February 2018 NPD: PS4 Wrestles Hardware Crown Off Nintendo Switch

Eh, they deserve it. Critically acclaimed blockbusters keep releasing on PS4 while Nintendo coasts on ports.

Congrats Monster Hunter!

Monster Hunter is completely nuts. Not sure even the most optimistic of fans would have predicted it would do this well.

Forgot to mention, Dragon Ball FighterZ is putting in serious work as well.

@get2sammyb quite the bullet indeed

Man it's so great to see sotc on chart, pure single player only games is still alive and kicking

For console hardware, it's all about games.

@wiiware of course single player games are here to stay.they are the best.word up son

I'm really happy for Shadow of the Colossus, this classic deserves all the love and sales. And PS4 is a juggernaut on this generation.

@YummyHappyPills Wow, Switch is behind Xbox One??? Things are not looking good for Nintendo.

No sales either, PS4 has been a sales monster this entire gen, even before it built up the incredible library it has now.

@PS_Nation
Switch just won the last two months and MS has been having some great deals on the Xbox One S (not sure about the X). Switch also had a record-setting first year. Of course, this doesn't mean sales can't flatline but there have been a few times where it hasn't topped charts, people said it was finished and then it bounced back to win the next few months. PS4 is the best console this generation, Xbox has two skus, one being a brilliant 4K machine and North America is that brand's strongest market. Don't really think there's anything too alarming here for Nintendo, especially as it sounds like all three companies are continuing to do well.

@get2sammyb Sure, but we're comparing early 2018 Sony to early 2018 Nintendo.

While a steady stream of games have been releasing on Switch every month, there have been very few really 'notable' releases in 2018. The only new first-party game is the somewhat mediocre looking Kirby: Star Allies, which is a bit of an insult after Nintendo went on a super high-quality first-party tear with BotW/SMO/Splatoon 2/ARMS/Xenoblade 2 last year.

I imagine things will be looking a lot better later in the year, but for now, it's a bit dry in Nintendo Land.

@PS_Nation One month not leading the pack, and suddenly "things aren't looking good for Nintendo." The fanboy mind at work.

@Ralizah
The Nintendoom has already happened about 3 or 4 times already. It's starting to remind me of when people, NPD after NPD, were calling the Wii a fad that was soon to be over, and then it lasted 4 years at the top.

I never thought I'd see the day that Monster Hunter would become a global phenomenon.

It may or may not get Switch-specific entries, but I think it's safe to say that the series is most definitely staying on home consoles.

@Gamer83 People have been predicting the death of Nintendo for generations now, but it's particularly ludicrous with how well the Switch is doing. According to VentureBeat, "Over the first twelve months in market, Nintendo Switch has achieved the highest installed base for a console platform in history.” THAT is incredible, especially when you consider the historically dwindling sales of Nintendo's consoles.

@PS_Nation Switch has THE highest install base of a console in its first yeah than any other before it, not to mention the extremely healthy attach rate and sales of first party and indie games......so yeah, totally doomed lol

@Ralizah
I mean at its heart Switch is a Nintendo portable (but I do have it docked most of the time when using it), that should be good for at least 50 mil sales lifetime when it's all said and done. I never understood the theory Nintendo would disappear. It's struggled in the console market after SNES but the Wii made some big time $$$ for the company and the handheld systems have always sold very well even holding off incredibly strong competition in the underrated PSP. On top of that, nobody should want Nintendo to disappear, gaming is far, far better when it's relevant. Nintendo provides something different while the Sony and MS platforms are extremely similar. A third option that doesn't play by the same exact rules should be embraced.

I really didn't expect SotC to do as well as it has, great to see single-player games can still do well, someone needs to let EA know lol

@Ralizah Coming from one of the biggest fanboys here, that's really rich.

