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Forums - Sales Discussion - VGChartz Sales Comparison Charts December 2021 Discussion Thread

aTokenYeti said:
The_Liquid_Laser said:

I know man.  Nintendo games are so radically different.  Remember back when Nintendo and Playstation were actually competing?  Like back in Gen 5 when PS1 was clearly competing against N64?  What did Nintendo make back then?  Oh yeah, 3D Mario, 3D Zelda, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Animal Forest, Mario Party, etc....  Come to think of it, those are some of the best selling games on the Switch right now.  I guess those games are still not different enough.  If they were competing with Playstation back in Gen 5, then they are still competing with Playstation now.  They are still making the same types of games.

There is more to a games library than first party. You cannot play any of the latest call of duty titles on switch, nor can you play any of the latest EA sports games, nor can you play a number of the more popular free to play battle royales. 

in fact I am struggling to think of any of the major AAA titles released in the last 3 years from the likes of ABK, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft, or Zenimax that released on the Switch. The only two significant exceptions I’m aware of are Apex legends and Immortals fenix rising. 

Doom Eternal



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Just the fact that Switch is less than 6 million behind the freaking DS nearly 5 years in is pretty incredible in itself.

Kakadu18 said:
aTokenYeti said:

There is more to a games library than first party. You cannot play any of the latest call of duty titles on switch, nor can you play any of the latest EA sports games, nor can you play a number of the more popular free to play battle royales. 

in fact I am struggling to think of any of the major AAA titles released in the last 3 years from the likes of ABK, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft, or Zenimax that released on the Switch. The only two significant exceptions I’m aware of are Apex legends and Immortals fenix rising. 

Doom Eternal

Also Crash 4, Tony Hawk/Spyro/Crash Racing Remakes, and Plants vs Zombies Battle of Neighbourville.



curl-6 said:

Just the fact that Switch is less than 6 million behind the freaking DS nearly 5 years in is pretty incredible in itself.

Kakadu18 said:

Doom Eternal

Also Crash 4, Tony Hawk/Spyro/Crash Racing Remakes, and Plants vs Zombies Battle of Neighbourville.

We can also add Diablo 2: Resurrected, the Crysis remasters, Mortal Kombat 11 and NBA 2K. Then there are also the Bioshock and the Borderlands Collection.



aTokenYeti said:
The_Liquid_Laser said:

I know man.  Nintendo games are so radically different.  Remember back when Nintendo and Playstation were actually competing?  Like back in Gen 5 when PS1 was clearly competing against N64?  What did Nintendo make back then?  Oh yeah, 3D Mario, 3D Zelda, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Animal Forest, Mario Party, etc....  Come to think of it, those are some of the best selling games on the Switch right now.  I guess those games are still not different enough.  If they were competing with Playstation back in Gen 5, then they are still competing with Playstation now.  They are still making the same types of games.

There is more to a games library than first party. You cannot play any of the latest call of duty titles on switch, nor can you play any of the latest EA sports games, nor can you play a number of the more popular free to play battle royales. 

in fact I am struggling to think of any of the major AAA titles released in the last 3 years from the likes of ABK, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft, or Zenimax that released on the Switch. The only two significant exceptions I’m aware of are Apex legends and Immortals fenix rising. 

According to your reasoning, the only two systems that have ever competed with one another are Playstation and XBox, and even then it only started in Generation 7.  That is when this trend started of both systems having largely the same "AAA third party games".

Obviously this is false.  There are many generations where one system will lose a certain about of install base and another system will go up by a similar amount.  Nintendo has always competed with its first party games.  That has been true on the NES, and it is true now.  It is currently competing with Playstation with the same types of first party games that were on the N64, which was also competing with Playstation.

curl-6 said:

Yeah I don't buy that Switch takes sales away from PS/Xbox, or vice versa.
Switch launched around PS4's peak and that didn't stop it thriving, similarly PS5 launched during Switch's peak and that didn't stop it selling like crack.
They target different niches and people are more likely to buy both than to go "I was going to get a PS5/Xbox Series, but now cos the Switch is so great, I won't."

Also, farewell Wii. It was a fun comparison to watch, but the time has finally come to wave as it passes by.

I have seen several people make two arguments at the same time which actually contradict one another.

1) "Switch and Playstation target totally different groups of people.  That is why they don't compete."
2)  "Every Switch owner also wants a Playstation (or XBox), so every single one of them will buy two systems."

Both of these arguments cannot be correct at the same time.  Either 1) Switch games are totally repulsive to Playstation owners (and vice versa), so that they would never consider the other console, or 2) Switch games are so fun to Playstation owners that every single one of them will buy a Switch (and vice versa).

