Latest news with #DavidCole
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Switch 2 launch could be "significantly bigger" than the OG Switch's, but only if Nintendo can keep up: "When in history [...] did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We're fast approaching the launch of the Switch 2, and despite cries to "drop the price," pre-orders have been selling out around the world. Some analysts are already expecting a "significantly bigger" launch than what we saw with the OG Switch, but it all hinges on one key factor: supply. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japan games industry consultancy Kantan Games, is one analyst who's expecting a "significantly" larger release for the console compared to the Switch 1. Speaking to GamesRadar+, he says that "the initial momentum for Switch 2 vs 1 is like night and day," pointing out that in 2017, Nintendo had "just suffered from the massive failure with the Wii U," meaning that "not too many people took the Switch seriously." With the Switch 2, he expects the console "will be not only sold out at launch (a banality) but also hard to get for weeks or perhaps even months after." He adds: "Sorry, but we as an industry have seen so many console launches now: When in the history of the video gaming business did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?" He continues: "I hope I am wrong and I understand Nintendo will try their best, but I would be very surprised if you can just walk into a store and buy a Switch 2 before late summer at the earliest." This sentiment is echoed by David Cole, CEO of research and consulting firm DFC Intelligence. He tells us that "the main issue is whether Nintendo can meet initial demand, and then continue to have enough units available this fall and into the holiday season," noting that "supply shortages could be a major issue in coming months." Games industry researcher Joost van Dreunen, who writes the SuperJoost Playlist and teaches at NYU Stern School of Business, also believes that "acquiring a Switch 2 at launch will likely be challenging." He adds: "I anticipate stock shortages to persist through the holiday season and potentially into Q1 2026. The current global trade situation and tariff uncertainties have likely prompted Nintendo to be even more cautious with their manufacturing and distribution strategies." Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at Circana, reiterates "the success of the launch will depend on how many units will be available," noting: "Demand will likely be there globally, but that doesn't mean the units necessarily will be." If Nintendo is able to supply enough consoles, "I don't see why the launch of Switch 2 should not be bigger than the original Switch," he explains. The console's price and announced Nintendo Switch 2 launch games apparently don't matter too much in the immediate future, either, as he suggests: "Pricing and available games becomes much more important once we get outside the launch window, and we move away from the price insensitive Nintendo hyper-enthusiast day-one buyers more towards general gaming enthusiasts." Nintendo has predicted that it'll sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles in its first year, as well as 45 million games, but has already indicated that the demand for the device has exceeded its expectations. Let's just hope everyone who really wants one doesn't have to wait too long at the console's release. Keeping up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 news? Be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games, too.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Switch 2 launch could be "significantly bigger" than the OG Switch's, but only if Nintendo can keep up: "When in history [...] did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We're fast approaching the launch of the Switch 2, and despite cries to "drop the price," pre-orders have been selling out around the world. Some analysts are already expecting a "significantly bigger" launch than what we saw with the OG Switch, but it all hinges on one key factor: supply. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japan games industry consultancy Kantan Games, is one analyst who's expecting a "significantly" larger release for the console compared to the Switch 1. Speaking to GamesRadar+, he says that "the initial momentum for Switch 2 vs 1 is like night and day," pointing out that in 2017, Nintendo had "just suffered from the massive failure with the Wii U," meaning that "not too many people took the Switch seriously." With the Switch 2, he expects the console "will be not only sold out at launch (a banality) but also hard to get for weeks or perhaps even months after." He adds: "Sorry, but we as an industry have seen so many console launches now: When in the history of the video gaming business did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?" He continues: "I hope I am wrong and I understand Nintendo will try their best, but I would be very surprised if you can just walk into a store and buy a Switch 2 before late summer at the earliest." This sentiment is echoed by David Cole, CEO of research and consulting firm DFC Intelligence. He tells us that "the main issue is whether Nintendo can meet initial demand, and then continue to have enough units available this fall and into the holiday season," noting that "supply shortages could be a major issue in coming months." Games industry researcher Joost van Dreunen, who writes the SuperJoost Playlist and teaches at NYU Stern School of Business, also believes that "acquiring a Switch 2 at launch will likely be challenging." He adds: "I anticipate stock shortages to persist through the holiday season and potentially into Q1 2026. The current global trade situation and tariff uncertainties have likely prompted Nintendo to be even more cautious with their manufacturing and distribution strategies." Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at Circana, reiterates "the success of the launch will depend on how many units will be available," noting: "Demand will likely be there globally, but that doesn't mean the units necessarily will be." If Nintendo is able to supply enough consoles, "I don't see why the launch of Switch 2 should not be bigger than the original Switch," he explains. The console's price and announced Nintendo Switch 2 launch games apparently don't matter too much in the immediate future, either, as he suggests: "Pricing and available games becomes much more important once we get outside the launch window, and we move away from the price insensitive Nintendo hyper-enthusiast day-one buyers more towards general gaming enthusiasts." Nintendo has predicted that it'll sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles in its first year, as well as 45 million games, but has already indicated that the demand for the device has exceeded its expectations. Let's just hope everyone who really wants one doesn't have to wait too long at the console's release. Keeping up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 news? Be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games, too.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Nintendo Switch 2 Will Become The ‘Fastest-Selling Console Ever'
The Nintendo Switch 2 is poised to become the world's fastest selling console of all time. I finally secured a Nintendo Switch 2 today — my first console pre-order since the Xbox Series X — because it feels like a sound investment. Greater confidence in the system may help it set a new record too: the Switch 2 has been projected to become the fastest-selling video game console of all time. In its second advisory issued today (May 15), just three weeks before the hardware's global launch on June 5, leading gaming market analyst DFC Intelligence forecasts that 16 million Switch 2 units will be sold in 2025 alone. This increase from DFC's previous projection of 15 million units in April has been attributed to growing confidence in Nintendo's supply chain, which had previously faced concerns relating to ongoing tariffs. Nintendo could sell even more if it wanted to, but DFC believes the company will remain true to past form. While demand could support up to 20 million sales in the first year, Nintendo will stay characteristically cautious with inventory management, as it has been with previous console launch strategies. The internal sales target at Nintendo is more conservative yet still confident, forecasting 15 million units sold through the end of March 2026. When the original Switch launched in 2017, Nintendo initially projected 10 million units for the fiscal year but ultimately sold 15 million; it outsold the GameCube within 18 months of launch. Looking further ahead, DFC believes the Switch 2 will shift 100 million units by the end of 2029, making it the dominant console platform in the next hardware cycle. It's no surprise, especially for an Xbox primary like me; even if the rumored Xbox 'Project Kennan' handheld proves to be a five-star experience, it won't prevent Nintendo from maintaining its position as the leader in the handheld-console hybrid market and becoming an even more central player in the gaming ecosystem, especially if Microsoft decides against creating a direct successor to the X/S. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder David Cole, the founder and CEO of DFC Intelligence, says: 'With the portable nature of the Switch platform, Nintendo has expanded the audience for console game systems. The Switch 2 represents a further evolution because major third-party publishers will be on board from the start. 'Nintendo is directly going after the PlayStation and Xbox audience, and it will likely be some time before Sony and Microsoft can respond.' In DFC's eyes, the Switch 2 is a source of positivity in a gaming market that faces an uncertain next 12 months. On a global scale, overall console sales are projected to grow by 3% in 2025, driven solely by Nintendo's next system. Much of this relates to the delayed release of Grand Theft Auto VI, now pushed back to May 2026. DFC indicates that this dampens industry expectations for the year. However, the Switch 2 presents a bright spot, mitigating the impact of GTA VI's delay, as it will decrease hardware and software sales for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. Rockstar's postponement is particularly disappointing for the Christmas season, a time when society traditionally purchases the latest Mature-rated games for underaged family members. The delay of 'Grand Theft Auto VI' to 2026 has had a negative effect on the industry's fortunes, but ... More the Switch 2 is taking the edge off. GTA 6's delay may, however, primarily impact the North American market. DFC anticipates a 2% drop in console software revenue on the continent in 2025, while Europe is expected to remain flat over the year. Japan will see a significant 25% surge in console software revenue, fueled by Switch 2 excitement and its competitive pricing in the region. If you're still trying to secure your own Switch 2, good luck; until today, my experience of online pre-orders have been the digital equivalent of those fight-based dust clouds you see in Andy Capp cartoons.
