Where To Buy Nintendo Switch 2

Frustrated as a family membership subscriber the rest of my family members can't preorder. 😑

Any clue yet as to what time in the UK pre-orders on places like Amazon will go live?

Won’t preorder until I have read the reviews. Certainly probably won’t get Mario Kart World if that 80 dollar price tag is legit (some said it’s MSRP or something). But if that is formally the price, I’m not buying that game specifically until a sale. Will get Donkey Kong though at least.

Hardware price isn’t the problem for me personally but the game price is. But I’m glad DK is cheaper at least.

@markb44z

No idea but I'll be refreshing at midnight just in case 😂

Like I can afford it, I ain't robbing a bank!

Wish the US program was like Euro & UK! My friend already got his “You’ve been selected” email. Now I wait for mine, which according to the site may not arrive till May 8th? Weird we gotta wait a month while Euro is getting notified by Apr 8th….

In the UK, do we need to meet all three criteria? Or one of the three?

@RupeeClock it won’t, this is an anti scalper method. They’re basically checking to make sure that those that register are active members that actually play vs some rando just trying to buy and resell.

This is the same method Valve used for Steam Deck, and Sony ended up having to do for Ps5.

This is a consumer friendly approach to guaranteeing those that actually will play and use the system will get one. Let the scalpers fight it out at retail.

As someone who’s battled the scalper bots a time or two, and lost out during Ps5 pre-orders, this is a god send.

Frustratingly my NSO member shipped lapsed for a couple of days last year when I was on holiday. 🙄

That's some odd requirements - you'd think they'd use this to incentivize people to buy subscriptions and such. But instead you need to have been a member for the past 2 years. I wasn't. There's not a lot you can do about that right now 🫠

Got a Nintendo UK store invite- very happy they’re doing this. Should help stop at least some scalping by offering it to people who actively play their systems and are likely to actually want a Switch 2 on day one to play and not just sell for profit.

Anyway, I’ll let everyone know if I get one at launch. Bidding starts at £1000

@Oracles_fanboi what? In general, things are more expensive than they were before because of inflation, and especially considering what Trump is doing. Nintendo having higher prices than the original Switch is hardly crazy considering that came out nearly a decade ago now. And it's not like the prices are that ridiculous, especially when they've included a range of genuine improvements to the system.

Rather than acting like Nintendo has committed some major crime by pricing it at a fairly standard gaming industry price, you could just not buy it? That is possible.

I just posted this on a previous article before this went up:

I have just received an email from My Nintendo Store saying I have been selected for the opportunity to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 from next week, based on my active NSO MEMBERSHIP, the amount of time I have spent playing purchased/paid Nintendo Switch games etc. I just wondered if you guys at Nintendo Life were aware that such emails have gone out already and how common they are?

@anoyonmus buy the bundle and mario kart is like £50

@RupeeClock don’t fret yet. They’re probably going through thousands if not millions of registrants.

If I had to hazard a guess you’ll get picked. It may not be first wave, but this method virtually guarantees you’ll get a switch 2 and won’t have to pay a scalped price.

@Anakin I’ve also pre ordered from Shopto but the wording was a bit vague about if it was locked in or not.
I pre ordered the Switch from them mind and had no problems 😀

Do you have a source for the US pre order date?

it seems the european preorders will still have some competition since they advise us to have our payment and address details set up before preordering

2 years online membership.

Well that’s me out then I guess.

No invite for me here in the UK and I meet all 3 criteria. The GC controller’s going to be annoyingly so hard to get hold of.

So because I work full time and don’t have much time to game I’ll struggle to buy a switch 2

thank you for the guide NL, this will be super helpful when i try to figure it out haha. so excited to be traveling into this new generation.

Just got my email from Nintendo. European prices are CRAZY, 510€ for the bundle with mkw

Practical question for anyone who has experience of pre-ordering from the Nintendo Store:

Do you need to pay the price in full on the date you pre-order, or some kind of deposit? My email only says you have to have a payment method saved for My Nintendo (credit card, PayPal Or Apple Pay etc).

@OldGamer999

Thank you..... Just ordered the MK bundle

I've ordered it as click and collect from my local store so I get the pleasure of going to pick it up rather than waiting in for delivery

@OldGamer999 Thanks, just pre ordered mine!

As mentioned, Smyths preorders in the UK are live!

I received my invitation from Nintendo to pre-order. I love that they are doing this. Respect for the customer.

@OldGamer999

hahaha you've genuinely just made my day

@OldGamer999
Thank you for this! Just ordered the MKWorld bundle. I was quite peeved for a second because I let my NSO membership lapse for a few weeks while I was on holiday. I don’t think I will receive an invite from Nintendo.

Pre order confirmation received but no payment gone out yet and it still says processing. Is this fine?

Probably the easiest launch ever to sit back and wait for the dust to clear with all the impulsive buyers. Potential launch issues aside, the headache is a thousand percent not worth it and in this case, the Switch 1 still has plenty of games on the way. I'll rest easy and enjoy an easy pick up some months later.

@ZAHMED

Yes Smyths only take the money when your order is ready to collect.... usually the night before release.

I've pre-ordered loads of stuff with them and that's how they always do it

@markb44z Smyths Toys has the Mario Kart World bundle up now. £432 with shipping, money taken when dispatched

Smyths never disappoints wooooo

Alright cool, thank you!

@Arkham24601 no it won't, only NSO subscribers can get a GC controller in the first wave so shouldn't be an issue

They don’t make it clear that you have to have a current Switch Online membership to be eligible in the US. It just says you must’ve HAD one. Hopefully that’s the case as I haven’t had one for a few years.

Preordered mine from Smythstoys uk. Even if I don’t buy many overly expensive switch 2 games, the game upgrades for existing + controller upgrades make it worth that alone, along with temp game cards to play games with my son on the switch 1. If I suddenly have a change of heart I can cancel my order. Sorted, win win

Looking forward to all the "scam email" articles on NL over the next 2 months. 😂

I registered for the invitation thing but I'm gonna try to get a preorder at a retailer next week so I can get it on launch day. I am not hopeful. So I'll likely be waiting until May for the invitations to go out, and I'm thinking that even meeting the eligibility criteria won't guarantee one. So we'll see 🤷‍♂️

Where’s the Nintendo Life article on how to breathe? I’m sooooooo lost with out it.

