Switch vs DS Sales Comparison - October 2024 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 03 December 2024 / 7,388 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: 438,431 - Switch
Gap change over last 12 months: 7,215,553 - Switch
Total Lead: 6,774,848 - DS
Switch Total Sales: 144,325,448
DS Total Sales: 151,100,296
October 2024 is the 92nd month that the Nintendo Switch has been available for. During the latest month, the gap grew in favor of the Switch by 0.44 million units when compared to the DS during the same timeframe.
In the last 12 months, the Switch has outsold the DS by 7.22 million units. The DS is ahead of the Switch by 6.77 million units.
The 92nd month on sale for the Nintendo Switch is October 2024, while for the DS it is June 2012. The Switch has sold 144.33 million units, while the DS sold 151.10 million units during the same timeframe.
The Nintendo DS sold 154.02 million units lifetime. The Nintendo Switch is currently 9.69 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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I could see the Switch passing the DS by around the middle of next year. From there, it's possible that Switch could land somewhere between DS & PS2, but I do still have faith that it can past PS2 (but that I don't think it will happen until 2027).
Knowing how Sony presents more and more million sells for PS2, after 12 years of being discontinued, it would be difficult. Seems Sony , for some reason, put in its warehouses dozens and dozens of millions of PS2, for the next 20 years, and they continue to sell fantastic. XD
The final Switch numbers only depends on the support Nintendo will do to Switch 1 after the Switch 2 launches. We'll see (but i don't have many expectations from Nintendo to cut its price and continue to produce Switch some years more).
" The Nintendo Switch is currently 19.69 million units behind the lifetime sales of the DS." I think this needs correction
Yes. The correct one would be 9.69
When this chart updates with Holiday figures in late-January 2025, it should become pretty clear how this is gonna end. NSW will absolutely breeze past DS, and should be able to pull ahead of PS2.
This Christmas will tell us if Switch can surpass DS. Switch never got a serious price reduction, like DS got.
Also, the Original and Lite DS models were substantially cheaper than Switch.
Switch played with a huge handicap all the time, remember.
Hard to say. I agree with the pricing thing, and it's crazy Switch never got a price drop (even crazier I think is P55 and Xbox Series, but that is a whole other thing). However, the DS was a dedicated handheld while Nintendo was still selling dedicated consoles (GameCube, Wii, Wii U). Switch is both Nintendo's only handheld and console. People who wanted a Nintendo console when DS was on sale, wouldn't buy a DS. But now, people who want either a handheld OR console by Nintendo, buy a Switch. So it did have that benefit its whole lifespan.
I still think that when Switch 2 goes on sale, Switch OG and Switch OLED will go away, while Switch Lite will remain on sale. There is still a target market for Switch Lite, and people will be comfortable buying it knowing their library of games will carry with them when/if they decide to buy a Switch 2 in the future.
True, you can say DS and Wii were 2 and sold very well both. But i really don't know if that was a huge benefit for Switch... Switch is a very domestic console, and not only for the TV connection. To me, Switch is more domestic than portable, in the following sense: DS lite was really really a very portable machine (same size as an actual smartphone), much more portable than a Switch is.
I always put my old DS lite in my jacket's inside pocket (not a huge pocket, btw) and used it a LOT as an MP3 player (using headphones) walking down the street (thanks to some "special card" and third party software).
It was really fantastic. Eventually, after some years, I replaced it with an smartphone, but DS Lite was really a nice piece of extra portable machine (perhaps because it can close and protects itself). And was 0% noticeable, I loved it. I doubt Switch can compare to it, even the Switch Lite.
I see a Switch much more as a "home portable" machine (and that's excellent, no doubt), or a "travel leisure device" (train, airplane... or when you are not driving, obvious). I mean, is too big to walk down the street simply with it, you need some sort of bag if you really take the Switch out the house (and I mean beyond your garden, balcony... or next to your house door), And that fact is an inconvenience.
Also, very interesting thoughts about what will happen with the original Switch models. Because we really don't know what Nintendo will do with the original Switch after Switch2 launch. Will Nintendo continue to produce Switch 1 for some time? I hope they'll do, but we don't know.
While the Switch didn't get any real price drop, it also didn't increase the prices despite inflation having been quite high around the globe. $300 nowadays are much less worth than they did in 2017, so there's that at least.
yep, because of that, this is replacement for price cut. It's like price cut since, 300$ are much less as you said, they were in 2017.
I always agree that it's important to have inflation in mind.
I just checked, and from what I'm seeing in some online calculator, in 2017 300 US Dollars would be 371 today. Inversely, 300 US dollars today would be around 241 or 242 bucks. Almost a 20% "price cut" if you will.
well, you could say DS also suffered inflation during its long life, and even with that, it had price reduction. Switch no. So...
