PS5 vs Xbox Series X|S vs Switch Launch Sales Comparison Through Week 22 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 24 April 2021 / 4,404 Views
This weekly mini-series compares the aligned launch sales of the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
It should be noted the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X|S had a worldwide launch, while the PlayStation 5 launch was split over the course of two weeks. Also, the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, while the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S launched during the holidays in November 2020.
PS5 Vs. Xbox Series X|S Vs. Switch Global:
- PS5: 7,295,621
- Switch: 4,857,506
- XSX|S: 4,525,737
Through the first 22 weeks available worldwide the PlayStation 5 is ahead of the Switch and Xbox Series X|S by a fair margin. The PS5 is ahead of the Switch by 2.44 million units and is 2.77 million units ahead of the Xbox Series X|S. The Switch is ahead of the Xbox Series X|S by 331,769 units.
The PS5 has sold 7.30 million in 22 weeks worldwide, while the Switch sold 4.86 million units and the Xbox Series X|S 4.53 million units.
Looking at the marketshare through 22 weeks, the PlayStation 5 currently leads. The PS5 has a 43.8 percent marketshare, the Switch sits at 29.1 percent, and the Xbox Series X|S at 27.1 percent.
The Switch didn't reach current PS5 sales until week 36.
PS5 Vs. Xbox Series X|S Vs. Switch US:
- PS5: 2,963,004
- XSX|S: 2,250,082
- Switch: 1,791,653
Through the first 22 weeks available in the US the PlayStation 5 is ahead of the Switch and Xbox Series X|S. The PS5 is ahead of the Xbox Series X|S by 0.71 million units and is 1.17 million units ahead of the Switch. The Xbox Series X|S is ahead of the Switch by 0.46 million units.
The PS5 has sold 2.96 million in 22 weeks in the US, while the Xbox Series X|S sold 2.25 million units and the Switch 1.79 million units.
Looking at the marketshare through 22 weeks, the PlayStation 5 currently leads. The PS5 has a 42.3 percent marketshare, the Xbox Series X|S sits at 32.1 percent, and the Switch at 25.6 percent.
The Switch didn't reach current PS5 sales until week 39 and current Xbox Series X|S sales until week 31.
PS5 Vs. Xbox Series X|S Vs. Switch Europe (21 weeks):
- PS5: 2,497,939
- Switch: 1,354,319
- XSX|S: 1,327,438
The PlayStation 5 has been available for one week less than the Xbox Series X|S in Europe. After 21 weeks the PS5 is ahead of the Switch by 1.14 million units and is 1.17 million units ahead of the Xbox Series X|S. The Switch is ahead of the Xbox Series X|S by 26,881.
The PS5 has sold 2.50 million in 21 weeks in Europe, while the Switch sold 1.35 million units and the Xbox Series X|S 1.33 million units.
Looking at the marketshare through 21 weeks, the PlayStation 5 currently leads. The PS5 has a 48.2 percent marketshare, the Switch sits at 26.2 percent, and the Xbox Series X|S at 25.6 percent.
The Switch didn't reach current PS5 sales until week 41.
PS5 Vs. Xbox Series X|S Vs. Switch Japan:
- Switch: 1,292,930
- PS5: 618,972
- XSX|S: 41,918
Through the first 22 weeks available in Japan the Switch is ahead of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S by a wide margin. The Switch is ahead of the PS5 by 0.67 million units and is 1.25 million units ahead of the Xbox Series X|S. The PS5 is ahead of the Xbox Series X|S by 0.58 million units.
The Switch has sold 1.29 million units in 22 weeks in Japan, while the PS5 has sold 0.62 million units, and the Xbox Series X|S 0.04 million units.
Looking at the marketshare through 22 weeks, the Switch currently leads. The Switch has a 66.2 percent marketshare, the PS5 sits at 31.7 percent, and the Xbox Series X|S at 2.1 percent.
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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How does the XBox X/S in Japan compared to the XBOne? I know both are painfully low, but according to VGChartz the XBOne sold 120.000 units in Japan, whereas the XBox X/S is already near the 42.000 mark. It seems it's one third of the way there, but I'm not sure how it compares to the sales' speed of the XBOne at this point in time.
The Xbox One is currently over 7k ahead launch aligned in Japan. After the first few months sales of it slowed down to almost nothing.
So the XBOne has the sales advantage for now? It's hard to think 7k units as some unsurmountable difference, but considering there's the chance that the weekly difference might be measured in single digits...
The Xbox Series X/S has actually been catching up the past few weeks and reduced the deficit from 10k to 7.5k but the weekly sales for it are generally just in the hundreds so even if it does surpass its predecessor it still won't have any real presence unless Phil buys of some Japanese exclusives like what happened with the 360 but even that only got to 1.6 million lifetime so it's doubtful they'll do that again.
Not gonna happen, their plan regarding Japan is having Xbox Cloud Gaming for phones and PC there, which are massively popular platforms in the country. And getting all the Japanese games they can via Game Pass, especially in order to get games that didn't usually launch on Xbox (like Yakuza, NieR, Tales Of...). But they want those games for the West and for Game Pass, not to sell more consoles in Japan, which they know is a lost cause.
