Google Trends: The Most Popular Console in the Next Gen-Race and The Country’s Need for Financial Assistance
Nintendo Stays On Top of the Next-Gen Market while Microsoft and Sony Duke It Out.
View the Interactive Chart(s):
The Nintendo Switch launched in the middle of the 8th Generation Home Console cycle back in 2017. The company’s two biggest competitors in this gaming market are Microsoft and Sony, who back in 2019 officially announced that they would be releasing a brand new-console for the 9th Generation, the Xbox Series X and the Playstation 5, respectively.
Despite the efforts of both Microsoft and Sony trying to keep the hype alive, the Nintendo Switch still dominated Google Searches by a near landslide. Meanwhile, both Sony and Microsoft seem pretty neck and neck in their respective competition.
The Switch saw huge uptick in searches from the end of March to the end of April. This more than likely has to do with the COVID-19 Pandemic, in which all of these mentioned companies saw ridiculously increased sales, with the Switch having sold double the amount of units from the previous March. Since people were stuck at home, the need for entertainment increased.
Though the Switch dominates the Google Searches (see map below), the Xbox Series X and the Playstation 5 has seen a steady flow of searches in the second half of 2020. As we near the Holiday release date of the two consoles, more details have come about, with the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 having big unveilings in June.
The Switch may have had a head start, but it shows no real signs of slowing down; However, that all may change once we get to the release dates of Microsoft’s and Sony’s respective consoles.
Despite Stimulus Showing the Highest Peak in Searches, Unemployment is the More Searched Term (Though Not by a Whole Lot)
View the Interactive Chart(s):
The way in which 2020 has been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic leaves people with one big anxiety: Money. When everything started shutting down back in March, a lot of people were left without a job. No job meant no steady income which meant some assistance was going to be required in order to keep people in their homes. The beginning of March saw the uptick in Stimulus and Unemployment searches, with the two being pretty close to each other.
The middle of April saw the highest peak of Stimulus searches, which is due to the fact that the IRS started its first wave of 80 million stimulus payments the week of April 13. Understandably, many of the US citizens were trying to figure out how, when, and if they could receive this government aid.
Despite the huge peak, Unemployment is the more searched term. This is likely due to the fact that many jobs were still shut down or laying off employees.
Between the two, Unemployment also saw a steadier flow of searches, whereas Stimulus had steady drops in the months passing since April. It is interesting to notice the small rise in Stimulus searches around late July. This is likely due to the ongoing negotiations/talks about a possible second payment.
As far as searches in the United States are concerned, the map above shows that the term “Unemployment” was more searched on the East Coast, whereas “Stimulus” was a more popular term in the Midwestern/Western region. The map altogether makes it appear as though these searches are evenly divided, but Unemployment wins by a few points.
