The Nintendo Switch has sold 92.87 million units, Nintendo confirms it can’t meet holiday demands
The Nintendo Switch is continuing to set a record pace for the company, selling more than 8.3 million units in the last six months, according to a financial report released earlier today. That brings the hybrid console’s total to 92.87 million units sold as of Sept. 30.
That pushes the console ever closer to reaching Nintendo’s best-selling piece of console hardware, the Wii, which currently sits at 101.63 million units sold. The Game Boy and Nintendo DS families of handhelds sit firmly beyond that at 118.69 million and 154.02 million, respectively.
Despite the continued success of the Switch, Nintendo’s revenue and operating profit dropped by 26.7 percent and 31.7 percent respectively year-over-year. This included a 39.7-percent decline in Switch hardware sales and a 19-percent drop in full game software sales, though subscriptions, add ons, and digital-only titles were up 17 percent over the same period compared to 2020.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukaw said via Reuters that the company “can’t produce enough to meet the demand” of the 2021 holiday season due to continued supply issues. And as a result of a continued global semiconductor shortage that’s likely going to last well into 2022, the company has lowered its Switch hardware sales forecast by 1.5 million units heading into next year.
When split, the original Switch model accounts for 76.34 million units sold and the Switch Lite has sold 16.53 million units. The new OLED model for the console wasn’t included in this financial report since it launched on Oct. 8. But based on information it should help boost the declining numbers quite a bit.
As for individual software, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is now the best-selling game in the franchise, surpassing Mario Kart Wii’s 37.38 million with its own 38.74 million copies sold and continuing to sell extremely well.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold 34.85 million copies and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate surpassed 25 million copies sold, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and Super Mario Odyssey rounding out the top sellers at 24.13 million, 22.64 million, and 21.95 million copies sold each.
Best mobile hotspot for gaming
Online gaming requires a few things aside from basic peripherals: a computer, monitor, internet, and time. For the best gaming experience, a dependable internet connection is of huge importance.
Whether the internet is down or you’re gaming on the go, mobile hotspots provide a backup option for gamers to maintain an internet connection while playing. However, not every mobile hotspot reaches an optimal speed for competitive gaming, with many of them being used simply to access web browsers and email apps or other activities that require lower data transfer rates. Although 5G hotspots are available, they are far above the average price range for mobile hotspots on the market. Most of the options listed below support 4Ggbet LTE networks unless otherwise specified.
Netgear’s Nighthawk M1 mobile router provides speed, extra ports, and compatibility. The ideal download speed for online gaming is about 200Mbps. With a download speed of up to 1Gbps and upload speed of up to 150Mbps, the Nighthawk M1 exceeds that minimum speed, so users can be confident that slow service won’t interrupt gameplay. Additionally, the hotspot includes a USB-A port, USB-C port, and an Ethernet port. A removable lithium-ion battery, ggbet charger, USB-C cable, and TS-9 connector are also included. Having spare ports while on the go, on top of receiving a high-speed connection, is part of what makes this device the best overall. The Nighthawk M1 functions best with AT&T and T-Mobile, but it is compatible with all SIM cards.
The Nighthawk M1 can connect up to 20 devices at a time and requires no additional software installation to get up and running. Should users wish to manage data usage and settings, they can download the app referenced in the quickstart guide.
This router is relatively high in price, but its capability is worth the cost. Other routers on this list may be less expensive, but their speeds do not match the Nighthawk M1’s limits.
Although not necessarily designed for activities like gaming, this hotspot features desirable features at a reasonable cost. This hotspot’s download speeds cap at 150Mbps and hits upload speeds of up to 50Mbps. The ideal download speed for online gaming is about 200Mbps, so lighter-duty games shouldn’t get slowed down. In addition to providing a stable internet connection, the Alcatel Linkzone 2 can also act as a plug-and-play power bank with a removable 4,400mAh battery. Alcatel’s hotspot also features a USB-C port and USB-A port. The box includes a USB-C cable and 5V/2A US Type charger.
Priced at under a third of the M1, there are a few setbacks. For one, this hotspot is better suited for those on a budget but may not be best for competitive gaming. Second, while Alcatel’s product page claims it can connect up to 161 devices at a time, connecting that many devices at once is generally not recommended when GG gaming.
Best extended battery mobile hotspot for gaming
The average battery capacity for a mobile hotspot is about 4,500mAh, but the Nommi Power’s battery capacity is 10,000mAh. Users can rely on this hotspot to provide an internet connection wherever they go and also it as a battery pack to charge other devices.
