Will Switch 1 Dethrone PS2 sales?

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Instant_Classic

Member
From Nintendo's Official Website

"As of June 30, 2025, the Nintendo Switch has sold 153.10 million units worldwide."

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www.nintendo.co.jp

IR Information : Sales Data - Dedicated Video Game Sales Units

www.nintendo.co.jp

The GOAT (PS2) currently sits at 160.6 million worldwide.

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The Switch 1 had the benefit of the covid boost inflating it's numbers, in addition to being a handheld.

I knew countless people who purchased one because they needed something to do, during the lockdowns.

Mind you, these people had zero interest in games and haven't touched their Switch's in years, post-covid.

Switch 1 sales have come to a sharp halt these last few years, and it's barely moving units now that the Switch 2 is out.

PS2 will remain the highest selling home console for the foreseeable future, and possibly ever...

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Ps2 did that before mobile gaming became a thing, which is now the largest market segment

Nintendo is much more impressive that they could get those numbers when mobile gaming is the most popular way to game and even PC gaming is more popular than it was

If you don't believe me, look up market share for mobile gaming versus consoles

Switch was also much more expensive, again making the feat more impressive. Not to mention ps2 was a dvd player, which is a huge reason it sold that well

However you try to spin it, the switch numbers are way more impressive.
 
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The PS2 was only 100 dollars at the end of its life. That's like 150 dollars today. Of course it sold gangbusters.
Meanwhile Nintendo has risen the price of the Switch. It still has a pretty good chance of overtaking the PS2, but the price point makes it a bit more difficult.
 
Idk if it will, older Nintendo console sales tend to fall off a cliff when the successor is released. Depends on how it does the remainder of 2025 imo.
 
Instant_Classic said:
The Switch 1 had the benefit of the covid boost inflating it's numbers, in addition to being a handheld.

I knew countless people who purchased one because they needed something to do, during the lockdowns.

Mind you, these people had zero interest in games and haven't touched their Switch's in years, post-covid.

Switch 1 sales have come to a sharp halt these last few years, and it's barely moving units now that the Switch 2 is out.

PS2 will remain the highest selling home console for the foreseeable future, and possibly ever.

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With all due respect, if you're going to say nonsense, you could've at least not create the thread.

"Switch covid boost" is max +6 million in units sales, considering how console sales work and the sales trajectory. 202 was always going to be the Switch' best year, and was destined to sell more than 20 million that year (due, again, to how console sales work). Switch sold 28 million in 2020, would've been probably 22 million minimum without Covid.

PS2 sold 100 million before the PS3 launched. If the Switch benefited from covid boost, the PS2 benefited from the disastrous launch of PS3, it's cheap price (99$) and the games it kept getting thanks to the Wii's success.

And you don't know what "sharp halt" means if you think selling 15 million is a sharp halt. Mind you, Xbox never managed to sell more than 10 million units per year.
 
OP Mentions Switch's "Covid boost" to justify its numbers but doesn't mention PS2's "cheapest dvd player for years" putting in a lot of work for their sales.

Takes balls to be that biased off the bat.

Also, OP. Switch 1 still weekly outsells PS5 in Japan. Nintendo's first party software continuously greatly outsells first party Sony software (yet you claim people bought during covid had no interest in games). And Switch 1 software greatly outsells software rates on PS2.
 
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It's entirely up to Nintendo, and I'm sure Sony recognizes this fact.

So in that sense, the message is clear. If Nintendo wanted to, they could create the necessary conditions for Switch to outsell PS2, no doubt about it.

Design a cheaper model, advertise it for kids, launch a few special colors and/or bundles with Pokemon or Mario alongside the movie. Easy. If they're not doing it it's only because they don't see the importance of selling more systems.
 
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It's pretty simple: if by the end of the year, they manage to sell 158+ million Switches, they will go beyond PS2 sales. Otherwise, they won't.
 
I like how the opening post clearly has to paint a one sided picture before we answer.

Looks to me like the writing is on the wall. The Switch is still selling, slower yes but it's still chugging along and that's with a price increase. If things come to an absolute halt, watch the price come down and the record still gets passed.
 
Scrawnton said:
OP Mentions Switch's "Covid boost" to justify its numbers but doesn't mention PS2's "cheapest dvd player for years" putting in a lot of work for their sales.

