Let’s get this out of the way up front: the PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 are both selling really well right now. But one of those consoles is five years old and the other has only been out for nine months after years of waiting. So why is Sony’s machine continuing to outsell Nintendo’s latest portable device in the U.S.?
Circana Senior Director Mat Piscatella reports that PS5 still led January 2026 in hardware sales in the U.S. despite people buying fewer PS5s than they did a year ago. Switch 2 was in second place, followed by Xbox Series X/S and PC gaming handhelds. Overall, hardware spending jumped 16 percent compared to January 2025, even as last-gen hardware declined. PS5 was down 17 percent year-over-year and Xbox Series X/S was down 27 percent. Unsurprisingly, the original Switch fell off a cliff with a 79 percent drop.
Is this indicative of the ongoing strength of the PS5 platform, or does it mean unusual softness in Switch 2 launch year sales? Recent earnings reports showed that Nintendo lost the holiday period worldwide to Sony as well. Despite Switch 2 surpassing Switch 1 sales on a time-aligned basis, it was beaten by five-year-old hardware. Maybe some of that was the big Black Friday price cuts that made a PS5 cheaper than a Switch 2. Maybe it was people gearing up for the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 this year.
And maybe part of it had to do with the Switch 2 missing a big exclusive to get people off the fence. Neither a 3D Mario nor a new Zelda have been announced yet and 2025’s big seller, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, was available on the existing Switch. Things might only get tougher if and when Nintendo is forced to increase the price of the Switch 2 due to the ongoing RAM shortage, something new reporting and many analysts suggest is a forgone conclusion for 2026.
Then again, President Trump’s tariffs were just struck down as unconstitutional. I’m not sure how the government is planning on refunding consumers or companies for those import taxes, but maybe it will give Nintendo the wiggle room it needs to hold the Switch 2’s current $450 price for a bit longer.
