The Nintendo Switch has become the fastest-selling games console in the Japanese company’s history, according to sales figures for Europe and North and South America.

Nintendo has not revealed worldwide sales for the console, but in its first two days on sale it surpassed even the Wii in both Europe and the Americas region, which covers the US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America.

The Switch, which went on sale on Friday, is a tablet-style console that can be played both on televisions and on the go. It had been criticised for a high price and a weak roster of launch titles, but widespread queues and sold-out stores suggest strong demand.

A spokesman confirmed that European sales had been at a record for any Nintendo hardware, while Reggie Fils-Aimé, the head of Nintendo America, told the New York Times that sales on Friday and Saturday in the Americas had surpassed that of even the Wii, which went on to sell more than 100 million consoles.