The PlayStation 4 has slipped positions and is now the fifth highest promoting console in U.S. historical past. The April 2022 NPD numbers report that the Nintendo Switch now holds the #4 slot and reveals no indicators of stopping. After passing the PS4, the one three consoles that outpace the Swap are the PS2, Xbox 360, and Wii.
The Swap passes PS4 to take #4 in lifetime unit gross sales within the U.S.
US NPD HW – Lifetime unit gross sales of Nintendo Swap have now surpassed these of PlayStation 4, making it the 4th highest unit promoting console in U.S. historical past, and the sixth highest unit promoting online game {hardware} platform general. In console it trails solely PS2, Xbox 360 and Wii.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 13, 2022
Although the Swap surpassed the PS4 within the U.S., the console nonetheless has a methods to go worldwide. The grand whole for PS4s bought is 117 million versus 107 million Switches. Nonetheless, since Nintendo hasn’t unveiled any plans for a brand new console, we’ll probably see the PS4 pushed out of the #2 slot it presently holds for world gross sales.
Nintendo deserves kudos for its success, however uncooked numbers don’t inform the entire story. Given its cheaper price and transportable nature, gross sales patterns are nearer to what we’ve seen prior to now with handhelds. Households usually tend to buy a number of Swap consoles, particularly for the reason that cheaper Swap Lite doesn’t function the flexibility to dock. As well as, for the reason that PS4 is stationary, individuals are extra prone to share one unit between a number of gamers.
Within the transportable class, the Swap has virtually no competitors outdoors of handheld PCs just like the Steam Deck, and people aren’t promoting in close to the numbers to threaten Nintendo’s hegemony. In fact, Sony may have countered the Swap with the Vita (or a Vita successor), however its choice to desert the hand held market leaves the Swap nearly fully unopposed in that market phase.
Opinion: Sony must get again into the hand held market
Jason writes: Sony was jaded by low Vita gross sales, however the PSP bought extra models than the Nintendo 3DS over its lifetime and tied with the Recreation Boy Advance. So, regardless of Nintendo being seen because the king of handhelds, Sony was very profitable with its first try at that type issue. Folks have loads of points with the Swap (low battery life, horrible efficiency) however don’t have another on the subject of a low-cost handheld. Given an opportunity, loads of individuals would drop it for superior {hardware}.
