Switch vs DS Sales Comparison - October 2023 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 December 2023 / 3,019 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 Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo DS.
The DS launched in November 2004 in North America, December 2004 in Japan, and March 2005 in Europe, while the Nintendo Switch launched worldwide in March 2017. Therefore, the holiday periods for the two consoles do not lineup, which is why there are big increases and decreases.
Switch Vs. DS Global:
Gap change in latest month: 77,687 - Switch
Gap change over last 12 months: 257,473 - Switch
Total Lead: 14,196,181 - DS
Switch Total Sales: 131,245,441
DS Total Sales: 145,441,622
October 2023 is the 80th month that the Nintendo Switch has been available for. During the latest month, the gap grew in favor of the Switch by 0.08 million units when compared to the DS during the same timeframe.
In the last 12 months, the Switch has outsold the DS by 0.26 million units. The DS is ahead of the Switch by 14.20 million units.
The 80th month on sale for the Nintendo Switch is October 2023, while for the DS it is June 2011. The Switch has sold 131.26 million units, while the DS sold 145.44 million units during the same timeframe.
The Nintendo DS sold 154.02 million units lifetime. The Nintendo Switch is currently 22.77 million units behind the lifetime sales of the DS.
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 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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It's time to catch some ground now. November and December must be good for the Switch if he wants to beat the DS in the future
Maybe you could add a bar for the total sales of the PS2, like the one of the Gameboy, to show the "final boss" of total console sales.
Switch looks like it will overtake the DS in about 1.5 years. I am making this assumption solely by reviewing the general angles on the graph between Holiday sales.
2021 and 2022 for the Switch generally match the same angles as 2009 and 2010 of the DS (without looking at the numbers too much). Switch's 2023 angle is a lot more steep compared to DS's 2011. And I personally think that Switch 2024 angle will become weaker than 2023's angle but still be steeper than DS's 2012, and maybe even its 2011 year.
Switch has a lot of catching up to do, and it looks like its putting in the work.
bros examining the angles.
Im glad you got a laugh about that. haha
The DS at this point in its lifecycle was discontinued for the 3DS. It's over. The DS sold better for 5 out of the 7 years than the Switch. It's done. 7 years is done.
At this point Switch only outsells if Nintendo refuses to release a new device.
Why does it matter that Switch has to outsell the DS while the DS was in production?
Shouldn't the final sale matter? Switch is still going, and DS is sputtering out, it aint over til its over.
it does matter because Sony fans were already buying the next generation of hardware, you are acting as if Nintendo is selling more than they actually are
imagine the absurd situation where Nintendo sells the Switch for 10 years, and you compare sales against The SNES only. Why would you do that?
Imagine a hypothetical situation where you are comparing 10 years against 5 years... that would be absurd
sales per year is what matters, there is a reason why revenue and profits are reported on an annual basis
ok i understand that, but if I'm looking at just total sales then it only matters once production has ended.
Also according to your question, are you saying that the Switch has beaten the PS2 sales?
I might be taking it to the extreme, but the Switch has sold better than the PS2 for 7 out of the 13 years.
I understand the PS2 has more years left, and sold for 13 years compared to the Switch's 7+ (it'll sell for at least 1-2 years more, unless the NG does amazing).
Just a little food for thought.
it didn't sell for 13 years, for half that time the competition was PS2 + PS3, not PS2 alone, don't be daft
PS2 sold from March 4th 2000 and was discontinued on Jan 4th 2013 (ok so 12 years and 10 months). So yes, it did sell for 13 years and maybe even longer depending on how fast or slow it left the shelves. (We had a WiiU sold in 2023).
It doesn't matter what the competition is during the time what matters is the outcome. PS2 sold ~158M. PS3 sold 87.4M
And Switch has been outselling the PS2 for 7 out of the PS2's 13 years.
i mean, should we start comparing DS+3DS sales against the Switch if the Switch is going to overlap their time periods?
The Switch surpassed the lifetime sales of the 3DS in lifetime sales back in the Holiday Season of 2020. There is no need to have a post regard Worldwide total sales Switch vs 3DS. The next hill Switch is climbing is the DS total worldwide sales at 154.9 mil, which is about 2 years away from beating (if it keeps producing and selling, of course).
