full priced! Besides Hollow Knight and Octopath, the Switch 2018 is really really disappointing to me.

@Lord,

It's tracking well against the PS4 and is doing far better than the Xbox one was at the same point in it's lifecycle.

@Moshschocker,

You are not it's main market fella...it is appealing to the masses that do did not own a Wii U.

@FragRed I'm already worried about the state of the market in Japan with the non-existent Xbox. The Switch is already dominating as far as we know. I don't think it needs more. Monopolies aren't great. I mean, I don't live in Japan, so I don't really care, but history tells us that markets flourish when there's a strong competition. Fortunately the situation isn't as dire worldwide, and hopefully Microsoft will start to pick up some slack next year, going into next gen. Won't do much for Japan I fear.

@erv In a few weeks that will all change. Instead of good hardware sales, Nintendo Switch Online attachment rate will be more meaningful.

@Octane Monoopolies aren't great i agree. Healthy competition helps keeping prices down and quality up. But Switch domination doesn't translate to release domination yet. So yeah Switch need more domination imo

Haven't turned on my PS4, xbox, PS3, or switch in months, I'm all about the GameCube this summer 😜

Edit: and my megadrive with that new Kirkzz wireless controller. What a time to be alive 👍

@Octane I don't think there is much chance of anyone beating Nintendo the way things are going. Not unless Sony and/or Microsoft decide to try their hand at a competing handheld device seeing as that is the market going forward for Japan. Somehow I don't see that happening.

@johnvboy “the masses do not care about tripple pay...er I mean tripple A titles.”

Sure they do, just that many of Nintendo’s successful games fall into that category such as Zelda, Splatoon, Mario Kart etc. those titles have sold by the bucket load.

@Moshschocker I agree. As an owner of the Wii U and PS4, I found this Switch-year disappointing. For 2019 I hope to see at least Bayonetta 3, Prime 4 and Fire Emblem Tree Houses.

Wait, we know each other from the M! Games-website, don't we?

@Moshschocker The Switch's appeal is 100% within portability, Nintendo IPS aside.

If you got the Switch for home console gaming and you dont own the other platforms, then you're playing a fools game, Nintendo themselves have stated multiple times they are not in competition for the home console market.

They have proven that with the Switch's hybrid function but strong emphasis on portability (they selling a dockless Switch in Japan ffs)...

If you didn't buy the console to enjoy the first party games Nintendo brings to bear and classic ports of good AAA games plus easily the best place to find indie games PORTABLE.

Then you may as well sell your Nintendo Switch, get off this forum and call it a day.

Every single one of your posts is negative and to be honest... I don't think you are actually a Switch owner,i could be wrong but you certainly seem to have purchased the wrong console.

Sell it and move on.

@Moshschocker
There was almost nothing noteworthy in the first two years of the PS4's lifetime. Ports, remasters and a few mediocre exclusives. Oh, and don't forget: Indies were very important back then.

This year has indeed been disappointing for big games, Octapath Traveller aside. A pale shadow of last year. Fortunately for me I love many indie games and arcade games, I'm spoiled for choice when it comes to those. Without those though I'd be a little disappointed with my Switch right now. Still I'm looking forward to Dark Souls and possibly Diablo and I've still to pick up Wolfenstein 2 and Skyrim ,Warframe is on the way too so I can't complain. Plus next year is going to be a cracker, Daemon X Machina, Fire Emblem, Bayonetta 3,Yoshi, Doom Eternal and probably Metroid Prime 4.

@Razer
I play my Switch 90% docked, so you are wrong. And Nintendo is marketing the Switch everywhere as an home console, which you can take with you, so you're wrong again.
Nintendo said, they aren't in the most -powerful-console-possible-market.

@MrBlacky well i and everyone i know plays 80% handheld ( i am 100% handheld) Nintendo actually selling a dockless Switch in their own home nation is pushing home console?

Where did you get that rubbish from?

In what reality is selling a dockless Switch to the Japan market "pushing home consoles"?

Look just because a few people OUTSIDE Japan uses the Switch in docked mode 50% of the time doesn't make me wrong.

It makes you wrong...

The Switch is a portable with TV out features.

Edit: i do agree with you on PS4 not having games for first 2 years.

