Nintendo Switch Expected To Hit "Relative Parity" With Wii In Terms Of Sales

The Nintendo Switch is off to a hot start, selling 2.74 million consoles in its first month, well ahead of Nintendo's first-month forecast of 2 million units. Now, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has said Nintendo believes the console can reach "relative parity" with the Wii, which sold more than 100 million units.

Part of what might help the Switch push big numbers is that Nintendo believes that one system might not be enough for each household, considering the hybrid nature of the console.

"The truth is we want to raise the installed base of Nintendo Switch up to the same level as Wii," Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said during a financial Q&A session recently. "As we mentioned during our presentation, Nintendo Switch in America had the fastest start of any Nintendo hardware, despite launching in March.

"If our sales go according to our plan this fiscal year, we will be able to see Nintendo Switch gaining the momentum in which it can approach relative parity with Wii afterwards," he added. "Plus, considering that Nintendo Switch is a home console video game system that you can take with you on the go so you can play anytime, anywhere, with anyone, we think there will be households that feel as though one is not really enough. This is another point that drives us to match the scale of Wii's popularity with Nintendo Switch."

Software is key to the success of hardware, and this is no different for the Switch. Kimishima also talked about how Nintendo plans to launch "one title after another with no gaps" to help the platform thrive.

"In the video game business, it's important for consumers to feel that a sales momentum is going to grow, and we are setting a standard with Nintendo Switch to release a continuous string of major software titles from now on," he said.

Nintendo plans to ship a further 10 million Switch units this fiscal year. Kimishima didn't get into specifics, but said the company is "boosting [its] production capacity" to hit that figure and "handle the season of high demand."

The Wii is one of the best-selling consoles ever, so if the Switch can get anywhere near that it would be a notable achievement. For what it's worth, someone at Nintendo believed the Wii U would sell 100 million systems, and that did not come close to happening.