Japanese Charts: What Successor? Switch Hardware Sales Top 100,000

"Spare a thought for PS5 and Xbox"

Nah. I'm fine.

I don’t know why, because it won’t affect my personal life in the slightest, and I think console wars are dumb (because choice and competition is good for us consumers), but still: I’m rooting for the Switch to become the best selling console of all time.

Come on, Nintendo!

It's amazing to see how much this family of systems keeps on selling despite already having sold so much. I do wonder if it will actually end up taking the top spot of consoles sold. It's got the pace for it!

Why do Microsoft even continue to operate in Japan, 3 series SKUs and still nowhere near even selling 1m units, and probably won't in its lifetime (660k). Impressive numbers for Switch at 35m total.

It seems like there's been a cultural shift in Japan since the days of the PS2 (25m). Since then sony consoles have struggled to hit 10m.

Wow those switch numbers are amazing.
Its crazy to see that the next gen consoles have such low numbers i really taught the numbers where higher.

Love to see the OG Switch break 20 million in Japan. Switch Lite on its own outsold the combined hardware sales of ALL Sony and Microsoft machines… that’s seven different SKUs. Incredible from Nintendo, and big numbers in the software charts as well.

Another clean sweep for Switch with Jamboree having ginormous numbers, and the Switch version of DQ 3-HD looking like it could reach one million in a month or two. Great month for both titles.

"Spare a thought for PS5"
No. Literally not worth the investment. Way too expensive and no games that really justify me buying one.
(Astro Bot is a good contender but I'm not gonna buy a ps5 just for 1 game)

Anyway, abysmal sales for PS5 over Xmas and stellar sales for the Switch.

Next gen is almost a year away (the proverbially nearer revelation will be awesome but literally unplayable) and confirmed to support everything you can enjoy on your new Switch right now, "anywhere, anytime, with anyone". On the other hand, we have a confirmed format heritage ("Switch next model") which, coupled with BC and the fact that even Switch Lite retained separate connectivity, gives a reason to speculate backward joy-con compatibility (even if for the pastgen titles and sans handheld mode), so a Switch investment may further facilitate the local multiplayer sessions even on the successor. And it's also not a pure TV-chained box, so even the future competition for the living room space isn't remotely as topical as it can be in PlayBox country. I could go on but needn't.

@stuie1234 even if you're through with your backlog, there are holiday sales on both sides of the pond now where a KFC lunch or even a mere coffee's cost could easily leave you busy until the successor release, not to mention the announcement. And that's without touching other hobbies.

@Friendly Switch is arguably the most game-changing console since Nintendo DS (which appropriately held the crown for a while before the initially lukewarm interest in PS3 and Blu-Rays boosted PS2 a hop, skip and jump past it), and it's close to replicating/beating the records without reliance on extra functionality of the two reigning champions. Keeping fingers crossed for it is unsurprising.

@The-Chosen-one there are no next gen consoles in this chart whatsoever, though.🤔

"Nintendo's gamble to save its 'Switch 2' announcement for the New Year"

Its not a gamble, they know exactly what they are doing! They announce it at the end of March (after Xenoblade), maybe even later. Might get released in the summer, or maybe even as late as the winter.

And I would laugh my ... off if it turns out to be something totally different from the Switch! Accesory makers, you probably made the wrong accesories lol!

@Henmii I'm fairly sure they'll announce it January particularly if these leaks are true. You can understand that they didn't want to hurt the Christmas sales, but there's really no reason not to announce it any time from now onwards, especially if there are elements of it they want to keep under wraps and real for themselves. Games like Xenoblade X and Metroid 4 could easily be cross gen

@JohnnyMind The top 30 is also all Switch too

I think the Switch will have had a strong holiday accross all territories. There are new people wanting their first console being born every year (much like a new school year wanting to play GTA and Call of Duty haha!) Switch really has a unique place in the console market without any competition (even though the pedantic amongst you will cite Steam Deck and Rogue Ally etc - but if you think that is competetion then there is no helping you.)
I've been gaming since Space Invaders and I don't recall a company ever replacing their current system with another whilst hardware and software sales are so high (and I don't mean first place, I mean high!) and the thing hasn't even had a price drop (although current inflation my equate to one maybe.)
There seems to be an internet concensus that the Switch will disappear once Switch 2 releases but I don't see it going anywhere at this rate. Unless the Switch 2 completely absorbs what the Switch 1 can do and can be sold for a similar cost. In which case, fine, makes sense. But they will be supporting Switch regardless for year or 2 at the very least. And Nintendo would have knocked it out of the park forcasting the Switch life cycle.
(I would be very surprised if we get a reveal in the come down month of January - to me this just reeks of more carrot dangling so folk watch Switch 2 videos in January and keep the grift alive.)
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Can't wait for 2025!

