Japanese Charts: Nintendo Switch Ends 2020 In Spectacular Fashion

now is quite obvious that Switch is gonna outsell Wii and PS4 at the end of this year or maybe sooner.

SHEESH
(sorry, I had to)

@Giancarlothomaz End of this year seems too soon. Lifetime it probably has a good shot at it though.

600k woah! Yeah that's quite a lot of sales. (Also Pikmin 3 doing amazingly).

Wow there's really no sign of sales slowing down, incredible. Great to see Pikmin creep past the 500k mark.

That'll do Switch, that'll do.

Amazing!

I didn't know Pikmin was so popular in Japan. Pikmin 3 seems to have kind of flopped in America and Europe unless I'm wrong?

I feel the continued success of the original model is sufficient evidence to say that people do prefer the Switch that actually Switches.

Impressive numbers to be sure.

When Monster Hunter releases, it´ll sell 1.000.000 in a week, it seems lol. Crazy...

Also, Pikmin 3 has almost outsold Mario 3D All Stars. Wow!

I believe December was down slightly YoY, but I read somewhere part of the blame is this year there were 4 weeks of reporting and last year had 5. Not sure how true that is because it didn't look that way when I checked a calendar but I'm also not sure when the numbers took place then. Also didn't care enough to double check. No Pokemon release (or any other major release) also doesn't help matters.

Overall, still amazing sales and MH Rise will make Switch tough to find in Japan.

@Giancarlothomaz Itll 100% outsell the Wii by Jan 2022 latest as its sitting on around 80mill at the moment and Wii sold around 101 mill, but with ps4 at around 115 mill i dont think it will outsell PS4 till Dec 2022

I feel Switch is gonna be on top for many years, PS5 games will never be on the chart unless Sony ditch PS4 for good and Xbox Series X/S still doesn't seem to realize that they don't exist over there. Also both next gen consoles are very expensive and offer no real reason to upgrade from last gen which may explains why not many consumers are making the jump to next gen. Faster load times, better graphics, and high performance are just minor updates that most consumers could easily ignore as last gen still deliver almost the exact same result just fine. It also seems like backwards compatibility doesn't help anymore as console that implement that feature seems to not do so well.

@Clyde_Radcliffe I heard on the Gamexplain 2020 year review video that it sold badly to start with but picked up. I don't think we will get any updated sales figures until the end of the financial year.

Look at those Pikmin go. Momotaro Dentetsu seems unstoppable at the mo, Ring Fit continues to do great, Smash at over 4m...it seems like a bit of a shutout over there, and @Grot popped up and said what I was going to type about Minecraft!

So we are 70-80 million units sold, so tell me again, why do we need a Switch pro for sales to continue?.

If we are asking for one on a personal level then I get it, but the Switch is just killing it no matter what at the moment, I do see a revision of some sort, but I am thinking better battery and screen more than anything else.

@johnvboy

I would jump at a Switch Pro but likewise I am content to wait for a Switch 2 if Nintendo decided not to release a mid gen upgrade. As you say when the console is still flying off the shelves worldwide there really is no need from a business sense anyway.

Also with Monster Hunter Rise looking so good we are seeing what devs can really do with the hardware now they have had time to work with it so a Switch Pro is definitely not a requirement for a while, if at all.

But I would still get it!

@johnvboy Rather than in order to sell more, I see the Switch Pro as a way to make the console last longer. If Nintendo doesn't release any other hardware, in a couple years we'll get the next gen. But if they release a new version of the Switch later this year, I don't see them releasing the next gen until... probably late 2024.
I'd rather have that to a new gen releasing at the beginning of 2023, honestly.

@TheFullAndy,

I would love a pro model, but I am not thinking it will boost sales much, hell a simple revision would do that.

Great sales wow I wonder how the numbers for the whole world looked!

@the_beaver,

Still do not see it beyond people personally wanting one, Nintendo have been wise to move away from the power race, the Switch is doing fine with Nintendo's first party and partners output, plus the rich vein of indie support which seems to thrive on the console.

The Switch pro will be the Switch 2 imho.

Animal Crossing: "I'm afraid of no game. But that Momotaro thing... it scares me"

@johnvboy

I just like the idea of a stronger Switch that gives me better framerates in games (consistent 30fps in BotW etc) and maybe has a better screen and maybe a few other improvements like better load times from the power increase but nothing really drastic needed.

