V
Vilix
Unconfirmed Member
Is the demand for the Switch fizzling or is it still supply constrained?
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frankie_baby
Member
It sells what it ships
DriftingSpirit
Member
The latter.
Both?
Should it be of concern that the new console (Switch is still not outselling the PS4)?
Do we know this for sure? The general feeling I get is now that the early sales are done, it's feeling pretty mediocre. (NOTE: This is just a feeling from general talk I see around the web etc, not anything scientific)
Do we know this for sure? The general feeling I get is now that the early sales are done, it's feeling pretty mediocre. (NOTE: This is just a feeling from general talk I see around the web etc, not anything scientific)
DriftingSpirit
Member
Not when the new console is having supply issues.
PS4 did great and Switch is doing the best it can under its current circumstances.
they dont ship enough to outsell ps4, why would that be a concern..
ThisIsMyDogKyle
Banned
My local Best Buy had 30+ Switches this morning, it had none as of 2 PM, obviously this alone shouldn't be used to judge demand country wide, but considering how fast it sells out whenever it pops up online, I'm pretty sure it's still selling out most places.
theangrypirate
Member
As a Switch owner I can tell you it is quite mediocre. I just finished Zelda and went back to PS4 and it's unbelievable how much better it is (full disclosure - I mostly play single player games on my couch.) Switch is cool and it will be a great Nintendo game playing machine but I don't see it as much more than that. I could see it selling as well as xbone but not as well as PS4. Time will tell.
The stock is low, they are selling as much as they ship.
Once things get better we will know for sure, but right now is no need for concern. When stock was there it did outsell it (2 out of 4 NPD charts).
theangrypirate
Member
Why does Nintendo constantly have problems meeting their demand? I think it's a concern that both Sony and Microsoft have figured out how to create enough hardware for demand but Nintendo continues to create shortages. If it was just something that happened every once in a while I would understand but its every fucking thing they sell from amiibos to switches to classic consoles.
Switch uses parts that are also used by Apple and Amazon which have priority over Nintendo.
Sony and Microsoft can also produce and have places all over the world to store said inventory, something that Nintendo doesn't. So they mostly rely on producing and shipping stuff through water (slower, cheaper) or air (faster, pricier).
They flew Switches a few months ago because of that. Not sure if they're still doing it.
SinCityAssassin
Member
Those two companies have had a few years for their console demand to stabalize and numerous personal manufacturing factories to see demand. Nintendo has no personal manufacturing facilities for the Switch nor were they able to gauge the massive demand going into their schedule the year before they would release it. They only had data for the Wii U, which sold poorly and they never really had to keep producing those consoles at quick amount of time.
Not selling as well as it should because of supply issues is still not selling as well as it should.
Gaiaknight
Member
certain parts are in short supply and they have said they are ramping up production as best as they can the system is still selling everything they ship best buys had huge restocks today anywhere from 30-50 units and i can tell you that my store got 42 and they sold out within 2hrs. Though sometimes demand far outweighs supply take the wii for example nintendo was producing over a million units a month and it was still selling out like crazy.
DriftingSpirit
Member
But it shouldn't be "concerning" with that knowledge.
Why shouldn't it? Consoles don't really
Will like to know if horizon is the best selling PS4 exclusive post launch month in USA?
I don't remember seeing any other PS4 exclusive​ staying in NPD chart for so long.
I hope Mat can answer this
DriftingSpirit
Member
It has only been ~4 months since launch. They have time to rectify and still benefit from current interest. First holiday and Mario will serve as big hardware movers if the stock is there.Why shouldn't it? Consoles don't reallymomentum long after launch, and if this thing don't sell enough units sooner than later the games are going to dry up.
Nintendo is a much smaller company than both Sony and Microsoft. Plus, like everyone else is saying Nintendo competing against the largest company in the world for parts: Apple.
theangrypirate
Member
I find it hard to believe they can't get the parts they need It's not like they are selling millions a month. I'm not saying they are lying but it just seems like a lame excuse.
Nintendo has been making consoles since the 80's, I think they are doing what they always do (with the exception of Wii, that thing sold unbelievably fast) and creating demand by keeping it in short supply. It's not a bad strategy. I bought one because one was available all of a sudden and I didn't know when I'd have the opportunity again. I probably still wouldn't have one if they were always available.
OrangeGrayBlue
Member
The Switch is selling at about the same pace as the Wii, if I'm not mistaken...
Welfare
Member
Switch First 4 Months (March 2017 - June 2017): 1,572,062
3DS First 4 Months (March 2011 - June 2011): 832,000
3DS First 8 Months (March 2011 - October 2011): 1,685,000
Wii U First 4 Months (November 2012 - February 2013): 1,008,000
Wii U First 13 Months (November 2012 - November 2013): 1,615,000
Wii First 4 Months (November 2006 - February 2007): 1,851,000
DS First 4 Months (November 2004 - February 2005): 1,516,000
Switch is severely supply constrained, only having just above 40K a week available in May and June.
ArkhamFantasy
Member
They have utilized aritifical supply constraint before but thats not what this is.
This is not intentional, they were erasing their entire profit margin by air shipping the consoles out to get them out faster. There is no way they could have predicted how much demand there would be for the Switch this year and manufacturing isnt something you can just double overnight.
Toni
Member
First, it needs to worry about outselling Xbox One. PS4 is an immense competition for it at the moment.