@Friendly Records are made to be broken. I'm all for it. It feels especially good for Nintendo because Wii U flopped and the Switch is truly awesome. But to be honest, I would be excited for a record break no matter what console did it.

At this rate, the next "consoles" will merely be variants of the current hardware.

Now gimme that Switch OLED XL and Switch Micro!

How does Jamboree sell this much in Japan? I thought of it as a rigged slog of a game. Turns take forever to get through and most victories and defeats feel completely undeserved, even for other players. It’s unfair, even for Mario Party standards. And then Pro rules just strips out the luck-based elements and focuses on skill. Except you now automatically lose a star for landing on a Bowser space. Not to mention the fact that Mario Party isn’t fun without some dumb luck and misfortune every now and then. But then again, it’s not very fun when a ton of crap happens every ten seconds! And the side modes range from just ok to “They sacrificed minigames for this?” Seriously, Rhythm Kitchen is the same thing as Sound Stage, just not as visually and musically pleasing. And most of the minigames suck lemons. They’re either completely luck based, rigged, too skillful, or just boring. And they either last for three seconds or three minutes. The boards are okay, except Mario Rainbow Castle and King Bowser’s Keep. They’re either completely Jamboree Buddy system is terrible. Why do you have a limited amount of turns to reach a jamboree buddy, just to trigger a stupidly long minigame, all to win a buddy that will likely be stolen from you in the next turn? Stupid. Also, Impostor Bowser… WHY?! How many impostor Bowsers have there been? Why do they feel the need to shove it in your face, saying “This isn’t Bowser, moron, it’s Impostor Bowser!” Maybe this is all just me, but Superstars will always be the better Mario Party. Heck, even the original Super Mario Party is better, and heck, even (yes, I’m serious) Star Rush was better than this! That had a better reason to exist. For a handheld Mario Party, it did the job of being entertaining, which is more than I can say about Jamboree… know what? I should probably just make my own website or YT channel for game reviews. Sorry to keep you reading for an eternity…wait… OH NO! The Jamboree curse of slow-pacing has fallen upon me! I shall have to perform the ritual for freeing myself from this curse. I must burn my copy of Jamboree while playing that bongo minigame from one of the GameCube era Mario Parties irl while reciting the name of every minigame in every Mario Party, ever. No, I will not post footage. Oh wait… you know, maybe going all-digital wasn’t such a great idea. Well, I’ll just have to put up with taking forever to do anything for the rest of my life.

I’m surprised to see the plain Switch selling so well. If you want the best high end screen you go OLED, if you want the cheapest Switch you go Lite, which is about half the cost.

Switch prices in Japan in Yen (that google said)

OLED 37,000
Switch 30,000
Lite 20,000

Just realized if those prices are accurate Japan is doing really well with their conversion rate on Switch prices. US prices converted would be 50% more than that. So now I’m wondering if Google mislead me. Maybe I should ask Siri instead?😂

Those Xbox sales continue to be abysmal even over Christmas 😬.

With how popular the Switch is it makes sense why Nintendo is taking their time with the Switch 2. They need to make sure they have enough console stock ready for launch as its going to sell out in days and infact I can already tell it's going to break all sorts of sales records for a new console.

As long as Switch remains the cheapest option, it will keep selling. And seeing how prices are developing, Switch will be the cheapest console in the market for the next 3 to 4 years.
The 3/2ds lived 3 more years after Switch was released. 3/2ds was really cheap and had a great library. If I remember correctly the 2DS that looked like a doorstop was sold at 80 bucks. Amazing price. Lite will probably turn into that highly demanded product. It won't be at 80, but 150 is feasible.
According to Statista, in 2017, the 3/2ds sold 7,27 million units. in 2018, 6.4 and in 2019, 2.55 million. The years that 3/2ds coexisted with Switch, it sold 17 million units. And that, for a system that sold half of what Switch sold (more or less). Meaning that numbers will probably be the same, if not higher.
We tend to think that everyone already owns this system, but a kid that was born when Switch was released is turning now 7, soon 8. That' s a new "customer". When I became a father, Switch was already around. My son plays with one of the many systems I own and really enjoys the system (thank you, LABO). If I wouldn't be a gamer, I would definitely buy him a Switch lite, would definitely not choose a 500 bucks PS5. When Switch 2 releases, Switch will probably remain as the cheapest option for young kids that want a gaming device. If Switch dethroning the PS2 is a thing for you, do not worry, it will happen, even if Sony keeps updating their "final" sales.

