PS5 sales are up 450%, leaving the Nintendo Switch in the dust
King of the hill
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The PS5 finally grabbed the top spot for sales in Japan in February, even beating out the reigning champion Nintendo Switch.
ThePS5has sold 366,982 units, as reported byFamitsu, meaning that sales are up 457% year-on-year, asSonyonly managed to sell 65,772 units back in February 2022. Twitter userGenki_JPNalso pointed out that the PS5 sold more units in February than in the first quarter of 2022 combined.
This big news signifies that the PS5 has beaten out Xbox and, more impressively, theNintendo Switchas best selling console in Japan. The Switch came in second with 221,041 units sold, so it wasn’t really a close fight.
Software struggles
The week ending February 19th also saw Sony climb the ranks of the best-selling software titles, as reported byPush Square.Hogwarts LegacyandWild Heartstopped the list selling 36,958 and 26,905 units respectively. However, this is to be somewhat expected when considering the increased number of PS5 units sold and how new both games are.
Despite Sony claiming the top two spots, the next closest ranked title wasTales of Symphonia Remasteredon thePS4, which took the eighth place. Other than these three games, the Nintendo Switch ruled the software roost, withPokemon Scarlet / VioletandSplatoon 3both being at the top of the pile.
Secret to success
While it is shocking that the PS5 has ended Nintendo’s impressive winning streak, it isn’t as surprising that this success has happened now with the news that thePS5 shortage was over in Asia.
This massive boost in sales comes hand-in-hand with Sony’s announcement that the company hasfinally tackled the supply issuesthat had plagued this next-gen console for so long worldwide.
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The CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan, told an audience at thePlayStation Partner Awardsthat Sony finally resolved the PS5 shortages in December 2022. His message seemed to target Japanese audiences as the company could now deliver next-gen consoles to “many customers in Japan and Asia” starting “this year-end shopping season and into 2023”.
Therefore a rise in units available would naturally see a rise in units sold. However, that doesn’t diminish the incredible success that the PS5 has had, especially in the face of the Nintendo Switch.
Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications.
Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they’ve taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased.
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