October 2021 NPD: Nintendo Switch outsells Xbox and PlayStation

Consumers in the United States are still scooping up all the gaming hardware they can find. And that does not appeal solely to the new-gen Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. Nintendo Switch actually outsold both of those newcomers thanks to the introduction of Nintendo’s slick and more expensive OLED Edition, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group.

“Switch was the best-selling hardware platform of October in both units and dollars, aided by the launch of the Nintendo Switch – OLED Model,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “PlayStation 5 remains the best-selling hardware platform of 2021 year-to-date in dollars, while Nintendo Switch leads in units.”

But hardware sales are up across the board, and that has led to a significant jump in spending.

“October video game hardware dollar sales increased 82% when compared to October 2020, to $472 million,” said Piscatella. “Year-to-date hardware spending has increased 53% when compared to the same period a year ago, reaching $3.9 billion.”

October also marks 12 months on the market for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. And it turns out that this generation is turning into something of a repeat of last gen.

“After 12 months in market, combined units of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series are flat when compared to the same number of months for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,” said Piscatella.

It’s important to note that only reflects supply and not demand. The desire for new hardware could be much higher, but NPD can only track what Sony and Microsoft are able to ship into the supply channel.