Both cannot be true at the same time.  I would invite everyone to pick either one or the other.  However, given Mnementh's link a few posts ago, it really looks like the second one is closer to the truth.  Lots of Switch owners also own a PS4 or XBox1 (and vice versa).  Therefore, the idea that Switch and PS/XBox target different people is WRONG!

The main problem with argument 2) is that, even though it is much closer to the truth, it adopts a 0% or 100% mentality.  Every person who buys one console will automatically buy a second.  This denies basic microeconomics.  The truth is that gamers probably like 2 or more consoles to varying degrees, but many will be unable or unwilling to pay for a second one.  This is basically how lots of competing products work.  E.g. Some people own 2 cars, but many will only buy 1.  That is how it works for consoles too.  A lot of people may be interested in more than 1 system, but they are only willing to pay for 1.

So, the reality for Switch is that it will eat into PS/XBox marketshare, but it won't be on a 1 for 1 basis.   For example if Switch sells 80 million more than 3DS + Wii U, then that doesn't mean a 80 million drop in PS+XBox from Generation 8.  Instead the drop will be somewhere in the 20-60 million range.  However, the drop won't be 0.  What I find amusing is that people say that mobile phones don't compete directly with dedicated systems, and also that they took Nintendo+Sony handhelds from 236m total to 92m total in one generation.  However, suggest that Switch might take 1 sale away from PS+XBox and they'll say it's not remotely possible.  There really is a lack of consistency in a lot of these arguments.

So, basically neither one of these arguments negate what I am saying.  Switch and PS/XBox definitely do appeal to the same types of people and as a result Switch's success must eat into part of that install base.

Last edited by The_Liquid_Laser - on 31 January 2022

The_Liquid_Laser said:
aTokenYeti said:

There is more to a games library than first party. You cannot play any of the latest call of duty titles on switch, nor can you play any of the latest EA sports games, nor can you play a number of the more popular free to play battle royales. 

in fact I am struggling to think of any of the major AAA titles released in the last 3 years from the likes of ABK, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft, or Zenimax that released on the Switch. The only two significant exceptions I’m aware of are Apex legends and Immortals fenix rising. 

According to your reasoning, the only two systems that have ever competed with one another are Playstation and XBox, and even then it only started in Generation 7.  That is when this trend started of both systems having largely the same "AAA third party games".

Obviously this is false.  There are many generations where one system will lose a certain about of install base and another system will go up by a similar amount.  Nintendo has always competed with its first party games.  That has been true on the NES, and it is true now.  It is currently competing with Playstation with the same types of first party games that were on the N64, which was also competing with Playstation.

curl-6 said:

Yeah I don't buy that Switch takes sales away from PS/Xbox, or vice versa.
Switch launched around PS4's peak and that didn't stop it thriving, similarly PS5 launched during Switch's peak and that didn't stop it selling like crack.
They target different niches and people are more likely to buy both than to go "I was going to get a PS5/Xbox Series, but now cos the Switch is so great, I won't."

Also, farewell Wii. It was a fun comparison to watch, but the time has finally come to wave as it passes by.

I have seen several people make two arguments at the same time which actually contradict one another.

1) "Switch and Playstation target totally different groups of people.  That is why they don't compete."
2)  "Every Switch owner also wants a Playstation (or XBox), so every single one of them will buy two systems."

Both of these arguments cannot be correct at the same time.  Either 1) Switch games are totally repulsive to Playstation owners (and vice versa), so that they would never consider the other console, or 2) Switch games are so fun to Playstation owners that every single one of them will buy a Switch (and vice versa).

Both cannot be true at the same time.  I would invite everyone to pick either one or the other.  However, given Mnementh's link a few posts ago, it really looks like the second one is closer to the truth.  Lots of Switch owners also own a PS4 or XBox1 (and vice versa).  Therefore, the idea that Switch and PS/XBox target different people is WRONG!

The main problem with argument 2) is that, even though it is much closer to the truth, it adopts a 0% or 100% mentality.  Every person who buys one console will automatically buy a second.  This denies basic microeconomics.  The truth is that gamers probably like 2 or more consoles to varying degrees, but many will be unable or unwilling to pay for a second one.  This is basically how lots of competing products work.  E.g. Some people own 2 cars, but many will only buy 1.  That is how it works for consoles too.  A lot of people may be interested in more than 1 system, but they are only willing to pay for 1.

So, the reality for Switch is that it will eat into PS/XBox marketshare, but it won't be on a 1 for 1 basis.   For example if Switch sells 80 million more than 3DS + Wii U, then that doesn't mean a 80 million drop in PS+XBox from Generation 8.  Instead the drop will be somewhere in the 20-60 million range.  However, the drop won't be 0.  What I find amusing is that people say that mobile phones don't compete directly with dedicated systems, and also that they took Nintendo+Sony handhelds from 236m total to 92m total in one generation.  However, suggest that Switch might take 1 sale away from PS+XBox and they'll say it's not remotely possible.  There really is a lack of consistency in a lot of these arguments.

