And here we are, 10 years later, and we're closer to the OPPOSITE being the case. With Xbox all but dead and PlayStation, while nowhere NEAR close to the point and still very much thriving, is releasing games on other platforms for extra revenue.

We're seeing Microsoft (South of Midnight) and Sony (MLB: The Show and LEGO Horizon Adventures) release some of their own published titles on Switch 1 and 2. 

Imagine telling a diehard Xbox or PlayStation fan in 2016 that their games would be appear on 'NX' and 'NX2' in 2025 and beyond AND that 'NX1' would surpass the DS in hardware sales and the PS2 in software sales. Hell, most NINTENDO diehard fans wouldn't have believed it.

About six months into Switch 1, I realized that Vita devs, 3DS devs, and Wii U devs would all be making Switch games because that was their only option left. 

And while someone wouldn't have bought a 3DS just for Pokemon or a Wii U just for Mario Kart 8, they definitely would buy a Switch to have both games at once. 

Number 4 is actually really funny because during the early Wii days, many posters on this website said Nintendo was creating "artificial demand" for the console by intentionally limiting supply. (You probably lived through that period as well, seeing your account was created in 2009 - but I think we should explain this to newer posters). They accused Nintendo of "stockpiling" Wii consoles (which, hilariously, is what all companies do because demand during the holidays is so much higher than during the rest of the year) and argued sales would be way lower if people didn't have the fear of missing out. I still have the first draft of an article somewhere on my laptop that we planned to publish on VGChartz to explain this.

And, even more hilarious, today it's a good thing and an indicator of success that the PS5 was sold out at first and an indicator of doom for Switch 2 that it isn't.

TLDR: If a Nintendo console sells out its sales "don't count" because Nintendo is creating artificial demand and that's a sign that actual demand is low. If it doesn't sell out its sales must be bad, the console is slowing down and actual demand is low. It's a never-ending cycle. 

Switch 2 and PS5 situations are nothing alike. Switch 2's sales did slow down to levels below the original Switch outside Japan where it's sold cheap. There are also legit concerns about cartridges, prices, and the RAM and tariffs crisis.

Trolls and console warriors claimed PS5's first two years sales were inflated by scalpers with some saying they wouldn't be surprised if as many as half of the shipped consoles were controlled by them lmao. So no, not everyone thought it was an indicator of success. You just pay Nintendo haters more attention than the other haters.

In the end haters and trolls are just a loud minority, and not every wrong or stupid or embarrassing prediction is automatically the result of hate. If you looked at certain channels on Youtube and other places, you would have truly thought that Xbox was going to massacre Playstation this generarion. Small cults of morons are all over the internet.

Thanks, “artificial demand” was the term I was looking for. And you described the argument quite well. I find it funny how instead of focusing on the monstrous sales, they look at an incidental feature, or perception of what they believe is going on, and try to handwave the fact that the console has monstrous sales because of the incidental reasoning.

There must be a fallacy for that type of reasoning… It’s like a mix of special pleading and moving the goalposts to create a contradiction that makes for a no-win situation.

Quick note: This is not even true. Switch 2 has consistently stood well ahead of Switch 1’s sales figures even outside of JP. Yes, there have been a few instances of Switch 1 getting ahead (I’m looking at NA during November of Year 1), but NS2 is selling almost 20-50% faster in non-holiday months.

But that's actually a perfect example of what I just said. Switch 2 didn't slow down, it just had a relatively low Black Friday week due to a lack of attractive bundles and thus relatively low November sales. And then, because the PS5 outsold it during November, people all of a sudden (after a single data point!) claimed the console was slowing down.

However, it's been like that for ages: Playstation sells best in November and Nintendo consoles sell best in December. I've seen the same stuff being argued since 2006, when I first started lurking here. I've been here in 2007 when the Wii was "bombing" because Mario Galaxy didn't lift sales into the stratosphere in October and November... but oh, December sales were great. Again, it's a never-ending cycle. 

