Nintendo has just released sales figures for its consoles, and the headline news is that the Switch, which launched back in 2017, is within touching distance of overtaking the Nintendo DS as the company's most successful console of all time.
As reported by our friends at Nintendo Life, the Switch now stands at 154.01 million consoles sold, which means it's less than 10,000 units away from surpassing the DS's total of 154.02 million.
However, as noted by The Gamer, Switch sold less than a million consoles in a single quarter for the first time ever, which means the console's momentum is seriously slowing down.
That's hardly a shock when you consider the Switch 2 just launched, but it means that, with just under six million sales needed to catch PS2's grand total of 160 million, it's looking unlikely that Nintendo's original hybrid system will make it to the top of the tree.
I'm not saying it's impossible; Switch is still a very capable system and is still getting software support, and that's not going to change for a good while yet – especially with so many Switch owners in the wild.
The Switch is almost certain to sell over a million units in the next quarter, thanks to the festive season, and it makes sense as a starter system for younger players – just like the 3DS did when the Switch was first launched.
My only concern here is that Sony has been somewhat sneaky in the past; the PS2 was reported to have sold 155 million consoles for years, until the company conveniently announced an additional 5 million sales last year, allowing it to pull even further ahead of the incoming Switch.