Switch, Lite & Games
Image: Nintendo Life

It's probably to be expected as PlayStation and Xbox fans start to turn their attention towards next-generation hardware coming later this year, but the Nintendo Switch is still sitting pretty as the best-selling games console of 2020 in the US.

The news comes from American market research company NPD Group; company analyst Mat Piscatella has shared the following update.

"Nintendo Switch was the best-selling hardware platform of February in both unit and dollar sales. And [it] remains the best-selling hardware platform of the year."

It's not the best of times for the gaming industry as a whole, though, with hardware spending being significantly less this February compared to the same period last year. "Hardware spending in February 2020 fell 34% when compared to a year ago, to $183 million," Piscatella says. “All in-market console platforms declined when compared to a year ago. Annual spending has dropped 35 percent, to $312 million."

The Switch has been having a harder time in Japan lately, with the coronavirus outbreak impacting the original model's distribution. Our regular Japanese chart updates show that the original model only shifted 4,424 units last week, despite sitting at around the 80,000-per-week mark before any impact was felt. Interestingly, this has resulted in a rise in sales for the Switch Lite as fans grab whichever system is available to them.

[source venturebeat.com, via mynintendonews.com]