It's only a matter of time now before it catches PS4. Japanese third party devs like Capcom, Namco and Sega who have brought some, but not great, support, will have to start paying more attention. SquareEnix has provided good stuff but would also be nice to see more from that company as well. They all support Xbox even with its poor performance in Japan and 'it does well elsewhere' is always the reason given for that. Well, Switch is doing well everywhere. Time for third parties to step up. There are no excuses.

@MrBlacky
Yup. It's funny how people keep forgetting this. I look at where the PS4 is now and it's funny going back and reading stuff from launch right up through 2016 when the good AAA games finally started hitting on a consistent basis. Until Ratchet & Clank and Uncharted 4 landed in back to back months in 2016, the PS4 up to that point had only Bloodborne in the way of notable, truly great exclusives. But all the talk was 'remasters are great, it fills space between new releases and doesn't take away development time.' 'Well indies are where it's at now, better than most AAA games.' That same bs day after day. Now, because PS4 finally has become the console it should've been from the start, the fanboys have gotten a bit more bold. Switch is a success and they clearly hate that so lets downplay it by saying indies, remasters and ports don't matter. Hypocritical and pathetic because I know I was one of only 2 or 3 people in the PS community who had a problem with what Sony did in the PS4's early days.

@Smigit,

But they can play multi platform tripple A tiltles on a Ps4 and Xbox One.....Nintendo will be selling the Switch on it's massive library of indie games as well as it's first party titles.

The mass market likes free to play mobile games...the whole video game market is not the mass market.

@Gamer83 you mean catches up to the PS4 in Japan right?

I don't own anything else other than a Switch... There is no way in hell that the Switch will ever catch up to the PS4 globally. I'm sure you meant in Japan though. I just wanted to make sure.

Oh no, the comments devolving into a cesspool of hate because some don't like the news. Who would have seen that coming?

/sarcasm

@readyletsgo A fellow retro gamer! I must admit I haven’t touched my consoles in a while either, I’m too busy with my GameBoy Color

@Grumblevolcano fair point. I doubt there's a big gap between those that want to play online versus those that are open to paying for the service. I could be proven wrong by years end though

@Moshschocker
For me, PS4 = Totally Joke.
I have PS4 Slim White 5 months ago , but what i have now ?
Just ONLY 6 (SIX) PS4 games left.
Just ONLY SIX !
1. The Sims 4
2. Portal Knights
3. Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age
4. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD
5. Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD
6. World of Final Fantasy

Last time i have NINE PS4 games, but i has SOLD the THREE of them (Earthlock, Overcooked & Yonder the Cloud Catcher Chronicles) since they had released also on Nintendo Switch, so i don't need the PS4 version anymore. And actually i DIDN'T even want to buy PS4 but Dang.... i couldn't resist for The Sims 4 & FF XII HD, and that time still No Switch version, so i bought PS4 with Half-Hearted feeling and i feel quite Regret now (I Rarely touch my PS4, even with chosen six games above. Like i lost my hype to play those games since i have to play my favorite games on the machine i dislike).

Contrary with Nintendo Switch.
Right now, i have MORE than 40 games on my shopping list (purchased games, will buy later, TBA) & the number will increase very fast.
Nintendo Switch has a lot of kind of games that i'm looking for : Kiddie, Cartoonish, Quirky, Multiplatform, Casual, Unusual gameplay.
Nintendo Switch library games are mostly MATCHED with my taste, very OPPOSITE with PS4 library games that i COULDN T find any decent Appropriate games (Rated Everyone & Everyone 10+), even there are some of them but i will NEVER choose the PS4 version when the games are ALSO on Nintendo Switch.

Sony (now) = TOO Mature, i hate it.
Nintendo = Still can maintain their Kiddie & Family Friendly image, i Love it.

That was the reasons why did i Prrrrt.... toward PS4. Simply a Joke machine (i felt regret now).

Oh, maybe PS4 is great for you but very Disappointing for me.

I have a plan to REMOVE / SOLD all my remaining PS4 games & the machine someday....

I play mostly on the TV with my Switch. It is enough for me to use it as a console for the typical Nintendo exclusive titles and some indie games. The rest lands on the PS4 (Pro). :>

Ok weebs let's get in formation! Switch will never be sort of JRPGs now.

