Switch vs DS Sales Comparison in the US - November 2024 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 January 2025 / 10,884 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 the US, while the Nintendo Switch launched in the US 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 US:
Gap change in latest month: 504,053 - Switch
Gap change over last 12 months: 1,079,996 - Switch
Total Lead: 5,276,326 - DS
Switch Total Sales: 46,635,532
DS Total Sales: 51,911,858
November 2024 is the 93rd month that the Nintendo Switch has been available for. During the latest month, the gap grew in favor of the Switch by 0.50 million units when compared to the DS during the same timeframe.
In the last 12 months, the Switch has outsold the DS by 1.08 million units. The DS is ahead of the Switch by 5.28 million units.
The 93rd month on sale for the Nintendo Switch is November 2024, while for the DS it is July 2012. The Switch has sold 46.64 million units, while the DS sold 51.91 million units during the same timeframe.
The Nintendo DS sold 53.80 million units lifetime. The Nintendo Switch is currently 7.16 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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The one region where DS will likely remain undefeated...tho i won't be the one to complain abt NSW "only hitting 2nd place" as the best selling gaming console in US. The fact NSW even hit top five is enough of an accomplishment! Especially coming off the commerical disaster that was Wii U
Don't think it can beat DS in the USA. DS was a handheld console only, so it made more sense to have 2 or more in a household. DS was also cheaper most of the time even adjusted for inflation (though it gets close compared to Switch Lite's $200).
Including the sales numbers we don't have yet from the holiday season; Switch probably has 3.5-4.2 million left in lifetime sales in the USA. 50 million lifetime in the USA is still possible.
Yea to be honest this should be one of the few lists where the Switch won't be #1 in. The Switch is still 7 Million away from reaching the DS I don't see it happening this late in the game, Switch will probably end up around 50-51M lifetime, short of the nearly 54M sold of the DS.
It's a tall task to outsell a device like the DS in general, handhelds are more likely to be purchased multiple times per household since 1 device can't easily be shared like a home console can, so handhelds are sold more on a per person basis rather than a per household basis, the Switch is more likely to be purchased per household due to its home console portion. The DS was also dirt cheap for many years where you could get one for 100$ while the Switch will likely stay around 300$.
It is a handheld. And a home console. It can be both at the same time :O
Technically its a handheld. No matter what Nintendo tries to tell us. More peoole use it as a handheld according to Nintendo themselfes. Just because I can connect my handheld to a TV via an HDMI port hidden in a plastic box, does not make it a homeconsole. Otherwise every smartphone, tablet, also the PSP and PSV, heck even the Game Gear (GGTV) would be dedicated home consoles.
The reality is that the Switch was designed to function well as a handheld and a home console , so it is a hybrid. And it fuctions so well individually as handheld and as a home console that a lot of people straight up call it "handheld" or "home console". In fact, I think the most common scenario is to hear people calling it "home console" rather then just "handheld"
As for the "more people use it as a handheld according to Nintendo"... I don't know what source material you are a referring to, but lemme ask you something: According to your sources, which one is more common: People using the Switch both as home console and handheld (so, using it as a hybrid), people using the Switch only as a home console or people using it only as a handheld?
In the end, labeling what the Switch is is such a trifle. I wonder why there have been people talking about it recently......
Just go on ir.nintendo.com. In one of their FY reports they have a statistic. Most people use it in Home Console AND Handheld the same time, but the second largest group uses it as handheld only. The lowest group uses it as "home console only". According to the things i hear, more people are calling it HANDHELD. There are even Switch "2" rumors/ leaks talking about the new Nintendo HANDHELD rather than a Nintendo Homeconsole. A bicicle is no motorbike just because you add on an 5PS engine.
Tell me: If the Switch was more Homeconsole than Handheld, why the hell is there the Nintendo Switch Lite wich is HANDHELD only? Did i just fantasise about it's release? Why is there no "Nintendo Switch TV"? Playable docked only? Answer: Because its closer to a HANDHELD and Nintendo knows that. Also its sales are closer to their handelds, heck the Switch probably sits at 150 million+ as we talk. If its a homeconsole first, why are we not looking at sales of 13- 103 million?
Ok, so if you want to basis your classification of what type of console the Switch is on "in which mode the Switch is used the most", hybrid would be your definition for the console. If you want to consider how he is most called, >> I << hear people calling it a home console more often than a handheld (more than a hybrid, in fact), so how to deal with that? Do you wanna a resource on how people call the Switch to determine how to label the it?
One more thing I'd like to ask: Imagine you had an electronics store and a client enters and asks you "I would like to buy a home console. Could you show me some options?", would you simply not show a Nintendo Switch? If your anwswer is something like telling the client 'I also have a Nintendo Switch, which is a handheld console that you can plug-in a TV", please tell me: Would you also show this client all the smartphone, tablet, PSP, PSV or even the Game Gear (GGTV) you would have in storage?
I work at a retailer and i always describe the Switch as a Handheld that can be hooked up to a TV. And nobody ever asked me if there was/ will be a cheaper "Switch TV" option as well wich is only for TV play. To your costumer question: If a costumer asked for a home console i'd show him a PS5 or an XSX/XSS I would not show him a PSP or even a smartphone wich is not even a gaming device because a smartphone is te one targeting a different audience. If the costumer is not interested in handhelds i would maybe mention as a sidenote that the Switch can also be connected to a TV and be used lile a homeconsole despite technically being a handheld.
"And nobody ever asked me if there was/ will be a cheaper "Switch TV" option as well wich is only for TV play".
I don't see why someone would ask for a device with less features
"If the costumer is not interested in handhelds i would MAYBE mention as a sidenote that the Switch can also be connected to a TV and be used lile a homeconsole despite technically being a handheld."
This is insane in my opinion. You would be willing to show less options to your cliente, decreasing the chances of him spending money on your store half of the time (considering "maybe" as 50% of the time)
" I would not show him a PSP or even a smartphone wich is not even a gaming device because a smartphone is te one targeting a different audience".
That is the point I wanted to make. You would never show this client these eletronics products, but you would show him a Switch half of the time. Why do you think it is? Because you KNOW the Switch is not like the other electronic devices that you can plug in a TV. These other can do this, but not to the point where they are considered home consoles, but for you, the Switch IS (at least half of the time). To me it's insane that in 50% of the time, you would place the Switch closer to a smartphone, tablet, PSP, PSV, and Game Gear (GGTV) than to a PS5 or Xbox X|S
I would place the Switch in the same cathegory as the XSX and the PS5 because all 3 use physical media for games and all 3 get games from te same publishers. No i would highlight the fact that Switch is a handheld first and foremore because this is it what costumers want where i work. If they are looking for a good handheld they ask about a Switch, sometimes even a Switch lite. Nobody asks me about a smartphone. No serious gamer plays with such crap. A phone is for phoning not for gaming.
"I would place the Switch in the same cathegory as the XSX and the PS5 because all 3 use physical media for games and all 3 get games from te same publishers." So, that's the reason people usually call it "home console" first and then "it also turns in a handheld" and not the other way around
You just read ZDRExplorer's source page 8, right? What points to your asumption that more people use it/ call it (as) a "homeconsole"?
Nintendo's OWN SOURCE clearly shows that people use it in handheld only about 30%, homeconsole only 20% and both ~ 50%! Its 55% vs 45% handheld vs Docked to be exact. Where do you see the Switch more as a homeconsole if the majority clearly contradicts you? I never used a dock. On my oled i tought of throwing it away because for me its a useless piece of plastic. Add in the Switch Lite wich is HANDHELD ONLY and probably not even included in that statistics because at the time this source showed up the Lite was not even announced, let alone released and the fact a Switch TV only does not exists and you will understand.
Using YOUR OWN WORDS, again:
"I would place the Switch in the same cathegory as the XSX and the PS5 because all 3 use physical media for games and all 3 get games from te same publishers."
These are reasons people refer to it more like a home console than a handheld. At least this is my impression, from the conversations about games/consoles/home consoles I've seen. Things like "Top 10 best home consoles list, for example. I've seen the Nintendo Switch included in these list, some times even without a disclaimer of "even thought it is a hybrid" .
And nobody cares about how the switch is most used. Really. You are so attached to this aspect and it is so irrelevant, especially considering that the difference between the "I use the handheld mode primary" answer "I use the docked mode primary" is minimal
And even thought people use (slightly) more as a handheld, that's different from "people see the Switch as a handheld".
