Switch 2 Sales In The US Are Outpacing The Original Console By 75%

the first year it was hard to get a switch so this comparison means nothing

As a core Nintendo fan there wasn’t any doubt I would buy the Switch 2 early, especially with the price around the world in the future being uncertain.

But I question if the pace of ‘Nintendo-esque’ games and the prices will slow sales for less than rabid fans.

The number of disappointed gamers is growing nicely..

Funny, because I feel like I hardly know anyone who has one. Besides myself, I mean. But it was the same story for the first year of the Switch, as well.

@Dr_Corndog that likely means the market has expanded

I finally saw some Switch 2 units out in the wild a couple days ago. When I got mine, I arrived at just the right time for employees to bring the systems out of storage early in the morning. Hopefully more people who want one won't have to actively hunt it down like I did.

Maybe some of these devs can actually start putting some games on it, I've been playing my Steam Deck Oled probably 90% of the time still just because there's next-to-nothing from third parties on the Switch 2 yet.

I mean, by the sales alone Nintendo clearly doesn't need them but it would be nice to see.

Good good. That line is going up nicely.

But the internet says this is another Wii U!

I really don't think it will struggle to stay popular.

Sure anything could happen, but most consoles don't usually just drop off in sales the way a game might. The PS5 sold 282K in Japan in the time as the Switch 2 sold 1.85 million. Six and a half times the performance is probably not going to be a blip, even if it doesn't quite outsell the SW1 it will probably be the most successful Hybrid/home consoles besides the PS2 and Switch.

So are we saying 10m by xmas?
Are they actually gonna miss the year end target of 15m by end March or smash it?

And in six years when its doing well "Well its still too early to tell compared to xyz"

Most of the people who bought Mario Kart World probably sold it. Most of the sales are probably parents buying it for their spoiled kids. Most of the sales are just incel man babies with unlimited income anyway. My friend doesn't have a Switch 2 so I suspect these sales aren't real. Next month there's going to be a huge crash because I did the math and that's when all the bootlickers will have gotten theirs.

The salt flows so freely whenever Nintendo does well.

That's good news, but Nintendo is gonna need to keep the momentum by releasing AAA games that have yet to come to the system. Now if only they can announce a mainline Mario game in the coming months...

This is bad news, right? Either that or it doesn’t mean anything, too early to tell, or sales are going to drop off a cliff any… second… NOW! Right? RIGHT?! lol looking forward to getting my self one.

@jojobar Are we gonna say the same thing for COVID year for S1 which was an anomaly in its favor when we compare that year benchmark with S2 as well? Or is this strictly the S2 downplay game?

@Lord This is just US, the 15M goal is worldwide. Well on pace to hit target.

I wish the best for Switch 2's success, but I do think that the current economy will mean that sales slow down after a while, especially if there's a price increase in the future. Just speculation on my part.

I'm wishing the console all the best, but at the moment I'm just asking myself.....

Why?

If you ask me, there's really not that much reason to go for a Switch 2 yet. Some days I'm even wondering why I, as a long term Nintendo fan, have gotten one already.

Hoping that rumored Nintendo Direct will swing this thought right around and tell me "THIS is why".

@jsty3105 TBH it means nothing on its own, because it's anecdotal. I just felt like saying something.

@Serpenterror "I had a feeling 40% of those were either scalpers that can't even resold the system or are people who got their Switch 2 brick only to rebuy another one." that's what some said for the first few million sold too. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Think they'll continue to say it even after the 10M mark

Sure am looking forward to some games that weren't originally developed for S1...

I’ve played far more Switch 1 games on my Switch 2 than S2 games so far.

That's cool. Still not buying it though, but good on anyone who's enjoying it.

This is great news, really enjoyed mine but it took a month for me to really appreciate the purchase, Nothing on launch felt like an upgrade over the Switch but then Donkey Kong came along. Can't wait for the next Switch 2 only exclusives and push this console to its best, already anticipating the next main Zelda, Xenoblade and Fire Emblem games.

