Nintendo Switch Passes the PS4 and won’t stop

The Nintendo Switch has reached a significant sales milestone, as the portable console jumps ahead of the PlayStation 4 in the list of best-selling consoles of all time. It’s not all plain sailing though, as Nintendo has been constantly revising their initial forecasts, and Switch shipments are actually down 20 per cent when compared with the previous year, owing to shortages of semiconductors and other components.

Yet, this sales landmark has made headlines and left many questioning how the Switch became a top-performing console and if this momentum can continue.

Game on

The 2017 release of the Nintendo Switch took the world by storm as titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild made the hybrid handheld home console a desirable piece of kit. Part of the console’s success obviously lies in its arsenal of games and it’s worthwhile finding a source of Nintendo Switch news, as the library does get regularly updated with a lot of new games and items.

Which console has the best games will always be a point of contention or argument, but the Nintendo Switch currently has one of the most varied, excellent, and deepest game libraries of anything else on the market. The previously mentioned Breath of the Wild is a standout masterpiece that somehow contrived to outsell the Nintendo Switch itself on launch, but there are plenty more titles to get excited about.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the brawler everyone loves, while Super Mario Odyssey gave platforming fans the 3D game of their dreams, and many people found a favourite escape in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In addition, Metroid Dread has met the sky-high expectations to reignite a famous franchise.

The above are all great games, but the key is that they just keep coming with 2022 alone seeing Nintendo Switch Sports, Mario Strikers: Battle League, and the upcoming Sonic Origins arriving on 23rd June.


任天堂社長表示希望擴大手游�” (Public Domain) by steamXO

The secret to success

While there’s no doubt that PCs and consoles such as the PS5 offer great gaming, they do have a disadvantage in that people often share these devices with one per household. They are also inconvenient for those that don’t want to be without games while away and they’re impossible to play during the daily commute, which is when many need some entertainment. Nintendo struck gold with the Switch as its ability to change form from a portable handheld system to a standard home console connected to a monitor or television was so appealing to a wide range of gamers.

There used to be a time when Nintendo and Sony were battling it out to dominate the handheld device market with devices like the doomed Sony PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo 3DS competing for supremacy. Currently, Nintendo has cornered the market and people’s only real decision is whether to go with the Nintendo Switch OLED or the Nintendo Switch Lite.

Due to its hybrid nature, it’s an interesting console development in that we’re not entirely clear where the competition for the Nintendo Switch will come from. Is the Switch in competition with other consoles, mobile phones or specific handheld gaming devices? On paper, the main competition to the Switch should be something like the Valve Steam Deck, but in truth, they appeal to very different gaming audiences and we need to conclude that Nintendo has a standalone device and should enjoy many more triumphant years ahead.

Main image “Nintendo Switch OLED next to 2nd revisio” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Sergey Galyonkin

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About Simon Plumbe 1050 Articles
Husband, father and lifelong geek. Originally from the West Midlands, now spending my days in South Wales with my family and a house full of animals. Passionate about video games, especially retro gaming, the Commodore 64 and PlayStation Vita. Love pro wrestling, sci-fi and I'm an animal lover and vegetarian. Enjoyed this and my other articles? Why not buy me a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/simonplumbe