Gotdatmoney
Member
Why shouldn't it? Consoles don't reallymomentum long after launch, and if this thing don't sell enough units sooner than later the games are going to dry up.
It hasn't even had it's first holiday. Product life cycles are not 5 months.
I'll call it the fighting game renaissance once I read in that list:
Virtua Fighter 6
Soul Calibur 6
Dead or Alive 6
The end of days.. lol
Sgt. Garlic
Member
Spyro Trilogy hopefully.
Humdinger
Gold Member
I don't think Spyro has the same nostalgic pull/cache that R&C and Crash have. I don't think it'll match the success of the previous two.
Samanosuke Akechi
Member
Wonder when the shopping season starts if clueless parents walk into the stores and see all the Xbox one X $500! Signs everywhere not knowing any better and simply say screw that and buy their kid a PS4 or switch?
Samanosuke Akechi
Member
pretty done
Member
Ratchet is not on the same level as Spyro and Crash.
and a lot of people would take a new Jak over Sly. Move over, you got one on PS3!
You have to unlock higher speeds which actually make the gameplay faster?
Samanosuke Akechi
Member
True. Wish Sony would actively make all of their platformers again. Hopefully Mario odyssey and crash bandicoot will lead to a platformer revival.
lwilliams3
Member
Actually, it is outselling the XBX Month to month so far.
It's very unlikely. The stuff that's going on in Japan, for example, is very insane. Nintendo can triple their shipments there and still have the lottery going on.
Thanks for reposting this info.
To be fair, this first holiday is going to be for the enthusiasts, the parents will have the S to buy.
Humdinger
Gold Member
You're right; it's better than both.
Are people really nostalgic for Spyro the Dragon? I haven't heard much of that. I don't remember it being all that big a deal back then, either -- although I was just getting into gaming at the time, so maybe I missed the Spyro hype. I remember playing it a little with my then-stepdaughter and thinking it was a nice, colorful, cute little platformer, but that was about it.
Liabe Brave
Member
In the US, not even close. Here's the weekly sales for the two during their first four months:
Code:
WEEKLY SALES PER MONTH
Wii Switch
In month 1 238k 182k
In month 2 120k 70k
In month 3 109k 40k
In month 4 84k 43kIt is the case that Wii dipped lower for the next several months, until a higher baseline was hit at the end of its first summer. But it didn't go as low as Switch has been for the past two months. (That didn't happen until 2011.)
Nintendo is having incredibly bad supply problems with Switch. Yes, Wii was as hard or harder to find on shelves, but that was against a backdrop of the highest shipment numbers any console manufacturer had ever produced. (Switch appears to be 7th fastest right now, behind PS4, Wii, GBA, Xbox One, DS, and 3DS. It'll be 6th by the end of the first year, as Xbox One slides downward over time.)
For GBA, they didn't even have much of an adjustment period to demand. Nintendo shipped 7.6m to just the Americas in the first year, whereas they're forecasting ~12m for Switch worldwide. (GBA worldwide shipments were 17.1m.)
You're right; it's better than both.
Are people really nostalgic for Spyro the Dragon? I haven't heard much of that. I don't remember it being all that big a deal back then, either -- although I was just getting into gaming at the time, so maybe I missed the Spyro hype. I remember playing it a little with my then-stepdaughter and thinking it was a nice, colorful, cute little platformer, but that was about it.
Um, yeah. It had good music, memorable worlds, decent gameplay variety.
I have the opposite opinion and am surprised Crash is doing as well as it is. The crash games are incredibly linear, short and Time Warped is the only one I consider to be "good."
There's definitely a vocal fanbase but Spyro as a whole was just nowhere near popular as the Crash game. And I REALLY don't know how you could remake that trilogy all at once since they're much bigger games compared to Crash.
Liabe Brave
Member
The Spyro games are much more modern in their level design, yeah. The hubs are essentially (very small) open world maps, and even the individual levels seem "wide corridor" due to the fact you can often fly around and see distant destinations.
The simple combat and cheesy humor might be harder sells without nostalgia. Crash is also goofy, but a lot of it's physical humor rather than vaudeville routines. That said, Spyro is a breezy good time, and not usually as punishing as parts of Crash. Plus as you said, the (Stewart Copeland!) music is really nice. The first game is a good first pass at the idea, the second one expands it in many wonderful ways, and the third one maybe has too many ideas. A SHMUP in my platformer? An FPS? They're okay, but just not as polished as the main gameplay.
The second game also has the introduction of Skill Points, a conceptual precursor to Achievements, so of some historical interest.
In the older versions, yes.
In HD/Fury & their PS4 remaster there's a sandbox mode where you can pick track, race type & speed class as well as progressing through the tournaments.
OrbitalBeard
Member
That's honestly not going to be very difficult, though it'll take at least 18 more months.
RedAssedApe
Banned
Yep switch is definitely still low supply. Still see lots of scalpers trying to sell it on eBay and Amazon for profit.
geordiemp
Member
If you look at Nintendo core fans, then you could say there are 60 million 3DS and maybe 10 million WiiU fans it is pitching to, so 70 million fans with a passion for Nintendo IP.
The question is, in the west, will a non party chat system missing western AAA sell to other gamers in numbers.
We dont know that yet, the initial trajectory could be existing fanbase or everybody, it will be easier to tell after 6-9 months.
OrbitalBeard
Member
It'll be quite clear by November. Though I believe it's already pretty clear.