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Circana/NPD: Nintendo Switch Surpasses PS2's Lifetime Sales in the U.S (46.6M)

Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
Imagine if they actually dropped the price of the Switch.
 

Cakeboxer

Member
again it is neat flex, but just getting close at the same price tag it has had forever is the mind blowing awe inspiring thing here. Remember the ps2 skyrocket when it went down to $99.
+ the much shorter sales window
+ much more competition from Smartphones, Streaming, a strong PS5 and yes even an Xbox that still sells better than Gamecube, Dreamcast and the first Xbox back then.
 
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diffusionx

Gold Member
Sony needs to rerelease the PS2 for like $10 so they can keep the number one crown.

I feel confident that the first few years of switch 2 are going to be bonkers
Also - the system has been delayed at least a year if not two years. So that’s just more time to get games ready. Like remember when we got all these bangers on switch and then in December they dropped Xenoblsde 2 out of nowhere.
 
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Azelover

Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was.
Was just talking about this with my kid. Given the INCREDIBLE success of the Switch, will the switch2 ever come close? Or is it too similar to the switch and there isn't enough reason to upgrade?
We can't take a success story like the Switch's for granted. It will be VERY difficult to replicate. So it's much easier to say that the Switch 2 won't outsell the first. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place.

Is it possible? Yes, but the odds are against it.
 
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jason10mm

Gold Member
Especially if we get MK9, 3D Mario, Metroid and a few other titles in the first year.
Are these for sure going to be switch2 exclusive with no switch(1) versions? I know nintendo just does their own thing but seems like straddling the two consoles for the first few years has been a bigger strategy in recent years.
 
Sony needs to rerelease the PS2 for like $10 so they can keep the number one crown.


Also - the system has been delayed at least a year if not two years. So that’s just more time to get games ready. Like remember when we got all these bangers on switch and then in December they dropped Xenoblsde 2 out of nowhere.
Sony didnt have the #1 crown it was a nintendo handheld ( like switch really is ) - The article is celebrating the swap of 2nd and third places.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
Remember the ps2 skyrocketed when it went down to $99.

PS2 definitely benefitted from price cuts but I don't think that is accurate. PS2 reached 100 million by 2005. The $99 price didn't happen until 2009 when PS2 was around 138 million sold.
 

Polygonal_Sprite

Gold Member
It wasn't a record, the record number in the U.S is 53.5 million by NDS. Switch is 6.9 million behind and is very unlikely to get close to the NDS lifetime U.S sales unless it has major price cuts over the next few years.
Completely depends on how long Nintendo continue to sell the original Switch aswell as how it’s positioned after Switch 2 arrives.

Personally I think they’ll continue to sell it for at least the first few years of the new generation at a lower price point of $250 along with a line of older budget games at $40 a pop instead of $60. I expect Switch 2 to be $450 so the original at $250 will appeal to a different much more casual / price sensitive market.
 

blacktout

Member
Handheld console surpass home console.
Pretends To Be Shocked Fake Shock GIF by AIDES
I'm bewildered by this talking point. Is there any reason to expect a handheld to outsell a home console? If you take the top ten best selling video game systems of all time, six are home consoles (PS2, PS4, Wii, PS1, PS3, & X360) and four are handhelds (DS, Switch, GB/C, GBA). And that's counting Switch as a handheld.

Seems like neither handhelds or consoles have a unique advantage. And, of course, the best-selling system ever is still the PS2, a console.
 

SweetTooth

Gold Member
Very impressive and within a shorter amount of time, no price drop and no DVD player. So that makes Japan and now the United States. Is that it? There has got to be a few more countries/territories where the Switch claimed the record right?

PS2 successor released 5 years into its lifecycle. Also PS2 didn't have a WW release in 2000. It released in in RoTW way later.

Switch will never reach same sales if Switch 2 released in 2022
 

Woopah

Member
PS2 successor released 5 years into its lifecycle. Also PS2 didn't have a WW release in 2000. It released in in RoTW way later.

Switch will never reach same sales if Switch 2 released in 2022
PS3 released 6 years later in North America, 6.5 years later in Japan, Europe and Australia. It also released in some ROTW countries way later.

It's possible Switch could have reached similar sales if Nintendo had released a Switch 2 in 2023 but at a crazy expensive price. But we'll never know.
 
