Perhaps it’s no big surprise as Switch owners apparently most likely have a different console, but in 2020 the Nintendo Switch has sold way more than Xbox and PlayStation in the UK. Like it… a lot of a lot of.
It’s tempting to see this as a huge success for Nintendo, and it is, but it is also a huge success for us – the people who play games. Consoles are more than ever deviating from the idea of ’rival’ consoles and away from the idea that video games are for kids and geeks, with accessible family games, fitness games and even games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons which apparently prompted some people to buy additional household switches. Of course, many Nintendo games are exclusive to Switch, and while Xbox and Sony have quite a bit of exclusivity, it pales in comparison to Nintendo’s first-party, Switch-only offerings, which is probably why a lot of people get a Switch like another console.
With the addition of cheaper, portable-only Switch Lites for younger people and anyone who doesn’t care about playing on the TV (and a few predictions about the addition of a Switch Pro in 2021), the Nintendo Switch family isn’t that big like the Xbox or PlayStation, which makes the sales all the more impressive. Of course, we’ll probably have to wait a while to find out more about the Switch Pro … unless the fake leak of a Nintendo Direct this weekend yesterday turns out to be true. (It will not.)
Do you have a Nintendo Switch as your first or second console? Do you think the pandemic boosted Switch sales? Discuss your opinion below.