Interesting sales numbers, I wonder how the split looks globally.
And if Xbox sales sit in third place globally.
It really feels like the world has moved to a 2 console market now.

Do we think the Switch is actually going to manage to take top selling console of all time spot by the end of its life?

@RetroGames tricky one as the PS2 numbers keep getting revised every time the Switch gets near. I said before it’s like the troll checkpoint in Super Mario 3D World that runs away as soon as you get near it. 😀

Nintendo's discipline is crazy good. A lesser company would have caved to fan demand of making more announcements, or caved due to the leaks, or caved due to people thinking their holiday sales on a console so old couldn't possibly be this good. Transitioning from a wildly successful console is a whole different challenge from trying to win everyone back from a flop and the gradual calculated way they're winding the Switch down is impressive.

Wow even now Super Mario Party Jamboree still had not beat Dragon Quest III total unit sale despite still being at the top of the chart. I don't know if that's even possible, how do one stay at the top of the chart for this long and still not beat DQIII?

@rjejr Guessing it's us mainly docked players still buying the original.

The sales from Nintendo Switch Oled, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch are still great. Will Nintendo Switch 2 get this same numbers from Nintendo Switch? İt looks very difficult.
Nintendo Switch is still going amazing.

Compared to last week: Switch OLED and OG are slightly down, Switch Lite is way up, PS5 got a decent bump as did the the Digital Edition. XBox Series X - Digital (surprisingly?) doubled sales from the week before.

Also, people talking about Christmas as a sales driven here. I lived in Japan for 5 years and I don't remember Christmas being a gift giving holiday. Certainly not like the massive, soul-defiling consumerism of North America. Sometimes people ate cake. That was about it Maybe things have changed and some of you know better than I.

@RetroGames Yeah. It's absolutely nowhere near the sales usually associated with a next gen console arriving. (In Japan, where it's usually more transparent, a Playstation console typically sells about 3 to 4k units a week when a new console arrives - not the 60k Switch manages!)

@Selim Switch 2 is going to break records out of the gate. To hit Switch numbers over it's lifespan, it's going to have to maintain it for as long as the Switch has. And that depends on the library dunnit. (aaaand competition from the other two that will eat into the market somewhat.)

@Purgatorium Japan’s big week is Golden Week I believe, where sales all round get a massive bump, hardware and software, or maybe I’m confusing this with something else. Possibly lol

This is impressive, I hope the Switch does surpass the PS2 and Sony's phony numbers.

But I would like to see global sales if possible.

Wasn't it last year that the DSi or something managed to get back on to the charts with like 2 units sold or something?

PS4 is right on the cusp of 8 million! 😋

Switch 2 ahoy! Can't wait. 😁

@Anti-Matter it could be one console sold a week and you'd be happy...

@Morph Well Sony pretty much abandoned Japan. They used to cater to them while also catering to the west with some tittles. In their mind, catering more to the west will be more profitable. So far that has not worked out specially with the last tittle Concord where they spend 200 million$. Abandoning Japan pretty much gave Nintendo the upper hand in console sales as well as game sales. Almost every Top 10 sales chart is full of Nintendo Switch games. I say let Sony/ Microsoft fail so they can rebuild again and make it better, just like how Nintendo failed with the Wii U and then followed it up with the Switch

Sadly I'm norepinephrine curious about the 44 PS4's that was sold.

PS4 is still for sale new there?

@SillyG the OLED XL..... awesome! Seems the Switch² will be just that.... as for the switch micro? Uhmmm, isn't that what the Switch lite is? Ever try to play a text heavy ported RPG there? Even with the junky magnify feature of the double home key press makes it cumbersome.

We don't need a smaller Switch in any capacity.... use an emulator on your phone for that.... oh yeah, that's probably still larger than the switch life's screen

@Friendly Because Switch is one of the best consoles ever made

@Shiro28 Sony no longer caters in ‘tittles’ 🤓

The Switch has the potential to be the best-selling console of all time. The Switch 2 has the potential to be the greatest console of all time.

I know Christmas isn't Golden Week when it comes to sales, but man. Press F in respect for Xbox.

Yup, looks like Nintendo made the right call waiting until the new year to reveal the Switch 2. Especially with the solid software lineup they had to finish the year out(Zelda, Mario Party, M&L) and even taking the lion's share of DQ3 sales.

@WiltonRoots Quite true. Lol

In Japan Nintendo is still leading the game. The pass off to switch 2 will just be so unfair to the other two consoles next year. But they have not much that appeals to Japan coming up. Maybe some ps5 games but even those will probably only be on top for a week and still in the top 10 for maybe three weeks.

@Morph The PS2 sold around 21.8 million units in Japan.