So, basically neither one of these arguments negate what I am saying.  Switch and PS/XBox definitely do appeal to the same types of people and as a result Switch's success must eat into part of that install base.

I don’t think your analysis makes sense, it’s too broad. Nintendo’s change in console strategy from the GameCube to the Wii was a deliberate strategy to avoid directly competing with Sony and Microsoft on a hardware and third party software front. 

Nintendo themselves have even said they consider the mobile market broadly and apple specifically their actual competitor. And it makes sense, the Nintendo switch is a completely different product segment than PlayStation or Xbox. 

This is like saying Samsung smartphones are competing with Windows laptops. In the absolute broadest terms of competing for consumer electronics dollars, they “compete”, but that is not an interesting or particularly relevant comparison. They are two different form factor devices with two different software libraries designed to do two different things for a different market of people. 



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The_Liquid_Laser said:
curl-6 said:

Yeah I don't buy that Switch takes sales away from PS/Xbox, or vice versa.
Switch launched around PS4's peak and that didn't stop it thriving, similarly PS5 launched during Switch's peak and that didn't stop it selling like crack.
They target different niches and people are more likely to buy both than to go "I was going to get a PS5/Xbox Series, but now cos the Switch is so great, I won't."

Also, farewell Wii. It was a fun comparison to watch, but the time has finally come to wave as it passes by.

I have seen several people make two arguments at the same time which actually contradict one another.

1) "Switch and Playstation target totally different groups of people.  That is why they don't compete."
2)  "Every Switch owner also wants a Playstation (or XBox), so every single one of them will buy two systems."

Both of these arguments cannot be correct at the same time.  Either 1) Switch games are totally repulsive to Playstation owners (and vice versa), so that they would never consider the other console, or 2) Switch games are so fun to Playstation owners that every single one of them will buy a Switch (and vice versa).

Both cannot be true at the same time.  I would invite everyone to pick either one or the other.  However, given Mnementh's link a few posts ago, it really looks like the second one is closer to the truth.  Lots of Switch owners also own a PS4 or XBox1 (and vice versa).  Therefore, the idea that Switch and PS/XBox target different people is WRONG!

The main problem with argument 2) is that, even though it is much closer to the truth, it adopts a 0% or 100% mentality.  Every person who buys one console will automatically buy a second.  This denies basic microeconomics.  The truth is that gamers probably like 2 or more consoles to varying degrees, but many will be unable or unwilling to pay for a second one.  This is basically how lots of competing products work.  E.g. Some people own 2 cars, but many will only buy 1.  That is how it works for consoles too.  A lot of people may be interested in more than 1 system, but they are only willing to pay for 1.

So, the reality for Switch is that it will eat into PS/XBox marketshare, but it won't be on a 1 for 1 basis.   For example if Switch sells 80 million more than 3DS + Wii U, then that doesn't mean a 80 million drop in PS+XBox from Generation 8.  Instead the drop will be somewhere in the 20-60 million range.  However, the drop won't be 0.  What I find amusing is that people say that mobile phones don't compete directly with dedicated systems, and also that they took Nintendo+Sony handhelds from 236m total to 92m total in one generation.  However, suggest that Switch might take 1 sale away from PS+XBox and they'll say it's not remotely possible.  There really is a lack of consistency in a lot of these arguments.

So, basically neither one of these arguments negate what I am saying.  Switch and PS/XBox definitely do appeal to the same types of people and as a result Switch's success must eat into part of that install base.

It's less that they appeal to different people and more that people buy them for different reasons/games, so whether someone buys a Switch generally won't have much bearing on whether they also buy a PS5 or an Xbox Series. A Switch isn't a replacement for a PS/Xbox, they're different enough that they overlap rather than directly competing.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 31 January 2022

curl-6 said:
The_Liquid_Laser said:

I have seen several people make two arguments at the same time which actually contradict one another.

1) "Switch and Playstation target totally different groups of people.  That is why they don't compete."
2)  "Every Switch owner also wants a Playstation (or XBox), so every single one of them will buy two systems."

Both of these arguments cannot be correct at the same time.  Either 1) Switch games are totally repulsive to Playstation owners (and vice versa), so that they would never consider the other console, or 2) Switch games are so fun to Playstation owners that every single one of them will buy a Switch (and vice versa).

