Nintendo’s new hybrid console has been a massive success within the gaming community. Even those who once doubted the Nintendo Switch are watching curiously as it continues to surge in sales and tout some of the best selling games of the year so far. Not only that, but the Switch marks a moment in gaming history because it’s the first time a true hybrid gaming experience was brought to life. As if that wasn’t enough, the Switch also marks an important moment for Nintendo’s future during a time when the road ahead seemed rather bleak for the gaming giant. Simply put, the Nintendo Switch is a trending topic that has a lot of gamers keeping their eyes locked on Nintendo’s next move. Meanwhile, nongamers are wondering what a Nintendo Switch even is.
Nintendo doesn’t exactly excel when it comes to marketing their new consoles and a new Nielsen report may be evidence of that. It turns out that the majority of a surveyed group of participants over the age of 13 that don’t identify as gamers actually weren’t aware of the new console at all. Only 7 percent of survey participants said they heard of the Nintendo Switch. The number may not seem particularly jarring, especially since this is a group of nongamers, until you compare it with the amount of participants who had heard of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. More than 50 percent of participants heard of the PlayStation 4 and more than 41 percent heard of the Xbox One. Surprisingly enough, even the Playstation 4 Pro was more recognizable among the survey group than the Switch. The only console that was recognized by fewer participants than the Switch was Microsoft’s Project Scorpio, which is only to be expected at this stage in the console’s development.
In all fairness, however, the Switch has been on the market for a far shorter amount of time than the competing consoles. It didn’t seem likely that the new kid on the block would beat out the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in a popularity contest among nongamers but to hit below 10 percent is still a little shocking. It’s not like Nintendo was hush hush about their upcoming console and they definitely made a serious PR splash with their presentation. Either way, it doesn’t seem like Nintendo really needs to convert any nongamers over to the Switch in order to retain their success. Their iconic franchises like Legend of Zelda and Mario have managed to carry them to success so far and the sheer spectacle of presenting the first hybrid gaming console has driven enough attention within the gaming community. So while the new report shouldn’t really be considered daunting in terms of the Switch’s future, the low stats are still surprising nonetheless.
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