The marketing research firm SuperData is predicting that Nintendo will sell 5-million Switch systems by the end of 2017. In comparison the original Wii shipped over 5-million in less than 5 months. Compared to the original Wii the SuperData sales forecast for the Switch may seem a little low. Earlier this year Nintendo stated they hoped to ship 2-million Switch units within the first month after release. That leaves 9-months for Nintendo to sell 3-million additional units to reach the 5-million predicted by SuperData. While we respect the experts at SuperData we’re predicting fairly larger numbers for the Switch. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Nintendo sold between 8-10 million Switch systems by the end of the 2017 year. According to SuperData Nintendo’s biggest challenge is getting current PS4 and Xbox One owners to consider picking up a Switch as a 2nd console.
“The biggest challenge for Nintendo is to convince console gamers to purchase the Switch as a second device, as many have already committed to a PlayStation 4 (53.4 million installed base, worldwide) or Xbox One (26 million)
…“Asking $300 for a new console without a bundled game is a comparatively higher barrier to entry for consumers, considering that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are already discounted and come with a free game”, Claims SuperData.
Only time will tell if the Switch seems attractive to core gamers and causal players alike. The Nintendo Switch launches tomorrow, March 3rd, 2017.