Amusingly, several local retailers have actually put up preorder prices as well, up to 1699 BYN (circa $540 at the moment) and warning that the price is subject to change.😆

In Spain all major shop including Amazon opened preorders already.
Didn’t want to because I was a little/a lot disappointed but we’ll, finally did the preorder.

Are you kidding me? Why? There are only games that I have already played on PC with much better performance and graphics...

There is absolutely no reason to buy Switch 2 right now.

@Wadeimous were they able to sign into their individual accounts to do it? I think it's a per user restriction. I was able to put in for one. Just in case Best Buy flubs it up.

@OldGamer999 it's a pre order so isn't IN STOCK. Home delivery you can pre order it now. I've just pre ordered mine via Smyths

@BlackenedHalo not a Mariokart or GameCube fan, eh?

@progx Problem is it requires them to have a current 12 month subscription, plus ALREADY had one for 12 months. So even buying one now they'd be ineligible.

Bummed I’m not eligible because I switched to a family membership when they introduced them a few years ago. We share the cost for it, but I’m not the account holder. Hopefully enough people balk at the US price that preorders aren’t too hard to grab next week.

Amazon uk are accepting invites

No preoder or any other order. I am out of here.

So let me get this straight... to qualify more highly, I have to currently have a 12 month subscription with 50 total gameplay hours? What is this classist BS?
I'm kidding with the word 'classist', but I'm also not... customer loyalty to a multibillion-dollar corporation should never be the driving force.
I don't even use my Switch that much, but the Switch 2 is shaping up to be an insult to its legacy.

Remember a while back when it was revealed that Microsoft wanted to buy Nintendo, and Nintendo loyalists were all indignant about how evil ol' Xbox would corrupt their "good" "wholesome" brand?

Oh hey here's Nintendo doing exactly what Microsoft and Sony do, and most likely in collusion with them: raising the price of games to obscene, unreasonable highs.

Just got my order confirmation from Saturn (Germany) for the base model w/o Mario Kart after trying to get one from amazon. Didn't expect things to go that smoothly.

@Wadeimous wow. One would think Nintendo would let each user name in a family membership be able to reserve a spot for one. Damn scalpers, they made life so difficult if you want something you like.

I’ve heard other retailers made have some hard restrictions in place. GameStop is rumored to be one per user name; or something like that. Best Buy is doing a 12:01am opening on June 5th for the device (which seems unheard of today).

The whole invite thing really annoys me. I have all Nintendo consoles since the GameCube, if I can't get this one I will be really P****d, looks like it will be time to continue playing Switch 1 games,

@RubyCarbuncle, it is really frustrating, people are already selling the console on eBay for £1000,

@axelhander

To be fair, game prices have not nearly kept up with inflation. DLC shenanigans notwithstanding, AAA titles probably need to cost >$60.

On topic, anything to hurt the scalpers I’m all about. Everyone getting one through Nintendo’s service is (very near) guaranteed not a scalper. I’m hoping to get the email in May but regardless, I’m happy companies are doing it this way. Not doing a program like this is 2025 is lazy.

I really want to secure mine as I really need it for future Monolith soft titles and also did you know that Ys Proud Nordics is releasing for switch 2 in Japan only https://x.com/nihonfalcom/status/1907434413035512293

@stuie1234 me too, I'm in the same situation as you, all we can do is register on Amazon UK or game collection UK and hope for the best.

@DonkeyKongBigBoy

Don't be so pedantic..... when @OldGamer999 said it was now Out of stock I'm pretty sure you know that he just meant that they'd sold their allocation for pre orders..... not that it was literally "In Stock" beforehand

briefly in stock on very uk

well, I may not have been the one to purchase my current family membership, but I did have my own from the beginning until the 2023 holiday season, so hopefully I'm still eligible for the preorder. It doesn't say that the 2years had to be the last 2 years so I should be safe.

@Oracles_fanboi says everyone with every Nintendo console release.

Pre-orders are live in Spain. Mario Kart World for a mere €89.99... What a time to be alive, eh?

@progx Gonna see if by chance she gets the offer from Nintendo, of not I'll keep an eye out for the preorders on the 9th.

I have a question. I'm in a family group, and I'm not the supervisor but I have a switch online individual membership and the supervisor doesn't. Who (if any of us) would get the e-mail? Also, I've had switch online for over 3 years btu with breaks in between each year so does that count?

been out for a curry, back home now and part annoyed, part not remotely surprised...

annoyed that as somebody who has owned just about every N console and bought a tonne of games, I'm not deemed worthy to be allowed to pre-order, as I don't pay for the rubbish online (it is awful)...

I’m wondering how many hours you need to have played. I’ve got (& held since they were available) a NSO subscription (including the higher tier) but I’ve not played too much on my own account over the past year (my kids play it on their own - not registered online - accounts a lot so I barely get to touch it and I’d always planned to have some time off knowing everything will play better on the new device).

Hopefully they still get around to me.

@RubyCarbuncle, I thought I heard the US government recently looked into anti scalper laws for concert tickets, I wish they could also ban video game scalpers too.

It was something about Kid Rock if you ever heard of him.

@xenobladexfan It’s def against the law and you can get arrested and fined for scalping concert tickets. Truly a shame that doesn’t apply to toys/games/cards/etc and instead is considered entrepreneurial and part of the capitalistic way. Ugh.

Man I wish they’d let us in the US know if we’ve been selected / acknowledge the registration, so that we knew if we needed to shop around or we were good…..

I have the strangest feeling scalpers might end up regretting their investments this time around. At least in the short-term.

@StuTwo sounds like you had to have at least 50 hours of playtime total, not necessarily in the past X days. It's to minimize bots/scalpers with multiple accounts that haven't actually played the Switch.

So, have there been any confirmations on UK retailers having the Switch 2? I know Currys and Argos are probably gonna have pre orders on April 8th, but is there anywhere else that might do them??