@Gamer83 Did I say that Nintendo is doomed? Thanks for putting words on my mouth, but no thanks. I just think that it's not a good sign to be left behind by a device without exclusives like Xbox One. There is no hype at all for any of their upcoming "exclusives". Not real exclusives as well, because all of these games are also available on PC. Switch was doing good recently, I'm just kinda surprised with the results of NPD. But they, you got everything figured out, I will just leave, don't want to get Nintendo fanboys here angry.

apparently according to the NPD the Switch sold better in the first 12 months on sale in the US than any other console during its first 12 months (not including handhelds, which the gameboy advance would have been)

@get2sammyb To be fair, the title of the article kinda ignites the console war on the comments! xD I actually got Monster Hunter last week and I totally get the hype now. It's great! And Smash Bros gonna win the holidays anyway, Nintendo can give the early months away

@PS_Nation
Don't appreciate being called a fanboy, especially when it's more than obvious PlayStation is the brand I play most of my games on. Reading your post it seemed you were implying Nintendoom but there was no malicious intent in my comment. I simply pointed out why there is no cause for alarm (yet), especially when the Switch had just won the last two months. Then you start the fanboy sh*t when I didn't even call you out for being one though you are far more guilty of that bs than I am. So, I don't attack others here and this is now twice in the last few months it's been implied I'm a fanboy of any brand, I'm getting sick of it. I'd appreciate the same respect that I give people here. May not always agree but I try not to attack.

@Toadie
Yet, the PS4 definitely sold more in its first year worldwide than the Switch. There is also the fact the PS4 did it mostly with US and Europe as Japan only got the PS4 3 months later and the sales weren't really good.

It's not all about US, otherwise the 360 would have crushed everyone last gen, but they didn't. The PS3 sold more worldwide every months since it released and it ended up catching up, while the Wii ... well you know about the Wii, it actually won.

One thing can be sure though: The Switch is selling faster than the Xbox One and I give it 2 years before it catches up and take second place.

@get2sammyb It does, but that user meant the article's title promotes console wars because the wording ("wrestles" and "crown") makes it sound as if the PS4 "defeated" the Switch. The title could have gotten across that the PS4 was the most successful gaming console in February without making it sound like a competition.

@GigaGaia "It's not all about US"

The user you replied to only mentioned US sales because that's what this entire article is about. Worldwide sales are irrelevant in this discussion.

It’s done it without anymore price cuts as well.
The PS4 outsold the Switch by about 30% if the leaks are true. That’s mighty impressive.

"Switch has THE highest install base of a console in its first yeah than any other before it,"

@Toadie that's not an accurate statistic from what I've read. In the US only maybe, but not worldwide.

@Gamer83 but Nintendo is doomed...

Cus they have DOOM.

@get2sammyb Shadow of the Colossus at number 6 is really impressive. Especially considering the list is by revenue not unit sales.

@JoeBlogs or if you game on PC you can wait for the censored to happen & you can play censored on PC.

@JoeBlogs although oddly enough Push Square did like a few other sites during the Wii U’s Censoredstorm Of a failure a article asking if Nintendo should go 3rd Party. But if you don’t like the idea of getting another console that’s not PlayStation (uh don’t buy it then kinda like any game... don’t like it, don’t buy it. Simple as that)

This place will end up like IGN if the unreasonible Sony Fanboys keep posting their trashtalk!

I think all the praise should go to Monster Hunter for smashing it!

@JoeBlogs "but I also wouldn’t mind if they went the way of Sega and went third party"

Problem is, if Nintendo goes 3rd party there goes portable gaming as it doesn't seem like Sony is any any rush to make a Vita 2.

Sure most portable gaming is on tablets and phones these days, but games like Skyrim, Doom and MH are only going to be playable on better hardware than that. And I think good kids games like Pokemon and the never ending 2D platformers are only going to be on Ntinedo hardware.

So from a home gamer like myself, Id' be fine with them 3rd party, as my Switch never leaves the dock, but a lot of people like to play on the go, and for them it's Nintnedo or nothing now.

