The Nintendo Switch is an interesting device in a variety of ways, it’s not the most powerful first-party device on the market, it doesn’t display at ultra high resolution, and it doesn’t have amazing industry-defining features… Except, in one aspect the Switch completely sets itself apart, despite its aforementioned shortfalls it’s two devices in one and it’s got the sales figures to match.
A home console and a handheld one, a device that allows people to play together on the go. A risky move by Nintendo back when the switch was released. The only handheld competitor to the Switch was the 3ds and to play multiplayer you needed two. It seems like a poor business strategy when one thinks about it, however, Nintendo knew that to break records, sometimes, you’ve got to break the mold as well. So they took on the home consoles too, by making a device that would push its output to a T.V. No surprise, the Switch was a massive success. For a variety of reasons too.
Namely, Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The first Zelda game of its kind, a game that completely captivated players with its stunning open world, intuitive mechanics, wonderful soundtrack, and immense detail. The game has been heralded as the best game of all time by every YouTuber and his or her dog. Breath of the Wild was released alongside the Switch and set the tone for what would define it. The amazing game catalog, is filled with some of the very best offerings multiple franchises had to offer.
It should come as no surprise that a device that occupies multiple roles, has a massive game library, and allows and even encourages multi-play has topped sales charts time and again, outselling its peers and even breaking previous best-selling devices’ sales records.
The Switch recently outsold the 3DS in Japan, no mean feat. 107 million consoles sold worldwide. In Japan, the Switch beat out the Playstation 1,2,3 and PSP. It outsold the Wii, Gameboy Advance, and 3DS. It is bested only by its forefathers, the original DS, and GameBoy.