NPD: Brisk Nintendo Switch sales can’t offset October hardware decline

Consumer spending on gaming hardware continued its plummet in October, according to The NPD Group. U.S. gamers spent $182 million on new consoles. That is down 41% from October 2018. The Nintendo Switch was once again the top-selling system for the month. But it’s worth noting that the comparison to 2018 is tough because Red Dead Redemption 2 launched for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in October 2018. That game likely moved a significant number of systems. October 2019 did not have anything like that.

But even without Red Dead, it’s clear that the younger Switch is still in the prime of its life. And the aging Xbox and PlayStation devices are in their twilight.