Business Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Sony sees 100 billion yen tariff hit in underwhelming outlook
[NEW YORK] Sony Group offered an underwhelming forecast for the year ahead, with the burden of US tariffs wiping out expectations for an increase in operating profit. The entertainment-focused group said on Wednesday (May 14) that it sees a 100 billion yen (S$885 million) impact from US levies in the year to March and expects an operating profit of 1.28 trillion yen. Even without the tariffs, Sony's projection falls shy of the average analyst estimate of 1.5 trillion yen and is essentially flat compared to the year concluded in March 2025. The new outlook came alongside the announcement of a 250 billion yen share buyback and the timeline for a partial spinoff of Sony's financial unit. Sony said it plans to list the financial operation on Sep 29 and will start to treat it as a discontinued business in its accounting from the current quarter. Over the first three months of this year, Sony reported a better-than-expected operating income of 203.7 billion yen. The company sold 18.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles in the year to March, following 20.8 million in the year earlier. Sony's new chief executive officer Hiroki Totoki's first task is to navigate the entertainment group through a new era of a tariffs-wielding US. The US comprises the bulk of PlayStation 5 sales, which is mostly produced in China. Sony raised the console's price in Europe, Australia and New Zealand last month, leaving questions about possible price hikes in the US should tariffs become a constant. Higher prices would slow the momentum of the five-year-old hardware, especially as it vies with rival Nintendo's Switch 2, which launches in June. The postponement of Rockstar Games' much-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI is also weighing on PlayStation sales in the current fiscal year. 'The delay in GTA VI is a real blow to the PS5,' said David Cole, chief executive officer of US-based digital entertainment research firm DFC Intelligence. 'This was supposed to be the product that got many consumers to get off the PS4 and on to a PS5.' Sony's other operations are also under siege. The outlook for image sensors, used in smartphones by everyone from Apple to Xiaomi, is murky, with tariffs hitting handsets in the US. And US President Donald Trump has suggested tariffs may also be placed on movies made outside the US, just as Sony is promoting Japanese animated films such as the Demon Slayer series overseas. BLOOMBERG
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘House shook quite violently': 39,000 reports from 4.1 magnitude earthquake that rattled NC mountains
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP/WNCN) — A 4.1-magnitude earthquake five miles from the North Carolina border in Tennessee woke up families and rattled homes as far away as Charlotte as it spread tremors across portions of the southern U.S. on Saturday morning. The website for the U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake originated at 9:04 a.m. EDT about 12 miles from Greenback, Tennessee, which is about 30 miles south of Knoxville. The quake was centered near the Little Tennessee River, a few miles north of the Tapoco community in North Carolina. More than 23,000 reports from the public were received by USGS in the first hour after the earthquake, USGS spokeswoman Ayesha Davis told The Associated Press in an email. By early Saturday afternoon, there were 39,000 reports from the public who felt the quake. RELATED: 4.1 magnitude earthquake shakes parts of Tennessee, western NC: Officials Meteorologists at television news stations serving Georgia and North Carolina reported feeling the tremors as well. No injuries or major damage were immediately reported. Just two miles inside North Carolina on a farm near Fields of the Wood off N.C. 294, David Cole recorded video as 'the whole house' was shaking from the quake. 'The house shook quite violently. I only caught the last few seconds on video when the shaking had already diminished,' Cole wrote on Facebook, along with video he recorded during the quake. There were dozens of reports of the folks in Charlotte, about 180 miles away, who felt the earthquake, the USGS 'shakemap' reported. There is a 19 percent chance of a magnitude 3.0 or larger aftershock in the next week, according to USGS. The earthquake near North Carolina came the same week a 3.0 quake hit near Farmville, Virginia, and days after a 5.0 earthquake rattled western Texas. Gabriela Reilly was making waffles with her husband when they felt their entire home shake in Braselton, Georgia, which is northeast of Atlanta. 'Our ceiling fan started shaking for about 10 seconds,' she said. 'I thought a giant aircraft had flown low right over the neighborhood, but my husband said, 'No, that was definitely an earthquake!'' Jason Pack was still in bed at his home outside Knoxville when he felt the walls shaking and heard a rumbling that was loud enough to wake up his family and for the dog to start barking. 'In east Tennessee, you're used to tornadoes and floods, that kind of thing,' Pack said. 'It's unusual to have an earthquake.' Pack has experienced tremors before, although this one is probably the strongest he's felt in Tennessee. 'Even though this one was small, it's a good reminder — if it had been a big quake, would you know what to do? Drop, cover, and hold on if you're inside,' said Pack, a retired FBI agent who now works in crisis communications. 'Stay clear of buildings if you're outside.' Damage does not usually occur from earthquakes until they reach a magnitude of somewhere above 4 or 5, according to USGS, although it depends on variables such as building construction, soil and distance from the epicenter. The southeastern U.S. carries a significant earthquake risk, particularly around the New Madrid Seismic Zone to the west and in the East Tennessee Seismic Zone, which is where Saturday's earthquake occurred, said Davis. Since 1950, 15 other earthquakes of magnitude 4 or larger have occurred within 155 miles of Saturday's earthquake, Davis said. The largest of those was a magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Knoxville in November 1973. More recently, two tremors struck the seismic zone in December 2018. One was a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that was centered in Decatur, Tennessee, which is south of Knoxville. It shook homes as far away as Atlanta. Another earthquake struck a few days later with a magnitude of 3.0. Its epicenter was about two miles (four kilometers) southeast of Mascot, near Knoxville. It also was felt in parts of Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina. Seismic waves from earthquakes spread more efficiently in the Eastern U.S. compared to the West because of the region's geology, Davis said. 'Earthquakes in the East are felt over a much larger distance and by more people,' she said. If you experienced any shaking Saturday morning, you can report it directly to the USGS by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
