Somehow, Nintendo Switch outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X in their launch month
The next-gen boom can wait
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Well, that’s quite something. It looks like theNintendo Switchfamily of systems – including the handheld-onlyNintendo Switch Lite– has managed to stay top dog in November regarding US console sales, leaving the newly-launchedPS5andXbox Series Xlagging behind.
The Switch and Switch Lite garnered a total 1.35 million sales in the US alone throughout November, according to analytics firm NPD Group (viaBusiness Wire).
Its report also states that the Nintendo hardware is somehow selling even more in 2020 than the previous year – around half a million units more, to a total of 6.92 million – despite having launched three years previously. We’re definitely a long way from the era of the much-maligned Wii U, then.
We don’t quite have firm numbers for sales of thePS5 and Xbox Series X, but the former console is estimated to have sold around 2 million unitsworldwideacross its two launch dates – November 12 and November 19 – with stock shrivelling up soon after. It’s worth noting that the PS5did top Switch sales in the UK, though.
Same old
Of course, the PS5 and Xbox Series X are far more expensive consoles – with the exception of theXbox Series S, which at $299 / £249 is priced pretty near the RRP of the Nintendo Switch. Jumping on board with a new console generation hasn’t been made easy, either, with demand vastly outstripping stock and so-calledscalpers using bots to net thousands of consoles from online retail outlets.
And the Switch? Cheap, with an even cheaper Switch Lite alternative, and seemingly plenty of stock still to go around, despite some supply issues hitting earlier in the year.
We know that PS5 and Xbox Series X stock isn’t likely to start meeting demanduntil well into 2021– with both consoles expected to getprice cuts only in its latter half, if the console makers feel a need to amid so much interest.
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We’ve been hearing rumors of a Nintendo Switch upgrade coming in 2021 or later,possibly with 4K visualsor aMini-LED screen on the handheld device– but regardless, it looks like Nintendo isn’t exactly short on demand for its current series of Switch machines. What reason, then, to mess with a winning formula?
Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.
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