Nintendo Sets New Personal Records With First Day Switch Sales

Nintendo’s latest console got off to a good, healthy start in the UK last week, with 80,000 consoles sold on Friday. That was a positive beginning for the system, but nowhere near the levels of the PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Wii in this country.

The news is much, much, much rosier in the US and Japan, though. In fact, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé said to the New York Times that it sold more in one day than any previous Nintendo console had managed in twice as much time. It’s the biggest Nintendo launch ever, even outstripping the Wii, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the company’s best selling standalone launch title.

Over in Japan, the console also got off to a very good start, comparing very favourably to Nintendo’s other consoles and the PlayStation 4. Switch sold 313,700 consoles, just edging the Wii U’s 308,600, but really not that far behind the Wii’s 371,900 or the PlayStation 4’s 322,100. It’s worth noting that, while Christmas is not the biggest holiday in Japan, both the Wii and Wii U launched in November/December, while Switch and PlayStation 4 both had February/March launches.

Sources: Nick Wingfield NYT, Nomura/Famitsu via Yuji Nakamura

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