The Nintendo Switch has outsold the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One in August, according to a new monthly report released by the NPD Group.
Nintendo's hybrid console has beaten the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One in terms of sales for four of the past six months, and you can't help but wonder how much better it would be doing if the Nintendo Switch supply shortage does not exist.
Nintendo Switch vs PS4 vs Xbox One
The NPD Group did not release specific figures on how many units of each console were sold for the month of August, so the gap between the sales of the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One remains unknown.
However, even without the specific numbers, the dominance of the Nintendo Switch stands out. The NPD Group noted that the Nintendo Switch has been the best-selling console for four of the past six months, beaten only in May and June by the PlayStation 4.
For the year, the PlayStation 4 remains as the best-selling console in the United States, but that might be mostly due to the fact that the Nintendo Switch was only launched in March. In addition, the two months that the PlayStation 4 topped sales charts was when the Nintendo Switch supply shortage was at its worst. The Xbox One has continued to lag behind its rivals, but Microsoft is hoping that the upcoming Xbox One X will help turn things around.
The video game console market, however, has seen declines, as sales in August were 6 percent lower at $168 million compared to the same month last year. Overall for the year, however, hardware sales have increased by 17 percent to $1.7 billion, compared to the same point last year.
Nintendo Switch Supply Shortage Holding It Back
The NPD Group's findings show that when the Nintendo Switch is in stock, it flies off the shelves. This means that the hybrid console will likely have found more success if Nintendo's production of the device has been able to keep up with the demand.
There have been allegations that Nintendo is purposely limiting the Nintendo Switch supply to keep the hype for the hybrid console at peak levels, but according to the company, the supply crunch is not intentional.
Nintendo previously promised that it will ramp up its production so that the supply of the Nintendo Switch will be able to keep up with the demand in this year's holiday season. However, it already appears that Nintendo Switch stocks will not be enough, with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé revealing uncertainty on the level of Nintendo Switch demand for the holidays.
