Xbox Series X|S vs Switch Sales Comparison - April 2021 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 June 2021 / 3,994 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 worldwide sales of the Xbox Series X|S and Switch.
The Xbox Series X|S launched in November 2020, while the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017. This does mean the holiday periods for the two consoles do not lineup.
XSX|S Vs. Switch Worldwide:
Gap change in latest month: 168,800 - NS
Total Lead: 674,851 - NS
Xbox Series X|S Total Sales: 4,816,160
Switch Total Sales: 5,491,011
April 2021 is the sixth month the Xbox Series X|S has been available for. In the latest month, the gap grew in favor of the Nintendo Switch when compared to the aligned launch of the Xbox Series X|S by 168,800 units. The Nintendo Switch is currently ahead by 674,851 units.
The Xbox Series X|S has sold 4.82 million units in six months, while the Nintendo Switch sold 5.49 million units. Month 6 for the Xbox Series X|S is April 2021 and for the Nintendo Switch it is August 2017.
The Nintendo Switch crossed 10 million units sold in month 10, 20 million in month 19, and 30 million in month 23. The Nintendo Switch has sold 84.88 million units to date.
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.
More Articles
This chart and the PS5 vs Switch chart ae both in the "Not really meaningful" territory right now. TSMC fabs are at max capacity and Sony was able to make some deals with AMD to get more of that allocation in exchange for a higher price. Even then both are supply constrained right now so we have no idea how well each would sell if that didn't exist. In general most consoles (switch included) are supply constrained in their first year and we really see if they are going to shine when year two starts. It will be very exciting to see how they sell then and how sales may be affected once covid ends and once it is easier to pick up a new video card without paying insane scalper prices
What can be said for sure is all three companies consoles are selling way better than expected and this is good for gaming :)
Consumer electronics are in high demand in general and will probably stay that way for a while.
But as far as comparisons go, they have to start eventually. They might as well start at the beginning. Supply constrained or not (which most consoles are at launch and for potentially months after launch), the sales are the sales. If Sony and Microsoft sell every unit they produce this year, then that's what they sold.
But sales data from a lot of industries will be affected last year and this year. Car manufacturers are in the same boat. They produce x amount of units and sell x amount of units. They can't change how many they sell. It doesn't matter if it's out of their hands or not.
I think my greater point is we can't really use the first year to determine much about the lifetime of a console unless in the first year it just bombed
