We're a little over two weeks out from the launch of a new console and after eight years of Switch 1, there are plenty of Nintendo fans eager to get going with the next generation. If retailer website chaos is any indicator, demand for the next Switch has been very strong and Nintendo will be encouraged to see the enthusiasm.
Nintendo's sales forecasts are fairly conservative, though, projecting 15 million unit sales in the first 12 months. Given the focus the firm has put on manufacturing enough systems to combat scalpers, plus the positive wave it's riding out of the Switch generation (and a launching with a brand new Mario Kart), we wouldn't be surprised to see bigger numbers come 5th June 2026 - especially if it can keep up the assembly line pace having partnered with Samsung to produce more chips.
For comparison, 17.8 million PS5s were sold in that console's first year, and Sony was struggling to produce them thanks to a chip shortage and pandemic-related supply chain issues. Nintendo shifted 17.79 million Switches from March 2017 to April 2018.
According to Shuntaro Furukawa, the increased price of Switch 2 is a factor in its forecasts, and the current economic climate isn't exactly conducive to selling millions of $500 video game consoles. Say what you like about the pricing, but Nintendo can't control the strength of the yen or the whims of a tariff-happy US administration. 'Cautious company is cautious.' Shocker.
One thing the firm does have some control over, though, is how its systems get into the hands of eager customers. Nintendo has its lottery system in Japan, and from a European perspective, things seem to have been a relatively smooth, pre-order-wise. Resupplies have been hitting retailers in waves and Switch 2 stock is available via My Nintendo Store to anybody with a Nintendo Switch Online account following an invite-only period.
North American fans seem to have faced more frustrations than the rest of the world, and not only due to the delays caused by the tariff situation. US pre-orders opened on 24th April, and it's fair to say it was a bit of a disaster.
Anybody who's ever tried to get Glastonbury tickets may scoff at complaints that retailer websites were hit-and-miss, but the fact remains that people hoping to secure a Switch 2 were glued to their devices for hours, got kicked out of queues, and had their carts disappear and their orders cancelled via email moments after paying.
It was a cluster..., er, bomb of a customer service experience. GameStop opened up in-person pre-orders for people who didn't want to spend hours refreshing their phones, but throw in reports of some stores forcing upsells on customers, and you'd be forgiven for thinking Nintendo should just sell consoles via its own website, where it has absolute control over the process. If there's something Nintendo loves, it's absolute control.
So why doesn't NOA pull supply from brick-and-mortar retailers like it has with Amazon in the US? It's the same reason it's putting out Game-Key Cards for third-party publishers: having physical product on store shelves is still an incredibly important part of Nintendo's business. And to facilitate that, it must play ball with your Walmarts, Targets, GameStops, and Best Buys.
Yes, digital sales are on the increase (as they have been for many years), but there's still an enormous number of people who buy physically, and not just during the holiday season. Having that red Nintendo branding prominently displayed in high foot-traffic areas is also extremely important, more so than ever at a time when dedicated games stores are an endangered species. Even as gaming continues sliding away from physical media, a presence in retail spaces beyond code cards is vital. You don't maintain good retailer relations by pulling supply when they can't organise a piss-up in a brewery selling products on a product-selling website.
