Nintendo’s new Switch console launched earlier this month after months of anticipation. Gaming fans couldn’t have been more eager to put the Wii U behind them and move on to what looked like an exciting new console. The Switch, of course, is a fun new take on home gaming that combines a home video game console with a portable console. Nintendo’s Switch has been very well received by reviewers and early adopters alike, and early sales looked very promising. Now, however, freshly reported sales figures suggest that Switch sales are already beginning to slow significantly, which could be a troubling sign depending on the root cause of the slowdown.
During its first week of availability, an estimated 329,152 Nintendo Switch consoles were sold in Nintendo’s home country, Japan, according to Media Create. That figure is in line with an estimate from Famitsu that said 330,637 units sold. To put those estimates in perspective, the much-hyped Wii U sold 308,570 units during its opening week in 2009, and that was during the holiday shopping season.
Those early Switch sales figures gave Nintendo fans plenty of cause to be optimistic, but now second-week sales estimates are in and things appear to have slowed down significantly. According to Media Center, just 61,998 Nintendo Switch units were sold in Japan during the console’s second week of availability.
A rush of sales is always expected during a console’s debut week, and a slowdown is always expected to follow. In the case of the Switch, sales have dropped a bit more than Nintendo had likely hoped, according to estimates. The Switch’s very limited stock likely played a role here, however — the console is sold out almost everywhere around the world right now. In fact, there’s currently only one way to order a Switch online in the US and have it delivered before the middle of next month.
