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Nintendo: The least popular way to play Switch games is primarily on a TV

Devs may appreciate the bit of perspective Nintendo recently shared on how people (or at least, Nintendo Account holders) prefer to play games on the company's new hybrid console.

Alex Wawro, Contributor

November 1, 2017

1 Min Read
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The fiscal presentation Nintendo published yesterday is filled with interesting graphs, including one (below) that suggests the least popular way for Switch owners to use the console is to leave it hooked up to a TV.

This is good to know for devs who are thinking about bringing their games to the Switch, because it offers a bit of perspective on how people (or at least, Nintendo Account holders) prefer to play games on the hybrid console.

According to Nintendo's play time data, which was gathered from Nintendo Account holders in the U.S., Japan, and Europe, a little less than 20 percent of Switch owners are spending 80+ percent of their time playing games on the console while it's docked (and hooked up to an external display).

In contrast, about 30 percent of Switch owners spent 80+ percent of their time playing games on the console while it was undocked, which means they're either setting it on a table or using it like a handheld console. 

The remaining 50+ percent switched back and forth between the two options, never using either configuration often enough to qualify as a primarily docked or undocked player.

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