@PULPCAT Smyths and Very sold out, but on Amazon you can request an invite to buy. So they'll go through all the requests, probably in order they were submitted, and email links to people.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F2T6WNG1?ref=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_NAQ10H9REZMZT4CP2ZPX&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_NAQ10H9REZMZT4CP2ZPX&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_NAQ10H9REZMZT4CP2ZPX

@Peach64 Thanks! :3 Already did that so I guess I just have to patiently wait, do you know roughly how long Amazon takes to dish out acceptances?

@trabera tell me about it, and they'll still be coming in here in 6 months time...

I got an e-mail invitation from Nintendo letting me pre-order a console from the Nintendo store.

@WiltonRoots,

Hi mate.

@DonkeyKongBigBoy

Good on you, I managed to get one as well.... hope you enjoy it....

Roll on 5th June and see you in the Mario Kart universe

Preordered from Very with Mario kart. I might cancel nearer the time. It’s a lot of money and the launch line up isn’t that exciting. I was hoping for a new Mario platformer ideally. I knew it was too soon for Zelda.

@stuie1234 I saw that. I’m sure it’ll come on release day. Very often put delivery dates further out.

Just preordered the Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle from JB Hi Fi for $769 AU. Can't wait until June 5.

For Nintendo to reach out and basically say hey you're invited to pre order, that begins April 8th right? My switch online says 4 years, its active right now, i have over 100 hours in Splatoon 2 and I opted in to receive emails and share game information or whatever that ones called. Some people have been already getting it though and thats what confuses me

I just got an alert that Best Buy will be starting pre-orders on the 9th - United States here.

I got f***** since I'm on a family plan. TBH, I never thought I WOULDN'T meet Nintendo's criteria for a console preorder preregistration.
Hopefully Best Buy has my back next week. If not, well...I had to wait three Christmases to get my PS5. Let's hope I do better than that.

For those that are getting invitations are you all in UK or EU? I am in the US. The article seems to say the date for US invitations is May 8th, but that for UK/EU the date is April 8th but also that they are already going out. Curious if I missed the first batch or not.

@jon128 I’m curious the same. US here as well, and my friend from the Netherlands already got his notification “you’ve been selected” email. Lucky turd!

Curious if we’ll get the same here, or if we’re just gonna be twiddling our thumbs until May 8th (which is so flipping odd because the rest of the world will have been pre-ordering since Apr 8/9?!?)

Edit - Should be noted that I registered the moment the US website showed it.

I’m glad I went the My Nintendo route since i’m pretty sure that means getting a Switch 2 preorder is at least guaranteed. Plus since it’s in May I can save up a bit beforehand.

@Dm9982 about when did the website start showing it? I probably registered around 4:35-4:40 EDT. The time in this article is only a little before that (4:25 EDT), so probably about as good as I could reasonably do without refreshing all afternoon (but maybe way too slow in internet terms). I went in to settings on my Nintendo account and turned on all the settings related to promotional communication not long ago too in case it matters. I also registered for the Mario Kart bundle, but hopefully they’ll invite if anything is available no matter what was selected.

I guess if so don’t get the first wave I have plenty to play on Switch anyway.

I’m on a NSO family plan with my friends. I signed up for the invite but noticed afterward that it’s only the account holder which isn’t me. My friends aren’t looking to get Switch 2 at launch so I requested the account holder to put in for the invite. Hoping for the best! I wanted a physical copy of Mario Kart despite the additional cost so I’m trying for the standard one. Hoping they come through as I’m not confident I’ll be able to secure a store preorder

@jon128 it opened around 9:30-9:45am CDT. I caught notice of it on Reddit about 30ish mins after the direct.

I’ll let ya know if I get a notification of any kind. Really hoping the may 8th is a typo. And I should qualify for all their requirements - active NSO since it started (I’m a family plan leader for NSO+ ever since NSO+ family launched)…. 900 hours a year average game time, with two peaks of 1400-1500 hours for Monster Hunter Generations and Diablo 2, and a very large collection of digital titles. So every box of theirs should be ticked.

@stuie1234 buy directly from SanDisk https://shop.sandisk.com/en-gb/products/memory-cards/microsd-cards/sandisk-microsd-express-memory-card?sku=SDSQXFN-128G-GN4NN 😁👍

@jco83 seconding this, Amazon has had notable issues with fake memory cards. Buy direct from Sandisk or Nintendo

Of course, Smyths broke the pre-order street date. Gutted I missed out on pre-ordering one there. I managed to pre-order one via ShopTo during the direct and I was lucky as that is now sold out. I also requested a pre-order invite from Amazon. I got updates from Currys and Argos, but I'd better be on it as they probably won't stick to the 8th now.

I got my Golden Ticket with My Nintendo. I hope I don't fall into the chocolate river.

@johnvboy Sort of went pretty much how I predicted in here lol...my schedules are getting more busy so I'm in no rush to get one straight away...pay in 3 is always a nice option these days too.

@Dm9982 it's not consumer friendly if they don't include the gainers with hours of playtime on theitmr clock without NSO subscription.
This is clearly pushing the subscription on more people. Some might fear to miss these kind of opportunities if they don't subscribe to NSO. Same thinking with the paid updates from S1 to S2 games... I'm not really intrigued by this practice.
However, that's the consequences of having scalpers...

@mazzel Your not exactly wrong…. But anyone who’s diehard fan will likely have the subscription.

Sony did the same with Ps5 after 4-5 months of letting the scalpers go ham…. I finally got a notification from Sony saying “hey, we saw you were subbed to Psn. For being a customer we’d (finally) like to offer you a chance to get a ps5.”

Heck with Xbox the only way I was able to get a Series X within the first 3 months without paying scalp fees was to do the Affirm credit option through Target as they had a separate piles of Affirm only Xboxes (this was nation wide and not just a Target thing, even offered on Xbox.com, I just happened to notice while at Target)

I’d have preferred Nintendo leave the sub part out (although it’s moot point to me), and focus just on the active players that have plenty of play time and plenty of purchases. Just like Valve did. Open to the people that have been registered owners with a valid active Nintendo account and have more than $50 in purchases. No sub needed.

The big difference is Nintendo has retail partners…. Valve didn’t share those same partners, or at least not in the same fashion. So they didn’t have to cater to them regarding the Deck release. Instead they released privately to the Steam members and are just now starting to slowly roll out to retail outlets.

