Even Among Gamers, 70% Don't Have The Nintendo Switch On Their Radar

The seventh major video game console from Japan's Nintendo Co., Ltd (ADR) NTDOY, the Nintendo Switch, may not have made a mark in the minds of the general or gaming public, at least in the run up to its March 3 launch.

Anemic Recognition

The results of a survey published in Nielsen's annual Games 360 report carried in Statista showed only about 22 percent of the general population said they were aware of the Nintendo Switch.

The results were based on a survey of 2,000+ U.S. consumers aged 13 and older and was carried out in the first quarter of 2017.

The Console

Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console, which can transform from home console to portable system as well. This allows it the flexibility of playing it wherever one likes.

It is priced at $299. The console has one or two controllers called Joy-Con, which are used for vertical or sideways motion control.

Research Group, Company Claim Strong Offtake

Despite the anemic awareness levels, NPD's research, showed the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling video game system in the U.S. in April. NPD estimates that Nintendo sold over 280,000 units of Switch in April, following up on a strong faring in March.

Among the games, Nintendo Switch games ruled the roost, with "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" being the top selling game in April, having sold 460,000 physical copies. Along with digital versions, 550,000 units were sold totally.

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" game for the Nintendo Switch came in the third highest selling video game in April.

Nintendo's fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year ended March 2017, released on May 2, showed it already shipped 2.74 million units of Nintendo Switch through the end of March. This is notably more than the 2 million shipments the company had planned initially.

"To take advantage of Nintendo Switch's momentum, we will be bolstering our manufacturing and improving our supply situation going into the holiday season," the company said in its earnings presentation.

On the way forward for the Nintendo Switch, the company said it plans to ship 10 million units of Nintendo Switch in the fiscal year ending March 2018. Accordingly, the cumulative total for the fiscal year ending 2018 would be 12.7 million units.

Lagging Behind Microsoft And Sony In Awareness

Coming back to Nielsen's survey, 78 percent of the general public and 71 percent of gamers professed ignorance of the Nintendo Switch. This was in stark contrast to the glowing numbers for Sony Corp (ADR)'s SNE PlayStation 4, which was being recognized by 69 percent of the general public and 77 percent of the gamers. About 61 percent of the general public and 72 percent of the gamers were aware of Microsoft Corporation MSFT's Xbox One (S).

Source: Statista

Reconciling The Anomaly

Maybe Nintendo deserves the benefit of the doubt, as the survey period includes only 28 days following the launch of the gaming console.

Nintendo claims in the earnings presentation that the purchases of Nintendo Switch were primarily by male consumers in their early 20s and early 30s. It also said there was good interest among consumers in the 10–19 age range. In fact, the company claimed that the latter statistics is a sign of expanding demographics.

All said and done, Nintendo Switch has a strong year ahead, if we go by the company's estimates, at least until Microsoft and Sony bring out the next iteration of their respective products.

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What We Know Now About The Nintendo Switch

How Nintendo's Last 4 Gaming Consoles Performed In Their First Year ______ Image Credit: By https://www.flickr.com/photos/brettchalupa/ [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons