The Switch has had a stupendous year in Japan, with, in spite of supply constraints, it becoming the most sold system of the year in the country. 2.5 million units of the Nintendo Switch have been sold in Japan so far- a milestone that it reached faster than most other systems, including the PS4. The Switch continues to outpace the PS4, and may end up overtaking its lifetime sales sooner than anticipated if it keeps up its current rate of sales.
Of course, the PS4 is finally holding steady in Japan, too- for instance, it reached its own major milestone in Japan recently, with 5.5 million units sold in Japan so far. The PS4’s sales have been slower than the veritable explosion the Switch saw, in large part because its early library had very games appealing to Japan (in fact, it only saw Japan centric games become commonplace on it last year, with games like Yakuza 0, Persona 5, Tales of Berseria, and Final Fantasy 15).
With PS4 and Switch both assured to get loads of great games with appeal in Japan for a while to come – Switch still has Pokemon, Smash Bros., Animal Crossing, and Fire Emblem, that we know of, coming, while the PS4 will get Monster Hunter World, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Kingdom Hearts 3– it will be great to see where they each end up when all is said and done.