The big picture: Sony's PlayStation 5 has become the first home console to dethrone the Nintendo Switch as the top-selling console in the US in a meaningful period of time. If not for the ongoing pandemic and resulting supply chain disruption, Nintendo's run could have come to an end far earlier. But ever since the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles launched late last year, they've been hamstrung by inventory issues and continue to command high markups on third-party platforms like eBay.
The NPD Group's Mat Piscatella reports that the PlayStation 5 was the best-selling hardware platform in September 2021 in terms of both units and dollars generated. With the achievement, Sony managed to snap Nintendo's streak of 33 consecutive months as the market's leading platform as it relates to hardware unit sales.
November 2018 was the last month that a system other than the Nintendo Switch (the PlayStation 4) led the market in terms of unit sales.
Pulling back to look at the full year to date, Sony's PS5 is also the best-selling platform in terms of dollars. Nintendo still leads in terms of overall sales, however.
Sony's victory could be short lived as we head into the holidays. Nintendo recently launched a revised version of its Switch handheld with an OLED screen, but it's not yet known if consumers are all that interested in the minor revisions the new model delivers. Demand for the PS5, meanwhile, will likely be higher than ever, but continued shortages could again make the console tough to acquire this holiday season.
Image courtesy Marcos Ferreira