I never felt like I deserved priority so to speak, just a guaranteed order to arrive within a year of launch that I wouldn’t have to pay a scalper fee for. I’d love a launch model, but as long as I’m not left to fend for scalpers like I was with Ps5, then I’m happy.

Fighting the scalp bots and such for ps5 was such a horrible experience that after trying diligently for months I finally gave up. By the time Sony offered me direct access I was like “meh”. Last year I’d finally saved up for a ps5 but ended up getting the Steam Deck instead. Made more sense to me, and still does.

@Dm9982 there is a footnote on the Nintendo Store page that mentions requirements might be downgraded after a certain time.
Let's see...
I have tons of switch games, for most I redeemed the gold points, plenty of digital purchases and years of subscription. Just not the last 2 years including today. So that feels not quite nice to be "left out" to be honest.

I got my PS5 launch day from local retailer in Germany. Pre orders were a drama, though...
I signed up for pre order invitations on Amazon for switch 2, lets see if this works

@mazzel I’ll wish you the best of luck! And I get feeling left out, truly I do.

I’m not sure how bad scalping is in other countries but it’s a horrible issue here in the states. If eBay was anything to go by, about half ps5 systems were being bought by scalpers for resell at launch. Switch launch was nearly as bad, and continued for the first 2-3 years. PS4 and 5 here lasted about 2 years each before they were readily on shelves at stores.

Long ago, in Toys R Us and Babbages days, a pre-order was literally just that. You placed an early order and would receive your copy/system when your order came in regardless if it came in at launch or you just had to wait….

Now days all these retailers have allotted amounts that they can pre order, which is bull. It should go back to the way it was and there wouldn’t be a scalp issue except for in the small percentage that wanted whatever it was on day one. A large portion of us would just be glad to not have to battle scalpers, and to just casually place an order and wait for our number to come up. We gladly do it for restaurants/fast food, why not software/hardware?

@Dm9982 Yeah, I wish pre-order system was structured this way. One per person, take a number, wait in line and when they have it in stock you’ll get yours. The problem with the current system is that it encourages bad behavior. Even if there was little to no demand for the product people would try to snatch up the inventory.

I’m in the US as well. Hopeful that the My Nintendo Store option works out. I think I qualify for priority but not going to get my hopes up. It’s a bummer too that we don’t find out till May. So I’ll still have to try and get something secured next week. If Nintendo just gave us a heads up by next week whether we were approved I would bow out of the other retailer orders.

@Gummisaurus Same. I don’t want to accidentally take a pre-order that someone else could use, but at the same time I don’t want to miss out. It’s so odd that the pre orders open the same basic dates world wide, yet NoE went ahead and let people know they were GTG and could just await their invite. Then NoA makes us consult the magic 8 ball….

@Dm9982 I’m wondering if NOA will also send out an early alert before next week, but we will just have to wait I guess.

But yeah, if I somehow end up with two orders I will help out a friend. I have two buddies trying to order one as well and I highly doubt all three of us will be able to get one.

@Dm9982 nice! Sounds like you should be in good shape then. Once I saw pre orders were next week I didn’t realize I had to try to register for anything today. At least I’m on a list which hopefully Nintendo will keep trying to honor as they have new stock available even if I am not in the first wave.

@jon128 I hope we all get one and don’t have to battle retailers nonsense for them!

If Nintendo follows suit to Sony, Xbox, and Valve then as long as you’re in the register, you’ll eventually get one.

Edit - also didn’t mean for it to sound like a brag, just an ADHD explanation of why I think/hope I’m qualified. And the moment I get an email I’ll post here, but especially if it’s earlier than May.

@mazzel its weird that the requirements are so much stricter for europe than the US. that said it doesn't sound like you have to had been subscribed for the previous 2 years, just two years continuously at some point.

@Dm9982 fortunately this time Nintendo is well prepared for console launch, as they've apparently already shipped out millions more switch 2 consoles then they had ready for the switch 1 launch.

@RupeeClock Really does.
I love Nintendo...but this is a weird move.
"YOU ARE NOT GAMER ENOUGH FOR OUR NEW CONSOLE!"

@kevmauldin I also read it like you said, however, without active subscription, no invitation mail. Cut off date for the system check was 31st March according to their website , so activating it right now will not put me in batch one anymore

@mazzel ah ok, didn't notice the part about you not being currently subscribed, I saw you'd been subscribed for multiple years and thought you meant weren't subscribed the full 2 years prior to today.

Looks like it's more than the three criteria in the UK. I've had paid NSO uninterrupted since it started. Have 100s of hours of playtime and opt-in to emails. No invite for me.

@Dm9982 if all Big three console manufacturers could get together and ask the US government, to make some consumer friendly laws that apply to video games, that would be really great.

Gonna wait until Argos pre-orders go live in the UK

@Nintentoad125 know any clue when that might be? I’m guessing April 8th, but with Smyths and Very going haywire and releasing pre orders too early, can you really say for certain anymore?

I am a bit let down by Nintendos rules to have a preorder.

I was already down with the reuqirement for an NSO subscription, as this is an easy way to circumvent bots, the other two restrictions are a bit arbitrary. I do hope they eventually send out new invite rounds. So far I am a bit sad, as I really don't want to compete against scalper bots...

damn you Smyths Toys

@PULPCAT I'd presume they'd stick to the 8th, seeing as there's not even any mention on the site last I checked. But we really don't know.. Best bet is to keep checking the site regularly I'm afraid 😣

Edit: the site now says that pre-orders are "coming soon"

I just grabbed a Mario Kart World bundle on Argos!

@Nintentoad125 pre-orders are up on Argos, just ordered Mario Kart World Bundle

@Noseyuk545 missed it 😣 will have to try some place else instead

I got the email from nintendo that i am able (chosen) to preorder on april 8th.

So yeah i will do that!

For those living in Germany, you can pre-order from Saturn. I just did.

@Jhena mediamarkt also and you can pre register on amazon.

But check your email spam also. My preorder mail from nintendo was in my spam folder!

