Nintendo Switch and ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ break records; Company unveils brand-new accessories, discontinues NES Classic

The Nintendo Switch has become the fastest-selling system in Nintendo’s history. It has sold faster than any other gaming system in the company’s history. As per NPD Group, Nintendo moved 906,000 units in March, which Nintendo also agreed to be a record.

Experts had anticipated such massive demand for the hybrid gaming TV-handheld. The console was selling way above expectations once it was launched. Finding one became a genuine problem for fans, as most of the time the console was out-of-stock. The supply problem of the console became news itself. However, it is definitely not the fastest-selling game system in history but is one of the fastest. Sony PlayStation 4 in November 2013 and by December of that year had already sold four million units.

Switch will have to beat this figure within next week and that seems unlikely. Timing of release is a major factor here. Nintendo released the US$299 (AU$400 approx) Switch during the dregs of winter. It was off-season and more than six months ahead of the holiday rush. Imagine how many units of Switch would have sold had it launched end of this year or last. It is quite a noteworthy achievement to sell about a million units in a month like March. Moreover, Nintendo has already sold 1.3 million copies of “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.”

This means Nintendo sold more of the game for its Switch console than it sold the Switch systems. It’s a coupling for 925,000 units of Switch and 460,000 for Wii U. Some fans must have bought the limited edition and also a second copy to play. A 100 percent attach rate is crazy and unheard of. This makes “Breath of the Wild” the all-time fastest-selling Nintendo launch game and also the fastest-selling game ever in the series. Meanwhile, Nintendo is discontinuing NES Classic Edition, the US$59 (AU$80) retro gaming console that played 30 baked-in NES games, writes TIME.

The “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” is also due on April 28. The Switch is reportedly getting brand new accessories such as battery packs, a new colour Joy-Con and standalone docks. TechRadar reports that the most eye-grabbing piece of gear Nintendo unveiled on Tuesday at the Nintendo Direct event was the Neon-Yellow Joy-Con. It is retailing at US$80 (AU$110 approx) for a pair. Stay tuned on IBT AU for more details on the Switch console, its accessories and games played on it.