Gamers Line Up for Nintendo Switch 2 Launch with Global Shortfall Expected
A quest for Nintendo’s Switch 2 started on Thursday, as gamers all over the world somehow braved all sorts of lines for a possibility of getting a coveted unit. Rumors of scarcity have formed the base of the craze, with experts predicting the amplified next-generation device would be facing a world-wide shortage.
“The level of demand seems to be sky-high,” said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy.
The never-ending queue of hopeful winners snaked into Bic Camera in Ikebukuro before dawn. Their golden tickets would see them claiming coveted gadgets and thus looking forward to a temporary getaway for tech dreams to be realized in the otherwise boring shopping area.
“I feel like I’m going to cry,” Yumi Ohi, a 30 year-old delivery contractor, told Reuters.
The lottery casualty from the outskirts of Saitama clutched onto her prize golden ticket. The shimmering Switch 2, one glint of hope snatched by defeat, was finally hers. She had come all the way from the dim skies of Tokyo, not simply for a console, but for that very second chance.
Since 2017, Nintendo Switch has expectedly sold a staggering 152 million units, firmly establishing itself as a titan in the industry. Powered by landmark “The Legend of Zelda” adventures and the pandemic-era phenomenon “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” the Switch is not merely a console but indeed a cultural reference point.
This is how the Switch 2 might be pictured, bearing a big and lovely display, echoing the much-loved original. Prepare yourself for this incredible bump in graphical fidelity and grand prix launch status with Mario Kart World and the like!
According to Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis, there is going to be a rush to create gold for Switch games because of the enormous user base at the beginning of its life.
“Nintendo is better prepared this time around” to deal with the high demand, he said.
Can Nintendo’s supply chain survive the Trump trade war? The $499.99 Switch 2 launch will be the ultimate stress test.
Nintendo eyes a massive wave in gaming as next-generation Switch version is anticipated to move around 15 million units during this fiscal year, overshadowing the decent 4.5 million units projected for the original Switch.
Nintendo, the company, is trying to capture the flickering light of cameras as best as it could by pushing out production to meet the insane demand and launching hype-fueling sales schemes, according to President Shuntaro Furukawa.
Though Shinichi Sekiguchi is in his thirties, working as a receptionist at a hotel, his voice was tight with anticipation as he admitted, “Ithadto be launch day. Something so important definitely needs instant gratification. The Switch 2 wasn’t just a purchase it was a statement.”
The demand in Japan for the alleged Switch 2 is no joke with Nintendo believed to have accepted 2.2 million entries into a sales lottery on the My Nintendo Store in Japan. On the other hand, in the US, it took no more than two hours for Target’s pre-orders to vanish into thin air.
According to Toto of Kantan Games, don’t really hold your breath to find a Switch 2 on the shelves; too soon for a launch, he suggests, anything from weeks to months away.
Investor expectations for the new device are similarly lofty.
Nintendo’s shares are trading near highs and have gained almost 30 percent this year.
Concerns include whether momentum for the Switch 2 will be sustained after hardcore gamers have upgraded.
“Ampere’s Harding-Rolls suggests a wait-and-see approach for some. With the launch lineup of first-party titles not quite hitting the big time, the casual gamers could instead be watching and waiting. The deciding factor: whether they get a way stronger lineup of games in the next one or two years before they take the leap.”
Ampere forecasts Switch 2 sales to exceed 100 million units in 2030.
Is “Mario Kart World’s” $80 Price Tag a Game Changer?
If the next “Mario Kart World” carries a whopping price of $80 U.S. (around Rs. 6,860), fierce debate ensues: Are we indeed moving toward premium game pricing? In the middle of such a controversy, Nintendo is still very much keen on strengthening its platform with some exciting thirdparty collaborations.
During the Super Nintendo era, it was the accepted norm to drop serious coin on cartridges. Akitomo Takahashi, the 44-year-old salesman who remembers well those pricey pixels, shrugs. “Given that history,” he says, “today’s game prices? Eh, seems about right.”
Takahashi said he was keen to play action role-playing game “Elden Ring” on his Switch 2.
© 2025 Bloomberg LP
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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