While a 10,000mAh battery pack is a huge plus, the speed for this hotspot is on the lower side between 5Mbps to 20Mbps with an included eSIM card. A slow connection is not ideal for many gamers, but frequent Nintendo Switch users might receive enough speed to play their favorite games. Users can also buy a SIM card for the Nommi Power, and with a pay-as-you-go system, they can choose a data package that works best for them. Setup for the Nommi Power is a few steps using the Nommi mobile app. Once the app is set up, data packages will be available for purchase.
The device itself is lower on the price scale and is available on sale on Amazon. Normally, a hotspot with speeds like the Nommi Power’s wouldn’t make the cut for best mobile hotspots for gaming; however, the connection is still strong enough for certain mobile gamers, and the battery life far exceeds the average for other hotspots.
Best travel-ready mobile hotspot for gaming
This hotspot is designed to make traveling with a fast internet connection easy in over 200 countries. With 55GB of local high-speed data for the U.S., a better-than-average 5,000mAh battery, and a data transfer rate of 150Mbps, this device can be used for long periods of time for a dependable internet connection.
Usability is a benefit of this mobile hotspot. The Urozetta Cloud Pro has a touch screen display and does not require a SIM card. Amazon Alexa is built-in, so users can talk to the hotspot like their other devices. Additionally, with an instant voice language translator, this mobile hotspot can translate 60 languages. A two-way speaker and music player are included as well, allowing this hotspot to do a little more than just provide an internet connection.
The Urozetta Cloud Pro works on a pay-as-you-go system, which can be less expensive in the long run if it’s only being used sporadically for travel. To set up the router, traveling gamers can use the Urucomm app.
While the price point is relatively high, Urozetta’s pay-as-you-go system can make up for the steep initial investment. Travelers can also get the most out of their Cloud Pro by making use of the many extra features, such as the language translator and built-in Alexa.
What is G-Sync?
There are plenty of times where players feel like they lose gunfights in competitive games due to an inexplicable drop in frames. Issues like this annoy many players, especially if it happens in almost every game. Variable refresh rate (VRR) technology can help resolve frame rate issues and eliminate other visual artifacts.
If you’ve ever felt like your screen is tearing or your game is lagging while maintaining a high frame rate, it might be because your GPU is overfeeding frames to your display while it’s still busy refreshing the on-screen image. For example, if you have a 60Hz refresh rate monitor, but your game is getting up to 100fps, the tearing then occurs when your monitor has to play catch up with your GPU. With the power of GPUs in today’s market, many can produce frame rates above 100fps at all times. This disparity can be solved with VRR technology like G-Sync.
What is G-Sync?
G-Sync is a technology developed by Nvidia to apply variable refresh rate (VRR) to certain monitors. It primarily works through a processor that is integrated into the monitor to stop visual artifacts by syncing your monitor’s frame rate to your graphics card’s. Visual artifacts include screen tearing, input lag, and stuttering.
How does G-Sync work?
G-Sync locks your monitor’s refresh rate with the output of your graphics card. As the GPU pushes out more frames, duplicate frames are produced that don’t need to be generated. This can occasionally cause lag, screen tearing, or stuttering to occur on your screen. What the G-Sync processor does during this time is predict the next refresh to occur and also waits for the next frame to be created by the GPU, which can prevent visual artifacts and other frame rate issues.
G-Sync, G-Sync Compatible, or G-Sync Ultimate?
There are three versions of G-Sync with one simply being G-Sync. This version lets you enable VRR and decrease the occurrence of visual artifacts. While offering the least amount of features in comparison to the high-end version of G-Sync, it still accomplishes everything needed when it comes to removing unwanted visual artifacts from your screen.
Also available is G-Sync Compatible, which are monitors that don’t provide the G-Sync Processor but give players an overall smoother experience. This is because G-Sync Compatible displays use AMD’s FreeSync technology, which works similarly to G-Sync but without the proprietary processor requirement.
The final edition of G-Sync is G-Sync Ultimate, which is Nvidia’s premier tier that allows VRR to work with High Dynamic Range (HDR). This version of G-Sync provides better color and image quality while also providing the perks of low input lag, reduced screen tearing, and lessened stuttering.
FreeSync is AMD’s VRR technology, but it is also an open-source solution. FreeSync serves as an opposite to G-Sync, allowing people who run non-Nvidia hardware to take advantage of VRR tech on their computers. The main difference from G-Sync is that you can use FreeSync through HDMI and DisplayPort, unlike G-Sync, which is DisplayPort only.
How do you turn on G-Sync?
- Right-click on your desktop.
- Select Nvidia Control Panel.
- This will open a window with a list of settings and options on the left-hand side.
- Under Display, select Set Up G-GYNC.
- Check the box labelled Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible.
Using a G-Sync monitor without having G-Sync activated happens quite often, but it is an easy fix that can improve gameplay by removing visual artifacts. VRR technology is reaching more people by the day, with the Xbox Series line introducing it to an audience outside of PC gaming.