@FragRed I wish they tried though... I know many people have been asking for a portable PS4, so who knows. Just don't do a Vita 2.0. I feel that Microsoft will never have a chance as a western company.

Next stop PS Vita!

@dimi Nah, games take a long time to make. Games that are being made with the Switch in mind only started last year, maybe late 2016, so you won't see the results until next year I think. Anything that's made with PC/PS4/Xbox in mind first and foremost will take time to port. And as long as the userbase of those three combined is bigger than the Switch' userbase, I think many games will be made with those in mind first. That's kinda the downside of portability, it comes with a completely different architecture. But the games will come, it just takes time.

@Razer
Nintendo is selling the dockless Switch ONLY over it's own online store and they sell it as kind of a secondary console. Don't pretend like, you can walk in a store in Japan and buy a Switch without a dock there.🙄 Also, feature wise, the Switch is more a home console which you can also play on the go (or everywhere with friends in tabletop mode), than a "portable with TV-out.

@Razer
Yeah, I'm talking about Japan.

Keep us posted on that stock trader who is trying to "short" Nintendo. I think he's going to lose his bet!

@SimplyCinnamon53 cool! I'm thinking of doing a blacklit mod on my original GBA this week. Also, just bought a Saturn last week. Waiting on it to arrive soon #excited!

@readyletsgo @SimplyCinnamon53

A friend giving me a Saturn and my subsequent dive into the internet Saturn rabbit hole is what finally tore me away from Octopath.

Been rocking Fire Pro 6men Scramble. Looks pretty good through my early HD-era Samsung that still has an S-Video port.

Virtua Fighter 2 and Dynamite Deka should be in my hands this week. Sexy Parodius and the Nights Into Dreams 3D controller combo are next on the list.

@MrBlacky nope because statics prove you are just wrong.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/entertainment/gaming/981479/Nintendo-Switch-news-portable-only-handheld-docked-stats/amp

Just nope...

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/10/nintendo_gamers_prefer_using_switch_as_a_handheld_rather_than_docked

And nope.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/nintendo-switch-handheld-vs-docked/amp/.

The console is clearly more popular as a portable gaming device but i.do admit that it's a lot more popular than i thought in docked.

Its still a handheld first though, no matter how you cut it... Statics dont lie friend 👍😉

Nintendo clearly intended a 50 50 hybrid split but the market leans towards portable.

@Razer Nintendo's latest infographic, which you linked, shows ~20% of gamers are primarily docked (greater than 80% of the time they are docked), 30% are primarily handheld and 50% flick between the two modes. That is pretty even my friend. Don't try and push that it's primarily a handheld device when the stats conclusively show that the ~50% use it as a hybrid and another ~20 use it primarily docked.

@Razer Also NintendoLife's own article is misleading. Gamers prefer using the device as a hybrid not solely as a portable. Poor reporting by NL

"For the sake of comparison, Sony's PlayStation 4 sold 86,000 units this month, bringing its total to 6.979 million units sold - just two million above Switch despite being on the market for an additional three years."

Sold three years before NSW and still those lead is that small still?

"Of course, the PlayStation 4's total sales across other regions still dwarfs that of the Switch."

As anything the Switch is still coming to market at 1.5 years it's not going to run the market but it is running the portable gaming scene faster then the ps4. You can't ask something in this small of a time scale to overtake something that's been there longer.

@SpeedRunRocks @readyletsgo Awesome! Would you say the Saturn is better than the Dreamcast? I had one a long time ago but never owned a saturn

@beazlen1 can you actually not do math?

"It was revealed that 30% of users play almost exclusively in handheld mode, compared to around 18% who play solely on TV.

The remaining users split their time between TV and handheld mode."

This clearly isn't an even split is it... Theres more people using it exclusively as a handheld than in docked... As stated there...

Of the people who use it both... Its 50% split...

30% exclusively on portable
18% exclusive on docked

So again... Clearly more portable users...

But like i said earlier... Docked is much more popular than i first thought.

@Anti-Matter lol

@beazlen1 also just to add, I'm willing to bet these statistics came almost exclusively from the West... So im also willing to bet that doesn't include that 90% of the Japanese are using it in portable.

