Nintendo Switch Is More Popular As Handheld Device Than Docked

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In the latest half-year results, Nintendo revealed many new things about the behavior of people regarding the Switch gaming console, including answering the million-dollar question, if Switch is more popular as a handheld console or when connected to a TV. Nintendo Switch, the hybrid console can be played handheld and can double up as a home machine as well.

Players like Switch on the go

Nintendo noted that many players use both the handheld or docked mode as per their convenience. However, about 30% of users prefer using the Switch in handheld mode. Just around 20% of users use the Switch in TV mode most of the time.

“We can clearly see that consumers are playing to suit their own play styles,” said Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima. While designing the Switch as a hybrid console, engineers took a huge risk. However, as the Switch is being used just the way it was designed to be, the team at Nintendo has clearly succeeded in identifying customer needs.

Nintendo Switch Success
Image Source: Nintendo (screenshot)

Nintendo tried to explain the usage behavior of customers with a graph, where “primary” are the players who spend over 80% of their time in a specific mode. “As the graph breaks it down, we can see how the different play modes for hardware use are classified, from the docked to the undocked experience,” Nintendo says.

Apart from the gameplay style, Nintendo also revealed information on buyer ages. The Nintendo Switch gaming console is hugely popular among buyers in their 20s and early 30s. Further, the company said that the console is also selling well among buyers between the ages of 10 to 19, and those in their late 30s.

Nintendo expects record earnings

Earlier this week, the Japanese game maker revised the earnings estimate, claiming to post the highest earnings in seven years. The operating profit forecast has also been doubled as Switch supply challenges are now cooling down.

During the earnings estimate briefing, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima said the company misjudged the demand initially, but has ramped up production now to meet the growing demand. Since its launch, Nintendo has sold more than 7 million Switch systems, and in the console’s first year, the company expects to sell 14 million units.

The hybrid tag and specifications of the Switch gaming console have made it quite popular among gamers. Another reason for the stellar success of the console is its huge library of games with over 200 titles available at present. In the short span of about eight months, having this many games on board is no minor achievement. Some of the biggest hits are Zelda, Mario, Splatoon and Mario Kart Families.

The latest title Super Mario Odyssey is also doing excellent, fetching great reviews. Several reports claim that the title is selling even faster than Zelda. During the earnings briefing, the company stated that they want Super Mario Odyssey to become “an evergreen title.” The title has already sold 2 million copies as per the estimates revealed by the company. Kimishima is also hopeful that Super Mario Odyssey will be a major push to the overall performance of the Switch hardware.

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