It could also perhaps attract new sales from people who aren't happy with the current power of the Switch.

As always Nintendo will do what they want, when they want!

The Switch is killing it in Japan, who would have thought 2 models of PS5 cannot outsell even PS4 slim while the PS4 Pro is really selling badly sandwiched between the new Xboxes?

It just goes to show Japan love their mobile gaming and don't have a desperate need to rush out and buy the latest, most powerful systems. Even the Switch lite itself has outsold PS5 by almost 6 times.

Unlike the crazy scalping PS5 mad West it must be so easy and chill to grab a PS5 anytime you want over there and they probably don't have to deal with scalper bots or package thieves.

@Nintendoes

I am pretty sure the PS5 and Xbox consoles are supply constrained in Japan too just like the rest of the world.

Too soon to tell how successful either console will be in Japan (well not so much with the Xbox consoles i.e. not very)

Having said that even if there was plenty of stock of the new consoles in Japan the Switch is king and its sales figures would not have changed.

Please bring Dance Dance Revolution A20+ to consoles, Konami !

@TheFullAndy Yep it's going to take a little time until supply constraints get ironed out before anyone can see how well the PS5 is going to do in Japan. There also needs to be titles that Japanese players actually want as well, if there isn't, then the system is going to languish. I get the impression the Japanese see it as just another American console now.

It will outsell the Wii eventually. But I just got home from work, tired and cold, so instead of explaining why (which I don't get paid to do) you'll just have to take my word for it

@WiltonRoots

Yeah I think it will come down to whether PS5 gets the games that appeal to the Japanese market but it won't be from Sony's first party titles which are more western flavoured.

Japan really is Nintendo's territory right now and the only way that changes is if Nintendo somehow mucks up but that doesn't seem to be on the cards any time soon. The hybrid system really is perfect for Japan, as well as the games obviously.

@johnvboy I want a switch pro. I can see people who have had the original switch since March 2017 getting one because some of them like my switch is starting to age and battery life isn't good compared to switch lite and switch V2. People can still trade in their original switch to help them buy a switch pro. If Nintendo is not going to release a switch 2 until 2023 or 2024 then it makes sense to have switch pro to help the switch family get to over 100 million in sales. Not to mention that a lot of games in the switch still suffer performance issues. Some a little to a lot. A switch pro could just improve resolution and frame rates and I would I still buy it and I think others would too at some point.

Okay, these sales pretty much confirm Clubhouse Games to be the last DLC fighter.

@GrailUK it's because the Switch follows a completely different sales curve compared with the Wii. It has huge support coming in terms of software and will end up this calendar year at least with 26-27 millions units sold and a grand total of 80 millions.
It's pretty much a given at this point.
We should start looking at DS and PS2 lifetime sales, I think the Switch has a chance to become the best selling system ever.

@SuperCharlie78 Oh I think it will.

@TheFullAndy,

I like the idea too, but is it something that's needed or that we would like?.

@Riku3456,

The current Switch and lite will have no trouble at all getting over a 100 million sales, the Switch must be somewhere between 70 and 80 million at the moment, and that's with no price cuts, so sales is the last of Nintendo's issues.

I think a revision is on the cards, and it's about the right time in the consoles lifespan to receive one, but a massive power upgrade?, this would be nice but not so sure it's what we will get.

@johnvboy

That is for Nintendo to decide, and they march to their own beat!

@TheFullAndy,

Well they look at the wider market, which to be honest we do not represent, but of course the Switch may just benefit from a later version chip set, which will just go into the console by default.

@johnvboy tbh, I think there will be a revision but it doesn't need to be what most pundits and trolls think it should be. It's just inevitable with Nintendo handhelds. And, in any case, Switch is the handheld of the 9th geneation. It doesn't need to have the same level of third-party support as MS or Sony (the basis of most "we need a Switch Pro", arguments is that it needs to have a mid-gen refresh to stay competitive on that front). So...yeah, I don't think the refresh will be 4K and people will be upset with Nintendo because the latter didn't do what the former thinks they want (as usual).

@johnvboy

So far my comments have been about whether I would purchase it and why Nintendo would or would not release a Switch Pro so just to confirm I do think a Switch Pro is coming this year.

I had originally thought it would accompany Monster Hunter Rise in March (much like the New 3DS did with MH4), and it may still do so, but production of the console could have been impacted by the pandemic so it will likely release later in the year. And I shall be picking it up at launch!

