So I guess we can put those Switch 2 Pro rumors on ice for an Olympiad.
Whether due to tariff fears or pent-up desire for the first new Mario Kart in more than a decade, the Switch 2 is off to a flying start.
A press statement from Nintendo this evening has confirmed that the first four days of Switch 2 saw "more than" 3.5m systems sold. This represents the fastest any Nintendo system has sold: for comparison, Switch 1's opening month of sale (March 3 - 31, 2017) was 2.74m units.
Regional breakdowns are expected when Nintendo issues their financial results for fiscal Q1 in late July or early August.
Just goes to show how once again the online gaming space is literally an insanely small bubble that represents less than 1% of the real world. All the negativity that so many were saying would hurt the system, is once again something the average person doesn't give a **** about.I don't think anyone can make this claim yet. All sales so far have been early adopters, largely the kind who wait in line for hours at a midnight launch if they couldn't preorder.
I do think the whole Game prices thing will affect game sales for the system due to various economic issues but at the same time, indie games are becoming an increasingly viable solution for more budget conscious customers and the Switch 2 is in a really good position to be able to handle those kinds of games, both because of its portability and increased power over the Switch, and because of the wide array of control options the system has over the competition.
I think the mouse deserves special mention because of how it opens the door for several neat indie games that have never really been feasible to bring to a console before because they are built around being played with a mouse. There's stuff like Pony Island and The Hex which are suddenly much more viable to bring to a console because there is now a console that has some sort of mouse input packed in.
If Nintendo can continue to play to their strength with indie games while ensuring that the eshop doesn't become a cesspool of ai hentai shopping simulator games again, then I believe that they will be able to provide options for more budget conscious customers.
As of December 2024, Stardew Valley has sold over 41 million copies across all platforms, with over 26 million copies sold on PC, and 7.9 million copies on the Nintendo Switch.
Even the Wii U & 3DS sold out at launch IIRC, and how'd that work out for both of them a year later?
Yes, after Nintendo abandoned the Wii U altogether, put their entire development focus on the platform, and cut the price severely. Let's not pretend the 3DS was a roaring success in its first few years. Have people seriously forgotten the disaster that the 3DS was early on? The "Ambassador" program?
Yes, after Nintendo abandoned the Wii U altogether, put their entire development focus on the platform, and cut the price severely. Let's not pretend the 3DS was a roaring success in its first few years. Have people seriously forgotten the disaster that the 3DS was early on? The "Ambassador" program?
Pessimist me still thinks because of pricing, lack of true Switch 2 exclusives, and its iterative nature will have sales be more of a slow burn. I have a hard time recommending it to anyone outside of our slice of gaming, especially when a lot of my friends are rocking Steam Decks. But maybe I'm discounting a deep hunger for more MarioKart.
Pessimist me still thinks because of pricing, lack of true Switch 2 exclusives, and its iterative nature will have sales be more of a slow burn. I have a hard time recommending it to anyone outside of our slice of gaming, especially when a lot of my friends are rocking Steam Decks. But maybe I'm discounting a deep hunger for more MarioKart.
You're once again proving my point about people online living in a bubble. The Steam Deck has sold less than 4 million units since it came out 3 years ago. There's a good chance the Switch 2 either outsold it by the end of last week, or has done so by the end of this week. Plus how many times do I need to say it, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold close to 70 million units.
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html
Mario Kart is literally one of the biggest franchise in gaming. Anyone that wants to play the newest Mario Kart will need to buy a Switch 2. You can't recommend them any other system when no other system will have the newest Mario Kart.
Even when expecting a drop off in sales, when you compare what happened with the DS/Wii era to the 3DS/Wii U era, the best selling Mario Kart of the DS/Wii era was Mario Kart Wii which did 37 million units while the best selling Mario Kart of the 3DS/Wii U era was Mario Kart 7 which did about 19 million units. So even if you had a similar drop between Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart World, Mario Kart World would still end up selling around 35 million copies. Which would literally put it about what Mario Kart Wii sold, which was on a system that did over 100 million units.
Of course keep in mind the main reason for Mario Kart's drop was because of the lose of the Nintendog/Brain Age/Wii Sports/Wii Fit audience that made up a large part of the DS and Wii. The Switch on the other hands biggest sellers behind Mario Kart are Animal Crossing, Smash Bros, 3D Zelda, 3D Mario, Pokemon which all have a history of very constant sales and very dedicated fanbases. Hell in the case of Animal Crossing it did better on the 3DS then it did on the DS, despite the 3DS having only half the audience. Pokemon X/Y only did a million less than Diamond/Pearl, while Sun/Moon did a million better than Black/White.
Nintendo's main franchise from many of it's 20-30 year series, that have had constant if not steady growth over that time span have done better then ever on the Switch. To suddenly expect them to sell even worse then their 3DS counterparts is just silly and would literally require something magical altering reality, or something like a nuclear war creating an apocalypse where nobody can play games anymore. Or course after certain event going on in the world right now, the later is kind of looking somewhat likely. :-\
