Nintendo Switch sells 1.5m units in first week, according to Superdata

Nintendo has already sold 1.5m Nintendo Switch consoles around the world, according to figures from analytics outfit Superdata Research.

Superdata have analysed sales for the console’s first week on sale, so figures could now be higher. They’ve taken information from both Famitsu and GfK and are stating that 500,000 consoles were sold in the U.S, 360,000 in Japan, and an unknown number in Europe although Superdata has noted that it "isn’t far behind" on the sales seen in other regions.

These figures are ‘sell through’, meaning consoles that have made their way to consumers. Nintendo’s original goal was to sell 2m units "sell in" by the end of March, meaning the amount of hardware shipped to retailers. If these figures for the first week are accurate it’s possible Nintendo could be on track to exceed this target before the month is out.

SuperData has also predicted that 89% of those buying a Nintendo Switch have also bought the new Zelda title Breath of the Wild, which heavily tangles up the success of the new game and the console. Of course, as one of the only original games on the console at launch, and the only with a Nintendo logo on the box, it makes the game the most obvious purchase for new Switch owners.

The big challenge now is for the Switch to maintain this momentum, and this is largely going to be dependent on the game releases for the machine. Nintendo’s virtual console is still not ready for the platform and could win converts when it arrives, and the next first-party title arrives next month, an enhanced re-release of Mario Kart 8.