Some people are concerned that the Nintendo Switch might not be able to meet its 20 million units sold record by early next year. However, one report suggests that it’ll not only have no trouble reaching that point, but that it will dominate over the PlayStation 4 as far as 2019 is concerned.
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That report comes from Strategy Analytics, which notes that, thanks to a strong marketing campaign, a potential new model and killer games like New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Animal Crossing, the Switch will become more popular than ever, selling over 17.3 million consoles worldwide.
That’ll be more than enough to push past the projected 17.1 million PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro consoles, and the 10 million Xbox One and Xbox One X systems.
These numbers are based upon the growth of the industry following a strong group of sales for this year, where 46.1 million devices in all were sold — the highest since 2010, according to the group.
David Watkins, who serves as director for Strategy Analytics, said, “Contrary to some expectations, the global TV games console market remains healthy. Many pundits have written it off over the years, for reasons ranging from the emergence of cloud gaming to the dominance of mobile devices and the arrival of VR, but it refuses to die. In fact, there is an argument that the enduring appeal of the TV games console, now in its sixth decade, continues to demonstrate the weaknesses and limitations of alternative games platforms.”
There were other findings included in the report, which are listed below:
- Sony is still the market leader in terms of consoles in use; it accounts for nearly half of all video games consoles in use, and 84% of these are now PS4 or PS4 Pro devices
- Video game console ownership has been rising again in recent years; 45% of North American homes and 20% of Western European homes now own at least one console
- The global retail value of the games console business is predicted to reach $15.4bn in 2018, an increase of 7.6%
- 2019 revenues are expected to decline by 10% as shipment volumes and prices fall
- By 2023 revenues will return to 2018 levels, driven by the launch of next generation systems such as the PS5 and Xbox and Switch updates
Chirag Upadhyay, senior analyst for Strategy Analytics, also chimed in. “Console upgrade cycles continue, and the three-way battle between Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, which has been raging now for the best part of two decades, shows no sign of abating as each platform owner discusses its plans for updates and new generations. In partnership with developers and driven by the ever-rising expectations of consumers we fully expect these platform owners to continue to push the boundaries of the large screen gaming experience for many more years to come.”
Nintendo should enjoy this lead if it does take place next year, because things are going to get very interesting once the next Xbox and the PlayStation 5 enter the market.
You can read more about the report here.