The fun thing is: Nobody on this forum, not a single Nintendo fan (at least to my knowledge), said "Playstation 5 sales slowed down massively in December!"... even though that's exactly what happened if all you look at is November vs. December sales. Is the PS5 doomed? Can the PS5 only sell with steep discounts? Are gamers questioning its value? Are there "legit concerns" about its future sales due to external circumstances? Because the data clearly shows it slowed down massively in December. (Of course, this is total BS and PS5 sales are totally fine - but again: double standards)

And just to hammer the point home: It is no reason for concern if Switch 2 outsells PS5 all year, but it is a reason for "concern" if PS5 outsells Switch 2 in a single month. Suddenly, the Switch 2 is doomed. We even had one poster saying "October might have been the last month ever for Switch 2 outselling PS5" lol. But Nobody doomed Playstation from June to October or in December. 

A similar argument that is always brought up when talking about Nintendo consoles "slowing down" is that "Nintendo has no games announced for this year"... which has been the case every year for a decade now. Nintendo never unveils their holiday titles early (at least they haven't since the early Switch days).

Reading through the first few pages and the reactions years later of this was really entertaining. They couldn't have been more wrong lol. I still remember that presentation (9 years ago now - bloody hell!) and was thoroughly impressed by it. It was cringe at times but funny and enjoyable too. Handhelds always appealed to me and so I followed this very closely. I remember going all the way to Birmingham from Bristol just for an event to try the system and the games and fell in love there and then, even managing 2nd in a LAN Mario Kart tournament!

The Switch was the only console I ever bought on launch day and despite not being a Zelda fan (growing up on Mario, Donkey Kong and Playstation), I gave Breath of the Wild a chance and glad I did, as it really got me into the series. Having since played older games in the series. With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe available 6 weeks later, it gave plenty of time to try something new to me. The choice of playing on TV or on handheld felt revolutionary to me. Super Mario Odyssey was really anticipated too.

The Switch 2 hasn't appealed in the same way just yet, but will have to see how Indiana Jones performs as it's the only version fully on physical media.

I also remember this gem from the time too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLEpVrcIY_Y

I think this thread shows how much negativity and drama thrive online, the entertaining part being reminiscent of the console wars.

Playststion home consoles are more consistent sellers so "doom" sentiments will naturally not be as common as on Nintendo's consoles, which fluctuate a lot more gen on gen. Again, even Nintendo's own fanbase are infamous doom posters. Your comparison is moot.

Outside Japan, Switch 2's sales are declining against Switch 1 (months aligned). It had weaker first November and December than Switch despite the better deals (relative to base price) and Switch brand being far more recognisable today than it was in 2017. No, this is NOT a "doom post", because:

1. It could easily bounce back in the coming weeks/months/years, especially seeing as how Switch 1's 2nd year was relatively week until November.

2. It may as well sell half what the Switch 1 sold lifetime and still be a major platform in my view. A console selling 70 million+ is far from "doomed".

Several users here and on other sites posted what you call "doom" posts against PS5 throughout the years, including comments about its poor November and December performance in the US last year. And a few frequently make all sorts of absurd predictions. Switch 2 got most attention because it had an explosive start that dwarfed Swirch 1's, but it quickly declined to a level below it from November onwards. It was bound to cause more reactions than a conole in its 6th year.

I guess from certain users' perspectives, I'm a Playstation "doom poster" because I predicted the PS6 (including the handheld) to only sell 85 million units.

It's okay to say "Switch 2's sales slowed down more than I expected".

Define "doomed".

(1.) You are wrong, again. I can pull up the specific figures later today: Switch 2 has sold consistently better than Switch 1 outside of JP and, yes, outside of launch as well. Off the top of my head, Switch 2 actually performed worse in JP than Switch 1 during December, yet was only down 0.3mil WW… which still equates to 3.8mil in that single month. And this doesn’t account for the supply bottleneck of Switch 1 bursting in December, and Switch 2’s far stronger October (thanks to Pokémon) and comparably strong November.

(2.) Doesn’t matter if the deals were better compared to the base price if the cost adjusted for inflation is 30% higher (especially not in an economy where real wages continue to drop).