TT Show Episode 59 - AMD Ryzen 9800X3D Processor Review, the new gaming CPU champ

Switch sales have surpassed Xbox One

In three years, the Switch has outsold the Xbox One, a console that's been on the market for more than six years.

Comment IconFacebook IconX IconReddit Icon
Senior Gaming Editor
Published
Updated
1 minute & 45 seconds read time

The Xbox One has been on the market for 73 months now, or roughly six years, but it's already being surpassed by Nintendo's relatively new Switch console-handheld hybrid.

Switch sales have surpassed Xbox One | TweakTown.com

On the heels of today's 52.48 million Switch sales milestone, analysts have chimed in to add more color to these numbers by comparing them to other systems.

According to Niko Partners' Daniel Ahmad, the Switch has now sold-in more units than Microsoft's Xbox One (remember sold-in is shipments to retailers, not full-on sales). There's a few takeaways here. One is the astronomical rate that Nintendo is moving Switch systems; poised in between the lifecycle of the Xbox One and PS4, Nintendo has leveraged the full brunt of its first-party games and a host of third-party re-release and indies to attract gamers to its innovative transforming handheld.

Another quick lifetime comparison illustrates Nintendo's accelerated hardware sales. The Switch has been on the market for roughly 34 months compared to the Xbox One's 74 months. In less than half the time, the Switch has outsold the Xbox One (this isn't downing Microsoft, they make over $1 billion from Xbox every quarter with strong software/services, but more of a comparative point).

It also helps the Switch is a huge success in Japan, one of the key overseas markets where consumers spend big on games over time. The Xbox One failed to capture that market.

The second takeaway illustrates Xbox One's total sales. It's inferred the Xbox One has sold over 50 million units since its release, or roughly half of the PlayStation 4's huge 106 million install base. No one knows for sure how much the system has shipped because Microsoft stopped reporting figures, but these estimates aren't nearly as rough as some people expected.

As far as Switch sales, Nintendo moved a huge 10.81 million consoles in the 2019 Holiday quarter alone. More than half of that was from the new Switch Lite. Nintendo expects to sell over 19 million Switch consoles by the fiscal year's end on March 31, 2020.

But some perspective is also needed. The Switch is cheaper than the Xbox One, or at least has been historically at launch, where the Xbox One released at a pricey $499. It's also a different type of system. Nintendo's system is a handheld-console hybrid, with a cheaper $199 handheld-only option to boot, whereas the Xbox One is a dedicated system. Different selling points, different games, different pricing.

Photo of the Nintendo Switch Lite - Yellow
Best Deals: Nintendo Switch Lite - Yellow
Country flag Today 7 days ago 30 days ago
Loading... Loading...
Buy
* Prices last scanned on 12/31/1969 at 6:00 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission from any sales.
NEWS SOURCE:twitter.com
Newsletter Subscription

Join the daily TweakTown Newsletter for a special insider look into new content and what is happening behind the scenes.

Senior Gaming Editor

Email IconX IconLinkedIn Icon

Derek joined the TweakTown team in 2015 and has since reviewed and played 1000s of hours of new games. Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

Related Topics

Newsletter Subscription