And to finish things off: Merry Christmas
Merry christmas to you as well my friend.
What a useless hill to die on, you sure want to diminish the platform.
It's only a handheld-only in terms of the chipset, but in terms of sales back in 2019 it was around 70% that didn't use it only as a handheld (IE mixed or TV only), so if those proportions remain it's over 100M that significantly use it as a home console.
70% using it not as a handheld? Source please! Nintendo's own statistics show 1.) Hybrid (HC and HH the same)
2.) Handheld/ table top only
3.) Homeconsole.
ir.nintendo.com.
"only as a handheld", as in, it was significantly used as a home console. You can find it here: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2017/171031_2e.pdf page 11
I found the information about dock/handheld/both at page 8 actually. Interesting how it is stated that "Nintendo Switch is an in-home console hardware video game system that you can take with you" and not "Nintendo Switch is a handheld console hardware video game system that you can plug in a TV"
And you also found out that more people play it as a handheld.😉
Its irrelevant what Nintendo says. As a matter of fact we have the information that people prefere Switch as a handheld/ tabletop more than homeconsole only. First its played as a hybrid- on the go and on TV- that also includes on the go. Second we have Handheld/ Tabletop and last is "homeconsole only". What does this tell us? People don't care what the fuck Nintendo is calling their device. More people use it as
a handheld.
Ah and page 9 is for all the Nintendo= Kiddy shouters. Thats a full headshoot for you!!🤣😂
You say like there is a big gap between "handheld only" and "homeconsole only" . "Handheld only" is just slightly above "homeconsole only". In reality, nobody cares about which one is more used. Just the fact the Switch can be plugged on a TV, has physical media for games and get most of the games that come to Xbox X|S and PS5, make people call it a home console that can be turned in a handheld.
Alright so the PSP is also a homeconsole first right? I could hook it on my TV as well. What about the PSVita? PSTV lets me play all Vita games on the TV- Is the PSVita a home console first and formore? What about the Steam Deck? Why do i have to call it handheld despite it having a dock as well?
( ) can be plugged on TV
( ) uses physical media for games
( ) receives games released on PS's and XBOX's home console
These are the criterea you created for putting the Switch closer to PS5 and X|S. The PSP don't fit in the last category, so it and the other examples you brought are not on the same level as the Switch. You know this, to the point you said you wouldn't show your hypothetical client a PSP if he wanted a home console, but you'd MAYBE show him a Switch. Conversation is starting to be going in circles by now
Page 8😉 More people use it as handheld/ tabletop. Thanx for the source. I tried to find exactly this all the time. I think we can stop arguing now my friend☮️
WW Switch's gonna be above the DS. DS's legs are basically gone at this point.
man the Switch makes some people salty
your message is extremely large bud
that's what she said?
I think Switch can sellsanother 3 Millon at best
I hope Nintendo discounts Switch asap ! It needs to be #1 in USA !
the DS was also competing against a nintendo home console where the switch has not.
idk i feel it’s not correct to say DS was competing with Wii. If anything, Wii was likely complementing DS. (Not to mention …home and handheld don’t typically eat at each others sales figures.)
and the gamecube! 2001
yeah idk if GCN with its ~5mil (from post-November 2004) made much of a difference to DS's 154.02mil lol. Even if it was a competing (and not complementary) product.
Wii and DS are made by the same company! They where not competing. Its like soccer players who play for the same team.
right…so we’re in agreement? Lol.
There was never an argument about that...
You said: "They where not competing"
I had said: "idk i feel it’s not correct to say DS was competing with Wii."
(I think you may have meant to respond to 0zosteven's comment, unless I'm missing smth?)
Yeah right. So where are the remaining 50M+ Sales for the Wii? I must be an exclusive case also, since I only purchased a Wii and not even a single DS.
Lol i never said every single person who bought a Wii must've bought a DS. What I'm saying is that the success of DS brought Nintendo into the mainstream again, and the Wii rode off this wave. And it's not too far fetched to predict that games such as NSMB & NSMBWii likely motivated many consumers to purchase the both if they already owned one. Hence, the success of the DS complemented the success of the Wii.
