Switch 2 hardware sales dropped drastically in Japan last week following the console’s price increase.
Nintendo announced last month that it would be raising the price of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan.
While the US, Europe and Canada won’t see the price increase being implemented until September 1, in Japan it took effect on May 25.
On this date, the price of the ‘Japan-only’ region-locked Switch 2 – the version available everywhere in Japan except for Nintendo’s own online store – rose from ¥49,980 ($312) to ¥59,980 ($374).
The increase appears to have had an immediate impact on Switch 2 hardware sales, according to the latest weekly software and hardware sales charts from Famitsu.
In the previous three weeks, Switch 2 sold 214,438 units, 217,922 units and 247,880 units, according to Famitsu’s previous charts.
Last week, however (the period from May 25 to May 31), the console sold 31,751 units – a drop of 87%.
It should be noted that Switch 2 had seen a surge in sales in Japan after Nintendo’s announcement that the console was set to receive a price increase.
In the three weeks before Nintendo’s announcement, Switch 2 had sold 52,058 units, 44,280 units and 45,825 in Japan, suggesting the recent huge jump in sales was due to players buying Switch 2 consoles before they got more expensive. Last week’s sales of 31,751, however, are still lower than they were before the announcement.
The price increase also appears to have had a drastic effect on sales of the original Switch model. In the six previous weeks it had sold 3,462 units, 4,513 units, 5,080 units, 7,960 units, 5,285 units and 2,731 units, but last week it sold just 229 units, outsold by the Xbox Series X.
The full hardware sales chart for Japan last week is as follows (with lifetime sales):
Japan Hardware Chart (Famitsu)
- Nintendo Switch 2 – 31,751 (5,865,213)
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 6,527 (1,302,820)
- Nintendo Switch OLED – 4,162 (9,585,830)
- Nintendo Switch Lite – 1,810 (6,972,953)
- PlayStation 5 Pro – 1,479 (360,308)
- Xbox Series X Digital Edition – 408 (31,544)
- PlayStation 5 – 367 (5,919,834)
- Xbox Series X – 304 (327,214)
- Nintendo Switch – 229 (20,300,305)
- Xbox Series S – 123 (342,219)
