It was a great console, but it couldn't compete with the PS2. At the time nothing could. No home console has been able to dominate like the PS2 did.
Handheld wise they have been king since the Game Boy. The Switch has a chance of selling 100 million. Yes, I realise the Switch is a hybrid console, while the Switch Lite is a handheld only version.
They are by far the longest running console manufacturer in the industry. Atari went third party, SEGA went third party, etc. It is nice to see they are still seeing success as they keep releasing quality games.
Nintendo and Sony have had a ton of success over the years. Nintendo has sold more hardware lifetime, while Sony has a higher average sales per platform. That is including home consoles and handhelds.
Here is the breakdown of sales in order of best-selling to worst-selling:
Nintendo DS - 154.02 million
Game Boy - 118.69 million
Wii - 101.63 million
Game Boy Advance - 81.51 million
Nintendo 3DS - 75.45 million
NES - 61.91 million
SNES - 49.10 million
Nintendo Switch - 41.67 million
Nintendo 64 - 32.93 million
GameCube - 21.74 million
Wii U - 13.56 million
Global hardware estimates (Followed by lifetime sales):
1. Switch - 315,451 (40,489,064)
2. PlayStation 4 - 231,544 (101,342,408)
3. Xbox One - 62,011 (43,635,526)
4. 3DS - 10,122 (74,863,224)
5. PS Vita - 26 (15,901,513)
Only tracking we have is from Japan. After this year we will likely stop tracking the Vita all together.
Global hardware estimates (Followed by lifetime sales):
Switch - 256,364 (39,320,218)
PlayStation 4 - 204,745 (100,848,566)
Xbox One - 57,366 (43,518,956)
3DS - 10,348 (74,843,358)
PS Vita - 24 (15,901,458)
I wouldn't call the Xbox One a complete failure. It has sold far better than the Wii U and PS Vita. But it did not live up to what the Xbox 360 and Microsoft was not able to turn things around like Sony did with the poor launch of the PS3.
The Switch Lite has had a strong start. The question going forward is how much will it boost sales this holiday? Can it reach Wii / DS peak?
@Shaggy2303 $499 in 2020 is a launch price that makes sense. PS4 launched at $399 in 2013.
Next in line for PS4 to outsell is the Wii than original PlayStation.
As long as they keep up the release of AAA games like with the PS4 and have a launch price that makes sense (unlike the PS3 at $599), then the PS5 success is pretty much a guarantee.
Next generation will be exciting. I am looking forward to see how much of a jump there is with games. I am hoping GTA6 isn't a long wait.
Gears 5 is a step in the right direction, but they have acquired several studios over the last couple of years. I think they have learned that games sell consoles. We shall see what kind of support Scarlett will get.
Lack of big exclusives has hurt the Xbox One.
It really shows how success or failure from one generation doesn't mean the same thing will happen the following generation. The Wii U flopped, while the Switch has been a huge success. The Xbox 360 was a success, while the Xbox One has fallen well behind.
The lack of exclusives, at least compared to the PS4 and Switch, certainly hasn't helped sales of the Xbox One. Maybe all the studios they have acquired will mean more exclusives next generation.
I agree. A price drop to $199 is really needed to help push another 50 million PS4 consoles. 100 million is only two-thirds of the way to 150 million. At this point sales will decline year-on-year.
Global hardware estimates (Followed by lifetime sales):
Switch - 387,424 (41,123,488)
PlayStation 4 - 233,979 (101,576,387)
Xbox One - 68,296 (43,703,822)
3DS - 10,453 (74,873,677)
PS Vita - 25 (15,901,528)