@lovesushi
Thanks! I was checking my spam folder a few hours ago. Seems like Nintendo does not like me anymore. Oh well, hopefully Saturn will deliver it day one.

I just secured mine.

Donkey Kong pre order is out on smyths right now

@Jhena same. Have had NSO for 5 years uninterrupted. Plenty of play time and adopted into emails. No love for me either.

@Arkham24601
Thank you. Now I do not feel alone anymore.

@Arkham24601 it doesn't sound like the invites are supposed to be going out yet, and the preorders directly from Nintendo haven't even started yet.

just got in my preorder from smyths. anyone in Northern Ireland, there's still loads left in all stores here!

ShopTo could not fulfill my pre-order, Any England retailers got any stock? Annoyed that Argos and Smyths broke the street date without warning.

@kevmauldin preorder invite emails in the UK been going out since yesterday.

@Arkham24601 ah ok. I wonder if they've all gotten the same 72hour window. If they did you might get an invite for the 11th.

Update: Smyth's are taking in store per orders with a £20 deposit.

Anyone had their Amazon UK emails yet to Pre-order. I requested invite pretty soon as went up and haven't received anything yet. Wonder if they start doing a bunch on the 8th?

@kevmauldin they do. i got mine yesterday 7 pm european time.

@Anakin I’ve just received an email that they don’t have enough stock for My preorder but I may get one in the next batch if I’ve paid in full which I now have.
I hope you had better luck 🍀

Some bundles are back and available on Very right now

Has anyone in the US received an invitation yet? And for those of you elsewhere who already received invitations, did you get a preorder window other than the 8th through the 11th?

I was able to preorder without any hassle or stress at a big german online retailer yesterday. Of course I'm wondering if they even know how many consoles they're gonna get or if they're just gambling.
I am prepared for a "your delivey will be delayed" mesage along the road, but since I didn't qualify for the 2 years as head of NSO family anyway, I'm glad i did something.

FYI to those in the UK, I applied for a pre-order via Amazon yesterday, and this morning had the email through to pre-order the Mario Kart bundle. So if you want one and haven't done so yet, apply via Amazon!

@Hellaween got my email 8am this morning!

Synths toys had a restock

@Dimey I got mine this morning too. Got the mario kart bundle one. 😊

Pre orders are open on Game in the UK!

Also, the Smyth's restock doesn't seem to have applied to in-store pickups in Northern Ireland. Not yet at least, they only sold out here late last night anyway

managed to get mine via an instore pre-order at smyths this morning, currys is also doing the same currently

I have gotten to pre-order the one with Mario Kart World bundle since yesterday over at Smyths, I was about to do it today but my mom has actually insisted me on doing it yesterday instead, and she did the right call.

Scaplers already scalping. FFS. 200 odd pound mark up.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/127031509433?

In Sweden the basic Switch 2 bundle is like 620 euros and the physical version of games are 91 euros. Inflation my a**, there are still games made today that are 60 dollars. No way im buying this. You guys have fun, I'll go make something of myself i guess!

@Mana_Knight I doubt they will get very far yet, considering you can walk into Smyths or Currys and pre-order. We will only see the actual effect of scalping when launch day comes.

@Mana_Knight fyi when sharing links, you can delete a lot of the guff! (ebay: everything after the item number!)

Pre order is in let’s go!

@jco83 Ah, thank you! Edited now

@Mana_Knight 😁👍

What has to be done in order to prevent scalping 🤣

@Hellaween got my invite earlier and secured my pre-order. Hopefully you'll get yours soon.

I am determined to get it from Argos so that I can pay for 3/4 of it in Nectar points!

@Mana_Knight Argos preorders were available yesterday

When they claimed they will take "all possible measures" against scalpers, I didn't expect that to mean that I must prove I'm worthy of buying one...

Didn't they claim they have enough for everyone who wants to preorder? Even on Amazon you have to through the invitation system.

I pre-ordered Switch 2 with Mariokart in store at Smyths this morning. Also pre-ordered the pro controller & Petey Piranna camera.
I got my OG from Smyths on Midnight launch Day. Wow is it 8 years ago !!!!

Had an email from Curry's that they are now accepting pre-orders in-store, hopefully that's useful for some!

630$ in Norway……without MKW…

@jco83 I know. I checked, obviously far too late

@Mana_Knight i hope it becomes available again for you ! 🤞😁👍

@Myggen Norway standard VAT rate is 25% so you need to divide by 1.25

Amazon UK you have to request an invite???
Never seen that before

Hey, did anyone else who ordered from Argos just get their order refunded?

Managed to get the Mario Kart bundle pre-ordered from Game. Very excited

@BaldB3lper78 thought the same when ordering from Game but I got a payrise this week so it's my treat to myself 😂 good timing for once

@jco83 Thank you! Where do you plan to get it yourself?

@Anakin I got a preorder with Game this afternoon.
It doesn’t seem as hard as getting a PS5 was 👍🏻
I’m pleased I didn’t wait for the official pre order date mind.

@Mana_Knight i made an order with Very, as can spread cost over 12 months (interest free)

So I’m reading this as trump tariffs are not currently included in the USA pricing for the switch model and the tariff means that the console and games prices are yet to have the extra costs added.

@Manah well, allegedly they have already shipped out millions more Switch 2 units than they had available at launch for the Switch 1, and they no doubt have many more being made right now. So, it could still be the case they still have enough for everyone to preorder.

$449.99 already priced myself from buying too much hardware, maybe Pro controller but man...that's not affordable now.

Aaaaaand they're sold out already.

Super rude of them to sneakily break preorder embargo like this. Nintendo announces the 8th and then all the alternative retailers decide to disregard that and ninja launch their preorders - and not even bother to send email notifications. WTF?! By the time I realised they’d all sold out. Now Amazon and Nintendo’s own lotteries are my only hope.

@Cakefish "preorder embargo" ??? wow, talk about making things up 😅 no such thing exists

Just wondering as pre ordering in the UK has been an absolute mess and I keep missing out , can’t seem to find any answer to this question but if I preordered from a European store would that still work in the UK? Assuming I would probably need to get some sort of plug adapter?

