The PS2 is without a doubt one of the greatest consoles of all time, and so far it is the best selling console of all time with lifetime sales topping 150 million units. It’s a record that will hold for a long time coming yet as well. But one of the console’s sales records has been broken by the Nintendo Switch over in Japan this week.
From when it released on March 4th 2000 to the end of the year 3,016,622 PS2s were sold. The Nintendo Switch was released on March 3rd and up until Christmas Eve the number of units sold in Japan hit 3,258,083. That’s a difference of 241,461 units. With continued support the Switch could eventually become Nintendo’s best selling console, with that honour currently held by the Nintendo DS line with over 154 million units sold in its lifetime. The Wii hit over 101 million units sold.
Source: NintendoSoup/Nintendo
BossHog
Unlikely, its fad nature and lack of decent games and last gen specs will limit its uptake.
Its sales at the moment are because its new, but the novelty will wear off.
ron_mcphatty
No doubt the Switch will never have the broad appeal of the PS4 and XBox One, but the good sales figures this year could lead to it beating the Wii. If that happened I’m sure Nintendo would call the Switch a success. Have you played on one? It’s a really, really nice little console.
Tony Cawley
I’m pretty sure this is the sort of comment made about the wii in its first year, but look how well that did.
blarty
I believe it was also the sort of comment made about the Wii U in its first year, but look how well that did.
colmshan1990
Switch has already beaten the WiiU’s lifetime sales in Japan and probably the world once all the Christmas sales figures are released.
It’s on a very different track and has already released two of the all-time greatest games in its very first year. Not bad.
BossHog
How many of those Wii were gathering dust by the end of the year? Dragged out when the family come over at Christmas?
Nate
Lack of decent games: Has the 3rd and 5th highest rated games of all time within its first year. 6 of the exclusives released this year all rated >80%.
JR.
I kind of get what he’s saying. If Mario and Zelda don’t appeal to you there really isn’t any reason to own one. Having said that, if I did have time to play/own two consoles, I’d choose the Switch no contest. I’ve never owned a Nintendo console and I’m not fussed about anything Mario related but Zelda does look pretty great.
Switch numbers are great, no denying that, but there are a few factors to take into account. Gaming is a much larger and widely accepted hobby than it was when the PS2 came out.
colmshan1990
Anyone saying Switch has no games, or no games outside of Mario & Zelda is an idiot.
Here’s my collection of 24 games so far:
https://twitter.com/colmshan1990/status/946765563086467072
It’s pretty varied. I don’t have all the games I’d like to have either (Splatoon 2, Mario & Rabbids, Arms, Shovel Knight, Stardew Valley, Rime, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Enter the Gungeon, Minecraft, Fire Emblem Warriors, Golf Story, Lego Marvel 2, Monster Hunter XX, Sonic Forces, Rive, NBA 2k18 and Resident Evil Revelations 2 are some more I’d love to own).
Just to name a few upcoming exclusives: Bayonetta 3, Pokemon, Metroid, Project Octopath and Yoshi, Smash Bros and more.
As for saying you’re not a fan of Mario or Zelda games… That’s also moronic. If you’re a fan of games, there’s at least one Mario game you’ll like. There’s one in pretty much every genre! Meanwhile I personally haven’t played many Zelda games, but Breath of the Wild is essentially The Witcher with a hint of Dark Souls and the accessibility of Skyrim. There’s a reason almost everybody who picks it up starts shouting about it being one the greatest games of all time.
Switch is going to outsell PS4 and Xbox One. Maybe not because it is a superior console (it’s certainly not as powerful anyway, although the portability is amazing), but because it has an amazing lineup of games and will combine two markets, the handheld and home. Every single developer who worked on DS, 3DS, Wii, WiiU and more will be pushing out new games on the Switch. This is in addition to developers and games who were never associated with Nintendo consoles before. Bethesda and Rockstar both released games in the last couple of months. Platinum and From Software are confirmed to be working on it.
Bethesda, Rockstar, Capcom, Sega, Nintendo, Telltale, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Activision, EA, 2K… You name it, they’re on it or working to get on it.
That’s not a fad. It’s a runaway success.
JR.
Well now, that’s not very nice is it. Words hurt Tatsumi.
You know, I read an article recently about how an alarming number of people have become so infatuated with technology that reported incidents involving injuries sustained during intercourse with inanimate objects has risen drastically within the last five years or so.
As a fellow gamer, I feel obliged to express my deepest concern, not only for you but for your Nintendo Switch, which will soon be out of warranty. Step away from the Joycon… xD
PS. Admit it, you had to google that list of games didn’t you? I can tell you right now it wasn’t worth the time or the effort. Golf Story? Kill me now.
On a serious note, I love that you feel so passionately about Nintendo and the Switch but that doesn’t mean you have to go full-on ‘Kylo Ren rage’ whenever someone says something that displeases you.
There’s still good in you Tatsumi, I can feel it :D
Starman
True, the switch is here to stay, It’s just funny how some who liked Nintendo because they were overtaking nasty Xbox now dislike them because it’s a threat to Sony too. Yeah that’s you blighty/bosshog/trumpy and jr.
JR.
Well let’s not get ahead of ourselves Starman.
It’s no secret that I dislike MS or their shoddy hardware but I don’t dislike Nintendo at all. Not being interested in what Nintendo has to offer and being anti-Nintendo are two very different things.
I didn’t even say anything critical about Nintendo or the Switch in the first place. Then Tutsumi-Ren started destroying his bedroom with his cross guard lightsaber because some of us don’t attend Nintendo mass at least seven times a week.
I just find it funny how defensive people can be about their choice of gaming consoles. Hell, I’m guilty of it myself occasionally. But it doesn’t make pressing those big, shiny buttons any less enticing :D
It’s just bants guys.
skibadee
a threat to PS4 nowhere near that stage has a mountain to climb for that. nasty Xbox :)
I prefer Playstation to the others but sticking up for it on a daily basis because someone does not like it naa.
skibadee
glad it is selling great do not wish failure on anything bad karma.
parryman
I do quite fancy a Switch, but the game prices are mental
ron_mcphatty
Fair point, but you’d easily get 50 hours of proper fun out of Zelda and I’ve enjoyed Mario Kart and Splatoon for a couple of dozen hours each so far, so you’ll probably get your monies worth.
colmshan1990
I found some of the smaller titles a little overpriced on the eShop.
But for the big games it’s the same price as PS4 games. Skyrim Switch is €10 cheaper than Skyrim VR comparing the base prices on eShop & PSN. Zelda launched at the same price as a big Sony exclusive (€70). Mario actually came out at €60, you’d never get one of the PS4’s biggest franchises coming at at that price point here.
On the other hand, I’ve seen far fewer discounting happening so far. PS4 games fall in price quickly, Switch games haven’t really done that yet. And some games have come out at a slightly higher price point on Switch than PS4 (looking at LA Noire).
I’d say RRP for both platforms is in and around the same, at least in Ireland.
Nate
The cost of switch games are slightly higher to take into account the cost of cartridges over discs for the publisher.
Avenger
Yep, spot on. It’s not the prices that are crazy, it’s that they don’t fall in price as often as PS4/Xbox games. It’s understandable in its first year, PS4/Xbox was exactly the same.
TSBonyman
And to think, there are those who would have had us believe that consoles were a dying platform. Great for Ninty and gamers everywhere.