@Deljo my wings are like a shield of steel!!

@Dr_Corndog honestly, i only know one person with a switch

This thing is going to outsell the entire handheld PC market by Christmas.

Increase by 75% is not how numbers work. That would be a decrease. Did you mean to say 175%? I don’t know anyone who owns one and my 8 switch splatoon online friends don’t have one either.

I've been left wanting with the Switch 2. Which is why I was definitely hoping for that general direct.

While the Indie/Partner showcases are neat, I only mainly purchases 1st party games on it so I've been wondering on things like Metroid Prime 4 and other Switch to Switch 2 upgrades.

I've held off on games in my backlog like Mario Wonder, Xenoblade X, Metroid Dread and Astral Chain for the future Switch 2 update. I hope Prime 4 still comes out this year.

@Koda1000 the headline and article says sales are outpacing, not increasing. As in, outperforming compared to this point in Switch 1s time on sale

@Serpenterror I think that number is much less after seeing other software sales. What you’re mentioning is over 800,000 units with the number here. I’d say it’s much less than that.

Also, in Nintendo’s eyes, these were units purchased by retailers, so they’re sold to them. When Nintendo reports the user base in their next quarterly will give a good idea.

People trying to downplay this is quite amusing. Ok, so you and your very small group of friends doesn't have a Switch 2, that doesn't mean it's not selling LOL.

There's like 3 people in my extended family(including mom and dad's side) that are interested in the NFL, that doesn't mean NFL isn't popular. Honestly, wild logic.

Wait, but I thought no one was going to buy the Switch 2 because of Game Key Cards 😂😂😂

@Koda1000 That's how calculating change works. (Sales this year - sales last year) / sales last year. If they sold 175 this year and 100 last year it would be (175 - 100) / 100 = 0.75, indicting a 75% increase year-over-year.

@Deljo Eventually the real big games will come out. I'm underwhelmed myself, but they might be playing it right: Why throw everything at a system that's already selling like crazy? Save the system sellers for when it slows down and needs a boost.

@canaryfarmer Mario Kart and Bananza are fully Switch 2 titles. Not like it’s a cross-gen title like God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, or Metroid Prime 4 were/are.

But yes, we need more games.

@KryptoniteKrunch well I find ANY consideration about this quite amusing. These aren't statistics, there aren't any sampling criteria about the buyers. Personally, I see more and more people spending less on Nintendo games and feeling disappointed because of the prices, whereas a niche is speding more, and I'm saying this as a happy owner of a Switch 2. But this is just a sensation of mine so it still counts zero. Still, there's one thing I'm sure of: nobody will ever do some serious statistics about this topic.

@Untempered-Link PC is such a huge market for games which are all on digital storefronts, and zero people complain about it. The outrage over game-key cards is overstated. If people truly want a game, they will get it in whatever form it’s available.

i for one still have not bought a switch 2. It all comes down to the games, there just isnt enough 1st party games yet imo.

@Dr_Corndog strange everyone I know has one who is a gamer

@kmtrain83 I would like some remakes, either Path of Radiance or Radiant Dawn. Although I can also see them doing something new like an open world or more dungeon exploration expanding on what Echoes did.

Oh no! But the worst parts of Reddit and X and other echo chambers say it isn't selling.

So you're telling me that Switch 2, a successor to one of the best selling consoles of all time, is selling better in the first few months than Switch 1, a console that had distribution/supply issues and was a successor to one of the worst selling consoles of all time.

Who would have knew?!

After a year or two we can see if switch 2 lives up to the switch 1 legacy. But before that Nintendo needs to make some GAMES, bring out the big guns, firepower!

All I need personally is Prime 4 but they need something else for the rest of the year besides that and the next pokemon.

@Yosher I have the switch 2 and really the only game I've been playing on it is Splatoon 3. I haven't tried mario kart or DK yet, but guess I should at some point. haha

But I write to say that for a lot of people maybe there isn't much of a reason, but just playing splatoon 3 on Switch 2, I notice a lot of details in the characters and their wardrobes I didn't notice on the OLED. I know that's a minimal thing, but that game is all about the vibe, it's cool to see.

