The Game's Industry website released an article going in detail just how the new release of gaming titles, alongside improved hardware, has helped to maintain the gaming industry as a whole in a thriving environment in a post-pandemic world, stabilizing into a new normal state, as well as helping it grow even more than what it was before.

In this new article titled "The US video game industry gets back to growth", depicts several factors that are influencing the gaming market in the current day, with an expected growth of around 3% for the US, nearing 58.3 billion USD. In terms of hardware, products alone contribute around 7 billion out of the 57+ billion USD in video game expenses, with a growth of around 19% from last year.

One of the points of interest from this article, comes from the same talk about hardware sales, which is related to that of the Nintendo Switch. In the article, it's mentioned that the Nintendo Switch held a very strong 2023, with the release of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom helping with hardware sales, and not only that, but also helping the Nintendo Switch to finally surpass the sales of the Nintendo Wii on the US back in July of 2023, with the Switch trailing behind just a bit from the Xbox 360 by a million, and the PlayStation 2 by 5 million:

Switch has also continued to perform strongly in 2023, helped by the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In fact, the US lifetime sales of Switch hardware finally surpassed those of Wii in the US market during July 2023. Switch lifetime sales now trail Xbox 360 by less than one million units, and PlayStation 2 by fewer than five million.

It's worth noting that the sales numbers combine all versions of the Switch, including Switch Lite and Switch OLED.
It might only be a matter of time before the Switch pairs up with the most successful consoles (PS2, DS) in terms of sales, but with the current rumours of a new Switch revision, or even a Switch successor on the horizon, it's still uncertain if the Switch will get there in time before said console appears and the Switch stops being sold.

Source

 

[Sonic3320]

Dude. The Switch is flooded with what you call "Shovelware". There's a truckload of cheap games that range from kinda decent to totally abysmal. If it isn't a game that is poorly designed just to show porno girls to you, it's some garbage ten-cent game with no real goal or replay value that is made by a no-name in his mom's basement who just wants to make a buck.

As good as the 3DS and Wii U were, they had quite a bit of shovelware too, and I've noticed that some of it has migrated to the Switch.

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As for the amount of units sold mentioned in this article, I have reason to believe that it might be a bit overblown (by Nintendo, not by Game Industry). Even so, I don't believe it will ever surpass DS sales, as we're very late in the game for that now.

yes, you are absolutely right. What I always say is any console that is insanely successful receive a lot of shovelware, but only Wii and DS are remembered for it. The PS2 which is the most successful console ever doesnt have around 15000 games in the style of its masterpieces like Gran Turismo, God of War or Final Fantasy which are a TINY FRACTION of this number. The Switch is the same, on eShop is far easier to find crap 1 dollar games, when I want some advice of something new I have to search around elsewhere and only go to the eShop with the game already in my mind to purchase

 

[ertaboy356b]

Its cos almost all the multiplayer games require you to use multiple Switches.

Almost all is exaggerated. The most I can remember is Splatoon 3 (a shooting game) and the online games (understandable). I'd argue that most notable multiplayer games on switch are couch coops. Mario Kart, Smash, Bomberman, Tetris, Puzzle Bobble, TMNT, Fighting Games, etc.

Even remakes of games that used to be local multiplayer like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered require multiple switches and multiple accounts and as such multiple copies of the game to play.

You only need to own one game in order to play multiplayer. Others can just get the Lite version. The original version of the game requires multiple GBA in order to play multiplayer. It's the classic Asymmetrical type game. It's also a cross play game so don't necessarily need a Switch.

In that way, its a money machine, moreso than the Wii was, not just for the Console, but for the games as well, which is probably why so many multiplayer hits end up getting a Switch release.

Mostly collectors and youtubers buys multiple switches. Multiple switch in a household is a rarity.

Then there's also the factor of Special Edition Switches & Alternate Variants (Switch Lite & OLED). Again, it's a money machine.

