Sold-through numbers for both countries
US(NPD)
PS4 ~20.2M
NSW ~27M
XB1 ~17.3M
Japan(Famitsu)
PS4 ~6.3M
NSW ~18.5M
XB1 ~98K
Total of US+Japan
PS4 ~26.5M
NSW ~45.5M
XB1 ~17.4M
Why don't you include worlwide numbers? It would include EMEA, the biggest PlayStation market.
I took my time to show the actual situation with official data.
They next quarter the diff will probably drop to around 7m.
Quarter | PS4 | PS4 Cumulative | Switch | Switch Cumulative | Difference |
1 | 4,5 | 4,5 | 2,74 | 2,74 | -1,76 |
2 | 3 | 7,5 | 1,97 | 4,71 | -2,79 |
3 | 2,7 | 10,2 | 2,92 | 7,63 | -2,57 |
4 | 3,3 | 13,5 | 7,24 | 14,87 | 1,37 |
5 | 6,4 | 19,9 | 2,92 | 17,79 | -2,11 |
6 | 2,4 | 22,3 | 2,13 | 19,92 | -2,38 |
7 | 3 | 25,3 | 2,94 | 22,86 | -2,44 |
8 | 4 | 29,3 | 9,42 | 32,28 | 2,98 |
9 | 8,4 | 37,7 | 2,46 | 34,74 | -2,96 |
10 | 2,3 | 40 | 2,13 | 36,87 | -3,13 |
11 | 3,5 | 43,5 | 4,8 | 41,67 | -1,83 |
12 | 3,9 | 47,4 | 10,81 | 52,48 | 5,08 |
13 | 9,7 | 57,1 | 3,29 | 55,77 | -1,33 |
14 | 2,9 | 60 | 5,68 | 61,45 | 1,45 |
15 | 3,3 | 63,3 | 6,85 | 68,3 | 5 |
16 | 4,2 | 67,5 | 11,57 | 79,87 | 12,37 |
17 | 9 | 76,5 | | | |
18 | 2,5 | 79 | | | |
19 | 3,2 | 82,2 | | | |
20 | 3,9 | 86,1 | | | |
21 | 8,1 | 94,2 | | | |
Edit - Fixed. I missed a PS4 quarter.
This comparision makes more sense.
Even more if you align the quarters by fiscal years (PS4 had an extra Q3 at the start) to see how each console evolved each quarter/fiscal year and to balance the Winter Holidays. You'll see that excluding that extra PS4 had its lead mainly because its extra months at the start, then both PS4 and Switch had a pretty similar performance until Covid happened and Switch catched up even compensating the lead PS4 had fom its extra months:
Quarter PS4 PS4 Cumulative Switch Switch Cumulative Difference
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 4,5 4,5 NA NA -4,5
2 3 7,5 2,74 2,74 -4,75
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3 2,7 10,2 1,97 4,71 -5,49
4 3,3 13,5 2,92 7,63 -5.87
5 6,4 19,9 7,24 14,87 -5.03
6 2,4 22,3 2,92 17,79 -4.51
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7 3 25,3 2,13 19,92 -5,38
8 4 29,3 2,94 22,86 -6,44
9 8,4 37,7 9,42 32,28 -5,42
10 2,3 40 2,46 34,74 -5,26
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11 3,5 43,5 2,13 36,87 -6,63
12 3,9 47,4 4,8 41,67 -5,73
13 9,7 57,1 10,81 52,48 -4.62
14 2,9 60 3,29 55,77 -4,23
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15 3,3 63,3 5,68 61,45 -1,85
16 4,2 67,5 6,85 68,3 0.8
17 9 76,5 11,57 79,87 3,37
18 2,5 79
---------------------------------------
19 3,2 82,2
20 3,9 86,1
21 8,1 94,2
By doing it in this way you understand why the pre-Covid Nintendo originally expected to sell 19M this current FY: it's what PS4 sold in the same fiscal year.
If you remove this extra quarter PS4 had at the start (so 4.5 from all the values of the difference column) you'll see they have been performing pretty much the same until covid.