First released worldwide in 2017, the Nintendo Switch is a hybrid handheld and home video game console produced by Nintendo. As of November 2024, it had sold nearly144 million units across the world, including over 50 million units in North America. Nintendo handheld consoles In addition to a range of home consoles, Nintendo has also released various handheld consoles. The first was of this type was the original Game Boy in 1989, a device that was followed by additional iterations such as the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance. In 2014, the company released the Nintendo DS, achieving over 150 million lifetime sales. Popular game titles on the DS include New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs, and Mario Kart DS. Nintendo released the 3DS in 2011, a device that enables the user to view the screen in 3D without the need for special glasses. Finally, the Nintendo Switch Lite, a more affordable version of the Nintendo Switch, was released by the company in 2019. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Of the all-time video game console sales, three of the top five are Nintendo products. The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling video game console of all time, with Nintendo’s DS and Nintendo Switch rounding out the top three. Other competitors include the Game Boy and Microsoft’s Xbox console family, although Sony has sold nearly twice as many of its PlayStation 4 console when compared to the Xbox One. This is a trend that is expected to continue with the next generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, with the PlayStation 5 outselling the Xbox X/S consoles since all the products were launched in late 2020. As of 2023, the Nintendo Switch console ranked second in terms of current-gen game console sales.

With over 67 million units sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the top-selling Nintendo Switch game based on lifetime sales as of December 2024. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ranked eighth with over 21 million sales, which is even more impressive considering that the title was only released in May 2023. Nintendo Switch The Nintendo Switch is one of the most sought-after video game consoles worldwide. First launched in 2017 by Japanese gaming powerhouse Nintendo, the Switch has generated global buzz for its unique hybrid design that allows players to switch from stationary console to handheld device whenever they want. As of December 2024, Nintendo Switch unit sales surpassed 150 million, and with new games entering the playing field each year, the Switch continues to give competitors such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S a run for their money. Super Mario phenomenon Super Mario is perhaps the most recognizable character in the entire gaming universe. Equipped with his signature blue dungarees and handlebar mustache, the loveable plumber has become so popular that at least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console and handheld for over three decades. As of 2024, Mario remained one of the best-selling video game franchise worldwide, raking only behind Tetris and Pokémon. Looking at the most successful Mario video game of all time, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also overtaken cult classic Super Mario Bros. for the original NES console.

Released on May 12, 2023, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2017 critical hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. An exclusive release for Nintendo's Switch console, the action-adventure game sold ten million units worldwide in its first three days, 2.24 million of which were sold in the game's domestic market Japan. Total lifetime sales of Zelda: TotK stood at 21.04 million as of September 2024. The Legend of Zelda First released in 1986, The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular and enduring video games series of all time, with over 130 million unit sales in total . The series centers on the various incarnations of the protagonist Link and Princess Zelda of Hyrule as they fight the main antagonist, Ganon, who attempts to conquer Hyrule and/or the world. Every generation of Nintendo consoles has featured the release of a Zelda game, and many gaming industry veterans have cited the games as highly influential to them. Up until now, ToTK’s predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, still holds the top spot as the best-selling Zelda title, with over 30 million unit sales. Breath of the Wild was a launch title for the then newly released Nintendo Switch console. Will Tears of the Kingdom be able to claim the crown of the new top-selling Zelda games? Highly anticipated video game releases in 2023 Overall, 2023 had been a good year for major video game releases. For comparison, multi-platform billion-dollar seller Hogwarts Legacy (released in February 2023) took two weeks to sell about 12 million copies and Tears of the Kingdom is likely to eclipse Hogwarts' sales in due time.In June 2023, Diablo 4, the fourth main installment in the Diablo series, was released by Activision Blizzard over a decade after the previous mainline title, Diablo 3. A financial success, Diablo IV generated about 666 U.S. dollars in sales in five days . Another long-anticipated follow-up release of a major video game series was Baldur’s Gate 3 (developed and published by Larian Studios) – fans of the series had to wait over 20 years for a new title in the RPG gaming series, and BG3, developed by a smaller studio than the original releases, was a well-received hit on release. Following a spring and summer of blockbuster games, Bethesda Game Studios released its PC and Xbox platform exclusive open world action adventure Starfield in September 2023. The game is Bethesda’s first new IP in a quarter of a century and generated more than 1 million players on launch day.

The UK market for electrical push-button and rotary switches for under 1000 v shrank to $7.1B in 2023, remaining stable against the previous year. Overall, the total consumption indicated measured growth from 2012 to 2023: its value increased at an average annual rate of +3.4% over the last eleven years. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on 2023 figures, consumption increased by +1.8% against 2021 indices.

Released in May 2023, the latest release in The Legend of Zelda series, Tears of the Kingdom, was an instant hit. The Nintendo Switch-exclusive title sold over 10 million copies during its first three days of release and currently stands at a total of 20.61 million units sold. However, it still has a lot to live up to - its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, has sold a combined 33.55 million copies across the Switch and Nintendo Wii combined. In total, the entire Legend of Zelda series has sold over 150 million copies, making it one of the most popular gaming series worldwide.

Released in August 2024, Black Myth: Wukong quickly established itself as one of the fastest-selling video games of all time. The action role-playing game sold 10 million copies in three days, and already moved 4.5 million copies on its launch day. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch also sold 10 million copies within its launch weekend.