You said that home consoles and handhelds dont eat each other sales, so therefore DS should have translated into Wii sales on the same level. If a person choose a system over another even if they are from the same company, that is what called competition
I’m not saying home and portable consoles don't eat each others sales, i'm saying in this specific instance there was a positive feedback loop between the two systems which is hard to deny. I'm sure i can provide more substantitive and less intuition argument if given some time...but I struggle to call what I'm saying much of a stretch, no?
And No, Wii's success was not because of DS. Wii succeed by its own merits
Never said the Wii's success was solely dependent on DS (as you suggest I claim with you "not because of DS" line), though it certainly was a positive contributer. Do you disagree with this? Here's an example of some of what i'm thinking: Nintendo releases NSMB on DS, and everybody loves it! Nintendo then releases NSMBW on Wii, and ppl make the jump to Wii b/c they want more NSMB. Does this sound unrealistic? The DS was a system used partly in promoting the Wii, and vice versa,
Strech for sure. The percentage of people who owned both systems is not big as you think it is
Unfortunately, there doesn't exist any data looking into this overlap, so neither of us can truly say anything conclusive. However, maybe worth mentioning, the demographics of DS and Wii which very similar, appealing to the casual gamer looking to family-friendly experiences. This on its own should suggest there will likely exist significant overlap between the two systems, thus indicating not competition but complementation. Again, I see nothing wrong with this analysis...can you explain?
Similar experiences? You mean they share some nintendo ips thats for sure. The proposal for each system is way more diferent than you make seen. Most of people cant afford nor have a lifestyle or taste that match for both systems.
BTW, you claimed on your first reply of this segment that "Not to mention …home and handheld don’t typically eat at each others sales figures." You should bother to look at comments that you made a few moments ago
"Similar experiences?" That's a fallacious way to rewrite my prev comment. I said "demographics of DS and Wii [were] very similar", which is typically accepted as strong evidence by market researchers in helping to determine whether a product might be competitive or complementary. What you state here is an intuition-based argument examining the sales from a economic-based lens, to which I must say that I do not disagree with what you say here...but it's not rlly worth much much. And "the proposal for each system is way more different" is both true and false. From a software perspective -- which is what I was talking about -- the games frankly aren't too massively different when talking about these console's system seller titles (NSMB, MarioKart, 3D Mario). From a hardware perspective...obv the offering is very different, but this difference is irrelevant to the conversation as it only serves evidence for provide neither complementary nor competitive.
Responding to the BTW: Your first response is abt Wii v DS. Your second comment then takes a shifts from this specific instance to the general instance of home v portable console. None of the conversation up until that point had anything to do with the part in the parenthesis, so my claim “I’m not saying home v handheld…” wasn’t at all false given the context of our conversation at that point. Yes, in my OG comment I did say that, but during that point in our conversation, it was irrelevant. (It was a good attempt at a gotcha lol, but unfortunately you cannot gotcha the great FireBush03 (as RolStoppable famously learned in that one chat). Sooo i would appreciate if we didn't insert trivial gatchas, and focus on discussion...tho there's nothing rlly to discuss in the first place.)
Again you are putting software similarities as if sharing the same title somehow make the experience suitable for this whole public that you are inciting, while ignoring fit, dancing, sports games for Wii and Pokemon, Brain academy, nintendogs for DS.
To remark the main point of this debate is:
Diferent consoles will fragment the market and that is competiton. No matter their offerings or the company behind.
The derail is me correcting the vision you have that both systems are suitable for this whole audience for sharing similar games, but now thinking for a moment, that would reinforce more the idea of a competitive scenario than complementary consoles that you are trying to defend
But as you said, since we have no data, i will have to agree to disagree with your stances on the no competiton state between Wii VS DS
Edited
Agree to disagree. I'm happy to reach this conclusion. :)
Though one quick remark: I'm not saying software was identical (you rlly like taking my points to an extreme, I've noticed). Yes, each system had experiences which the other did not. In fact, the more similar they'd be, the more competitive they'd be since there would be less need to own both, as seen with Xbox & PlayStation. It is undeniable, however, that if you own a DS, and you're looking for a current gen system that also scratches that itch, then you are going to turn to Wii, and vice versa. (This is why I brought up some (not all) system sellers such as MarioKart, NSMB, etc.)
in any case, i will say it again: "Unfortunately, there doesn't exist any data looking into this overlap." This conversation is literally completely useless unless we have data, so unless you have some data you'd like to throw my way, it'd prolly be best we end this argument here.
