The Nintendo Switch‘s versatility has made it the bestselling console for the last five years. It has sold so well, in fact, that it has surpassed the lifetime sales of the PS4, according to The NPD Group.
Mat Piscatella, executive director and gaming industry advisor for The NPD Group, tweeted the sales figures for the Switch on Friday. He points out that the Switch is now the fourth highest unit selling console in U.S, and the sixth highest selling console overall, coming behind just three other bestselling consoles of all time, the PS2, Xbox 360, and Wii, Nintendo’s legacy console. He also said that the Switch sold more units than any other console last month and outpaced Xbox Series X/S year-to-date.
US NPD HW – Lifetime unit sales of Nintendo Switch have now surpassed those of PlayStation 4, making it the 4th highest unit selling console in U.S. history, and the 6th highest unit selling video game hardware platform overall. In console it trails only PS2, Xbox 360 and Wii.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 13, 2022
The Switch’s lifetime sales milestone can perhaps be attributed to the console’s low price tag compared to its competitors. Nintendo sells the original Switch console for $299, while the Switch Lite goes for $199 and the OLED model sells at $349, making the Switch quite affordable.
However, the PS5 still takes the lead in terms of dollar sales. “PlayStation 5 led April in hardware dollar sales, trailed closely by Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch. Xbox Series has generated the highest hardware dollars of any platform year-to-date, followed by PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch,” Piscatella wrote in a reply.
The PS5’s $499 price tag certainly helps Sony generate revenue, but the healthy sales are a good sign the console is becoming more available despite shortages. Sony said that it will be able to sell 18 million consoles worldwide during this fiscal year, which may put an end to the shortages, but won’t be enough to meet growing consumer demand. Hey, it’s better than nothing.
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