A new contender threatened to steal the PlayStation 4's console launch crown last week: the Nintendo Switch released in the UK – but it couldn't topple the Sony system's monster debut. According to Games Industry.biz, the Big N's hybrid moved a respectable 80,000 units over its opening weekend – double that of the Wii U but a long way short of the PS4's frightening 250,000 units opening.
To be clear, Sony's newest console did launch right during the peak of the holiday season which surely had an impact on its figures. The aforementioned number also pertains to its opening week as opposed to the Switch's launch weekend, though we do remember the PS4 being practically sold out beyond launch day.
Still, it does make you wonder whether Sony's record setting launch will ever be beaten. For comparison, the Xbox One debuted with 150,000 units in Britain and the 3DS just 113,000 units, so it's way out in the lead. Even the Wii, which was a smash hit on these shores, only mustered 105,000 units at launch due to stock shortages. Will the PS4's debut ever be beaten? Let us know in the comments below.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 24
PS4 launch was an absolute beast to be fair. I doubt it'll ever be beaten.
Nope, next question.
I cant see Switch being too big of a success. But it was the best time to launch it. Itll never be big in the UK, that market is Nintendophobic.
PlayStation 5 might be able to top it? Will have to work hard though to stand a chance.
It's obviously not concrete proof but from what I gather, the Switch is still available throughout the UK. I know my local stores still had plenty of stock over the weekend, and apparently that was the case in multiple regions. I wonder how it did in the US and the rest of Europe?
Well the Switch was never going to beat it with just 2 million worldwide at launch. I bought one at launch without a pre-order and it was very easy to get hold of. It must also be said that whilst I was in and around town I didn't see another person actually buy one or even look at it. I take it from this that Zelda probably sold 80,000 copies too as there isn't anything else worth buying yet
@carlos82 From Eurogamer: "78 per cent of copies sold were on Switch, with 22 per cent on Wii U - the latter figure perhaps higher than expected."
@get2sammyb Wii U owners probably feel burnt and don't fancy buying Switch for just one game and then they all probably already own Mario Kart too.
If PS4 launched with Bloodborne and The Last of Us Remastered only, I probably wouldn't have bothered.
It will be beaten by ps5, especially if it has backward compability with ps4 games.
It's funny though, since the PS4 wasn't really THAT attractive at launch. Looking back, it seems people were just thirsty for newer, strong hardware after such a long previous generation.
PS4 did so well partly because we were all so desperate for some new hardware, what with PS3 being stretched 3 years longer than it should have been (imo..)
Hopefully we don't get in a position where we are that desperate again
Not surprised , the prices Nintendo are asking for the switch is ridiculous. Plus the games offered is not enough. I'm waiting at least a year for prices to go down plus there are reported issues of the controllers desyncing and stop working. So I'm waiting til the bugsare ironed out
The only thing that'll beat it is a future PS product.
@johnny30 Still don't get why people think £300 for a console (any console, really) is too much. 5-6 years of entertainment at £40-£50 a year? An iphone costs twice as much and you'll get 24 months out of it.
Sony has done everything right this gen. Still, the fact that the Switch had a bigger launch than the Wii U is encouraging to me.
@kyleforrester87 In my case my consoles are a lifetime of entertainment. Still have my PS2 hooked in and play some gems I never got to play back then from time to time when I'm bored with newer overcomplicated games.
@kyleforrester87 the cost of the console is fine its what you have to buy to get to work, controllers and the other things .65 quid for a controller is outragous , ssd card. This day and age should have a decent HDD. I could go on lol
@kyleforrester87 lack of historical perspective, perhaps: https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ju7cWd14--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/199q203cc5y96jpg.jpg
Not to mention that even one console's backlog can easily last you more than several years as a rule.
@Ralizah
Switch's launch out-performing Wii U's was never in question. Just judging by its reception, the Wii U turned everybody, even some hardcore Nintendo fans, away. Only the super hardcore stuck around. I consider myself a big Nintendo fan (have owned every single one of the company's systems, including multiple variations of some, except Virtual Boy) and even I wasn't hyped for the Wii U. In fact, from the very first showing I thought it was crap, that had never happened before for me in regards to a new Nintendo system. The Switch is a much more exciting product and seems like the perfect successor to the Wii and DS. My guess is Nintendo may have wanted to do this in 2012, the tech just wasn't there.
@Gamer83 It probably helped that Nintendo actually advertised this machine.
I still like my Wii U. Moreso than the Wii or N64, actually. But Nintendo just did not do right by that machine, from the name, to the confused messaging of the concept, to the fact that it took years to start getting really good first-party games (something Nintendo seems to be addressing with the Switch: year one has some real heavy-hitters in terms of first-party content), etc.
@kyleforrester87
I'd say it was only two years too long, but I completely agree, console gen's should be 5 years, 6 tops and the latter is pushing it.
@ShogunRok I looked for a Switch "casually" on Friday night and I couldn't find one. My younger brother who lives in a more rural area about 3+ hours south of me in another state, couldn't find one either. He looked all weekend.
I think they should have sent more to the US!
@Ralizah
The Wii U is the first time I bought a Nintendo system and sold it just a few months later after I was done with Super Mario 3D World, and didn't have any regrets. The concept itself wasn't terrible but the machine was horribly underpowered (people can call me a graphics whore, but I don't care because I do think horsepower matters, it's not No. 1 but it is hugely important), overpriced and like you said, the pace at which the great first party games came out was very slow. The Wii and N64 weren't my favorite consoles of either gen but they were definitely outstanding second options because of how well Nintendo's teams supported each one. With the home and handheld divisions now working on Switch together, at least that problem of games is solved. If nothing else it'll be a great secondary system. Lets hope for a real Metroid and a return of Wave Race.
@johnny30 controllers? Last time I checked, Pro looked like a thing of personal preference (as with everything called "Pro" these days) and the base set is a blast from the past when home consoles equipped players for local multiplayer right out of the box.
And while 2 Tb microSDs aren't common yet, neither are HDDs of the size and specifics (as far as I hear, shaking and moving an HDD while it's running is strongly warned against) that would make sense with Switch's portable aspect. With Switch, you can grab a 64 Gb and be all set even if going digital - swapping games in and out by priority is no longer an issue with the memory card usage allocating up to all 25.6 Gb of internal room for save files (more than the entire PS Plus cloud if I'm not mistaken).
Frankly, I don't see the vital or even notable need for most of the Switch peripherals so far. They're what they are - peripherals. If someone really needs them to play comfortably, by all means, but the cases and reasonings described so far haven't soundes to me like absolutely everyone would relate to them and face the prospect of buying a Switch at twice the price total.
We all know the PS4 launch will be beaten one day.
The PS5 will release all on its own and the UK will go mental!
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