Nintendo’s newest gaming console, the Switch, is unique among the other entries in the market in that it can be used either as a mobile gaming system or as the family room gaming console. And, as it turns out, this may fit today’s gamers perfectly.
Nintendo recently released a chart showing how their Switch console was being used, and the stats are showing (as one would suspect) that gamers want access to their games wherever they happen to be. To be more exact, over 50 percent of Switch owners used their device in both stationary and mobile modes, as compared with only about 30 percent who used it only as a mobile device. And only about 18 percent used it primarily as a home console, as one would with the Xbox One or Playstation 4.
The sales numbers are strong with the Switch, and with the majority of owners using the console in both modes it is living up to its name. But more importantly, it may show that the Switch represents a growing segment of the market where people don’t want to have to invest in both home and mobile consoles, along with two different versions of their gaming titles, just to be able to play at home and mobile. In that regard it would seem that the Nintendo Switch adds a solid value to those who want both.
Microsoft and Sony don’t have a device to compete directly with the Switch at this time, but it would seem that they may want to consider their next generation product to incorporate just such a design. Otherwise they could lose a large segment of the gamer market, where mobility is probably just as much a factor as is the screen dynamics. In fact, I am already asking myself the question, “Why can’t I take it with me?”
