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Nintendo Switch sales more than doubled in March, report says

PlayStation 4 and Xbox One also saw a growth in sales.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
Abrar Al-Heeti
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Nintendo Switch sales have more than doubled year-over-year in March, according to a report. 

Érika García / CNET

Being stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic may have given the Nintendo Switch a boost. Sales of the device more than doubled in March compared with last year, according to The NPD Group. The launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons last month also likely gave the Nintendo Switch a leg up.

PlayStation 4 and Xbox One also each saw sales go up by more than 25% year over year in March, according to a Tuesday report by VentureBeat. Total spending on video game hardware this month increased 63% to $461 million, The NPD Group said in a release. Software increased by 34%, and accessories and game cards sales grew by 12%.

"As communities have practiced social distancing and observed stay at home orders across the United States over the past weeks, many people have turned to video games as a means of finding connections," Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at The NPD Group, said in a statement. "Whether together on the couch playing locally, or playing online, gaming has generated increased engagement, which has resulted in corresponding increases in consumer spend." 

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