On the bright side, w/ Nintnedo pretty much out of the home market and Sony out of the handheld market they should both do fine in their respective areas and we can continue to get good games for both. And kids can continue to play on something other than a phone.

@JoeBlogs "from a purely selfish point of view"

I know, for you, me and many other gamers Ntinedo going 3rd party would be win-win. But watching my 2 boys grow up playing on DS and 3DS and being really into Pokemon makes me glad Nintneod is around to give kids something to do during long car rides and plane flights and commuters on their commutes. Jury is still out on the cardboard, but it can't be any worse than Wonderbook.

@YummyHappyPills Maybe all the Nintneod and Sony fanbois need to play a nice game of tic tac toe.

@NintendoFan4Lyf I finished GoW 1&2 last year, certainly won't take 83 hours, maybe 15 or 16 depending on how much you die, I died a lot. And I was playing on easy. The 3rd game was a bit longer. I played all 3 in a row as if it were 1 game and it felt like a decent length and a good story for 1 game. I also played it for free so $ wasn't an issue.

@NintendoFan4Lyf It's good to have a plan, I'm all about the plans.

Splitting up GoW that way seems weird though as 3 is the end of a trilogy w/ the same characters and 4 starts a new game with new characters. I never even played 4 as I traded in my Xbox 1 for a Switch when Mario released and the reviews weren't all that great. And 3 games in a row was enough for me. I haven't' played GoW 4 (Ascension) yet either as GoW 3 ended so well I didn't see the point.

I actually played Recore for about an hour, didn't get to finish that one either, the remaster or whatever it is looked better though.

Wow, what a well-rounded NPD chart. PS4/4Pro took the top hardware sales, while Switch and OneX drove growth in the industry.

Here's hoping all three wow us at E3, the first 3 months have been great so far.

Playstation 4 is an amazing console they have nailed it this generation. The sales they have on the psn store are fantastic all the top games at great prices. Where Nintendo just puts junk in their sales sadly and the few top games they want top dollar. I am not hateing on nintendo as been a played since nes but playstation just nail it and listen to gamers.

@NintendoFan4Lyf I just wish I had more time!

I'm 3/4 thru Uncharted Lost Legacy and it may be my 2nd favorite after 2, have to see how the last 1/4 goes. Also playing Horizon, about halfway done or so, really good. I have the steelbook RotTR on PS4 b/c it was on sale. Also have the 6 pack of KH having only played the home console 2 way back when. My backlog would be worse but I hate DLC, choosing only to play "Complete Editions" so I'm waiting on XC2, NNK2 and Mario + Rabbids.

So yeah, slow going, huge backlog and it's only getting worse.

@NintendoFan4Lyf 1.5 + 2.5

Pre-Christmas Target B2G1 free sale, so I got Uncharted: Lost Legacy, RotTR and KH1-6 for about $62. I really wanted U:LL and RotTR, KH was my free one. And I enjoyed the 2 games I've played, figured I needed the other 4 before KH3. And at the rate Squenix moves along on their game development I still have plenty of time. I'll get 2.8 eventually.

@GigaGaia I guess i should have expanded my comment more as i just wanted to point out how stupid the comment was i was replying to, trying to make out the Switch is somehow in trouble would be as stupid as trying to say the PS4 hasn't done well, it's just ridiculous.

As an owner of all three consoles i get so tired of all the fanboy nonsense, i jump between them constantly and enjoy them all, being blindly loyal to one company and trashing the competition just makes no sense to me.

@OorWullie

Never did I imply the Switch wasn't selling really well. Nevertheless, everything you mentioned has no bearing on my original comment, that it is not in fact the best selling console ever in its first 12 months. At least not to my knowledge unless you have articles that prove otherwise. But I do know it holds that record in the US which I acknowledged.

And whether it's going to go down in the record books remains to be seen, but it's possible. I do think it will be interesting to see if it can keep the momentum of the stellar first-year lineup, or if things start to dry up a bit.