Also, I feel lucky to have gotten one. I tried online every day and no luck. Didn't have them in Best Buy or Target either. But, just happened to find one in Nintendo New York. I think if they had more systems, they would have already sold 5 million.

B-b-b-but if it’s just a better Switch and it’s called Switch 2 it’s going to faaaaaaail!!!!!

I just don't get the denial. Switch is super successful. And make no mistake, Switch 2 is still riding that train...only sitting in first class lol.

@MrGawain what have rabbid fans got to do with it? 🤭

@GrailUK People prefer to hear bad news for some strange reason.

@VoidPunk Well, nobody knows about things like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally X… everyone and their mom knows about Nintendo😂

Glad to see the console’s doing well. Hope everyone who has one is enjoying it so far!

I am only mad at how quickly the switch 2 disabused me of my “keep using switch” idea. I still gotta set up my OLED but I must say switch 2 is the ideal size for my eye. Makes me wanna play everything. gotta get my TVs set back up sooner than later.

People crack me up with their comments & theories. Numbers don’t lie, whether you don’t know anyone who has one or not makes no matter, they’ve sold the systems to someone. Doesn’t have to be anyone you know to count. 🤣

"Had gotten off"? As a British website and therefore custodians off the English language, please do better than this debased Americanised version. Instead of "had gotten off to a pretty strong start", try "launched with a pretty strong start", or simply "had a very strong launch". I grew up in an era where any utterance of "gotten" would be swiftly rebuked by teachers and my mother with "there's no 'gotten' in the English language". Thankfully you didn't add "of" after "off", which the latest nasty habit from the US. Anyway... 🤗

I agree that the future sales performance will be more interesting to watch. Clearly, Nintendo were able to fulfil their promise of meeting all the immediate demand in the early weeks, so will now want to capitalise on that (or "capitalise off of that" for some Americans 🤭). They will get a surge leading into Christmas and expect to reach 15 million sales by the end of March. They are about half way there with seven months to go.

Edit:
Obviously the hysteria over the high prices amounted to nothing. 🤣

Seriously, this is a lesson to not take the internet seriously. Seriously! Voices are easily amplified and are often not representative of the majority or even the target demographic. The most epic of whingers were likely never buyers, while those inclined to buy felt no need to comment. Passion drives our desire to comment, and there's nothing more passionate in existence than the human rage machine.

im enjoying my switch 2 currently playing bananza but seriously why do some haters want to ruing everyones moods by being salty.

Not sure why....there isn't hardly $%*& to play on it. Couldn't imagine its because of Nintendo withholding S2 dev kits from 3rd parties. Don't shoot the messenger....I'm just stating what the strong rumors are currently.

@kmtrain83 I guess Mario Kart and DK really just have that kind of attraction power to them. Mostly Mario Kart probably though, but to have these two games be the main reasons for this kind of early momentum is really insane, haha.

@SoIDecidedTo The Switch 2 updates are nice for sure (even the unintended ones where games simply load faster), but do you think that's enough reason for a lot of people to upgrade? I guess it could be in combination with other things, but I don't think many would upgrade to a new expensive system just to make out some extra detail in clothing in Splatoon.

In any case, I'm glad you managed to nab one and that the little details make you happy regardless! Though I do hope you'll get more out of it than just Splatoon 3 as well. Anything that's announced so far for Switch 2 that's caught your eye?

"Why pay $400 for an OLED when you can save up an extra $50 for the successor, right?"

OLED in US costs $300 in Walmart, so no.
Switch 2 is $499.

@KociolekDoSyta

I think they are selling existing stock which they have decent amounts of at the original price but after a few months when they have sold existing stock and have to buy new stock prices will increase presumably. Retailers don't always react to price increases if the product in question has low sales volume. I imagine the price will increase as the trade price on their stock goes up.

Competition is a lot harder now, though. With all those Switch clones. Although I doubt they can really compete with Nintendo, because of their exclusives.