@StewdaMegaManNerd Sorry to those I’ve offended; I learned that the bongo minigame was from the N64 era (it’s the one where you get fire arrows shot at you if you fail). Speaking of brutal punishments, that’s another complaint I have about Jamboree: why aren’t the losers executed at the end like they are in Superstars and some others?

@riderkicker I was gonna say just that. The OLED never had any appeal to me cause I love docked play.

@Antraxx777 Ah the grammar police is here. The only way you feel relevant. Pick up a typo and make fun of it 🤡

Yet again Nintendo surprises no one with a knowledge of history as they will always maximise sales of a successful system. There's no gamble to that, only common sense! If you announce something before the holiday sales period, people will hold their money for that newer and better product.

The question remains as to how long Nintendo persist with the Switch. Again, look to history, look to their own words. By the end of March 2025 is when they will make an "announcement about the successor". Not a reveal. Not a release. An announcement. If we get the "traditional" Direct in late January (Nintendo already broke their tradition by skipping the September Direct), we might only get basic information, and the timing of the reveal. That Direct will be mostly about games, and potentially Metroid Prime 4 to renew excitement for Switch owners. None of the "leaks" (which are mostly unofficial fabrications and speculation) prove anything. Nintendo act on their own schedule, period.

lol Switch 100k+ and another 30/30 sweep. Old man system still acting like he is in his prime.

I saw a good number of PS5 sales this week.
15K this week, a little better than last week and still quite a favorite console in Japan despite being on number 3.
I don't understand why people here keep talking trash about PS5 sales just because Switch sales overshadowed PS5 sales.
PS5 is a great machine for me to play my 3rd party kids games with better performance than the Switch version and I really enjoyed my The Sims 4 PS4 on my PS5 machine with boosted performance and faster loading time.
I saw PS5 as a great machine to play.

@Anti-Matter As many others have tried to hint before in harmless jest, PS5 gets called out mainly because you keep posting that it is doing well with the same comment every week.

Although the PS5 is a great console for you and that is totally fine, looking at the bigger picture, it's not doing that well this gen in Japan or globally compared to previous generations.

If someone keeps saying it's doing well when it isn't, people will counter those comments in reply.

People rarely bash the Xbox on here because no one is constantly saying it is doing well.

Read between the lines my friend.

@Anti-Matter because most of us here are not going to buy a ps5 in order to buy mediocre toddler games for it. All you do is repeat the same comment every time someone even mentions the ps5. It's okay if you like the system but we really don't need to read an entire paragraph on why you like it every.single.time.
Have a good day and I hope this comment makes you understand 🫡

@Anti-Matter read my comment and have a think.

Inadvertently, you are the one fuelling the bashing of the PS5.

I'm not trying to be mean or have a go at you. I'm subtly trying to hint to you as to why these comments are here.

Well, 44 unit from PS4 sales.
I understand the situation.
Keep survive, PS4.

Between the 3 SKUs Nintendo has sold around 35 Million Switch Units.

That's 1 Switch for every 3.5 people in Japan.

For context JUST in Japan the Switch has sold (in millions)

1 - ~85% of the population of Canada. (34/40)
2 - ~ 225% of the entire world's Jewish population. (34/15)
3 - ~ 5% of every left handed person in THE WORLD. (34/800)
4 - ~ 1 Switch for every 7,500 wild tigers in the wild. (34m/4.5k)

@WiltonRoots,

You sound so cynical........ just like me then. Hope you had a great crimbo mate.

@johnvboy All good mate was at my mum's for 3 days, bingeing on beige food, drinking far too much and watching hundreds of films. Wouldn't swap it for the world. Hope you had a great one too...all the best John.

The only thing the Switch is missing is trophies/achievements. I would consider playing 3rd party games on Switch instead of my PS5 (If possible) if they have kind of a trophy system.

@Aezetz No thank you. Last thing need Nintendo need is internet d*** swinging.

@GrailUK Could be private so small dickies stay private.

All jokes aside, there's something great about trophies (especially platinum) and tbh it could stay private and probably would be better for the 'community' as well.

@Aezetz My biggest gripe with achievements is playing outside the box (which folk tend to do when they are passionate about a game) and you think you have done something really cool, but then an achievement pops up and you realise the devs meant it. It kinda shatters that personal achievement of finding something or doing something high skill. And look at Mario games, they let you play how you like and showboat depending on your level of skill. And I think achievements kinda dilute that freedom of expression in a way. Hope that makes sense. Basically, I hate being told how to play. But yeah, I get some folk do like them.

@Morph,

Sure, but I still think Januari is to soon for them. Mark my words, they will wait.

@WiltonRoots,

After Christmas dinner I was sprawled out on the couch, just like a python.