Switch vs 3DS and Wii U in the US Sales Comparison - Switch Lead Tops 4 Million in September 2020 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 26 October 2020 / 2,341 Views
The VGChartz sales comparison series of articles are updated monthly and each one focuses on a different sales comparison using our estimated video game hardware figures. The charts include comparisons between the 7th generation and 8th generation platforms, as well as comparisons within the 8th generation. There are articles based on our worldwide estimates, as well as the US, Europe, and Japan.
This monthly series compares the aligned US Nintendo Switch sales with the combined Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U sales.
Switch Vs. 3DS and Wii U USA:
Gap change in latest month: 510,051 - Switch
Gap change over last 12 months: 4,076,286 - Switch
Total Lead: 4,049,888 - Switch
Switch Total Sales: 22,099,339
3DS and Wii U Total Sales: 18,049,451
September 2020 is the 43rd month that the Nintendo Switch has been available for in the US. During the latest month, the gap grew in favor of the Switch when compared to the combined sales of the 3DS and Wii U during the same timeframe by 510,051 units. In the last 12 months the gap has grown in favor of the Switch by 4.08 million units. The Switch is currently ahead of the 3DS and Wii U by 4.05 million units.
The 3DS launched in March 2011 in the US and the Wii U launched in November 2012, while the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017. The holiday periods between the Switch and 3DS lineup, however, the Wii U holiday is offset from the Switch.
The 43rd month for the Nintendo Switch is September 2020, for the Nintendo 3DS it is September 2014 and for the Wii U it is May 2016. The Switch has sold 22.10 million units, while the 3DS and Wii U have sold 18.05 million units during the same timeframe. The 3DS and Wii U did not reach current Switch sales until month 58, when they sold a combined 22.21 million units.
The 3DS and Wii U have sold a combined 29.20 million units in the US. The Switch is currently 7.10 million units behind. The Wii U has been off the market for a few years, while the 3DS is still on the market. 3DS production has ended, however, the handheld is now selling under 1,000 units per week.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Switch is currently doing the sales in one year what 3DS and Wii U did in 2 years.
honestly by watching this of course Switch is a beast, but also i realize Xbox one also outsold 3DS and Wii U combined.
Man 8th gen was not the best era for Nintendo.....
Meanwhile, that's the only relevant market for Xbox and MS, and still, they aren't able to dominate it.
Agree but I'd argue the Switch is also 8th gen. The Wii U started the 8th gen for home consoles and the Switch has ended it with the hybrid concept.... I know it's weird to have a company have 2 consoles in the same gen (ignoring 3DS for a moment) but think about this. If you consider the Switch 9th gen what will you say when the next Switch comes out in 2-3 years? 10th gen?
The Switch has comparable specs to the Wii U, albeit in a whole new form factor. The Wii U had a GPU that was close to that of the Switch (352 GFLOPS / 393 GFLOPS docked) and ran games at resolutions and frame rates similar to what the Switch is capable of. So, with that in mind the 8th gen might end up looking pretty good for Nintendo...
Just an FYI but the line graph should have been two different colors like red and blue to make it better readable