What the big N needs to do now is ramp up game production and give me a new Fire Emblem and Xenoblade!

@BonzoBanana That might be the case, but also Switch 2 is not $450 anymore as it's stated in the article. Target doesn't even have them. It's $499 or even more, so it's not +$50 as stated even compared to Switch 1 (just a reminder that Walmart has a lot of them for $300 at this moment) with the new price. I just want to read how it is now in reality and not what it'll be in a couple of months. Right now difference in price between both Switches ins US is actually huge. That's $200 we're talking about.

Here in the UK there seems to be plenty of Switch 2 stock and the UK is one of the better markets for Nintendo in Europe but nowhere is as good for Nintendo as the US not even Japan. When Switch launched there were real stock issues in the UK. People were really struggling to get them and waiting for stock to arrive for many months. In fact I seem to remember even many months later for Christmas it was hard to get a Switch and that was like 8-9 months later. Of course Christmas is a time of very high demand for many products but still Nintendo was struggling for a year to provide enough hardware.

I think its difficult to judge what is really happening over the whole world with Switch 2 sales in comparison with Switch 1 at the same point. As stock seems easily available here in the UK it could be a slow down in sales or could simply be Nintendo are better at supplying stock this time around.

From a consumer perspective we want it to struggle a little bit so Nintendo are forced to be more competitive and bring down prices but we also don't want it to bomb either which would destroy confidence in the format. I guess I'd like to see it do reasonably well but trail behind the sales of Switch 1. It feels like that is what it is doing in the UK at the moment. I suspect US and Japanese sales are much stronger.

According to YouTube, nobody is buying it anymore.

@breach187 wow crazy considering they have the same number of games

Oh wait...NintenDOOMed fandom says sales are slumping.....and will die out....

@outsider83

I must admit I googled weekly sales figures for Switch 2 consoles but not much useful information came back. It was all old news and not relevant to what I searched for. Maybe there are trade sites behind a paywall that have the figures but nothing easy to find. The best I guess is VGChartz estimates but that is what they are and are often wrong and wildly out but then corrected later. In the absence of real information this creates a vacuum for lots of different opinions to fill the void.

You would expect a dramatic slow down though at this point, its pretty much been out for 3 months and it should go fairly low until the build up for Christmas.

Looking on ebay uk there are lots of switch 2 consoles both new and secondhand. Looking at completed auctions prices seem decent but no success for scalpers it seems which is good. There is a 20% off code for some retailers so a chance of getting a s/hand model for about 340 but quidco (cashback site) was offering 5% at ebay a day or so ago so maybe if you timed it right could have had one for about 320 pounds.

Definitely doesn't seem like a console either failing or in huge demand here. Prices aren't tanking but stock is easy to find.

There has been some huge reductions on new Switch 2 releases but these are third party multi-format titles on game key cards almost exclusively.

It doesn't feel like the success of the Switch 1 to me here but that is just my gut instinct I guess and may simply be because Nintendo has provided a lot more stock this time around. It's clear a huge amount of people are selling their Switch 2s after just weeks of using them but then that might be perfectly normal and happened for Switch 1 too and other consoles.

@BonzoBanana I’ve always thought the UK was more into the PlayStation. From my perspective, since the days of the original Wii (when I started paying attention to weekly sales), Nintendo has done pretty well in the UK. However, their strongest markets were the US and Japan.

I'm from the US. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Honestly, I'm surprised by the success of the Switch 2. I forgot the system had come out the day it was released. Like you, I felt things were different. The hype was palpable when the Switch was released.

@Yosher I have the Donkey Kong game and I'm really looking forward to starting it, but I want to wait until I have a whole weekend to get into it. So probably.... Thanksgiving? haha

I was very disappointed in Madden (although others have told me they like it, I just find it worse than the Maddens of 15 years ago). The Only game that I'm REALLY looking forward to (other than a new Splatoon) is Metroid (which I know will be on Switch 1, but I'm excited to see what it does on the 2)