Japanese Charts: Nintendo Switch Sports Knocks Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Off The Top Spot

Quadruple digit Japanese Xbox sales?!

I ought to keep my eyes peeled for some flying pig sightings.

That is both hilarious and sad lol

I don't even think the games on number 1 and 2 are fun to play.
I have more fun from other game like Youtubers Life 2.
Also, go PS5 !

It amazes me how well the Switch continues to keep up with these next gen consoles in terms of sales, like, I know you take the console shortage into account but that's still really good.

What would one expect a physical game for Family or sole gaming. Whom would you thing would win-out in the end. I figure any fitness games would always be on top that not unlikely. Take example Ring-Fit that still selling why that is a sport any can take on and have fun and Fitness at the same thing.

oh hey, Momotaro is back on the Top 10 list.

@Silly_G
But PS5 sales in Japan is still way better than XBOX Series.

There's a stain at position 9. Remove it at once.

It makes sense for monster hunter rise to be around 5th on Japanese sale charts.

@Silly_G The Series consoles have been selling much better than the Xbox One which sold very poorly in Japan. Sales are nowhere near the PS5 or Switch of course but it's an improvement compared to a couple years ago.

And cue the whiners in 3…2…1

@Sam_ATLUS : I'm intrigued by what games could possibly be driving these (albeit modest) sales.

@Royalblues,

Just different tastes, Switch sports is just a more accessible game, and as the Xenoblade games have never really been massive sellers, their appeal is pretty niche.

Nothing to do with the fact they are awesome games, just how many people are willing to commit that much time to a game, the Switch userbase is for the most part not your traditional core hobby gamer.

I can’t believe the switch oled has sold way more than the ps5 👀

@Royalblues Maybe they only like to have fun? Their tastes are pretty good, actually.

If it helps provide some insight, I had full intentions to get Xenoblade Chronicles 3 but my Steam Deck had arrived just before it launched which was very distracting and also the initial reviews for XC3 were critical of the performance and graphics, so I figured I'd wait for a patch.

If the r/steamdeck is to be believed, there are a lot of Switch owners that ordered Steam Decks and after they arrive, they commonly mention shelving their Switch for a little while so they can play with their new toy. I don't mean to ruffle feathers, but there is definitely a correlation between Steam Decks finally being shipped and Switch's sales declining a bit, but I'm sure it's only temporary.

On a related note, can anyone confirm if they patched the performance issues in XC3? They described muddy textures and choppy framerates in the first reviews. I was also hoping XC3 would bring back the mech suits from XCX but from what I can tell, they haven't returned.

@Edu23XWiiU,

Ah but that does not follow the formula for some on here, something that you do not personally like is bad, and anyone who likes it is either stupid, a sheep, or has bad taste.

Is this 2 weeks worth of sales? It's got to be, right?

@Silly_G I've not seen an Xbox game in the charts for a long time so I'm going to assume Game Pass is the driving factor, especially with the Series S and the fact Xbox's physical presence is non existent in Japan. The Series S is a small device that is suited for the limited space of Japanese houses and is at a cheaper price point. I do find it interesting while Series S is selling more than the X both seem to be closer to each other while there's a big difference in PS5 consoles physical vs digital.

You hear that, Japan wants something a little LESS meatier

I know the number dropped quite a bit but this is actually the best second week any Xenoblade game has had in Japan. For comparison:

XC2: 19,678

XCDE: 16,786

XC3: 39,529

Great to see Xenoblade 3 doing still doing well. Switch OLED alone sold close to 100,000 units in one week, you love to see it.

Nice to see Live-A-Live still hanging in there. Still Square Enix probably won't be worrying about sales any time soon since after Live-A-Live, the DioField Chronicle and Valkyrie Elysium (not on Switch) are coming next month so more money in their pocket. Then we had Nier Automata and Star Ocean: The Divine Force (not on Switch) in October then Tactics Ogre Reborn and Harvestella (Switch and PC only) in November and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core Remake and Dragon Quest Treasures (Switch exclusive) in December. We got more Square Enix games every month until the end of the year, now that's a win in my book. Totally makes up for the trash that were Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy, Chocobo GP, Balan: Wonderworld, and Babylon's Fall.

@Astral-Grain I didn't read/watch every review of XC3, but I didn't see any putting too much emphasis on performance issues. Even Digital Foundry's analysis was broadly positive.

It's still a Switch game, and looks like one, but it's definitely an improvement over XC2 and XCDE. Handheld is still a noticeable downgrade over docked, but even then it's a marked improvement over its predecessors.

