In Japan, portability is still king. While the Nintendo Switch has been experiencing record-breaking success as a whole on a global scale, its commercial triumph is perhaps most evident in Japan. In a sales report generated by Media Create as reported by Nintendo Soup, the Kyoto-based company has sold more Switch units than the combined lifetime sale numbers of the original PS4 and the PS4 Slim.
Especially impressive is the speed in which Switch has surpassed Sony’s former king of consoles, a whole two years after the hybrid console’s initial launch. The PS4 released back in 2014, with sales later on undoubtedly boosted by the arrival of its slimmer counterpart. While this doesn’t take into account the numbers of the higher-end Pro (with the addition of this model, the PS4 would be ahead by fewer than a million units), the achievement is impressive nonetheless given the 2-year head start by Sony. With the help of the Christmas season and the massive popularity of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the lifetime sale of the Nintendo Switch has rocketed to an impressive 6.67 million units in Japan, a slim lead over the PS4 and PS4 Slim’s 6.54 million units.
Nintendo as a gaming company has always enjoyed success in Japan, where portability from mobile gaming still reigns supreme. The novelty of a hybrid console that supports dual player experiences has no doubt proven popular with the Japanese, despite fierce competition from the PS4’s strong software lineup.
After the disappointment of the Wii U, it’s reassuring that Nintendo has once more taken over the console scene. If the high sale numbers of the Nintendo 3DS family are any indication, the Nintendo Switch lifetime sales will probably surpass that of the entire PS4 lineup soon. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the battleground of the Japanese gaming market is a tale of two Japanese companies, and with both platforms rolling out very impressive software lineups for 2019, the competition is only getting fiercer from here.