The Nintendo Switch continues to perform strongly, and with a number of big releases on the horizon, it could yet prove to be the year’s most popular console.
Less than a week after the console launched across the globe, figures were already looking strong, and it’s continued to perform strongly as it enters into its second month on the market.
It managed to net Nintendo the best two-day opening for a console in the company’s history, impressive considering it launched well after the busy holiday season in North America.
Such a success means Switch outsold the Wii during the same window, a console that went on to become one of the most successful ever.
It’s also proven to be more popular in Japan than the PS4 was at launch, which is rather telling considering how well Sony’s console is performing some three years after launch.
The latest sales figures from Media Create (via DualShockers) has the console at a 519,504 units sold mark in Japan, as of March 26.
That means it took only four weeks to cross the half-a-million barrier, despite a drop in sales during its third week.
A number of factors could have contributed to the rise: stores may have received more stock after a momentary shortage, while the Splatoon 2 beta would have generated a bit of interest among the Japanese gaming community.
What’s really important here is that the sales milestone after four weeks puts the console ahead of where the PS4 was in the country after the same period of time.
That’s right: Switch managed to sell more consoles over a four week period in March than the PS4 did over four weeks in November, a traditionally hectic time at retail, particularly for the games industry.
Sony’s console sold a little more than 430,000 units in the four weeks after launch, and it wasn’t until the seventh week that the console passed the half-a-million mark.
It’s worth noting that, while the Switch is performing strongly in Japan, it’s actually behind that of the Wii U, which passed the 500,000 units mark within only three weeks.
What makes the Switch’s success so impressive is the period in which it launched in Japan: within a holiday season that, contrary to how people in the West spend during similar seasons, is seen as retail downtime in Japan.
