According to newly released figures, the Nintendo Switch has reached 1.5 million sales in Nintendo's home country of Japan since launch in March. That's a big number, and to put it in context, it's significantly better than the start for the PlayStation 4 in 2013.


The Switch reached 1.5 million sales after 26 weeks in Japan. By comparison, after the PS4's first 26 weeks on sale in Japan, the console sold around 665,000 units. It took the PS4 69 weeks to reach 1.5 million units sold in Japan.


All of these numbers come via 2ch, as reported by Kotaku.


The fact that the Switch sold a lot faster than the PS4 in Japan might sound surprising, given the enormous popularity of Sony's console. However, as GI.biz mentions, mobile gaming is ultra-popular in Japan, so the Switch--with its hybrid nature--might have been a more attractive option than the purely home console that is the PS4.


The 3DS sold slightly faster than the Switch in Japan, but that's not a perfect comparison either given that the Switch is more expensive.


Nintendo last officially reported Switch sales figures for the period covering launch through June 30, with 4.7 million consoles and 13.6 million games sold. Nintendo is expected to disclose a new Switch sales number in October as part of its next earnings report, though an announcement could come sooner.