@IronMan30,

Sounds about right, and pretty much what I have been saying all along.

You never know with Nintendo though, just wait until they announce the new Switch plus.

@TheFullAndy,

Do we think a pro is coming because it's a good idea for Nintendo to release one, or the fact it's been rumored for so long?, as I have no doubt that it's about time for a revision of some sort, but are we and the leakers taking this obvious information and adding their own wish lists to it.

Pretty much like with the Nintendo NX, even when the Switch leak happened there were people thinking it would be far more powerful than it ended up being?.

A Switch Pro is coming, but probably not until we are well into H2 2021.

@Scoopz i see, my expectation was that Switch could outsell the Wii and PS4 at the end of this year or maybe sooner, with Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2 problaby releasing this holiday season.

@westman98,

Would love you to be right on that, but not so sure we will see a pro version.

@johnvboy I guess you never know, but it's better not to hype yourself up. That's just life, you don't know what will happen and this is definitely out of our control. Lol

@johnvboy

Wasn't the NX just what the Switch ended up being?! Not sure why people still believe NX is anything else.

I think there will be a pro version because of the constant rumblings about it that are refusing to die down and Nintendo has form. With handheld consoles Nintendo has always had mid gen upgrades (even when the existing handhelds are selling well), not always massive upgrades but I see Nintendo taking the same approach here.

@Giancarlothomaz 2020 had Animal Crossing that far outstrips Breath of Wild commercially and still the Switch sold about 23 mill this year. BOTW2 would need to make the Switch sell over 35 mill in a year in order to outsell the PS4. Its never going to happen. It'll def outsell the Wii by the start of 2022 but it wouldnt outsell PS4 before the end of 2022

@TheFullAndy,

That is what I was saying, the NX became the Switch, but before we knew of the Switch the NX was all sorts of things.

@johnvboy

NX was just the name assigned for the next gen console to succeed the Wii U, a lot of the rumours about the next gen console were incorrect as we got the Switch but it isn't really relevant to the Switch Pro being real.

As I said when it comes to mid gen upgrades Nintendo definitely has form so I am confident Switch Pro (or whatever it will be called) will happen this year.

@johnvboy We do know the codename now for the Switch Pro (Aula) from the firmware, so we at least know it exists and is/was in development, if not when/if it will ever publically release.

Have to admit, VERY surprised with Pikmin 3 in Japan. It's still on the charts. That alone is remarkable. I don't know if Nintendo marketed it 10x more there than Europe or the US or something (althought I doubt it)... But it kinda feels like it.
I guess that puts Pikmin 4 being done this decade more likely.

@NGNYS

Pretty sure I have said this to you before but seriously.....seek help.

Sony is done in Japan.That is what happens when you are ignoring Japan and focus in America and put restrictions and censorship following the stupid Californian laws.

@Heavyarms55 very true, but since the 3DS/2DS is no longer in production, Nintendo needed a more portable, cheaper model to target a different audience.

@Paulo That was the idea anyway.

@NGNYS meh, Switch will continue to sell and the same people who said it wouldn't pass 50 million units will always find a way to say the sales don't count. Pretty much what I've come to expect from that crowd. Nintendo's successes are meaningless and their failures are everything.

@link3710,

I think I will wait for official confirmation before I trust the name, plus Pro could not mean what we think, it could be better screen and battery, plus I would be surprised if Nintendo wanted to run with three models.

I mean a pro version will always have a limited appeal, take the Ps4 pro and Xbox One X, both are very niche compared to their standard consoles, now that's in the more core marketplace. I can't see Nintendo missing the opportunity for a revision that replaces the existing Switch that has slightly better specs, as there is potential for a lot of upgrades.

I guess time will tell.

@IronMan30,

So true, their denial as each and every sales milestone is passed is priceless.

@TheFullAndy,

It must be close, Nintendo also has a track record for denying revisions, only for them to be announced a short time later, with Nintendo you have to listen or reed their statements very carefully.

Lots of great Nintendo news lately. Big sales numbers, a nice acquisition in Next Level Games and a Monster Hunter Rise demo very soon.

@johnvboy lol, Pro wasn't anywhere in it. All I was saying is that Aula is the code name so we can stop calling it the Pro.

@link3710,

Sorry, read your post wrong, the Switch Pro was always a wish list from core gamers.

The PS4 pro sells as badly as Xbox. That explains why it has been discontinued in Japan.