Nintendo's new Switch OLED console is off to a "solid start" according to Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, following an impressive launch month which saw Switch regain its position as the best-selling games console in the current US market.
In October, Nintendo sold 711,000 Switch consoles across the US, with 314,000 of those being the OLED model. The Switch family of systems had been the US' best-selling console for 33 consecutive months up until September 2021, when PS5 went top of the charts for the first time; thanks to the OLED, Nintendo now finds itself back on top.
Speaking to The Washington Post, Bowser explains that 2021's October sales aren't too far shy of the same period last year, which saw a boost thanks to the "anomaly" that was the COVID-19 pandemic:
"October this year is only 3 percent lower than what was sold last year, which I think we can all agree was a bit of an anomaly year when it comes to overall hardware sales. So we think this is a solid start for the OLED model. We also think this is a very strong indicator of the performance we can expect as we go through the holiday season."
In the same discussion, Bowser confirmed that 'many' of the Switch OLED units sold were purchased by those who already owned a Switch system, either as a second console for themselves or for their families.
Bowser has also shared further details on Metroid Dread's impressive launch. He reveals that the new title sold 854,000 copies in the US in October, explaining how the game enjoyed the strongest launch for any games in the series to date in the US.
[source washingtonpost.com]
Comments (55)
Impressive, most impressive
So the internet lied and people actually bought an OLED?
Also, did NL publish an article about Switch topping the NPD last month? I seem to have missed it. I know they covered Metroid, but I didn't see the NPD article for October.
I thought nobody was going to buy one as it was not a Pro version, pretty decent considering the supply issues.
Looks like the 33 week run was only stopped because people were holding off for the OLED.
So glad for Metroid and especially Mercury Steam and all the developers there working so hard until the very end. What a great game, what a great team!
@IronMan30,
No but they were very quick to publish the results when the 33 month run ended.
711,000 units in 1 month in 1 region.
I can't stop comparing that to the 13.56 million Wii-U systems worldwide. The Switch is still going incredibly strong after all those years on the market.
Still waiting for a secondhand OLED tablet to be sold on eBay/Amazon/CL/whatever for a reasonable price, so... it'll be a while hurhur.
Otherwise, not interested in this slop of a console that mostly has stuff of zero interest to me. (-:
I’m tempted to double dip and replace my 1st edition Switch.. Love the screen and the white joy cons although I’d probably just get a Split Pad Pro as my drifting joy cons are the reason I gave up on handheld a long time ago.
@IronMan30 I don't know where you were reading that "nobody" bought the OLED model.
@Bret
Twitter, YouTube, Reddit...pretty much any place that isn't too civilized with discussions. Exact same situation with people who complain about Pokémon or NSO; they complain a lot, but they also buy it regardless.
@quigtendo I did that exact thing. Got a decent price for my original switch too so no big loss. In fact, very happy with the huge beautiful Oled screen. 😍
While it's not the "Pro" that many were asking for, I'm certainly not disappointed with my OLED. The blacks and colours just pop so much that it's hard to go back to anything else - I even sometimes play on handheld over my TV for the visuals.
@Friendly Let's face it the majority of people who bought Wii U are those who had not own a Wii yet, bought it for the Nintendo first party games, or bought it just to watch movies on YouTube, Netflix, and/or Hulu. Those who bought the Switch buy it for the hybrid factor, for the games, for the affordability, for the high 1st and third party support, and the easy to access nature of the device.
With a demo being released now and not before launch, suggests that maybe Nintendo expected higher sales.
That said I have not bought MD. And although it looks good on the Oled, playing the demo I thought the controls felt awkward. A bit like Yoshi does playing the N64 version on the Switch.
I was thinking of getting an OLED model when my current Switch gave up the ghost. Which it did about 2 weeks ago. I got it repaired and waiting for it to be delivered, but now I'm more inclined to get one sooner than later (maybe this Xmas.) With their next console still 2 years away, I reckon it's worth it.
It's great the system is so popular
@Zag_Man I feel like better build quality and a vastly superior display you'll be benefitting from for years is worth the upcharge from the V2 if you've held off to this point. I just... can't justify paying the price of a new console for it when I already own one.
