The Nintendo Switch is now on pace to eclipse the lifetime sales of the PlayStation 4, thanks to a recent holiday surge of sales. Although the PlayStation 4 had a head start in terms of its lifespan, the recent trend of Switch sales has Nintendo taking a lead in the latest skirmish of the console wars. The Nintendo Switch launched worldwide in March 2017, while the PS4 launched in November 2013.
In the past year, however, the Nintendo Switch has seen a spike in sales thanks to the rising popularity of new game releases like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars. With the release of these new games, combined with increased isolation and time indoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's unsurprising console sales soared. This boom also came during the end of the lifecycle of both the PS4 and XBox One, with the fourth generation games releasing in November 2020.
According to a recent report from VGChartz.com, in the 46 months since the Nintendo Switch launched, its sales have outpaced the PlayStation 4 in its first 46 months of sales. From March 2017 through December 2020, the Nintendo Switch sold 76.99 million units. By contrast, from November 2013 through August 2017, the PS4 sold 63.33 million units. The PlayStation 4 did not reach the same threshold of sales the Switch has already reached until month 53 after launch.
Over the last 12 months, the Nintendo Switch has outsold the PS4 by 7.78 million units. In fact, during December 2020 alone, the Switch outsold the PlayStation 4 by 5.01 million units. Of course, this is unsurprising, as the next generation of consoles, which included the PlayStation 5, had launched one month earlier and thereby cut into the sales of new PS4 systems. In fact, the PS5's launch also affected the sales of the Switch during its launch month in November 2020. One reason for such big increases and decreases, however, is that the launch windows of the two consoles do not line up. The PS4 launched in November, and the Nintendo Switch launched in March, meaning the gap between their lifetime sales will vary wildly.
Still, this news is undoubtedly exciting for fans of Nintendo, as it demonstrates the Switch's trajectory is strong compared to others released in the eighth generation. Although the Switch still has a ways to go before it can catch up to the PlayStation 4's all-time sales record (114.83 million units sold, with the Nintendo Switch currently 37.84 million units behind), the upward trajectory indicates the Switch could soon become the best-selling console of all time. With the PS5 now out, the biggest question is whether it will outperform the incredible launch of the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Vgchartz.com