Nintendo sells 2.4M Switch consoles worldwide in first month, above forecast | Hacker News Reader

Nintendo sells 2.4M Switch consoles worldwide in first month, above forecast

venturebeat.com

107 pointsshawndumas46 comments

It's amusing that Breath of the Wild has sold more than the system it runs on. Ars Technica had an article on that. [1] And it's not because of the Wii U version (those are counted separately).

[1] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/04/why-zelda-breath-of-t...

> Some tourists and importers could be buying region-free copies of Breath of the Wild to use on Switch consoles they bought in other countries, but that doesn't seem like it would be all that common.

Oh, you'd be surprised. Since Nintendo officially left Brazil, all copies sold here are imported that way.

For me one of the biggest selling points is that it is the first home console that isn't region locked.

The PS3 wasn't region locked except for Strangelhold (because there was also a movie on the disc) and Persona 4 Arena because???

The Apple TV 4 isn't region-locked either, and is probably the easiest one to have games from multiple regions on. I have games and apps from both the US and JP iTunes stores side by side on my home screen.

Most likely theory, IMO: people preordered Zelda for the discount (BB and AMZN offer like 20 percent off MSRP), expecting to nab a Switch later, but later hasn't yet arrived. Based on ebay sales rates, maybe soonish.

Yes .. the early discounts on games explains it. Very odd from the typical way discounting happens on XBox, etc. Typical games lose value a month or two after release. Nintendo crap either stays the same, or goes up in value because of lack of availability.

two points of anecdotal evidence: i bought a special edition to preserve and a retail version that i'm playing. my brother-in-law bought a switch retail version but is playing a wii u digital download.

Preserve it for what exactly?

Particularly impressive given that they still seem to be selling out instantly, so this is them being supply-constrained rather than meeting demand.

I check everyday, hoping that I can order one! Still no luck.

I got one by waiting on best buy to get a supply in and then went to the store. In seattle, it seems, no one actually goes to the store anymore. My wife actaully stopped by on her way home. Tweet from BB was at 10 am. She went by at 4:30p and the employees didn't even know they were there. They were under lock and key in the front and you had to ask.

Have you thought about using a bot to do this for you?

Nice little Python script I whipped up to poll Amazon Prime Now to get my Switch: https://gist.github.com/bryanhelmig/3225bf42e5d2b8fb0cb4b720...

I've only done a little Python, so am not up on the finer points of the language, so a question if I may.

I'm a bit confused by the use of the

  if __name__ == "__main__":

construct in this script. My understanding of that construct was that it is true when Python is invoked directly on the containing file, and is false if the file is being invoked as a module loaded from something else.

In your script, the parts that are outside the "if __name__" construct do not appear to be things that would be useful for something else to load as a module. So my question is why aren't they inside the "if __name__" construct?

The Python idiom is to guard pretty much just the main() function; the Python package system does the job of keeping the rest of the details from leaking.

I subscribed to the feeds on http://www.nowinstock.net/videogaming/consoles/nintendoswitc... and nabbed one on launch day (shipped)

to be the voice of reason here: botw is amazing. it's no surprise. if you played any of the franchise growing up, you prolly love it– zelda. botw takes that love and doubles you down.

I am bullish on Nintendo and considering adding a position via over the counter (ADR) NTDOY. My concern is that they continue to have supply issues unable to ramp up production to meet demand. Perhaps this is intentional.

My friend just got a Switch and absolutely loves it. He has been playing Zelda nearly non-stop since he got it.

They probably allow themselve a threshold of demand over stock. Who would want storage costs and less needy customers :)

Having taken a look at a Switch, I'm a bit surprised that a brand new portable console has such a low resolution screen. If Nintendo is trying to compete with mobile phone gaming, wouldn't it be logical that they offer a better screen (or at the very least comparable with a mid-end phone)?

There's more to graphics than pixels - framerate, latency, color etc. And besides, there's more to gaming than graphics - notably, input/controls. That other stuff is important enough to make the Switch easily better than any higher-resolution phone for serious games.

I found myself mezmerized by a twitch stream on a computer 2 desks over today for about 3 minutes. I have good eyes but that's like palm pre resolution at that distance. Pixels don't matter as much as engaging game play, engaging graphics or interesting style, or story. Whatever argument you come up with I'll just counter with books and tetris.

You are so so right about input

Console-level graphics can be demanding; my wild guess is, this was their compromise to allow 60fps + complex scenes + OK battery life.

Makes more sense to me as a factor than panel cost/availability (like you say, there are cheap devices with denser screens) or some hard CPU/GPU limitation (since it can output 1080p docked).