I can't be 100% sure of this but I'd defo put money on it.

@Razer
I don't know, what your problem is, man.🙄 You said Nintendo is marketing the Switch as a handheld (they don't). You also said, everyone is using the Switch in portable mode only (where you've gotten proved wrong through your one links you posted).

@MrBlacky how did i get proven wrong? In fact you clearly cannot read just like others here cannot do math...

"It was revealed that 30% of users play almost exclusively in handheld mode, compared to around 18% who play solely on TV.

The remaining users split their time between TV and handheld mode."

If you can read this (which i am genuinely starting to doubt that you can).

This clearly isn't an even split is it... Theres more people using it exclusively as a handheld than in docked... As stated there...

Of the people who use it both... Its 50% split...

30% exclusively on portable
18% exclusive on docked

Dude dont reply to me again i speak with people who are:

1 not too lazy too read (or in your case, unable to read)
2 can do math.

You obviously cannot do either.

Really need to break it down for these kids sometimes... Phew...

@Razer
Okay grandmaster, whatever... Didn't know it hurt your feelings if not everyone is using the Switch handheld only and Nintendo isn't marketing it as such.😢
Bye

@MrBlacky Nintendo isn't marketing as such?

Okay so all the ads for the thing show people playing it in docked mode yeah? Not table top or portable? yeah? ( you are an idiot if you say yeah).

I already mentioned the dockless Switch, regardless of how you buy it... You can still buy it. So your point about availability is moot.

You clearly conceded on the statics judging by your last reply.

Dude just be quiet.

Edit. I will let you put me on ignore.

@Razer
Nintendo is marketing it as a hybrid and, according to the links you posted, most people are using it that way. Okay, 18% use the Switch docked only and 30% are using it handheld only (which is 12% more, if you do the math), but you basically said everyone is using the Switch as a portable only, which is basically not true.

@MrBlacky well clearly you cannot read... I actually said much earlier in this debate

"Yes it is true that people use it in docked mode a lot more than i first thought"

I actually said that 3 times but clearly you are too lazy to read all my posts before replying.

Oh, so you already admitted that you were wrong about how the people generally are using the Switch.👌 Great, now you just need to admit, that you were wrong about Nintendo marketing it as a handheld.

@MrBlacky oh lord help me!

No i admitted that people use it more than i thought as docked... That still means MORE people use it in portable... Just like i have been saying from the start... Are you actually this dense?

But i also said in another post that i personally think those statistics don't include Japan... If they did it would be even more in favour of portable.

Regardless you tried to tell me that it's mainly a home console... I am glad you admitted to being wrong there when you called it a hybrid much later.

Also i love how every advert for the thing shows it 90% in portable or table top but yet you're still trying to play it off like that isn't true.

I also love how Nintendo sell.a dockless Switch but lets just ignore that shall we?

Grasping at straws there fella?

Also you clearly proved how lazy you are by not reading what is replied to you (making you actually look stupid) and you have a very limited grasp of mathematic...

Dude stop replying you look really bad right now.

@MrBlacky just be honest now kid...

Your just mad that you came into this debate thinking its main focus is home console and your walking away from this debate having learned something new and that you are wrong.

I know some people get mad at being wrong but take it on the chin and move on...

Nice try son, better luck next time.

@SpeedRunRocks you're first time with the Saturn too? Can't wait to get mine. Never had one before. And yes, I've fallen down the rabbits hole this weekend too, researching everything about it. I ordered a 3d controller from Japan, was only 30euro but happy to have that on its way too.

@Razer more people use it as a hybrid than a dedicated handheld or a docked console. Let's guesstimate that the hybrid people use it ~50:50 then that means at any one time ~ 55% of switches out in the wild are undocked vs 45% docked. That's a pretty even split in my book but yes slightly in favour of portable use. Nintendo emphasise the portability in marketing because that's its UPS and a pretty cool one. For me a hybrid is greater than the sum of its parts. It's not a portable with TV out nor a home console. It's both!

@SimplyCinnamon53 I do love my Dreamcast, but I've had it for years. Saturn is SO new to me so I just can't say yet.

