With the latest and greatest new PlayStation and Xbox consoles in high demand, the video game makers at Nintendo surely must be ready to dump its nearly five-year-old Switch game system, right? Sure, Sony and Microsoft's new systems, released in November 2020, are lusted after and still nearly impossible to find on store shelves. But the Nintendo Switch is not always assured to be in stock, either. The Nintendo Switch has been the top-selling video game console in the U.S. for the past 30 months – yeah, you read that right, the leading unit seller for 2½ years – according to research firm The NPD Group. That surpasses the previous longest streak (21 months) held by the Xbox 360 having from August 2011 through April 2013, according to NPD. 'We need to continue to innovate':How charities are using NFTs as a way to fundraise The Nintendo Switch may not be as powerful as the newer Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles, which play games in 4K and eventually could display 8K games.

Troubles for the much-anticipated video game "Cyberpunk 2077" continue. Earlier this week, the developers of the much-hyped futuristic game apologized for bugs and crashes plaguing players on the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One console game systems. The game is also playable on PCs. Now, Sony's PlayStation store is offering refunds to those who bought the game, which costs about $60, via digital download. Sony Interactive Entertainment, the company said in a statement sent to USA TODAY, "strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction. Following discussions with CD Projekt S.A., the publisher and developer of Cyberpunk 2077, SIE will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store and want a refund at this time."

Video games are playing a big part in helping people cope during the coronavirus pandemic. Since earlier this spring with the onset of stay-at-home orders meant to stem the spread of COVID-19, more Americans have pressed play on video games. For some, games are an entertaining way to pass the time not spent on other pursuits. Others use them to stay connected with friends they used to see in person – and to bond with family members. Jennifer Fidler, 47, and her husband of Portland, Oregon, have been playing "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" with her two middle school-aged daughters since the pandemic led to school closings.

Spending on video games in the US jumped to a new April record as locked-down consumers sought refuge in play, industry figures released Friday showed. A total of $1.5 billion was spent on video game hardware, software, accessories and game cards, eclipsing a previous April high of $1.2 billion spent in the US in 2008, according to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. April was the first full month of tight restrictions on people's movements in the US to prevent the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus. Sales of video game software alone climbed 55 percent to $662 million, a new record high for the month, according to NPD. "Final Fantasy VII: Remake" was the top-selling game during the month, setting a new sales record for the blockbuster vide game franchise, Piscatella's analysis showed. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" continued to be a hot seller, being the second most purchased title during April, followed by "Animal Crossing: New Horizons." Animal Crossing has been the best-selling game for Nintendo Switch consoles during the past year, according to NPD.

Spending on video games and related equipment reached an all-time high last year, with Americans shelling out $42 billion to immerse themselves in virtual worlds where they can steal cars, shoot cowboys, and fight Nazis with abandon. But as tens of thousands of video game fans and creators gather in Los Angeles this week for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3, a difficult truth about the gaming industry is beginning to emerge: what's seen by outsiders as a fun, creative business is becoming psychologically and financially unbearable for those working in it. "Every game you like is built on the backs of workers," says Nathan Allen Ortega, 34, who thought he found his dream job when Telltale Games offered him a position as a community and video manager in 2015. Ortega was such a Telltale enthusiast that he used to participate in cosplay--the practice of dressing up as a particular character for events--as Rhys Strongfork, one of the main heroes in the company's Tales from the Borderlands. So it was an easy decision to pack up his stuff in Texas and relocate near the company's headquarters in San Rafael, California.

SAN FRANCISCO - The knock-down, drag-out battle in the video game world heads to the cloud as the premier industry event looks to adapt to a consumer shift to streaming services. New blockbuster titles will be on center stage as usual at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) opening in Los Angeles on Tuesday, but the big question for the sector will be how consumers play. The E3 opens with gamers gradually moving away from traditional console play and Google seeking to capitalize on that trend with a new Netflix-style service allowing people to play cloud-powered games on any connected device. Adapting to the new trends will be critical for players in the massive video game industry, which last year generated more than $135 billion globally, and $43.4 billion in the United States. According to the Entertainment Software Association, which runs E3, more than 164 million adults in the United States play video games, and 3 out of 4 U.S. households have at least one video game player.

This year that game is undeniably Fortnite Battle Royale, an online free-for-all that every teen in America suddenly seems to be playing. It's not just kids, though–everyone from rapper Drake to Los Angeles Laker Josh Hart is a fan. That groundswell of support has propelled Fortnite from a simple video game into a cultural sensation, with hundreds of millions of fans worldwide who play the game, wear the gear and even learn the characters' victory dances. "Fortnite is another in a long line of games like World of Warcraft or Guitar Hero or Minecraft that is changing everything underfoot," says Mat Piscatella, a video-game industry analyst with research firm NPD Group. Fortnite's big draw is a madcap multiplayer mode that drops up to 100 players on an island in a last-person-standing showdown.

Big-time athletes were on hand for the reveal of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" and sounded off on who they would pick to be on their Black Ops team. With "Fortnite" batting leadoff and many heavy hitters on deck this fall, video game companies are poised to score a new record sales mark this year. During the first six months of 2018, consumers spent $19.5 billion on video game software, consoles and accessories, according to market tracking firm The NPD Group. That's 40 percent higher than during the same period last year, which over the full 12 months resulted in a spending record of $36 billion. By the end of 2018, the U.S. video game industry could tally at least $40 billion, says Mat Piscatella, a games industry analyst at The NPD Group.

Pro gamers Mike Carr and Jonna Mae, whose online monikers are "Di3sel" and "MissesMae," are Turtle Beach-sponsored gamers. Mae, at right, wears a Turtle Beach Stealth 600 wireless headset for Xbox One. Video game headset maker Turtle Beach is cashing in on the growing interest in hit online video games such as Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. That's helped Turtle Beach solidify its spot as the leading headset maker in North America with 46% of the market, up from about 39% in the first three months of 2017, CEO Juergen Stark said Wednesday citing data from The NPD Group. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), which rose to prominence last year, and Fortnite, currently riding a wave of mass popularity, are both online multiplayer "battle royale" games in which players strive to be the last one standing.

When the University of Maryland-Baltimore County basketball team pulled off the greatest upset in NCAA history, player Nolan Gerrity had the perfect metaphor for what he was feeling. "It's like your first Fortnite victory, honestly," he told reporters. For those out of the know, it was a puzzling statement. But Gerrity's example made perfect sense to the 150 million people worldwide who have launched the video game Fortnite into an international obsession this year. Fortnite has been described as a cross between Minecraft and a shooter game. Survival is the name of the game.