Both cannot be true at the same time.  I would invite everyone to pick either one or the other.  However, given Mnementh's link a few posts ago, it really looks like the second one is closer to the truth.  Lots of Switch owners also own a PS4 or XBox1 (and vice versa).  Therefore, the idea that Switch and PS/XBox target different people is WRONG!

The main problem with argument 2) is that, even though it is much closer to the truth, it adopts a 0% or 100% mentality.  Every person who buys one console will automatically buy a second.  This denies basic microeconomics.  The truth is that gamers probably like 2 or more consoles to varying degrees, but many will be unable or unwilling to pay for a second one.  This is basically how lots of competing products work.  E.g. Some people own 2 cars, but many will only buy 1.  That is how it works for consoles too.  A lot of people may be interested in more than 1 system, but they are only willing to pay for 1.

So, the reality for Switch is that it will eat into PS/XBox marketshare, but it won't be on a 1 for 1 basis.   For example if Switch sells 80 million more than 3DS + Wii U, then that doesn't mean a 80 million drop in PS+XBox from Generation 8.  Instead the drop will be somewhere in the 20-60 million range.  However, the drop won't be 0.  What I find amusing is that people say that mobile phones don't compete directly with dedicated systems, and also that they took Nintendo+Sony handhelds from 236m total to 92m total in one generation.  However, suggest that Switch might take 1 sale away from PS+XBox and they'll say it's not remotely possible.  There really is a lack of consistency in a lot of these arguments.

So, basically neither one of these arguments negate what I am saying.  Switch and PS/XBox definitely do appeal to the same types of people and as a result Switch's success must eat into part of that install base.

It's less that they appeal to different people and more that people buy them for different reasons/games, so whether someone buys a Switch generally won't have much bearing on whether they also buy a PS5 or an Xbox Series. A Switch isn't a replacement for a PS/Xbox, they're different enough that they overlap rather than directly competing.

Again you make the mistake of thinking Switch either has to have 0% impact or 100% impact.  Some people will buy more than one system.  Some will not.  For those who will only buy 1 system, it is very clear they are buying Switch right now.



The_Liquid_Laser said:
curl-6 said:

It's less that they appeal to different people and more that people buy them for different reasons/games, so whether someone buys a Switch generally won't have much bearing on whether they also buy a PS5 or an Xbox Series. A Switch isn't a replacement for a PS/Xbox, they're different enough that they overlap rather than directly competing.

Again you make the mistake of thinking Switch either has to have 0% impact or 100% impact.  Some people will buy more than one system.  Some will not.  For those who will only buy 1 system, it is very clear they are buying Switch right now.

Let me put it this way; there will be some people that choose a Switch instead of PS/Xbox, but their number will be too few to have a significant effect on market share.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 31 January 2022

The_Liquid_Laser said:
curl-6 said:

It's less that they appeal to different people and more that people buy them for different reasons/games, so whether someone buys a Switch generally won't have much bearing on whether they also buy a PS5 or an Xbox Series. A Switch isn't a replacement for a PS/Xbox, they're different enough that they overlap rather than directly competing.

Again you make the mistake of thinking Switch either has to have 0% impact or 100% impact.  Some people will buy more than one system.  Some will not.  For those who will only buy 1 system, it is very clear they are buying Switch right now.

You have made good points but why would the impact suddenly go from a few million to potentially as high as 60? I don't see why it'll do that when the Wii and DS didn't and those combined sold way more than the Switch will sell.



trunkswd said:

Share the article here.

Switch vs 3DS in Japan Sales Comparison - December 2021

This monthly series compares the aligned Japanese sales of the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS.

The 3DS launched in February 2011 in Japan and the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017. This does mean the normal holiday periods and the Japanese Golden Week holiday for the two consoles are off by one month.

Switch Vs. 3DS Japan:

Gap change in latest month: 744,197 - Switch

Gap change over last 12 months: 3,251,017 - Switch

Total Lead: 3,784,974 - Switch

Switch Total Sales: 23,189,574

3DS Total Sales: 19,404,600

December 2021 is the 58th month that the Nintendo Switch has been available for in Japan. During the latest month, the Switch outsold the 3DS by 744,197 units when you align the launches. In the last 12 months, the Switch has outsold the 3DS by 3.25 million units. The Switch is currently ahead of the 3DS by 3.78 million units.

The 58th month for the Switch is December 2021, while for the 3DS it is November 2015. The Switch has sold 23.19 million units, while the 3DS sold 19.40 million units during the same timeframe. The 3DS did not reach current Switch sales until month 79.

The 3DS has sold 24.67 million units lifetime in Japan. The Switch is currently 1.48 million units behind the lifetime sales of the 3DS.

3DS's days ahead in Japan are numbered in short digits. To think Switch was what, 3 million behind at one point?