@Zag_Man Actually the Switch OLED happen cause Nintendo already got a hold of the new screens, just not the powerful chipset yet. Instead of waiting in line for the upgraded chipset to be available they just upgraded everything except the hardware specs. Had they wait for the upgraded chipset, we would had gotten a more powerful Switch OLED but probably not for this year. With the global chip shortage in effect, every companies had to wait in line for their batch. This is also why the Steam Deck is delay probably not just once, more delays are expected.
I still had the launch Switch, so for me the OLED Switch was a solid upgrade.
Much better screen, double onboard storage (always nice bonus), but most importantly more than three times the battery life!
@zool Nintendo's problem with their games is that they want to force a control scheme on player to encourage them to get use to. Metroid Dread even though it's a 3D looking game only feature 2D gameplay thus even with this fact they still force you to use the analog stick for control rather than the d-pad, a control method which doesn't work well with 2D as the d-pad control makes the 2D gameplay feel more native and enjoyable.
@Specter_of-the_OLED it really doesn't. The analogue stick works perfectly for this game and the game is better for it
Maybe speedrunners prefer the directional pad but I doubt it.
Moving to OLED screen is a big revision. Sure no updated speed but its a better screen. It may not be as big change as 001 to 101 in GBA SP but it definitely makes games pop up more on handheld mode. People are paying 150-250$ for modded Gameboy's with IPS panels (btw we really need this GB classic edition)
@johnvboy because the general public don't care about a "pro", they only want to play the games.
I'll get my OLED next year. Didn't Nintendo Life and all the press said the OLED was not going to sell anything?
@Specter_of-the_OLED Imagine how limited aiming would feel in Dread if you used a D-Pad though. There are so many moments where you need the precision of a joystick. I never once felt limited by the joystick.
@Edu23XWiiU The general public spends $1k+ on a new iPhone with tiny updates every year. We're in geek culture in 2021, people care.
Why is everyone saying "haha haters look how well it sold" ignoring the fact that over half of the Switches sold in its launch month were NOT the OLED model? Has that ever happened for new hardware before?
@Zag_Man There's even a leak info from a Chinese manufacturer that got the info from Nintendo that the original expected plan was for the system was to have all the features in the bullet point (4K output included) but my guess as to why it got all the rest but not the 4K feature was because of the global chip shortage as that may had been the reason Nintendo choose not to implement the 4K upgrade as they don't want to wait for the upgraded chipset any longer. As you can see from the Reddit post and Spawn Wave's own video that every feature on the bullet point came true, just not the 4K output part though with the info that the new Switch dock and the fact that it came with a 4K ready cable and performance is proof that 4K was going to get implemented, just that they choose not to.
The Switch OLED feature everything on the bullet point just not 4K and the stuff that they did able to upgrade for Switch OLED (bigger screen, better audio, more storage, better kickstand, new dock with LAN support, etc.) are from components they themselves already had parts for which were not affected by the global chip shortage. What I believe happen was that Nintendo originally thought they were going to receive the upgraded chipset this year and sent info to their manufacturers but then when they realize they weren't able to get the chipset until much later, they decided to just launch the Switch OLED with the new screen instead without the hardware upgrade. You could check the info below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGrwObgUk48
https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/nmxqa0/new_switch_revision_details_surface_from_chinese/
https://www.pocket-lint.com/games/news/nintendo/158700-nintendo-switch-oled-dock-is-4k-ready-even-if-the-console-isn-t
@Edu23XWiiU,
Very true, we all have pretty niche views on here, and we then assume everyone else buys things for the same reasons.
@SpaceboyScreams not the Nintendo audience, only a tiny little of it wants something like that, and has that western consumer anxiety thing.
@johnvboy exactly. What everyone wants is to play Nintendo games with the facility the Switch gives, that's all.
@Specter_of-the_OLED the free aiming feature for jumping and shooting wouldn’t work well on the D Pad tho
@SpaceboyScreams
Both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X accounted for well below half of PS4 and Xbox One sales during their respective launch months (November 2016 and November 2017 respectively).
With the OLED model being as supply constrained as it is, it makes even more sense that less than half of overall Switch sales last month were for that model.
The bigger news is that 397,000 non-OLED models were sold in the US in October 2021, which means the Switch very likely outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S even without accounting for the OLED model.
@SpaceboyScreams uh yeah the PS4 still regularly outsells the PS5
@ModdedInkling the vocal group on the internet is often a very small percentage of actual consumers. You can't assume the people complaining online are the same ones buying the stuff.