Edit: Also, regarding your other point, these numbers are for Japan, where Steam Deck preorders just opened within the last few weeks. I very much doubt the Steam Deck has had any impact on video game sales there.

ps5 have had some pretty good sales the last few weeks due to availability of there console..

Wow ... so, if we add all numbers considering brands, the Switch is still selling more than triple of what the PS5 is selling.
Of course there´s is a shortage of products in the Japanese market, but considering that the Nintendo Switch was launched 5 years ago, these numbers still impress me. Japanese games really love portability, eh?

I knew a JRPG wasn't going to stay at #1 for too long, so I'm just glad Xenoblade's still up near the top. Even in Japan, casual gamers don't have time for the hundreds of hours of concentrated anime math nonsense that I perpetually crave.

@Astral-Grain Don't think there have been any patches past day one, and I doubt there are going to be any texture updates, though I'd say they look good besides a few really zoomed in or really zoomed out shots. As for performance, I've only noticed slowdown while it's raining in wide open areas. I did start occasionally running into this random hitching thing like 70 hours in, but even that's pretty rare. And for cool mechs, there are plenty to see, but as far as I know, all you get to drive is a boat. The giant purple things that remind me of your namesake are about as close as you get to X's mechs, and they're combat-only.

@Vortexeo This is for two weeks combined. The second and third week.

@Olliemar28 You should mention that these charts are for two weeks and not just one.

@GrailUK Yes it is.

@FroZtedFlakerZz console shortages also applies to Nintendo

Also laughing at the meltdown about Switch Sports doing amazing.

It’s a casual game that hits the casual gamer audience niche quite well. Not everyone’s game taste will be Xenoblade.

Just because there isn’t a certain minigame you personally love or that there isn’t a tacked on 20 hour story mode doesn’t diminish that it’s still a fun pick-up-and-play casual game for the whole family.

The faster people realize this the better so they can stop being surprised when Switch Sports eventually hit a million

@Vortexeo glad to hear it, I'm hopeful that in the long run XC3 will bring in record Xeno series sales, it deserves it. Gotta wonder if the franchise will continue with the Xenoblade Chronicles name after this game or if they will switch to a totally new storyline and name so that the number doesn't scare people off

@Astral-Grain
SteamDeck has shipped under 100,000 units worldwide thus far. It's impact on Switch is minimal. Switch sales are declining because it is now a 5 (soon to be 6) year-old platform.

Also, the SteamDeck hasn't even released in Japan, and when it does, it will almost certainly fail spectacularly due to its ridiculous Japanese pricing - the cheapest SteamDeck will cost 2× more than the standard Switch (¥60000 vs ¥30000).

@Ham-n-jam I'm hoping they port XCX next and then continue that storyline. It really feels wrong to have that game lost to time because of the shutdown in March 2023 (sure there's still physical copies but physical had 10GB of downloadable packs on the eshop to improve the experience which would be gone in March 2023). Even if the shutdown wasn't happening I'd love to have it ported but the shutdown makes it even more important.

@westman98 May I ask where you're getting your numbers?

You think the Steam Deck, a console that has been shipping thousands of units per week since February (6,400 per week as of June) has only shipped 100K units across the entire globe to date?

Also, I want to point out, again, that I own both consoles. I have no loyalty to one or the other and both are fun to play, so I'm not sure where you're coming from with your anti-Steam Deck/Pro-Switch sentiments. Valve made a portable console and they have a built in fanbase of millions, there's nothing anyone can do about that and competition is good for the consumer - it means you get better products and aren't forced into monopolies.

If you want to pretend the Steam Deck isn't competition for Switch, despite being the only other competitive portable console on the market, and pretend they've only shipped 100k units in 6 months, well - that's on you I suppose.

Be well.

@Anachronism That was a lot more insight than I was expecting, thank you!

I'm still not completely finished with XC1 or XC2, but I see no other reason not to pick it up. I should probably grab a physical copy before they skyrocket.

Thank you again!

@DJDM Thank you for confirming!

That's an excellent point, we really don't know how Japan will react to the Steam Deck and it could be a complete flop. Curious to see how it does.

My statement was more referring to the recent articles pointing out that XC3 isn't remaining in the top selling games, despite being highly anticipated and from a great developer. I felt bad because I had full intention to buy it back in March/April but priorities changed when I got my Deck.

I still have full intention to pick this one up, maybe the reviews I saw were overly harsh on the performance/graphics.

@Astral-Grain https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/06/steam-deck-shipments-more-than-double-this-week-so-lets-estimate-how-many/

The 77,000 estimate is from June so it should be at ~100,000 by now.

