Nintendo Switch And SNES Classic Edition Push 19% Growth In Spending On Game Hardware

This has been a big year for game console sales and much of the growth and success in the segment can be placed directly at Nintendo's feet. Nintendo has two smash hit consoles on its hands this year with the Switch and the SNES Classic Edition both being hard-to-find and selling like hotcakes. The latest numbers are in from NPD and overall sales are up 10% year-over-year for October alone.

Nintendo isn’t the only company selling a boatload of consoles this year; sales for the PS4, Xbox One, Switch, SNES Classic Edition, and 3DS combined for $238 million in spending for October. "Year to date, hardware spending has grown 19 percent versus 2016 to $2.3 billion," NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. "Consumer spending on Nintendo Switch, plug-'n'-play devices such as the Super NES Classic, and the PlayStation 4 continue to provide growth."

The top selling console for October was the Nintendo Switch and the second-place console was the SNES Classic (which is available again this week at Walmart); there is no sign of slowing sales for either of those devices. Nintendo is still struggling to make enough of the consoles to meet demand, and the company plans to make 25 to 30 million Switch consoles in its next fiscal year.

While Nintendo is seeing its sales boom, Microsoft its seeing sales for the Xbox One shrink, with much of the blame be placed on the lack of marquee titles. Sales momentum isn’t expected to pick up enough to match Nintendo even with the introduction of the Xbox One X. However, the Xbox One X is said to be selling well according to retailers.

Not only is the Nintendo hardware compelling for gamers, but Nintendo also has a slew of very good original games that are exclusive to the console. If you want to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Super Mario Odyssey, you must buy a Switch. Microsoft lacks an extensive stable of exclusive titles that gamers want to play and that is seen as one of the biggest reasons its console sales are down.