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KU_

Member
Yeah people are really underestimating how much Nintendo's "once per console" releases can push sales. You lead off with Mario Kart and 3D Mario year one, then Animal Crossing and Smash Bros. year 2, then hit with a 3D Zelda in year 3? They'll be pushing 70 million consoles at that point anyways and can cruise the rest of the way.
Not to mention they’re sitting on a treasure trove of more Wii/Wii U HD remasters to sprinkle in there between major releases so there isn’t software droughts.
 

StereoVsn

Gold Member
As
Are these for sure going to be switch2 exclusive with no switch(1) versions? I know nintendo just does their own thing but seems like straddling the two consoles for the first few years has been a bigger strategy in recent years.
We don’t know. But unless Nintendo is mad, they have to push some exclusives.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Undeserved. PS2 was a legendary console with legendary games like

GTA3
Vice City
San Andreas
DMC
Silent Hill 2
MGS2
MGS3
SOTC
GoW
Socom
GT3
Burnout
SSX

Games like this the Switch just didnt get. They had to settle for most of the first party titles which of them are ok but nothing legendary like those games above. Zelda BOTW which was on the Wii U and ToTK are the exceptions of course. But i never got the same feeling from playing those Nintendo first party titles. Good, maybe great. just not legendary.
 
Not to mention they’re sitting on a treasure trove of more Wii/Wii U HD remasters to sprinkle in there between major releases so there isn’t software droughts.

Yep and I didn't even include stuff like Splatoon, Mario Party, Luigi's Mansion, Pokemon, which are more regular releases we'll probably see in the first few years that can easily do 10M+.
 
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MrJangles

Member
Undeserved. PS2 was a legendary console with legendary games like

GTA3
Vice City
San Andreas
DMC
Silent Hill 2
MGS2
MGS3
SOTC
GoW
Socom
GT3
Burnout
SSX

Games like this the Switch just didnt get. They had to settle for most of the first party titles which of them are ok but nothing legendary like those games above. Zelda BOTW which was on the Wii U and ToTK are the exceptions of course. But i never got the same feeling from playing those Nintendo first party titles. Good, maybe great. just not legendary.

tenor.gif
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
PS2 definitely benefitted from price cuts but I don't think that is accurate. PS2 reached 100 million by 2005. The $99 price didn't happen until 2009 when PS2 was around 138 million sold.
Okay so it what went from 300 to 200 in 2 years. the climbed down in price from there. That is still a price decrease of time cause sales to spike.

the switch only went UP in price with the OLED version costing $50 more. lol still very impressive
 

Topher

Identifies as young
Okay so it what went from 300 to 200 in 2 years. the climbed down in price from there. That is still a price decrease of time cause sales to spike.

the switch only went UP in price with the OLED version costing $50 more. lol still very impressive

Yeah, but there is more nuance to it. Let's not forget the fact that PS2, Gamecube and Xbox were all locked in a war for market share. The era of big price drops really stopped with PS4 when competition from Xbox was greatly diminished and Nintendo sidestepped direct competition in creating Switch, which hasn't had any real competition (unless you count Stream Deck). But yes, what Switch accomplished is still very impressive. As is the fact that PS2 stayed in production through two entire generations.
 
again it is a neat flex, but just getting close at the same price tag it has had forever is the mind blowing awe inspiring thing here. Remember the ps2 skyrocketed when it went down to $99.

Reminds me of Sony vs Nintendo software sales. Sony games sell massive amounts over years of discounted sales, Nintendo games sell massive amounts with virtually no price drops.

And you’re right, PS2 was insane at $99.
 
The Switch and PS2 both launched at $299. The PS2's price was cut in half within a couple of years, and the overwhelming majority of its sales happened when the console was $149 or lower. It's amazing that the Switch has achieved this without a formal price drop. If Nintendo keeps the Switch around for a couple more years and presents it as a budget-friendly alternative to the Switch 2, it might end up having more gas in the tank than we realize.
 

Kataploom

Gold Member
Undeserved. PS2 was a legendary console with legendary games like

GTA3
Vice City
San Andreas
DMC
Silent Hill 2
MGS2
MGS3
SOTC
GoW
Socom
GT3
Burnout
SSX

Games like this the Switch just didnt get. They had to settle for most of the first party titles which of them are ok but nothing legendary like those games above. Zelda BOTW which was on the Wii U and ToTK are the exceptions of course. But i never got the same feeling from playing those Nintendo first party titles. Good, maybe great. just not legendary.
It's a matter of tastes, for example, I can't see anything from there better than any of the Xenoblades, and Switch had the full trilogy plus the spin off coming next year.
 
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