@lemonjellydude other than the plugs that you mentioned, it should work fine as all European consoles are the same regardless of the country. You might have to pay more to have it imported to the UK, though.

@lemonjellydude You can walk into Smyths or Currys and pre order.

@darylb24 I’m no where near one sadly !

@galaxidion from where did you pre-order it? I can't find it on amazon.es

@Ulysses allegedly they've already shipped a few million consoles to the US, before the tariffs went into effect, so hopefully that keeps the price from jumping that high.

The only way these tariffs would actually anger me is if international travel stopped and some of us couldn’t afford to leave the country (in other words, got stuck here). Knock on wood. Still, I might as well wait for Air Riders, which is my only reason for getting this console, to release before making a purchase —but if prices keep rising, I can hold off. Leaving the country is important to me right now

Got my preorder on Amazon Spain Friday morning. As soon as I saw on Reddit that european amazons were taking preorders, I checked all of then until I got one with the Mario Kart World bundle. No red tape or invitations only.

@BaldB3lper78 Argos and Game want the money up front too, only Smyths don't require the full payment online, but in store I had to pay a £20 deposit. I think this is because it's a very high-demand product, and they want to be able to request allocation based on guaranteed orders.

The UK is the 3rd largest Nintendo market behind the US and Japan, so retailers will be requesting as many units as they can get (supply won't meet demand in these countries even at current prices).

I’m close to giving up with pre ordering in the UK heard nothing from Amazon despite asking for an invite very quickly after that went up, given my luck so far I’m not holding any hope for the weird pre ordering system Nintendo have gone up for . I’m a big fan of getting a new console on launch day and despite the ridiculous prices I’m all in on getting switch 2 but I’ve never experienced such a chaotic launch before.

@lemonjellydude Smyth's and Currys should be still doing in store pre orders if you can get to one.

@darylb24 sadly nowhere near me 😓

Update looks like Smyth's are sold out of in store pre orders now too but Currys still accepting pre orders with full payment upfront and day 1 launch.

Amazon uk sold out now

@lemonjellydude Looks like Game has some on their website now - check there before they sell out!

@darylb24 thank you ! But it’s sold out again 😭

On the list to be notified for Argos getting more, but nothing so far.....

Not seeing myself getting one for a while at this rate.

I got two bundles pre ordered from currys last week. You can do this in store and have to pay in full.

Now I just need to sort a console out for my duughter. Luckily I got an e-mail from Nintendo last week.

" Dear mozza,

You’ve been selected for the opportunity to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 console and selected accessories from My Nintendo Store next week! Pre-orders will open between 08/04/2025 and 11/04/2025.

On that day, you will receive another email with an invitation link. Access to pre-orders is restricted to your Nintendo Account and the email address associated with it. An active Nintendo Switch Online membership* is required to pre-order.
Your invitation will remain open until the end of the day that the invite email is sent. After that, pre-orders will remain available while stocks last.

Nintendo Switch 2 will also be available to pre-order at participating retailers.

Your step-by-step guide to getting ready for pre-order.
Ensure that you have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership* at the time of pre-order.
Visit My Nintendo Store and sign-in.
Save a delivery address in the "My Account" section.
Save a payment method in the "My Account" section.
Payment methods available include credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Sign-in

Here’s why you were selected.
You were selected based on your Nintendo Switch Online membership status, the amount of time playing purchased/paid Nintendo Switch games* and because you are opted-in to receive promotional emails from Nintendo. You are receiving this offer because you opted-in to share usage information with Nintendo. More details on the selection procedure can be found on My Nintendo Store. "

Just waiting on the second e-mail with my code. Nothing as yet.

The German shops Saturn and MediaMarkt still have the Switch 2 available. I did not expect, that they would be available for so long.

I got an e-mail from Amazon. It says, that my request to buy a Switch 2 failed, but it also says, that invitations are no longer needed. It is first come, first served again.

Anyway I hope everyone can get one!

I got the invite mail right after I found out about the prices last week. Next I had a long lasting laugh and pushed delete..

Despite spending f*** knows what on the eShop in 8 years, playing 1000s of hours (50 for the US? spent that on a single game), being a continuous online customer since that was released…no invite email for me….what on earth was the criteria then?!

Managed to get a preorder from Very (had to get a bundle) but feels a bit bittersweet, like I didn’t come up to nintendos standards to own a Switch 2…

For those who can afford to, I'd recommend pre-ordering a console from multiple places. Just return one of the consoles for a refund if needs be.
I pre-ordered TotK collectors edition from Very.co.uk, and on day of release it never arrived - a few days later I got a cancellation saying that due to no stock the order couldnt be fulfilled - so a pre-order is no guarantee you'll get a product.

I didn't get an invite because we don't play much on our main family account that buys shared games. But my kids play a lot in their accounts, I also play on my US account. That's messed up on Nintendo's "anti-scalper" algorithm. At least I got to preorder on Amazon and on my local retailer. I might cancel though as I'm waiting for a Zelda or Metroid themed Switch 2.

@MrBelmont see my comment after yours, be careful with Very

@ozwally noted thanks. I don’t have much choice though, I got in late as I though all preorders were going live 8th April inc retailers…by the time I found out the 8th was Nintendo shop only it was too late

@MrBelmont hopefully Very have sorted it out since I got TotK (well, tried to get - I have standard now). It might be worth setting up notifications for other stores incase

@jfp
Thanks for the extra info about Otto. I am also glad, that it was so easily available.

It's wast of time trying to get one
Looking on ebay the scalpers have got them all there is hell of a lot on there😒

@MrBelmont Have you opted in for promotional emails from Nintendo? That's the third criteria in addition to online membership and play time. Check your junk mail too, just in case, if you haven't already.

I preordered mine from Amazon UK last week. They've been available from other retailers for days...

Odd, they previously told me that I’d be getting an invite, but so far today, no invite. I can only assume that they’re staggering the sending of the invites. Makes sense, if they sent all the invites at the same time, their website would be bombarded into oblivion.

I'm also waiting on my invite. Hard to concentrate on work this morning when I'm busy refreshing my emails.

No need for FOMO!
You are welcome to Sweden and oreorder a $670 usd base modell and a $100 usd mariokart.
Pre-orders has been open for days, and seems not to be going away in any hurry.