Not far off a million in the month is marvellous for Metroid. Mmm yes.
Repost for comparisons...
Metroid US launch month sales:
> Metroid Prime: ~363,000
> Metroid Fusion: ~200,000
> Metroid Zero Mission: ~152,000
> Metroid Prime 2 Echoes: ~192,000
> Metroid Prime Pinball: ~6,000
> Metroid Prime Hunters: ~122,000
> Metroid Prime 3 Corruption: ~218,000
> Metroid Prime Trilogy: ~34,000
> Metroid Other M: ~173,000
> Metroid Prime Federation Force: ~30,000
> Metroid Samus Returns: ???
> Metroid Dread: ~854,000
Metroid Dread had a bigger launch than Metroid Prime 1 + 2 + 3 combined.
@DumbElder oh I forget I Can trade in my old one: hadn’t really occurred to me. That sweetens the deal!
@GannonBanned PS4 isn't even close to outselling PS5.
@quigtendo nice, enjoy the OLED! 😘
If I had 350 to burn id get o e to replace my ig switch. The battery life upgrade would be nice. But I use my lite to play portably so if I did have an OLED I couldn't justify even having a switch lite.
@Specter_of-the_OLED With the d-pad free aim would be impossible. The d-pad buttons are also already reserved for other stuff.
@GannonBanned Where do you get that from? The PS4 shipped only 200k last quarter and the PS5 several times more. In Japan and Spain specific numbers are regularly published and the PS4 is practically dead. In the UK and US every month thr Switch, PS5 and XBS are the top three consoles and PS4 is a distant fourth, so low even that it gets almost completely ignored.
The PS4 hasn't outsold the PS5 in any bigger market in any week or month this year.
@SpaceboyScreams,
You are not taking the supply into account, as the OLED has had stock issues, which was very evident in Japan.
@Bret It's all over social media. People insisted nobody wanted this upgrade. I guess time will tell but most people knew that was a ridiculous claim, tbf.
@johnvboy lol, I only half joke about NL's tendencies.
@DumbElder
Dread is fine on analog because the game was designed for it. The game is built around 360 degree movement. It could work with a digital eight direction pad, but it would limit your aiming options.
What would not work is Super Metroid on analog. The game was designed for an eight way directional input method. One could play it with an arcade stick, but I’ve tried Super on analog and it’s impossible to control effectively.
@westman98 preach it, brother!
I fall in the category of purchasing an OLED model as a second console. I just purchased a new TV as well and have hopes of having a LAN party now that I have two TV’s and Switch’s for the holidays
@quigtendo yea! I sold mine (2nd edition) on Craigslist for $250. So $100 for the upgrade was totally worth it for me. Looks great and I love all the little additions. also the joy con connection is not wobbly like my old one. Plus you get a joy con refresh , which new ones cost $80 so considering that it’s a good deal.
@Lalivero
"slop of a console"
Ah, the internet. Where people come to be miserable.
@rallydefault Who's miserable? That half attempt at sarcasm comes across as more miserable; I'm in a good mood and just speaking my exact view on it.
The joy con are still a mess that they vaguely address(ie they don't care) and it has features that should've been there from the jump that are being used to justify a premium price point(when it should be more in line with the current price and slash the og model, if anything).
But hey, it has a nice screen that, barring a pro Switch appearance beforehand, I still want to get a hold of. Where did you get 'misery' out of that? ☠️☠️☠️
I hate Metroid Dread i got my money back the next day a true borefest now the new console i thought about upgrading but i don't do portable much mostly on TV
@Gwynbleidd I don't think Nintendo don't care. Who did high budget 2D games with $60 price nowadays except Nintendo? If anything they're the forefront, and Dread is just not ready.
The game must be launched at the right time and releasing on Switch with high enough install base seems the best option. Samus Returns did gracefully on 3DS considering its end, but bad on overall growth.
We’ve had ours for 14 months. I might have played in in handheld mode 10ish times. I hope others love it in handheld mode but I’m a tv mode guy
@Specter_of-the_OLED The 8bitDo controller lets you use the D-Pad if you prefer playing that way.
Good for Nintendo. Still have no use for an OLED model.
Wake me up when a Switch Pro finally gets announced.
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