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Why Nintendo Switch May Beat PS5 & Xbox Series X This Holiday
As 2020 grows closer to the holidays, and next-gen consoles like PS5 and Xbox Series X get closer to their launches, the long-running console wars are heating up. Surprisingly, analysts are predicting neither will win the holiday console war. Instead, the winner is predicted as being the Nintendo Switch, a console that's already been on the market for over three years.
The Switch has sold over 62 million units so far, and has quickly become the second highest-grossing Nintendo home console ever. Still, the system is three years old, and its handheld-only version, the Switch Lite, is approaching its first anniversary. A new, upgraded Switch is also rumored to be coming in 2021 with all sorts of features, but that won't affect Holiday 2020 sales. So, how is Nintendo going to sell more Switch consoles this holiday season than Sony's PS5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X? Apparently, by simple math.
It would be unrealistic to expect either the PS5 or Xbox Series X to reach the Switch's lifetime sales by the end of the year. Both consoles are presumably releasing around the holidays, near the end of the year, and the Switch has three years' worth of sales to give it a sizable lead. That's not the prediction, though. According to a new analysis by Ace Sec, Nintendo will simply outsell Sony and Microsoft during the 2020 holiday season. However, the company could just be predicting this for Japan, where it's based, instead of worldwide. That part of the report is unclear.
How Switch Could Outsell Both PS5 And Xbox Series X
There are several factors that could be going into the analysts' predictions. First, there's pricing to consider. Although nothing official has been confirmed yet, it's assumed both the Xbox Series X and PS5 will be priced higher than the Switch's $299.99, meaning consumers may be enticed by the affordability of Nintendo's console. Secondly, there are the gaming exclusives libraries. The Xbox Series X lacking major exclusives on launch, and while the PS5 will have quite a few, it can't compare to the three years' worth of exclusives that are already on Switch. It stands to reason that casual gamers could be more drawn to a console that has a well-established library than the technical specs of a new console like PS5.
The third factor to consider is the Switch's popularity. At a time when nearly every aspect of the economy has been altered due to a global pandemic, Nintendo has still continued to make sales. In fact, the demand for Switch has skyrocketed in the last few months, partially thanks to the popularity of games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and people staying inside more. The pandemic shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, and neither does the demand for Nintendo's console.
By all accounts, everyone will have to wait until the holiday season arrives to see if the analyst predictions are correct. Consumers will ultimately decide for themselves who wins the 2020 console war, and if the Nintendo Switch really will outsell the PS5 and Xbox Series X this holiday season.
