Latest news with #Piscatella
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nintendo finally beat a record held by the PS4 for 12 years, as the Switch 2 becomes the "fastest selling video game hardware device in US history"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's no surprise to anyone that the Nintendo Switch 2 did well, but you may not have expected it to break this record: it's "the fastest selling video game hardware device in US history." Despite fears that tariffs would raise the price of the Switch 2 – or perhaps because of them – the console has done unbelievably well. According to posts on Bluesky by Mat Piscatella, executive director and video game industry analyst at Circana, the Switch 2 sold 1.6 million units in June, 2025, its launch month. That surpasses the old record, which stood for almost 12 years, held by the PS4, which sold 1.4 million units in November 2013. Overall, Piscatella states the Switch 2's launch month also saw "consumer spending in both video game hardware and accessories reach new all-time June records." It wasn't just the console itself that was selling well. The Switch 2 Pro Controller had a "32% attach rate to Nintendo Switch 2 hardware during its launch month and was June's best-selling accessory in dollars," Piscatella writes. This means that for every three Switch 2 consoles sold, one Pro Controller was also sold. Piscatella also shares that 82% of Switch 2 buyers also got their hands on a copy of Mario Kart World. This figure only counts physical and console and game bundle sales, though, not digital ones, so the actual figure is likely even higher. Cyberpunk 2077 also got a huge boost, going from 427th to 18th in the best-selling games chart once the Switch 2 version launched, so clearly third-party games aren't all doing terribly on the console. While you're here, check out all the best Switch 2 games you can play right now.
Metro
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Nintendo Switch 2 beats PS4 and PS5 as fastest-selling console ever
The Nintendo Switch 2 continues to break records around the world, as Xbox's Forza Horizon 5 makes a big splash on PS5. We already knew the Nintendo Switch 2 was the fastest-selling console ever worldwide, with 3.5 million units sold within its first four days, but we now have a better picture of its success in the US. According to Circana's Mat Piscatella, an analyst specialising in US video game sales, the Switch 2 debuted as the fastest-selling games hardwre in US history, leading to record high consumer spending for the month of June, across video game hardware and accessories. The Switch 2 sold 1.6 million units in June, following its launch on June 5, which is the highest launch month unit sales for a piece of video game hardware ever in the US. Despite the fact that June is usually a very quiet month for video game sales and a very unusual time to launch a new console. According to Piscatella, the record was previously held by Sony's PlayStation 4, which sold 1.1 million units when it launched in November 2013. However, the PlayStation 5 was reported to have beaten this figure when it launched in 2020, selling between 1.1 million and 1.3 million units, but either way, Sony has been knocked down a peg. Although, that's rookie numbers compared to Japan, where the Switch 2 outsold the Switch 1 by 300% and achieved the same record as in the US, of becoming the fastest-selling console ever, by beating the PlayStation 2. Unsurprisingly, the Switch 2 was the best-selling video game hardware in both units and dollar sales, in June in the US, but the PlayStation 5 is still the best-selling console of the year so far, across both measures. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. As for the June game charts, Elden Ring Nightreign maintained the top spot for a second month. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach was the highest new entry at number two, while Mario Kart World debuted at number three. It's worth noting that the latter is only physical sales and doesn't include digital sales or hardware bundles – so it is certainly number one in reality. Another notable point is the success of Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5, which is placed sixth behind Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Stellar Blade on the US sales chart (the latter received a bump following its PC launch). More Trending According to the Alinea Insight newsletter, which has tracked total sales between January 1 and July 21, 2025, Xbox title Forza Horizon 5 has surpassed three million copies sold on PlayStation 5 in less than three months, after its release in April. Within 25 days of its launch on PlayStation 5, Forza Horizon 5 sold a massive two million copies on the console. For comparison, it took Astro Bot roughly three months to hit the same figure, while Death Stranding 2 sold one million copies within 25 days. By crossing the three million mark, Forza Horizon 5 has surpassed Monster Hunter Wilds (2.9 million) as the best-selling new game on PlayStation 5 in 2025, which will probably come as a surprise to both Sony and Microsoft, especially as it originally came out nearly four years ago. This will likely only reinforce Microsoft's push to multiplatform releases, with Gears Of War: Reloaded set to launch August 26 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is also set to hit Sony's console on August 12, with rumours of Starfield and Halo jumping ship next. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: EA Sports FC 26 preview – rip it up and start again MORE: The Elder Scrolls creator Julian LeFay dies following battle with cancer MORE: Assassin's Creed Shadows on Switch 2 all but confirmed for next Nintendo Direct