The pre-ordering has been... chaotic.

The date was set as the 8th, then argos broke the street date and then every other retailer would randomly start offering preorders and by the time you found out about it the stock would be gone.

Amazon went from "we're doing invites" to "BTW it's going randomly drop"

I don't mind missing out because people were faster but missing out because everyone decided to sell it without saying anything is... "frustrating"

EE have stock live right now for pre-order BUT you have to pay in full up front.

Smyths has local stock but how local that is to folk is another matter. The closest to me is 260 miles away.

Argos has stock live roght now too.

Argos and EE

Still No Pre-Orders in any Lithuanian Retailers, but now I hope of they not happening yet then I hope they gotta delay till April 11th, because price here most likely be around 600€ for regular NS2 and 650€ for NS2 with MKW while I atm have atm a little less then 550€ and I won't get my pays until at least April 11th (usually is 12th, but this time is Saturday and in that case it's usually ends up payed at 11th at Friday then).

Managed to get mine sorted today in the Netherlands, they'd been sold out previously. The Switch 2 + Mario Kart Bundle is the obvious choice. Good luck getting one everyone else and my condolences if it's out of reach for now <3

Hi, can you please stop lumping Canada in with the States? Preorders up here are indeed still beginning tomorrow and you nearly gave me a stroke 😭

@RupeeClock Nice one!

Yes, I did the same with the Nintendo store and I also want the Gamecube controller!

Got a pre-order direct from Nintendo. I also have one with Argos

EE is now out of stock. Argos is still available.

Had my email from My Nintendo Store; pre-ordered the Mariokart World bundle, Pro Controller 2 & Carry Case: whoop!!!

Still annoyed I never received an invite.
I fit all the criteria and it never came through. I don't mind setting it up this way but make sure it works properly!

Preordered from GAME last week and I'm waiting for my email from My Nintendo Store after being invited last week so I can order my Wife's console and a Gamecube controller. It seems the emails are coming out now right?

Oh can anyone confirm whether MNS charge for everything now or on dispatch? I can pay for it now so I'd rather do it as soon as I can and usually they charge on dispatch from the previous times I've ordered from them.

Just got the e-mail from My Nintendo Store and got one, thank feck. And a load of peripherals… (note to self: don’t spend any money in May)

@StreetDev92 on dispatch it looks like, I haven’t been charged anything so far

No second Email from Nintendo (Europe) yet! I got the info that i would get one today but i guess i will have to wait.

Anyone from europe who got the e-mail today?

are the invite emails on my Nintendo store being sent gradually or did they all get sent at once? Starting to worry I didn't get the chance even though I got the email saying I was eligible...

Man, South African prices are BRUTAL. The console, plus Mario Kart, Kong and a case are a months family groceries.

If my daughter wasn't 11 I think I'd wait a long time on this, but in a year or two she might not want to spend time playing Mario Kart.

You win, Nintendo.

@HaroGenkide

i am waiting too, i guess it will be sent out sooner or later if you got the first email. i guess… i mean i hope.

Yes! Managed to bag one, beyond excited!

Got my invite half an hour ago. Got to secure one!

Switch 2 bundle.
Pro Controller
GameCube Controller
Micro SD Express Card

Grand total: €729,96

Now I wait until the Switch 2 Experience on May 11th.

@lovesushi then we shall wait together!

Is everyone constantly refreshing their emails? or is that just me?!

I registered for the Nintendo official invite, but it hasn't come so my partner and I ordered one each via Argos.co.uk - got lucky and managed to grab them whilst they were in stock for pre-order.

@HaroGenkide same. Got that email then silence, still waiting for the email with the invitation link

Uk folks, I just snagged one on Argos so take a look if you’re wanting to pre order

Edit, looks like this isn’t news, missed the previous comments

@StreetDev92 Yes me too, but it could arrive from April 8th to 11th, I could refresh for 4 days! I feel a bit stupid in the end they convinced me, despite all the various complaints...

As an American, I am totally jealous

@MischiefMaker Check your order with Argos, mine has been cancelled

Can I ask a question: Why is it that Nintendlife, as standard, writes about "Europe" in the headlines only to solely quote British prices? The British market is a small fraction of the European market (and kinda separate from it, even).

I've come to ignore your articles about "European anything", knowing it's actually going to be UK relevant only. Those affiliate links are useless to most of us, too. Just saying.

@nocdaes THANK YOU! I'd asked them to notify me, but they didn't. I had a £100 gift card, so have managed to get the Mario Kart bundle ordered for £333 - score!

@psyraven76 Nice one!

Anyone in Germany gotten an invite?
I would qualify easily and got nothing...
Pre-ordered Switch 2 with MKW at Media Markt and Amazon just in case, but really would've loved the GC Controller directly from Nintendo.

I received my pre order invitation thank you Nintendo

@psyraven76,

Awesome result, and that has to be the best deal on Mario Kart World.. I can't see Nintendo offering those bundles for too long.

I'm really fighting the urge to get one from Argos the longer I wait for the Nintendo invitation followup email. I'd rather get it straight from the source plus a Gamecube controller but occasionally I'll remember how they messed up with game preorders like Xenoblade Chronicles 3's Collector's edition! Hopefully its smooth sailing so far for the UK and EU preorders.

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed,

The fact Amazon do not seem to have any worries me when Argos just seem to be taking way too many pre orders. I just think this may end up in tears..

Hope I am wrong though.

@OldGamer999,

Who knows?

@johnvboy It’s odd, I’ve had no official email from Argos saying it has been cancelled, only an email from PayPal saying Argos has refunded me the price of the system when I go on my order it says so it’s cancelled. So not sure what is going on

I’m still waiting for an invite from Nintendo Store…

Just sitting here patiently refreshing my email waiting on the invite since this morning... COME ON AND TAKE MY MONEY NINTENDO!!!

Had been checking Argos first thing each morning and even today was saying sold out, but just rechecked and it let me order and pay for the Mario Kart bundle version. Will cross fingers, toes, arms and legs that it is fulfilled

I got the invite link and I'm logged in but it seems to think I'm not an active NSO member now so I can't preorder anything??