Maybe in a year or two, with a revised GPU or the next process node or whatever, they do a Switch HD that delivers the better resolution, maintaining battery life. (Or they go for no-glasses 3D like the 3DS. That would be pretty counter to mobile gadget trends, but this is Nintendo.)

Zelda does not run at 60 fps.

Ah, I see, and reading more it sounds like Zelda only outputs 900p rather than 1080 docked. So maybe there's also an element of the hardware really not being up to doing demanding game scenes well at a higher res at all, and it's not just that doing it would draw too much power. Huh.

It's 237 PPI which is completely adequate for something held at arms length. And considering console games are more fill rate dependent than most phone apps it makes sense to have a lower res.

I think a more interesting question to ask is why are phone manufacturers so insistent on burning battery life on 400 PPI and higher displays that add little benefit for most people.

These high res phones make for nice VR displays but I can't believe that's more than a small niche.

same reason why CPUs were advertised on their Mhz rates in the 90s - a nice big number makes for good marketing, especially if it's more than your competitors.

And why cameras are markedet almost only with the megapixel count, even though it's not a definite measure of camera quality.

As someone who has done a lot of casual gaming on phones and iPads, the switch does wayyyyy more than just compete with mobile games. I was originally also concerned about 720p screen, but it's a great quality panel. 90% of my switch use has been undocked, and I love it. Sure it does look better docked, but it blows any mobile gaming experience before it (including mobile nvidia shield which I own both versions of) out of the water. And while I do enjoy several non-Zelda games on the switch, I'd be just as happy if it was a $300 Zelda machine because that game is just that good. For me I wasn't very unhappy with the Wii U screen so this is a big upgrade comparatively for display quality and not just resolution. And the input methods for switch are objectively better than anything before it in mobile gaming imho.

Have you taken a look at it in person, or just the specs? I can see how a 720p resolution might seem low, but if you try it out in person it's actually quite remarkable, particularly if you've tried other portable gaming systems like the 3DS or Vita. It's leaps and bounds above them.

Hmmm it's probably because of Zelda!

Though subjectively the Switch isn't all that innovative like the Wii. Also, I do not see a ton of compelling games scheduled, as the next game is Super Mario Kart 8 which is a rehash from the Wii U.

Im hoping Microsoft's next console has some innovative features like their Illumiroom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGGMv9RnJIA

The form factor seems decently innovative to me anyways. This is definitely the most polished implementation of a console that travels from tv to handheld that I've owned.

The controllers seem pretty innovative to me too. They attach to the sides of the console for single player portable play, and can be detached to allow for stationary 2-player play.

If I was still a student that alone would be a killer feature for me, since I could bring it into school to play with friends without having to own multiple consoles between us.

I wasn't really a fan of the previous few generations of Nintendo consoles, but I do think they knocked it out of the park this time. The Switch is an marvelously designed piece of gaming hardware.

Zelda is a big contributing factor, but I suspect the core appeal of the Switch is the central innovation of the convertible portable/home hybrid. Not just the idea of "portable you can plug in to you TV", but in the specific details of how they've done it.

Like with the Wii, all the innovation is nothing without games. I still regret buying the Wii, besides Mario and Zelda it was mostly mini-game-collections :\

If BotW is the only game that ever comes out for the Switch, I'd still be satisfied with the purchase.

lolwut?!

botw is worth 300€??

To me, yes. Have played 80 hours thus far taking my time and in no hurry to fully beat the game as there is so much to explore and do. Can easily see myself putting in 120 hours. Say I paid $400 for the Switch and Zelda. $400 / 120 hours of entertainment = $3.33 per hour to play one of the best video games I've ever played. Totally worth it imo, to say nothing of future games I can play on the Switch or the resale value if I wanted to turn around and sell it.

Well I'll be buying for Splatoon2

It's very innovative. A console that you can also carry with you.

Like the nVidia shield?

Never heard of it.

Not only do people in tech misuse the term but they put way too much weight on innovation.

Every company innovates. Innovation is not a synonym for revolution. No one buys innovation.

NES was just a box to play Mario. Wii was just a box to play Wii Sports. Gameboy was a Tetris machine. Gameboy Color was a Pokemon machine.

That Illumiroom thing is neat. Not sure if it really contributes to the experience though, especially with all the furniture in the way. The only good ones were the least invasive, such as the wave effect of an explosion or the bouncing balls. That way it's more of an add on experience rather than an always on but distracting projection of the surrounding environment. Similar to the tactile effects in Switch or older rumble packs.

Simpler the better. Which brings in the question of cost/complexity vs benefits. Which seems pretty high here.

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