The Nintendo Switch currently stands at nearly 93 million units shipped worldwide, having managed to hit that number in less than five years, and it’s abundantly clear that at least at this moment, the system is showing no signs of slowing down in any sense. Of course, something that Nintendo expects is going to contribute to the Switch’s longevity is the new Nintendo Switch OLED model, which, it seems, has gotten off to a solid start where sales are concerned.
As revealed recently by the NPD Group, the Switch was the best-selling console in the US for the month of October in terms of both, units sold and revenue generated. Speaking recently with The Washington Post, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser delved deeper into that, providing some numbers to give context for exactly how well it did.
According to the Bowser, throughout the month of October, in the United States, the Switch sold a total of 711,000 units, which is only 3% down from what the console managed to sell in October 2020. Meanwhile, of that figure, 314,000 units sold were the Nintendo Switch OLED model.
“October this year is only 3 percent lower than what was sold last year, which I think we can all agree was a bit of an anomaly year when it comes to overall hardware sales,” Bowser said. “So we think this is a solid start for the OLED model. We also think this is a very strong indicator of the performance we can expect as we go through the holiday season.”
Interestingly enough, Bowser also revealed that many of the Switch units that were sold throughout the month were purchased by those who already own the console, and were buying another one for either themselves or their families. The exact numbers for that haven’t been revealed, but it’s an interesting stat that sheds light on what Nintendo’s approach is with the Switch in general, and with the Switch OLED in particular.
The Switch OLED saw strong debuts in the UK and Japan as well, so it doesn’t come as surprise to see it doing well in the US as well. Recently, Nintendo reiterated that the Switch is only at the “midpoint” of its life cycle, which means the company is likely hedging its bets on the newest variant of the system continuing to boost its sales figures.
Recently, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa admitted that due to the global shortage of semiconductor chips, the company is going to be unable to meet demand for the Switch this Holiday season. Read more on that through here.