NDTV
20-05-2025
- General
- NDTV
At 112, World's Oldest Living Nun Has 4 Words Of Advice
Sister Francis Dominici Piscatella of Long Island, New York, is the world's oldest living nun. At 112, she has only four words of advice for anyone hoping to live as long as she did. Ms Piscatella has been enjoying her senior years on the South Shore of Long Island and has served in the Catholic Church for 94 years. She has advised people to follow the virtues they have witnessed in their loved ones. Sharing her advice, Ms Piscatella told The New York Post, "Teach until you die," before adding, "You have to be a saint before you get to heaven." Ms Piscatella currently resides in the Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse in Amityville and has had a long journey of faith and fate over the years. Her life changed when she was two years old and was involved in an accident with a speeding train in Central Islip. The accident resulted in the loss of her left forearm. She claimed not to have let her siblings help her. "My mother refused to let them assist me because 'you're not going to have your sisters forever, so you better just shape up and do things for yourself,'" Ms Piscatella told The Post. Her calling to Catholicism stemmed from the love she witnessed her family show for one another and the community. However, Ms Piscatella had to physically demonstrate that her disability would not prevent her from serving. It was difficult to find a convent in 1931 that would admit her with only one arm. Ms Piscatella said that the convent was not a place for handicapped people, and one has to "drive work" when they go to the convent. "It's not a vacation area," she said. It was not until another nun, who was looking for a change and had a teaching job open, that Ms Piscatella got into the Dominicans. Ms Piscatella worked in administrative positions from the age of 17 to 84, teaching from the heart on an array of subjects, including maths, history and arithmetic. Nowadays, Ms Piscatella is loved by the Catholic community on Long Island, with whom she celebrated her 112th birthday. She enjoys praying and spending time with them.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Long Island nun — the world's oldest at 112 — shares four words of advice after a lifetime of service
There ain't nun older than her. Sister Francis Dominici Piscatella, the world's oldest nun at 112, has four words of advice for anyone who wants to match her longevity 'Teach until you die,' Piscatella, who celebrated her birthday in late April, told The Post. Advertisement 5 Sister Francis Dominici Piscatella, 112, is the world's oldest nun. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post Piscatella, who is enjoying her golden years on the South Shore of Long Island in her 94th year of service to the Catholic Church, said people should follow the good they've've seen from their loved ones. 'You have to be a saint before you get to heaven.' Advertisement Now living in Amityville's Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse, Piscatella had a long journey of faith and fate throughout her years. 'For some reason, God doesn't want me yet,' the longstanding member of the Dominican order said. 'I feel normal. I never gave my age a thought, it just happened to be.' When she was just 2-years old and living in Central Islip, she lost her left forearm in an accident with a passing train — a life-altering event that Piscatella made the most of. 5 Piscatella celebrating her 112th birthday at the Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse in Amityville. Sisters of St. Dominic Advertisement 5 An old family photo on the desk in Piscatella's room. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post 'I was the second oldest of seven children. My mother wouldn't let them help me because 'you're not always going to have your sisters, so you better just shape up and do things for yourself,'' she said. 'That's what I did. Nobody really ever had to help with anything,' the centenarian added. A blessed life Advertisement Growing up in a large family of Italian immigrants, the calling to Catholicism came from the love she saw her family extend to the family and community. Her father, a foreman with the Long Island Railroad, brought daily sandwiches his wife made for a worker who showed up routinely empty-handed at lunch, and her mother was known to frequently cook 'a big Italian meal' for the nuns in town. Growing up in that environment, it became an easy call for Piscatella to join the order right out of high school, she said. 'It was normal for me to help people, and I liked helping them,' the super senior said. However, finding a convent that would accept her with only one arm in 1931 proved challenging, and Piscatella had to physically show that her disability would not be a hindrance to service. She only found her way into the Dominicans thanks to another nun seeking a change of scenery and leaving a teaching position in the void. 5 Piscatella with her close friend Sister Francis Daniel Kammer. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post 'The priest said, 'Well, can she teach?' And the sister said, 'Oh, she's a great teacher,' said Sister Francis Kammer, Piscatella's close friend, former student and roommate for 45 years. Advertisement 'And he said, 'Then she stays.' And she never looked back.' Piscatella taught from her heart on all sorts of subjects, from math to history and arithmetic, while working in administrative roles since that fateful day at age 17 — until she was 84. 