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Nintendo Switch outsells the PlayStation 4 in Japan

Nintendo's portable home console has outsold the PlayStation 4 despite the three-year gap between the two console's releases.

Josh Hawkins

May 15, 2019 11:30 AM

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The Nintendo Switch has been a popular piece of hardware, there’s no doubting that. But, the latest numbers from Japan might surprise some. As it stands, the Nintendo Switch has managed to outsell the PlayStation 4, despite a three-year gap between the last PS4’s release date, and the Switch’s release date.

According to a report made by Famitsu, the Nintendo Switch has sold 8,125,637 units in Japan since it’s release in March of 2017. The PlayStation 4 has sold 8,077,756 units in Japan since it’s release. Of course, Japan has long been dominated by mobile and portable gaming, so it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Switch has garnered such popularity. Still, though, the PlayStation 4 definitely has its pros and it’s interesting to see the Switch, which some might consider very underpowered compared to Sony’s console, outdoing the PS4.

It’s definitely interesting to see the numbers and how gaming has evolved over the years. It will be intriguing to see how these numbers continue to evolve as the Switch and PlayStation 4’s life cycle continues, and I wonder if we’ll ever see the PS4 pull ahead again. Only time will tell, but it’s an entertaining thought.

When it comes to worldwide sales, though, the Nintendo Switch’s 34.7 million lag quite a bit behind the 90 million plus that that PlayStation 4 has managed. This is, of course, because portable gaming isn’t nearly as big worldwide as it is in Japan. It’s still amazing to see what the Switch has managed to accomplish as far as units sold given it hasn’t even been three years since the console’s release. These numbers will only continue to go up, which is something for Nintendo to be proud of. To keep up with all the latest gaming news and stories, be sure to follow Shacknews on Twitter.

Josh Hawkins

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.