
Nintendo sells 2.4M Switch consoles worldwide in first month, above forecast - shawndumas
https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/14/superdata-nintendo-sells-2-4-million-switch-consoles-worldwide-in-first-month/
======
tgb
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...](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/04/why-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-
is-the-biggest-system-seller-in-history/)

~~~
jldugger
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.

~~~
lanna
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.

~~~
supercoder
Preserve it for what exactly?

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

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

~~~
bryanh
Nice little Python script I whipped up to poll Amazon Prime Now to get my
Switch:
[https://gist.github.com/bryanhelmig/3225bf42e5d2b8fb0cb4b720...](https://gist.github.com/bryanhelmig/3225bf42e5d2b8fb0cb4b720ac2d3c3b)

~~~
tzs
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?

~~~
tptacek
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.

------
rileytg
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.

------
nodesocket
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.

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

------
copperx
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)?

~~~
ploxiln
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.

~~~
grogenaut
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.

------
paul7986
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGGMv9RnJIA)

~~~
awinder
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.

~~~
lewisl9029
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.