'Well, I don't want to brag, but I was a pretty good student in everything. I was a good teacher because I was teaching myself too. I was knocking it into my own head,' said Piscatella, who spent much of her tenure at Dominican Commercial High School in Queens and Molloy College in Rockville Center, along with several New York City schools. 5 Piscatella told The Post her advice to people looking to live a long life is to 'teach until you die.' Heather Khalifa for the NY Post Advertisement Nowadays, Piscatella enjoys deep prayer and connection with God while setting an example that's being adored by the Catholic community on Long Island — many of whom she celebrated turning 112 with. 'She accepts the will of God. Her whole life, I never heard her complain about anything,' Kammer said. 'She had a brain bleed 11 years ago, and they thought she was never going to walk again and never going to talk again. She accepted it, and here she is walking and talking.' Advertisement Piscatella — said she is happy she 'can still think' at her advanced age. 'I could still teach, or at least I think so,' Piscatella said.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
$80 Switch 2 and now Xbox games aren't a big shock, analyst says, and games haven't really been $70 for a while: "The average price people are paying ... is much higher"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. One gaming analyst reckons $80 games aren't too much of a shocker because gamers have typically been paying more than the base $60 or $70 price tag for a while. Nintendo made headlines with the Switch 2 reveal, partly because of the console itself but also because of its decision to launch Mario Kart World at $80, well above the $70 standard that most publishers had transitioned to during this console generation. It didn't take long for other companies to follow, either. Xbox just announced that at least "some" of its first-party games will also adopt the new $80 norm, which will potentially affect this year's Call of Duty, next year's Fable, or any number of upcoming releases from Xbox Game Studios. Circana's games executive director, Mat Piscatella, isn't hugely surprised. "The big games have not been 60 or 70 bucks for some time at launch," he said in an interview with GamesRadar+. "With all of the Collector's Editions and Gold Editions and Silver Editions and all these other things, the average price people are paying for a new video game on average is much higher than that base price, and has been for years, and keeps inching up. So I'm not as kerfuffled about the $80 price point as a lot of other people are, because, realistically, people have already been kind of spending that, whether they want to admit it to themselves or not." Publishers sure can charge whatever they like, but will people accept the change? Piscatella reckons the "the same kind of pushback" has always come for these types of price hikes, though it doesn't usually work. "Ultimately, if someone thinks a game is really cool, they want to play it, they're going to buy it at whatever price they need to buy it at," he explained. "That's just kind of the nature of the price-insensitive video game fan that wants to play the game they want to play." And if these $80 games sell well, then there's nothing stopping other publishers from adopting the same pricing: "Is $80 for that game gonna fly in the holiday window? And if it does, then we'll see people follow. And if it doesn't, maybe they don't." "It's up to that video game buyer whether or not they want to make that purchase, and generally, if a game's good enough, they will, and if a game is not good enough, or they're not excited enough about it, they won't," he continued. "And prices come down really fast. It's just the nature of the price sensitivity and the enthusiasm of the audience. So we'll have to see. I think [Mario Kart World] will be fine at launch. We'll see what it does in holiday." Commenting on the broader shape of today's industry, Piscatella points out that there's a much greater range of price points at different levels of the industry, from premium $80 games to topical hits like the $50 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and down to many free-to-play games. "Back in the physical-only days you had 50 bucks. That was it. That was the only game you got," he says. "Now, games of all sizes, all kinds, are priced in all kinds of different ways, and more free-to-play than ever. I know everyone's kind of focused on that top level, and sure, I get it, but in terms of the available options, there's so many all over the board, and it's more diverse than it's ever been. Publishers are much smarter about discounting and pacing, pulsing of the promotional pricing and how to keep that demand going. So, yeah, it's nothing new. This is nothing new that we haven't been through as an industry, over and over again for years and years and years. A day after our interview, Piscatella reacted to the fresh Xbox price bumps on social media: "This is going to eventually happen across all gaming products which are subject to 'market conditions' (ie tariffs). Was expected to happen. Is now happening. Will be happening more." Check out the new games of 2025 and beyond to see what might be affected. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