Again, collector only.

 

[SunsetFelid]

Almost all is exaggerated. The most I can remember is Splatoon 3 (a shooting game) and the online games (understandable). I'd argue that most notable multiplayer games on switch are couch coops. Mario Kart, Smash, Bomberman, Tetris, Puzzle Bobble, TMNT, Fighting Games, etc.

You only need to own one game in order to play multiplayer. Others can just get the Lite version. The original version of the game requires multiple GBA in order to play multiplayer. It's the classic Asymmetrical type game. It's also a cross play game so don't necessarily need a Switch.

Mostly collectors and youtubers buys multiple switches. Multiple switch in a household is a rarity.

Again, collector only.

"The Most Notable" is not the majority. (also, why is Smash not considered a fighting game?) There's a pretty large swathe of 3rd party games that require you have more than one console to play together, and it's not even entirely the Switch's fault: This is a problem on XBOX as well (PS4/PS5 also but PlayStations I feel cater more to the single-player market than any other console). The games I'm complaining about are mostly 3rd party multi-platform titles.

And I have seen families, couples, gay polycules of 6 people, make sure everyone in the household has their own Switch. (and in some cases, their own XBOX One. Like I said, this isn't just a Nintendo issue.)

• My girlfriend and I have 3 between the two of us, only one of them is a collectible and that was happenstance, its my primary Switch and the first I got. The other two are my girlfriend's primary console and a hacked one for hacking. And yeah, we play Splatoon 3 and Pokemon primarily when we play together. Most of the games you listed would not keep my attention or have their own issues that make them not as fun for us to play.
• The household we were renting from had 3, 2 Lites (which count, they're still Switches and still 200$ a pop and not a solution to the issue) and one dockable Switch.
• My girlfriend's ex came from a house of about 5 people, all of whom had their own Switch, Lite or Normal or OLED.
• My friend who can't afford a Switch for every kid is still saving up to get one all to himself, because his kids keep fucking with his save data (a different issue).

Then there's collectors and Youtubers who buy one of every color and whatnot.

Again, its not a problem with just the Switch, but the Switch was and continues to be cheap enough and noteworthy enough in design that I think it benefitted the most from this weird issue of games being designed perhaps with the PC in mind first, while being ported to consoles without much in the way of Couch Co-op (Or Counter-OP!). Also some games have been coming out with kind of lackluster multiplayer options, I would have liked the co-op in Pikmin 4 to be more like the co-op in Pikmin 3 for example, but that's also a different issue.

Finally, in regards to Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, while it's true that the old version of the game used GBAs as screens, the GBAs only held map and menu data, you were still bound to the same large screen as far as movement, and the data for the characters was in the Gamecube's memory card then too. It was a weird gatekeepy gimmick then, but at least back then, you could progress together, your Caravan was whole. In the remaster, if you play online and are not the host, you get loot, sure, but you're not progressing your caravan. Its like power-leveling through helping others. And that means having to do every dungeon twice. Its inelegant when they could have just lifted the restriction and added couch co-op. I have both games and @StrayGuitarist refuses to buy a copy of FF:CCR to play with me for the reasons stated above. Instead, we play on the GameCube version on a hacked Wii with the peripherals as Square Enix originally intended.

 

[jeffyTheHomebrewer]

This feels fucked up and forbidden......

 

[urbanman2004]

Whoever wrote the article in the OP might want to consider proofreading prior to publishing it next time b/c the last paragraph was a doozy, lol . On a more serious note, I do foresee the Switch's lifetime sales overtaking those of the PS2.

Post automatically merged: Sep 3, 2023

The Wii had some amazing games. I really get angry at people who write it off. Yes shovelware was an issue, but it had some games you couldn't have on any other system. Switch again is great. I just love gaming.

The problem w/ the Wii for me was its novelty motion controls being forced on every game which was a hindering factor for me to want to take it seriously...