One of the Nintendo Switch's main selling points is its hybrid design that allows you to play it either in handheld and tabletop modes or docked like a home console.
That raises the curious question of which mode gamers prefer to use it in, and fortunately, Nintendo has the answers.
Switch Owners' Play Style
Nintendo recently released its financial results briefing (PDF), and while it's chock-full of its plans moving forward, what we're focusing on here is the bit concerning the trends of Switch gameplay.
As everyone can see on the chart (pictured above), about 30 percent use the Switch in either handheld or tabletop mode as opposed to less than 20 percent who use it docked. That accounts for a pretty slight margin, but to no one's surprise, the majority's preference is regularly swapping from docked to undocked, which clocks in at more than 50 percent.
This is interesting to see because at the time the Switch rolled out, 3DS fans feared the worst for the handheld, thinking the new console would take its place. However, Nintendo made it clear that the two will coexist, touting the Switch primarily as a home console. From the look of things, owners don't exactly see eye to eye with Nintendo on that one, as evidenced by results above.
Switch Demographic
Aside from the Switch owners' play style, Nintendo also revealed the buyers' ages and genders in the United States. Long story short, 5 percent is ages 12 and under, 5 percent is 13 to 15, 7 percent is 16 to 18, 20 percent is 19 to 24, 43 percent is 25 to 34, 17 percent is 35 to 44, and 3 percent is 45 and above. By the same token, 86 percent is made up of males, 11 percent is female, and 3 percent is listed as N/A.
The takeaways here are that Switch users are primarily male and 43 percent are between 25 and 34 years old.
It's also worth mentioning that Nintendo has a positive outlook for the Switch, expecting it to surpass the Wii U's lifetime sales of 13.56 million units by the end of its first year in the market, according to its financial results outline (PDF). More than that, it revealed the console's best-selling games, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at the top with 4.70 million copies sold under its belt.
With all said and done, feel free to let us know whether you prefer using your Switch in handheld and tabletop modes or docked in the comments section below.
