| RolStoppable said: I don't think so. I doubt that Nintendo has ordered production increases big enough to reach those heights, so the more important question if demand is actually high enough for 29m+ doesn't need to be answered to begin with. But I should tackle it anyway. The DS's price was $130 in 2008, so price was of no concern to potential customers. Switch, on the other hand, still costs so much that its price, whether that is the hybrid SKU or the cheaper Lite, is still taken into consideration. Additionally, Nintendo runs very much a longterm strategy with Switch, so they'll prioritize profitability over unit sales, therefore there's no reason to expect any price cuts this year. Secondly, the YTD comparison you posted in the OP compares plain normal DS sales to inflated Switch sales, because we can't sit here and pretend that COVID-19 lockdowns had no influence. While the DS had consistent momentum throughout 2008, Switch is now in the phase where its sales will have to make do without a corona boost. To add to that, Nintendo's first party lineup for Switch will be low-key until the holiday title arrives, so within the next three months it should become more obvious that Switch won't challenge the DS's peak anymore. In order to beat the DS's 2008, Europe would need to see a sudden strong uptick in Switch demand. Sales in the region had been okay for three years before Animal Crossing and COVID-19 upgraded them to good, but to beat the DS, they will need to be great |
Yes, Covid-19 has slightly inflated sales numbers for video game sales across the board. However, more evidence is showing that Covid-19 is far from the main reason why the Switch is selling 400K a week at this point and is up 92% YoY. While the PS4 and Xbox One did get temporary boosts of sales numbers when this pandemic first started, the sales numbers now are back to reality with the PS4 still going down YoY overall. It's obviously expected to be down YoY when the PS5 is around the corner, however if the corona boost was so major the PS4 sales should be up YoY and should be selling at least around 200K+ a week, but numbers are now back to reality for the PS4/Xbox One.
The Switch on the other hand is selling twice as much as the year before and selling 400K a week, no way Covid-19 was a major reason for that when the other consoles fail to replicate similar YoY growth. The far bigger reason people are buying a Switch is Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing has become a global phenomenon with many casuals purchasing the Switch just to play Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing shipped nearly 11M in Q1 alone which is mind-blowing.
