Analysts expect Switch to outperform sales of PS5 and Xbox Series consoles in 2021, boosted by new ‘Pro’ model



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Many analysts predict that Nintendo Switch will be the best-selling console of 2021.

Offering predictions for the coming year in a GamesIndustry.biz article published on Monday, three industry watchers suggested that Nintendo’s nearly four-year-old platform will outperform the latest consoles from Sony and Microsoft, whose offer has been limited since its launch in November 2020.

Two of the analysts, Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis and Dr Serkan Toto of Kantan Games, also predict that a new Switch model will help generate strong sales for Nintendo’s system this year.

“I expect the Nintendo Switch family of devices to be the top-selling consoles again in 2021 after a very strong 2020,” said Harding-Rolls.

“Last year I wasn’t convinced there would be a new flagship Switch model in 2020, but it makes more business sense to release an updated version in 2021. I currently have an updated version. of the Switch in my forecast for 2021. “

Harding-Rolls predicts that Switch will sell around 24 million units this year and that combined sales of PS5 and Xbox Series X / S will reach 25 million.

Kantan Games’ Toto predicts that Nintendo will release a “hardened 4K” Switch model in its next fiscal year, which begins in April 2021.

“Anyone who expects the Switch to run out of steam in 2021 is suffering a bitter disappointment,” he said. “The Switch will also be the top-selling console this year, driven by more proprietary games, a hardware update (see above), and the device having become a mass-market lifestyle product over the course of time. of 2020. “

Switch has sold over 68 million units, according to Nintendo

Mat Piscatella of the NPD group also expects Nintendo’s console to come out on top in 2021.

“Despite the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, it will be the Nintendo Switch that ends up selling the most units of console hardware in 2021,” he predicted.

“I’m going to take it a step further and suggest that this will be driven by content and promotional efforts rather than releasing an iterative new model.”

Several outlets have reported that Nintendo is preparing to launch new Switch hardware in early 2021 and that it may offer improved computing power and support for 4K graphics.

Asked about “ Switch Pro, ” as it has been dubbed, in an interview with Polygon published last month, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser downplayed reports that the company was planning an imminent overhaul of Switch.

“Right now, with the momentum we have, we’ll be focusing on existing form factors,” he said.

“Number one, we’re always looking at the technology,” Bowser added. “And as we know, technology is constantly evolving and changing. And we are always looking at what happens to determine: how can it improve and improve the gaming experience? And whether it’s on a current platform or a future platform, we’re always looking at that.

“However, we’re also seeing right now – and we just talked about it – that the momentum on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite in Year Four is strong. And we think we’re changing the course of another typical console lifecycle.

“And we’ll continue, for the foreseeable future, to really look at these two platforms and the content that goes with them, because it’s the symbiotic relationship that makes the real difference. And that’s why the Nintendo Switch is so differentiated. “

Bowser also reiterated Nintendo’s belief that the Switch platform is “right in the middle” of its lifecycle.

Switch launched in March 2017 and had sold more than 68 million units by September 2020, according to Nintendo.