Like any other year, 2017 (so far) has also seen several successful tech products, of which the Nintendo Switch is surely among the top. This console has been hugely popular because it offers users the advantage of playing not just in a traditional home setup but on the go as well.
A demand cycle in the making
Though no official sales figures are out, there are reports of retailers quickly running out of stock, making it extremely difficult for potential buyers to find one. Now, to fill the supply gap, the company has decided to significantly ramp up production.
Nintendo is now aiming to make twice the number of consoles it had planned to produce earlier, according to The Wall Street Journal. Initially, the company planned to sell 2 million consoles by the end of March and produce 8 million more devices by the end of March 2018. The new revised target is to produce double the units (16 million devices) to ensure there is enough supply.
According to the WSJ, the company may sell “significantly more” than 10 million in the next 12 months. If this happens, not only will this beat the sales estimates of many analysts, but it will also encourage developers to make more content for the console. This could create a cycle pushing demand for the console further up, as more content will attract more buyers.
Will the Nintendo Switch beat previous sales records?
If the demand estimates are true, and the company actually produces and sells as many devices as planned, then there will be more than 18 million users of the Nintendo Switch by March 2018. In comparison, only 13.5 million units of the Wii U have been sold between its release in late 2012 and now.
The original Wii (launched in November 2006), however, sold more than 20 million units in the first year, including two holiday seasons, notes The Verge. There are good chances that the Switch will beat its predecessor in sales. Meanwhile, the company’s 3DS portable system, launched in early 2012, has sold over 65 million units. The unique selling point of the Switch is that it can replace both the 3DS and Wii U, thanks to its hybrid nature, notes The Verge.
Nintendo is not expected to give out any sales numbers, at least not until it announces its earnings. The gaming company is supposed to report earnings for the current fiscal year and forecasts for the next on April 27. Hopefully, it will reveal the sales number then.
