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Switch vs DS Sales Comparison in Japan - April 2024

Switch vs DS Sales Comparison in Japan - April 2024 - Sales

by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 June 2024 / 4,584 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 DS.

The DS launched in December 2004 in Japan and the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017. Therefore, the normal holiday periods and the Japanese Golden Week holiday for the two consoles do not lineup.

Switch Vs. DS Japan:

Gap change in latest month: 221,174 - Switch

Gap change over last 12 months: 3,392,775 - Switch

Total Lead: 62,909 - DS

Switch Total Sales: 32,865,049

DS Total Sales: 32,927,958

April 2024 is the 86th month that the Nintendo Switch has been available for in Japan. During the latest month, the Switch has outsold the DS by 221,174 units when you align the launches.

In the last 12 months, the Switch has outsold the DS by 3.39 million units. The DS is currently ahead of the Switch by 0.06 million units.

The 86th month for the Switch is April 2024, while for the DS it is January 2012. The Switch has sold 32.87 million units, while the DS sold 32.93 million units during the same timeframe. The DS sold current Switch sales in month 84.

The DS has sold 32.99 million units lifetime in Japan. The Switch is currently 0.12 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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23 Comments
2zosteven (on 17 May 2024)

Japan conquered! Europe out of the question!! can the switch pass the DS in america?

  • +6
Medisti (on 17 May 2024)

After the failure of the Wii U, everyone should know this new NX console will fail, too. No way it sells more than 20 million.

  • +3
eleazar0425 Medisti (on 17 May 2024)

Vgchartz be like in late 2016

  • 0
Medisti eleazar0425 (on 18 May 2024)

Oh, I remember. I was here!

  • +2
CourageTCD (on 17 May 2024)

Unfortunetely , the cliff...

  • +3
Qwark CourageTCD (on 18 May 2024)

PS5 jumped into the cliff for Switch its bound to sell 3 million this year

  • +1
160rmf CourageTCD (on 18 May 2024)

You can see the cliff in the gap chart from end of the first year to end of 3rd, but it climbs to the top once again lol

  • 0
Jumpin CourageTCD (on 18 May 2024)

Yeah, because of that cliff, Switch sales will cease sometime by mid-2019, probably late 2018...

...oh wait :D

  • 0
INCITATUSBR (on 17 May 2024)

Checkmate

  • +2
firebush03 (on 17 May 2024)

no shot the Switch wins this. (I’m coping.)

  • +1
KLAMarine (on 17 May 2024)

In fairness, the DS was up against the PSP which was no slouch. Then again, it could be argued the Switch is up against smart phones.

  • 0
jvmkdg (on 17 May 2024)

switch 2 should sell less than switch 1

  • -1
Hardstuck-Platinum jvmkdg (on 17 May 2024)

I think it will do 3DS numbers. A lot more competitors in this space now and, even the latest apple phones can run games better than switch

  • -4

But they are not running games better than Switch 2, even when these phones cost twice.

  • +1

It’ll absolutely crush 3DS. gaming is a lot more mainstream now than it was from 2011-2019. At least 100mil, unless Nintendo really screws up.

  • 0

Apples latest phones now run games better than switch. and in a couple of year will probably run games better than switch 2. They are a huge threat to Nintendo.

  • -6

I’m going to be completely open and honest with you in saying that I at one point was like you, but about Sony. (And even Nintendo back during the Wii U days.) I’m genuinely curious why you would rather see Nintendo fall, than simply purchase a Switch and enjoy their games? I have all the Nintendo, Sony, and even Sega consoles, and I enjoy them all. You’re really missing out…

  • +4
ireadtabloids firebush03 (on 18 May 2024)

Nintendo’s done alright with the Switch considering people have been expecting better than Switch graphics performance from their phones for over 3 years. I honestly don’t think the market conditions have changed that much. I think Switch 2 will sell less, but I can still easily see it being a successful console that sells 90 million units and a lot of games.

  • +2
Shtinamin_ ireadtabloids (on 18 May 2024)

Successor easily sells 125M

  • 0

I own a Switch and I really like it and use it a lot. I don't want Nintendo to fail, I just want their current strategy to fail. To me, BOTW and TOTK are not playable because they look and run like turd. Go look at TOTK at 4k 60fps on an emulator. Its so much better.

If you ignore hardware power in the gaming space, you will ultimately pay dearly for it. Nintendo thinks ignoring power is optional but the reality is, in the end it wont be and I just want them to accept that.

I also think releasing the Switch 2 in 2025 is also too late and a
mistake. If Switch was unsuccessful they'd be forced into releasing something sooner.

  • -1

Power is the problem and will be the death of video games, but that can be a thread if you so want. You should make it. As I wont be responding to anything you say about it on this article.

  • +1

You seem to be a power enthusiast. As Shtinamin said, power is a problem nowadays. What we have nowadays is a lot of big AAA extreme powerful games, resolution wise, very expensive that lead to lots of lays off at the end

  • +2
Jumpin Hardstuck-Platinum (on 18 May 2024)

This is the PC vs Consoles argument. It doesn't really work that way.

iPhones, along with other consoles and PCs could run games better than the Switch long ago, many of them before the Switch even came out. But iPhone, other consoles, and PCs don't function the same way as the Switch.

I doubt anything will much change during the Switch 2 generation. It might be that they restructure how they do hardware, and have a shorter generation (my preference), but that only means the annual Switch sales will be the number we look at instead.

  • +3