The Switch will pass the DS for sure. It will be at 150 million by the end of the year. (I am talking about shipped of course). After a minimum of 9- 10 million this FY it won't drop to zero after that. Switch sucessor or not. 155 by march 2027 is the floor. And thats quite pessimistic.
Well, all the the discussion this article would get was antecipated to the Switch vs DS in the US one
were you having a stroke as you typed this, CourageTCD? (Or am I having a stroke?...i can't understand this msg lol.)
lol, this was the most savage (and yet funniest) comment about my English skills I have ever got. What I was trying to say is that every possible discusion we would have about Switch vs DS were already made in the other article, in the "Switch vs DS in the US" page. I was wrong since there has been other comments on this page beside mine
ohhhh i see. Sorry for my "savage" comment lol. I forget English isn't everybody's first language here...that's a lot more understandable now.
I like you too firebush03. You have good points, and I love debate with nice people like you. (unlike some other people .. ) It's normal to have different points of view and to express it in different ways, with good arguments. Maybe at first, you got different idea of my projections because it was for sold units not shipped.
that's very kind of you to say, XtremeBG. :) idk if it at all translated, but i was getting a little heated the other day ngl, so i appreciate the mercy lol. I'm happy we are able to agree to disagree!
no heat in the debate for me
No problem :) In fact, since you've been reading my posts here on VGChartz for quite a while now, I'm kinda happy that you notice something strange about my writing only now. It is like you thought, by the way I write, I had English as my first language up until now
English is also not my native language, but I think I've learn it very good for foreign language and know it much better than those on my age in my country. Greetings from Bulgaria.
I feel the same. Greetings from Brazil
Minha lingua materna e allemand. Mais eu falo portugês tambem. Mais conversando com voce gente e boa pra carallho. Gramatica boa?😁
No my mothertongue is german. At this stage i want to apologize if there are many gramatical mistakess in my posts. Maybe its my phone or the ads popping on. But anyway. Nice to be here!😎
Não precisa se desculpar por tentar falar uma língua que não é a sua língua materna. Parabéns por saber falar português! I wish I could speak German. In fact, I intend to learn it next year. Regarding your grammar, it is pretty good! Just pay some attention to some words that are similar but have different meaning, like "e" (and) and "é" (is), and "mais" (more) and "mas" (but).
Deutsch ist beschissen schwer zu lernen! (Pra caralho)🤣
" Switch Total Sales: 144,325,448 " I personally expect this number to become something around 148M after December is over. After that I would say 5M for the next calendar year, leading to 153M when December 2025 is over. It can do some 3M or 4M at max after that till end of life finishing at about 156-157M. or 3-4M short of PS2.
I almost have the same opinion as you regarging estimates for Switch sold units (I think next year, Switch's sales number will be 6 M), but Nintendo's shipment units numbers usually are 2 million higher that the sold units VGChartz estimates. Considering this and that eventually every unit is sold in the market, I would say that Switch's total sales number will be 157-158M + 2M = 159~160M
If for example I am right and the units sold are what I said, or whatever for that matter, when the units sold get less and less so does the shipments. So it's not necessary for them to get 2M over that since when Nintendo see that every quarter the sold units get less and less the shipments also will become less, therefore the difference by the point Switch get to 156M will be much less than 2M.
Hmm, you gotta a point. Good news is that Switch's sales always surprise me, selling a little more than what I usually expect. Let's see how things go
With the US and Europe performance this year decently down, it will be interesting to watch the holiday numbers. I think 1M for each of the regions for both months combined is the max. Other regions 1M and Japan 600-700k. (to clarify I am talking about pure sold numbers). I can see 3.7M for both months worldwide helping the Switch to get to 148M sold total when the year is over.
For worldwide sales, I estimate 1,2 M in November and 2,4 M in December
I envision the February 2025 report will tell us that as of 31st December 2024 Nintendo shipped around 151.5 Switch's. The August 2025 report will tell us that as of 30th June 25 its outsold the DS and the August 2026 report will tell us its outsold PS2 as of June 30th 2026.
Switch 2 will have a last great holiday bump. Will be around 150 million by end of Dec.
I dont think Switch 2 will come out before the latter half of next year. In fact I believe Switch 1 could beat Switch 2 sales i calendar 2025. Predicting 7-8 million shipments for each.
I don't think Switch will do 7- 8 million in 2026 and 2027. More like 4- 6 and then 2 million in 2026/27. I don't say its impossible (lets look at the 3DS that surprisingly had the best legs of all 8th gen systems) but 7- 8 million for 2025 and another 7-8 million for 2026/27 is a bit too high. That would put the Switch at 164- 166 million LTD (leaving absolutley no doubt who is Nr.1 but before a riot starts here lets leave this 😘). But 10 years of production is guaranteed!
Essay Pro