Nintendo Switch sales figures are on pace with PlayStation 4

By Gabe Gurwin December 12, 2017

Nintendo Switch review — Nate Barrett/Digital Trends

The Nintendo Switch has been selling like hotcakes this year, and the hybrid console’s momentum didn’t slow down as we headed into the holiday season. To date, the console has managed to sell 10 million units, significantly outpacing the Wii U and managing to keep pace with Sony’s PlayStation 4.

“As you can see in people’s living rooms, on a plane, or riding the subway, fans all over the world can enjoy playing Nintendo Switch wherever they go,” Nintendo of America’s president, and walking meme, Reggie Fils-Aime said in the announcement. “The response from fans has been great, and we’re doing our very best to satisfy demand during the holiday season.”

These sales figures put the Switch on pace with the PlayStation 4, which managed to sell 10 million systems in its first 10 months on sale. The PlayStation 4, however, released at a time when people were eager to get their hands on new hardware to replace their aging last-generation systems. The Switch didn’t really have that luxury, and still managed to bring just about everyone back on the Nintendo bandwagon.

Nintendo Switch games have been selling even better than hotcakes — possibly crepes. In just its first three days on the market Super Mario Odyssey managed to sell 2 million units. This made it the fastest-selling game in the series’ long history in both North America and Europe. Given the ridiculous success of the Wii and Super Mario Galaxy, that’s particularly impressive.

Though the Switch won’t have games with the same name recognition as Mario and Zelda in 2018, there are still quite a few big-name releases on the way. Kirby Star Allies and a new Yoshi game will be arriving, and Bayonetta 3 was just announced as a Switch exclusive during The Game Awards last week. Perhaps the most exciting upcoming game is Project Octopath Traveler, a role-playing game from Square Enix that blends detailed environments with 16-bit character sprites. No firm release date has been set yet, but a demo is currently available on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

To find the best location to buy a Nintendo Switch as well as accessories, check out our handy buyer’s guide.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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