@westman98 Oh dear.

You referenced an article that was admittedly guessing the numbers because they don't actually know and they relied on a survey that has (again, admittedly) incomplete data.

The referenced article also includes an entire section dedicated to assuring readers the Switch isn't being impacted and their baby is safe. It's a pandering article, isn't this exactly what a Nintendo Switch fan would want to hear about their competitor portable console?

I'm sorry you relied on this article as if it were factual in any way.

Again, be well.

Kirby ATFL is probably gonna pass 1 million in Japan alone! It'll probably take until Nov/early holiday season to reach that milestone.

A little low sales wise for Xenoblade 3, but it's a hard to pick up series, especially for newcomers. At this rate the game will probably have 1-1.5 million sales worldwide which is respectable but not quite matching the 2+ million sales of XBC 2.

@Astral-Grain
Even if the Steam hardware survey under-reported the number of SteamDeck users by a whopping 80%, that's still <500,000 units sold.

And I'm not sure why you interpreted my comments as denigrating the SteamDeck or protecting the image of the Switch? I am pointing out that a niche product like the SteamDeck has a negligible impact on the current commercial performance of the Switch. Nowhere did I say that the SteamDeck is a bad piece of hardware.

And also, this article is about Switch sales in Japan, a region where SteamDeck hasn't launched (and where it will likely fail when it does launch there due to the very high regional pricing).

@Grumblevolcano I played XCX when it came out, wasn't the biggest fan tbh because of stuff like the tonal shift with the more edgy(?) gloomy world design and soundtrack, the silent protag, and the story is a really mixed bag. So personally I'd prefer Monolith to work on something new more akin to the mainline series, I also just dunno if they can continue on from where XCX left off in an interesting way (despite the cliffhanger ending lol). If they were able to get another dev to handle the port to free up Monolith that'd be sweet tho, I'd give it another go.

That being said, my flatmate replayed XCX on an emulator recently, and holy ****, it's so much nicer to play, got a good res bump and 60fps made it feel buttery smooth. Honestly, that's the best way of preserving XCX at this point.

Nintendo really rules in Japan the only spot in the top ten not owned by the switch is 9 with gran Turismo 7 on ps5.

@westman98 It's hard to know why these made up figures would matter so much to you, especially if you say you believe the Steam Deck isn't a threat.

Oh well, here's hoping the next Nintendo console is still portable and better than the Steam Deck

@Astral-Grain
Steam hardware surveys aren't made up. The arstechnica estimate can certainly be debated, but it's not exactly a stretch to say that very few people own the SteakDeck hardware based on the surveys.

Japanese PC gamers have historically been slow to warm up to Steam (or the idea of a PC as a replacement for console or handhelds, as opposed to its own unique ecosystem) in general. To take a non-Nintendo example, the biggest Steam launch in Japan in the past has been Monster Hunter World; yet its sales on Steam in Japan pale in comparison to the PS4 version.

@westman98 to be seen as criticising the Steam Deck is up there with not being interested in Elden Ring. A world of wrath awaits… 😂

@westman98 Your words become useless if they lack conviction.

Here you are insisting the Steam Deck isn't even a threat while simultaneously reciting the same made up figures and talking points from a news outlet that is clearly pandering to Nintendo fans scared of any competition.

When you see that the way I do, maybe you'll have a laugh about it

Also good to see Momotaro resurfaced. I guarantee Konami aren’t desperately trying to recoup their losses for the amount of graphical fidelity they threw at it…

@Astral-Grain
Nothing is being made up, and nobody is pandering to Switch fans.

Saying that the SteamDeck isn't a juggernaut success that is "threatening Nintendo" is not the same as insulting the SteamDeck or the people who own one.

@westman98 I'll bet the world looks much prettier behind those rose tinted glasses you're wearing.

I have said all I wanted to say to you, and would thank you to not call my name again.

@johnvboy Couldn't have describe them better man!

Steam Deck isn't a threat to the switch at all, completely different target audiences

Casual gamers likely don't even know what a Steam Deck is

Hello @westman98

I don't normally reply to a comment months later, but I watched a video that reminded me of this conversation and wanted provide you with corrected info since you may still be relying on that article you mentioned, which is unfortunately false.

The article you referenced stated only 100k Steam Deck units had been shipped as of June 2022.

However, KDE recently confirmed Steam Deck has shipped more than 1 million units, per this article with included video: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2022/10/kde-steam-deck-akademy-2022/

This isn't an "I told you so" or anything of that nature, it's just sharing correct information to prevent the spread of misinformation.

I hope it helps!