Console launch sales are always restricted to the stock available to retailers. But there has also been a question mark over how attractive a prospect the £309 OLED is for those looking to upgrade. At launch, anyway, demand seems strong. GfK Entertainment figures (via GamesIndustry.biz) show last week was the UK’s 14th biggest for Switch sales ever, and best week ever outside of the original Switch launch and peak Christmas/Black Friday periods. 70 percent of Switch consoles sold in the UK last week were the OLED model. This counts for seven percent of all Switch sales in the UK during 2021. By comparison, the launch of Switch Lite was only the 57th biggest week for UK Switch sales. Currently, the handheld-only model accounts for 20 percent of Switch sales in the UK. Last week’s Switch sales will also have been boosted by the arrival of Metroid Dread, which set its own records here in the UK and is also very good indeed. Metroid Dread is a “stylish, visually sumptuous return for 2D Metroid, and an adventure that proudly sits alongside the series’ best”, Martin wrote in Eurogamer’s Metroid review. As for the new Switch model itself, Digital Foundry’s John Linneman found Switch OLED to be “an excellent premium upgrade”.
