Nintendo Switch Just 1.1 Million Sales Short of Beating PS2 Record In The US

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Abdullah Waseem

At T4G, my task is to cover the latest news around the gaming globe ASAP and with the utmost precision. I adore all the games and respect all the devs behind the amazing games that we get all year. So, whether it’s a PC or a Console game, I got it all covered. 

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The Nintendo Switch is undoubtedly the most successful console of this decade. Released in 2017, the console has seen huge sales figures, even breaking into the top 3 best-selling consoles of all time. According to a report, it might even dethrone the PS2 in the US soon.

Why it matters: Despite the sales seeing somewhat of a decline this year, the Nintendo Switch is still going strong. It has sold over 143 million units, and there is still potential for more.

Circana’s Mat Piscatella, in a tweet, revealed that the console market isn’t dead. It’s still doing quite well, as the Nintendo Switch is trailing the PS2’s lifetime sales by just 1.1 million units in the US.

At this pace, it’s more or less guaranteed to overtake the PS2 in the US. However, Jim Ryan recently revealed that the PS2 sold 160 million units globally. Therefore, Nintendo’s latest console still has some catching up to do, even if the goal seems attainable.

According to Piscatella, the PS5 is 7% ahead of the PS4’s sales in the region. Moreover, despite all the challenges around the Xbox Series S|X consoles, they have managed to match the sales of the Xbox 360 in the US.

Overall, he believes the console market is doing fine for the time being.

The big news is the competition between the PS2 and the Nintendo Switch. The former has reigned as the industry’s best-seller for decades, but a new competitor is on the verge of beating it.

A new generation of Nintendo hardware is also coming next year, but with a few more years of support, 160 million sales appear quite achievable for the current hybird console.

Nintendo, in its recent earnings call, reported a 46% decline in hardware sales last quarter. However, it hasn’t had many first-party releases recently, and other people could be waiting for the next generation, leading to lower sales.

The console has undoubtedly slowed down, but Nintendo is likely happy with this performance after an explosive 2023.

Abdullah Waseem

News Reporter

Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.