It's clear that Nintendo Switch (and in particular, Breath of the Wild) has been mostly well-received by critics and early adopters alike thus far. In fact, aside from the occasional Joy-Con sync issue (which I personally have not encountered through an entire weekend of constant play), the hardware experience is sleek and refined, more of a must-have gadget to the Wii U's Fisher Price-chic. Speaking of Wii U, there's good news – Switch is off to a much faster sales start, at least in the UK.
Speaking to retailers earlier today, Nintendo confirmed that Switch has sold approximately 80,000 units in the UK so far. This easily trumps Wii U's opening weekend, which managed 40,000, but doesn't quite best 3DS at 113,000. It also lags behind PS4 and Xbox One's UK opening weekends at 250,000 and 150,000 respectively, but Nintendo also pushed far fewer units to retail in the first place (as we know, many retailers both in the US and Europe have been sold out).
It remains to be seen if Switch can avoid the post-launch dip that 3DS initially experienced, but there's a very reasonable chance that it will. Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, and Arms are all on the way in coming months, with titles like Super Bomberman R and Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment available now to hold Switch owners over until then.
It was a Satoru Iwata price cut that saved 3DS from its post-launch slump and propelled it toward the lifelong success it's experienced since. It's very likely Switch's profit margins are slimmer than that of Wii U (and especially Wii), so Nintendo is no-doubt hoping the same won't again be necessary.
Check Out More Nintendo Switch Coverage:
- A Look At Switch Retail Boxes
- Grab Your Nintendo ID Before It's Taken
- Your Nintendo Switch Questions Answered
- The Triumphs and Nuances Of The Nintendo Switch
- What We Want From Nintendo's Hallmark Franchises
- How Nintendo's New Online Infrastructure Can Succeed
- After 20 Hours With Nintendo's New Console I'm In Love