@beazlen1

30% use it in portable
18% use it in docked

That gives us a grand total of 48%

The other 52% use it in hybrid mode... (50% split)...

This means that of everyone who uses a Switch... 82% are using it either in portable mode or in hybrid mode... And of that 82%... 30% of them is exclusively portable.

If you factor in the hybrid users who use it 50% in portable and the 30% thats exclusively portable... You clearly.... For the last time... Get MORE PORTABLE USERS

Oh jesus... So many kids to teach today...

@beazlen1 im just gonna go ahead and break this all the way down for you....

So 52% is hybrid... Meaning they use it both in handheld and docked... So lets call it 26% for each.

So 26+30 = 56 portable

26+18 = 44 docked

I know hybrid users are the majority (by 2%)... But you have to count them as half docked and half portable they are not a separate entity, they add to the sum total of both docked users and portable... Meaning portable usage is more.

Hmm nice, what's the US and Europe sales like?

@Razer Because it's a portable system. That is a very unnecessary argument and the other guy should know better. A system that is portable will be used as a portable system.

@Callmegil tell them!!! I know this!!

@Razer I would, but I have record of getting vile in arguments here (specifically here). So much so, that my comments get deleted. It's not my fault some people are stupid, you know?

@Razer The most common mode of use is as a hybrid. Yes there's more almost exclusive portable use than almost exclusive docked use, we can all read, no-one is debating that. However you're behaving as if the majority use (hybrid) doesn't count and the machine is solely a portable. You could look at it from the other angle: 70% play for a significant amount of time with their machine docked. That's 18+52. Obviously that is less than 80% but it's not that much different. So please don't disregard people that enjoy the machine docked either exclusively or as a hybrid.

For not even two years on the market, this is pretty impressive. I wonder what the Switch's EOL figures will be like when the Switch 2/New Switch (gotta love Nintendo's branding sometimes. ) shows up....

@beazlen1 and again... If you bother to read all my comments.

I actually said "more people than i thought use it in docked mode"...

I didn't disregard anything because i said that comment like 5 damn hours ago.

@Callmegil i know what you mean... Stupid people... Stupid people everywhere

Everybody need to stop arguing on how the switch is being used. If you are happy the way you play it, that is fine. The switch has both ways to play, that is more than ps4 and Xbox one has.

@Anti-Matter
Ähm, Dragon Quest 11, Persona 5, Tales of Zestiria, Tales of Beseria, Shen Mue, Monster Hunter World. This is too mature? You are a non objective fanboy! Thats the case

@Lando
Yay! We do! Greetings to you.

@Octane Frankly I think MS just doesn't care. They've proven that being Western isn't a limitation by dominating there with Minecraft. Specifically being an American company can almost be an asset in Japan. Everything is Japan-first, but there tends to be "American is almost as good" perception there. But they don't market worth anything, and they never really did. They commented early that they'll never make a handheld because Nintendo just has too strong a grip on that market. I think they never took Japan seriously enough for XBox from the start and made a "WiiU style" marketing effort for it and just wanted to avoid protracted competition against an entrenched market, particularly when what they were trying to market was online gaming with a shooter focus (early in the brand) that would clearly not click in Japan.

I don't see Sony trying handheld. They want Japan back, but worldwide appeal of a handheld is so far outside their direction now. Their industry, more than selling consoles, is selling big blockbuster content. What's the talk of this year? Not PS4. Spiderman, GoW, Death Stranding, etc. The content is what they sell and the PS is a machine to play it. Handhelds don't benefit from that "studio production" brand they have going. A new handheld would be a PS4 (but not actually) pocket at a time when they're pushing PS4 Pro....before again launching into a new gen making it look bad.

Personally I feel like they're content with the status quo. They make home consoles and keep the market, Nintendo takes the handheld market, and MS does whatever.

@CupidStunt I think this will a NSMBWii situation in Japan....Nintendo will market nostalgia.....and BOOM goes the dynamite. This game will move 10 million units this holiday worldwide...mark my words.

And still gets outsold by 1.2 million globally by PS4 in the 3 month quarter.

The Switches needs big games for the West. What SONY (and even Microsoft) figured out ages ago.

Convince Japanese publishers like capcom to give them Monster Hunter World and not a rehashed MH the west cares little about.