With the impact of the coronavirus having ever-increasing effects on the production and distribution of gaming hardware, getting your hands on a Nintendo Switch is now proving to be quite the challenge in some areas of the world.
Major retailers across the UK and US are struggling to keep up with the demand at present, and stock issues have also caused a decline in sales of the original Switch system in Japan in recent weeks. A Nintendo spokesperson has now offered an update on the shortages and how the Switch Lite will now also be affected in a comment provided to Career Connection.
The following statement refers to an apology notice issued by Nintendo in February, in which the company warned of incoming delays for Switch consoles, controllers, and Ring Fit Adventure bundles. (Translation via Black Kite / Japanese Nintendo)
"We didn’t mention the Switch Lite because there was still enough stock in the market at the time of publication [in February]. But the point that many of its parts are made in China is the same. We are doing various efforts inside the company; although shipments haven’t stagnated, they are getting delayed."
Despite these "various efforts", however, the spokesperson notes that "the situation has not changed" since the warning was issued in February. It looks like we might see stock shortages for quite some time.
[source news.careerconnection.jp, via japanesenintendo.com]
Comments 39
"But when the world needed him most... He vanished."
@Desrever
100 years have passed, and we found the last Nintendo Switch in an iceberg.
Maybe just maybe, stop producing the parts in China. WOW. You could make the parts in your own country! Crazy I know.
@00-Aretha Isn't the reason the parts are made in China to save money? Cheap labor and cost of parts. I don't see them pulling manufacturing out of China anytime soon.
@00-Aretha Globalism has failed us.
Yeah OG switch in the U.K. has been hard to get hold of since xmas. Make sure you look after yours everyone as you’ll not be able to buy a replacement any time soon!
@00-Aretha Stop all that crazy talk! That would mean they'd actually need to pay their factory workers a livable wage and provide a healthy working environment. And that might make the Switch cost an extra $50.
So, uh... Thanks, but no thanks. I'll use that extra $50 to almost have enough money to buy another video game instead.
@00-Aretha While I get your point... Nintendo doesn't make the parts or own the factories.
@Desrever Reminds me of when Papa John complained that if forced to provide healthcare for his workers it would up the cost of a pizza by about 14 cents. Outrageous!
@Shade_Koopa we in America are repurposing several factories to dal with supply issues caused to Covid-19. Most medical supplies for example come from China, but 3 places in my state have started making surgical masks, for example. As someone else said, globalization isn’t always a good thing.
@00-Aretha that’s not how Microeconomics works. You produce what you can produce the cheapest and the most of as a country and you trade with countries that do the same.
Thank you Nintendo, hope you do better soon. We all love you the best.
Let this be a lesson to all the people who go on to forums and post a "Should I buy xxxxx console now or wait for a price drop/upgraded model?"
Buy when you can, because you might be dead the next day, or there might be a global pandemic severely disrupting supply. Me, I've got about 200 Switch games to play and 2 Switch devices, so 😝
@00-Aretha It's not just the console, but the chips, the screens, all the stuff Nintendo don't own are also made in China. They could move manufacturing to some of the other major manufacturing territories, but they're also impacted by COVID-19.
Create a shortage like they did with amiibos to increase the value an get in the news. 👀
@00-Aretha all companies that care about the world will and should move their production back to their own borders.
On Monday, I pre-ordered the Coral Lite Switch from GameStop for my daughter (and it is shipping). For the last two weeks, the local Walmart has been out of all models.
@Desrever I'm sure it'd raise the cost by more than just $50. Even Japanese made steel, VG-10,for knives, raises the price of a knife $100 compared to a Chinese made blade, and that's for similar quality steel. But your comment is a good example of what's also the issue. People act like it's solely the companies fault for things being made in China but the consumers are equally to blame. We expect or want devices at certain price point, and China allows companies to reach those prices.
@Desrever - this is why we must move production back. This type of selfishness that you describe is starting to look really shallow and empty
To be fair, there really isn’t anywhere they can safely produce parts right now. That’s the thing about “global pandemics”... they cover the globe.
@veryhoudini11 you are comparing apples to oranges. US or Japanese Switch production would comfortably exist with less than a $50 difference. The difference is more like 10-15% and comes with economic benefits that puts more money in potential customers pockets. Don't buy the propaganda from a media and entertainment industry that is financially enslaved to China
@Desrever That actually is enough money if you buy the game at Walmart, as, for some unholy reason, they sell new games for all consoles $10 cheaper than anywhere else... seriously!
I feel a little guilty. I own both a Switch and a Switch Lite, and I live alone.
@gcunit Impressive! Here I was thinking my collection of around 15 games made it difficult to decide what to play on any given day! How do you pick?
@iphys
No need to feel guilty
You bought them with your money
So enjoy!
@Seananigans I blame Reggie personally.
wow if almost whole stock is gone at retailers worldwide, what amount are we talking about.
you cant blame nintendo for such strange times, not their fault all of a sudden everybody with kids on this planet want one.
they delivered at launch wich other companies could no do, like sony, wich is imo a way bigger company
@Titfos I would love to not to, as I personally try to buy American made products when possible, even if there is a cost increase, usually it comes with a good enough quality increase that's well worth buying the chinese made product. But really, where are you getting this information. I'm making a general assumption based off of other products, but your making a statement as if it's fact based so I'd like to know where you got those numbers. It's hard for me to imagine an operation like foxxcon manufacturing in Japan or the US.
@PALversusNTSC none of that is true, when the switch came out it struggled to keep up with demand just as much as iPhone do, ps4 did and ect. Secondly the issue isnt just the demand but the fact that their one source of manufacturing comes from a country who was the epicenter of the pandemic. The switch is manufactured by the same company that does ps4, Xbox, and iPhone.
I'm hoping for mine to arrive on Tuesday now, which isn't as bad a delay as I originally expected (I was guesstimating that it would come late April).
I'm more concerned about the very first Switch models, wish they still produced those.
@Donutman I really like how the United States industry is putting a lot of effort in mass production on medical supplies and equipment while Pharmaceutical companies working tirelessly on a cure on the virus and both of them are combating the coronavirus. This is something we haven't seen in the United States since WWII.
@LaytonPuzzle27 it’s because since we have only shipped industries overseas, cheaper labor right?
@Donutman I was talking about companies making products here in America sorry about the confusion. Anyway I hope after this Coronavirus crisis is over will see most companies around the world make products in there own countries than putting all there eggs in that one China basket.
@LaytonPuzzle27
Maybe at 1st
But old habits die hard
And when all you can see is $$$, hard to argue about the "best" or "optimized" profits
Hope you are right
I'm not against China, just don't think they should have monopoly on production exactly because of cases like these
@LaytonPuzzle27 I wasn’t confused, we as a world spent the last few decades allowing our corporations to send jobs and manufacturing to other countries. Cheaper labor, different tax structures, and higher profits. it makes sense, until you close all the borders and are in need for something.
@00-Aretha HAHAHAHAHAH since the parts are foreign thats like me telling you to go use your sink to get gas
@thehoppypoppy you had 3 years.
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