Takes balls to be that biased off the bat.

Also, OP. Switch 1 still weekly outsells PS5 in Japan. Nintendo's first party software continuously greatly outsells first party Sony software (yet you claim people bought during covid had no interest in games). And Switch 1 software greatly outsells software rates on PS2.
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The cheapest DVD player argument doesn't hold up, considering DVD players were priced LESS literally within months of the PS2 releasing.

Switch 1 has the benefit of I don't know, digital distribution on its side?

Also, the only games that sell well on Switch typically are first party games.

PS2 sold on the basis of literally having a majority of 3rd party support and big titles like GTA, MGS, FFX, etc.

Switch sold well on the basis of a once in a life time event, covid.
 
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The better question is how did the switch sell so well without ever reducing its price. In fact, it just got a price increase.
Ps2 dropped to $99 to get the level of sales it got. Let that sink in.
 
They easily would have if they DROPPED the price instead of freaking increasing it!

I was rooting for the Switch to overtake the PS2, but now I'd rather see sales completely fall off. It's absolute insanity that they're not dropping the price on the unit. By the 8th year of the PS2, you could get the console brand new on sale for $80.

Nintendo has been insane with their pricing lately.
 
Why does this thread always keep coming up? Even if it eventually does,
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Everyone seems to forget the census and market was completely different 20+ years ago. It's irrelevant.
 
I don't understand the flame at the end of that OP....are you saying something's on fire? Is something hot? Should we be hot about something? Are you just uncomfortably warm? Is the weather unseasonably warm where you are, I mean what is going on here?
 
Instant_Classic said:
The market was smaller back then, making PS2's accomplishment an even bigger deal.
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Exactly. You don't have to tell me, it's the people that don't have the scope to acknowledge that there's 4 billion more people on the planet than before on top of a market that has grown to now equal the movie industry, if not more. Switch only got popular because of its portability, piggybacking off of the mobile/tablet trend.
 
Instant_Classic said:
The cheapest DVD player argument doesn't hold up, considering DVD players were priced LESS literally within months of the PS2 releasing.

Switch 1 has the benefit of I don't know, digital distribution on its side?

Also, the only games that sell well on Switch typically are first party games.

PS2 sold on the basis of literally having a majority of 3rd party support and big titles like GTA 3, MGS, FFX, etc.

Switch sold well on the basis of a once in a life time event, covid.
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Sony 2000 Video Products | AVCA

Audio/Video Component Archive<br>Product Information, Specs, Features for Sony, Kenwood, JVC, and Pioneer
www.egrabow.com www.egrabow.com

it wasn't the cheapest, but it was one the cheapest Sony DVD players, next cheapest was 250. I knew several people who bought it near launch solely because of the DVD functionality. The ability to play games was only an extra to them.
 
Instant_Classic said:
You know how many literally bought a Switch because they were bored during lockdowns?

Easily, 70% of it's total sales.

Easily

Side note: The Switch is a handheld.
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I was gonna ask you for a source, but this is so egregiously wrong that I'm gonna do the work for you.

This data all comes from https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Nintendo_Switch

The total sales during lockdown (start of 2020 to mid 2021) were ~36 million. The average per 18-months outside of lockdown is ~28 million. That means that the "covid boost" accounted for roughly 8 or 9 million total extra units sold.

That means of the total sales, the lockdown accounted for merely 6% at best. Not 70%, you donut.

If you're going to bother making a thread, the least you could do is 180 seconds of research first.
 
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Never.

Sony still have some spare receipts on sold ps2s if switch gets too close like they did with what, the Wii or 3ds or something?
 
I thought I was a foregone conclusion until Nintendo went and raised the price on an 8-year old console. Still baffled by that decision, because it was way overdue for an official price drop, so even with tariffs, it should have at the very least stayed the same price.
 
Given the PS2's 17 year head start and the fact that the Switch is already closing in, I think yes it will, eventually. Regardless, I don't believe Playstation's fake numbers.
 
A Nintendo Switch is a piece of trash hardware that will not last another decade. A PS2 will at least be a solid DVD player for the next half century if nothing else.
 
Is that .6 on the PS2 new? It seems to grow daily. 😆

EDIT- Honest answer, if they make Switches for 4 more years, they will take it.
 
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