Cliff Notes – Is the Nintendo Switch 2 outselling the PS5
- The Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly outselling the PlayStation 5 in both Japan and the US, indicating strong market performance despite some criticism of its game lineup.
- Activision’s concern over Battlefield 6’s potential success has led to the controversial decision to offer Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 for free, suggesting a competitive shift in the gaming landscape.
- The PlayStation 5 is expected to remain a dominant platform for years, with its longevity supported by a growing library of scalable games and the potential for cross-generation compatibility.
Games Inbox: Is the Nintendo Switch 2 outselling the PS5?
A smash hit (Nintendo)
The Thursday letters page is surprised Battlefield 6 has more buzz than Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7, as a reader predicts the PS5 will last over 10 years.
Overtaking lane
So, if the Switch 2 is selling faster than any PlayStation console that must mean it’s outselling the PlayStation 5 as well? Right? So there’s a good chance it’ll overtake it, just as the Switch 1 overtook the PlayStation 4. That seems unreal to me given there’s been quite a bit of negativity about the Switch 2, at least compared to what Nintendo normally gets.
I think we just have to accept that Nintendo knows what people want and they are delivering. It’s not necessarily what hardcore gamers want but it is something that appeals to a wide audience and I see absolutely no reason why it won’t get even more popular over time, given the thing was breaking PlayStation records in the middle of June!
I’m not a super Nintendo fan (pun not intended) and I’m certainly not a Sony hater but given the absolute state of Xbox at the moment I think we should just be glad that their rivals have their heads screwed on to at least some degree.
Birdseye
GC: Sales data is always limited for hardware, but it seems the Switch 2 is definitely outselling the PS5 in Japan and the US, at the very least.
Strange timing
That is pretty wild, that Activision are so worried about Battlefield 6 that they’re giving away Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 to try and distract people. I guess that might work to a degree, since it is free, but I think for anyone more savvy it’s going to be proof that Activision is scared and they know Battlefield is going to eat their lunch.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
I certainly won’t be sad to see Call Of Duty knocked from its throne, but I have to admit I’m a bit confused as to why it’s happening now, as Black Ops 7 looks above average for the series and I thought Black Ops 6 had been pretty popular. And Battlefield 6 just looks like Battlefield, which means it’ll be really hardcore and difficult, and I’ll be rubbish at it.
Seems like there are a bunch of times when Activision were in a weaker position than this, but I guess we’ll see how things turn out, since Battlefield 6 still probably won’t outsell it.
Boosh
According to plan
Crazy to see how well the Switch 2 is doing and, as you point out, it’s not even Christmas yet. I know a lot of people have been picking holes in Nintendo’s line-up and I would agree with a lot of what they’re saying, but the fact is the console has been a huge hit and they have had a lot of games, along with plans for a lot more. They’ve had a Mario Kart and Donkey Kong game and they’re getting a Pokémon, Metroid, and Zelda soon.
Now, these might not necessarily be the best entries in their respective franchises, but they are all good games, of the ones we know about so far anyway. And we also know they’ve got some kind of Fire Emblem, Splatoon, and Pikmin game on the way too. The lack of a 3D Mario is a puzzle but other than that I really don’t think they could’ve done much more. I definitely don’t think they’ll think they’ve done anything wrong.
Meister
Local laws
So to make the whole Game Pass business we find out that some countries have proper laws to stop Microsoft raising the price halfway through someone’s subscription and rather than recognise that those countries might be right to do that, they only don’t increase the cost there and force their horrible practices onto everyone else.
In other words, if they could get away with it everywhere they would but in the meantime they’re just scam everyone they can. Yeah, thanks but no thanks Microsoft. I’ve never liked renting games, which is basically what you’re doing with Game Pass, so I will happily switch to PlayStation 5 and stick with buying games that I can own forever.
Smokey
Not all Game Pass subscribers are being treated equally (Microsoft)
Twin streaming
Another interesting survey from the US, making it plain that video games are now working on two tiers: casual gamers that only play free or very cheap games and a much smaller group of people that run out to buy every big game on day one.
I wish I was in the second group but I’m not and I’m beginning to feel quite resentful about it. I might write a Reader’s Feature about it, but I feel that’s a massive problem that publishers are not even trying to solve. Maybe they don’t care but what gets me is that the games industry seemed to be in such a good place last gen, and now look at it…
Oily
Forever games
RE: Korbie and ‘Donkey Kong Bonanza is good but is it really going to be a game I’m still playing in eight years’ time? For the amount it costs it really should be.’
The game was £65 physical and £59 digital day one. Less than three months after launch it’s £57 physical everywhere. Below standard current triple-A RRPs.
It has about as much content as a single-player game can ship with and sits at 91 on Metacritic, from 141 reviews. Expecting any £60 game to give you eight years worth of playing is asking way too much but of all the games to question about how much content it offers Donkey Kong Bananza is an odd choice.
Playing the same few games forever is a bit of a problem for the industry right now but there’s loads of single-player games I’ve played multiple times over the span of up to three decades like System Shock 2 and Dark Souls but the highest number comes from Nintendo where I will still replay SNES classics once every five years or so. Recently did another playthrough of Wave Race 64, still unmatched for water-based racing fun.
I fully expect to be giving my copy of Donkey Kong Bananza a run through again in the same manner.
Simundo
Don’t pass the torch
I’m not usually one to complain about too many sequels but I really do think that when the original developers leave, that’s a sign that you should wrap it all up. Ignoring the fact of whether we need a Little Nightmares 3 in the first place, changing to a developer for hire does not seem a good idea at all.
Halo is the most obvious example, I feel, but unless it’s a developer who are embedded at a publisher, with lots of similar studios, like Nintendo or Activision’s Call Of Duty developers, I really think a franchise should end when it’s creators move on.
Corky
Forever console
Interesting that letters over PlayStation 5’s ‘failure’ are still coming in after all these years. Just to have a bit of a right to reply for that narrative.
Firstly. With Xbox’s woes and Nintendo off doing its own thing, as everyone’s favourite second screen device, for better or worse PlayStation has become the default platform for living room gaming. Whether Sony puts out exclusive games is irrelevant really, if you want to play the latest games today, with the least hassle, then the best experience is on the PlayStation 5, regardless of the publisher (unless it’s Nintendo obviously, and even then Donkey Kong Bananza would probably be more stable on PlayStation). You can just buy it without thinking, plug it into your TV and go. No messing around.
Secondly and maybe most importantly, a PlayStation 5 is likely to last you a long, long time. With the rise of handhelds, in both the (if niche) PC market and Sony and Microsoft rumoured to be moving back into the space, games will need to be scalable, so PlayStation 5 is likely to land as a target platform for many, many years ahead.
The PlayStation 4 has lasted over 10 years, we’re half that into PlayStation 5, so you can imagine it going for a lot longer in the current landscape. It’ll be in the sweet spot right in the middle for scaling down to various handhelds, laptops and the Switch 2, but also scaling up to the next generation and powerful PCs.
Digital Foundry recently said in a podcast they expected the next-cross generation period to pretty much be permanent, so maybe the PlayStation 5 will be the first forever console?
Marc
Inbox also-rans
The Close To You trailer from Nintendo looks very typical of the short movies Pixar would tease a while before a big movie release.
Bad Edit
GC: It could be a Pikmin film, it’s not necessarily a game, but it’s very different to how Nintendo has handled the Mario movie reveals.
Random question but do we know for a fact that Rocksteady are working on a new Batman game or not? I felt so sure they were going to get shut down so I’d like to know they’re busy on something else.
Loki
GC: They’re rumoured to be working on a Batman game, but they’ve not announced anything.
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