Switch sales 'close to Nintendo records'

Nintendo will not reveal official sales figures until April.

But games magazine Famitsu says more than 330,000 units were sold in the first three days in Japan, way more than its previous console the Wii U.

Media reports suggest European and US sales have also been strong.

The Daily Telegraph quotes sources at Nintendo Europe saying Switch sales were better than any previous piece of Nintendo hardware. 

And The New York Times reported the head of Nintendo America had claimed sales had surpassed the Nintendo Wii, which launched in 2006 and went on to sell more than 100 million consoles.

On Wednesday, Nintendo shares climbed 1.2% to a two-month high in Tokyo trade.

'Pixel complaints'

The Switch can be seated in a dock to play games on a television, or used as a stand-alone portable device.

The early sales figures suggested "Nintendo's fans like it best when it innovates," according to Sam Reynolds, gaming analyst with IDC.

"While a solid launch for Nintendo in Japan is expected, what's even more impressive is its success in North America," he told the BBC.

According to Mr Reynolds, first weekend sales for Nintendo Switch were "miles ahead" of the Wii, the Wii U, the N64 and the Game Cube.

The stakes are high for the Japanese firm, after the Wii U failed to replicate the success of the original Wii.

And it has not been plain sailing for the firm.

Thousands of customers have complained about dead or stuck pixels - which they say create distracting and annoying dark squares on their screens.

Nintendo said such pixels were "normal and should not be considered a defect".

Meanwhile some critics have said the Switch launched with too few games.