Switch vs 3DS in Japan Sales Comparison - April 2021 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 31 May 2021 / 2,362 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 PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, as well as with older platforms. There are articles based on our worldwide estimates, as well as the US, Europe, and Japan.
This monthly series compares the aligned Japanese sales of the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS.
The 3DS launched in February 2011 in Japan and the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017. This does mean the normal holiday periods and the Japanese Golden Week holiday for the two consoles are off by one month.
Switch Vs. 3DS Japan:
Gap change in latest month: 450,704 - Switch
Gap change over last 12 months: 3,515,113 - Switch
Total Lead: 1,382,009 - Switch
Switch Total Sales: 19,749,185
3DS Total Sales: 18,367,176
April 2021 is the 50th month that the Nintendo Switch has been available for in Japan. During the latest month, the Switch outsold the 3DS by 450,704 units when you align the launches. In the last 12 months, the Switch has outsold the 3DS by 3.52 million units. The Switch is currently ahead of the 3DS by 1.38 million units.
The 50th month for the Switch is April 2021, while for the 3DS it is March 2015. The Switch has sold 19.75 million units, while the 3DS sold 18.37 million units during the same timeframe. The 3DS did not reach current Switch sales until month 59.
The 3DS has sold 24.65 million units lifetime in Japan through April 2021. The Switch is currently 4.90 million units behind the lifetime sales of the 3DS.
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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Normally when it's hard to see a holiday period on a graph it's because of poor holiday sales, with Switch in Japan it's because it has holiday level sales all year round.
So, at this rate, the Switch will outsell the 3DS in Japan in about a year. Less if the new version actually gets enough units to avoid supply issues. Considering the 3DS is the third best selling console in Japan, that's quite impressive. Also, the Switch will beat the PSP's japanese numbers soon enough, it sold around 20m in total over there, I believe.