EDIT: I figured it out, I signed out of my account and re-signed in and the preorders were available, little glitch but if anyone is having any issues maybe try that?

But I did it! Got my Switch 2 + Mario Kart, Pro Controller and Gamecube Controller!

I managed to pre order mine yesterday on Very whilst waiting for a train.
Thought I would just have a check to see if they had anything and they did. It was the Mario Kart + DK bundle, so I will have to wait until July to get it.

Got my invite and at first there was no option to pre-order any Switch 2 or Bundle at Nintendo Store and eventually I was able to.

Hopefully it won’t be cancelled like my Argos order was

@RupeeClock It could be why, I did mine through PayPal, not sure why that would be a problem though? It’s set with my bank

@StreetDev92 I had the same issue, took me a while

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Hmm, it still says processing and I haven’t got any email yet. Not confident then…

Thanks for the heads-up

sigh

Stupid tarriffs…..

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Ah I see, glad you got it sorted!

@MischiefMaker I never got anything from Argos saying it was cancelled, only an email through PayPal saying Argos had refunded me even though I didn’t think they take anything until it’s shipped? So that’s why I checked my order with Argos and saw that it was cancelled when I clicked on my order

@StreetDev92 I hope you managed to get your gear. It’s going to be a pricey month for me but worth it

If you are in the UK, Argos still seem to have some in stock still

I got my pre order link now from Nintendo (Germany) and preordered the bundle.

Does anyone know when payment will go through? I hate being „in debt“ if they do not process it soon.

Please, guys, DO NOT PREORDER! DO NOT BUY THE CONSOLE AT LAUNCH!

If we resist the temptation and wait a little longer, Nintendo will see no other chance than to low the prices of the games.
We need to send them the message, not with words, but with acts.

WE WON'T BUY YOUR GAMES AT THOSE PRICES, NINTENDO!

Got my pre order invite from Nintendo at 1230. Verification code took over five minutes to come thru... picked up console + Mario Kart, Pro controller and GameCube controller.

Just reordered from Nintendo UK site:

-Switch 2 + Mario Kart
-Pro Controller
-2 x GameCube controllers
-Carry case

£643.95. Bargain.

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Looks like I have got a confirmation email from Argos, and on my account it on Argos it shows as processing still. So I guess that’s different from your scenario. Glad you got one another route

@MischiefMaker I got the confirmation too.

It could be because I made my order through PayPal and not a credit card. Argos have yet to email telling me it’s cancelled 😕

I hope your order will be fine though

Got the mns email and managed to place my order. They surely staggered emailing a lot

Got mine straight from Nintendo. I wasn't sure if I was going to get one at launch before the Direct but they decided to put the release date a day before my planned vacation so I might as well.

I think Nintendo's pricing is pretty fair when it comes to the console itself. The same can't be said for Finnish online stores which apply VAT on top of the VAT included in Nintendo's price, which makes the Mario Kart bundle about 650€. Someone at Bergsala (distributor for Nintendo products here) doesn't know how to count. I got the bundle and all the accessories I wanted for the same price.

Around 2 hours and 50 minutes ago I Pre-Ordered NS2 + MKW edition! I lucked out cause my country's best gaming retailer sold normal NS2 for 529€ and NS2 + MKW edition for 579€ which I Pre-Ordered!

Managed to get the Mario Kart bundle ordered at Argos this morning!! So hyped already!!!!!!

cries in american

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Argos will only take the payment at dispatch. PayPal will only hold a pending transaction for 30 days then it will cancel it. I expect this is why your order got cancelled?? If true, Argos shouldn't give the PayPal option if more than 30 days from dispatch.

@SViper and NS2 Physical Games are 5€ cheaper at that retailer of my country like they already do with NS1 Physical Games aka MKW is 85€, DKB 75€ and so on!

@MischiefMaker same boat as you. I think Argos pre orders sit at processing until dispatch ..... That's what I'm hoping anyway 🤞

@FuzzieGinge88 I don't expect prices to increase, I expect them to decrease.

And I'm not delusional. I don't want to be robbed.

@Duncanballs I see, that was probably why
They still haven’t even emailed me yet explaining any of this

I’m glad I was able to order from Nintendo though

Despite having nearly 7 years of online service, hundreds of hours of gameplay and the appropriate email settings. I wasn’t deemed worthy by Big N of an email. Not going to lie. Feel a little deflated by this.

@RupeeClock Argos wise last week after purchasing a few hours later I had an email with the order confirmation and a text to say order confirmed. Payment came off my bank card same day.

@Wellhiddenmatt I bought a Virtual Boy back in the day and even after that effort, I equally was not worthy 😟

@lovesushi In the FAQ they say that payment for pre-orders is 7-14 days before release. When I bought my console, I read that the payment will be advanced a few days to ensure delivery on June 5th. However, the exact date of payment is not indicated.

@Duncanballs Argos took payment off my Amex same day order was confirmed. Unusual, but I've double checked and it's passed through the system.

@Wraggadam1 Try opening the link from the email in an incogito/private browsing window. When I first tried it didn't work for me, but when I started a new session on their website, it all worked super smoothly...

Nintendo gave me nothing but finally managed to snag a pre order at Argos which was ridiculously stressful 😩 keep trying everyone , it’s clear that more and more stock will keep opening up

@lemonjellydude Glad you got one!

FYI for everyone else in the UK the standard Switch 2 is still available at Argos right now but will go quick!

Argos take full payment upfront - Only Smyths lets you pay on dispatch or a £20 deposit in store. Smyths had a couple of online and in store batches but have sold out now. Only some store in NI are allowing pre orders now. I am glad I got my instore pre order last Thursday before they sold through allocation. I only had to pay £20 too and will have to pay the rest when I pick it up on the 5th.

@97alexk

I think it's Bergsala's greed, since Nordics seem to be all suffering from this ridicilous 100--130€ more than anywhere else pricing.

Bergsala - s****ing over nordic nintendoplayers since 1981.

We missed out Club Nintendo with Wii, now we are slapped with ridicilous prices

@Late I have to say I loved how smooth the process was with Nintendo.

..now I just hope they won't give me "oops, we unfortunately need to cancel your order"

I also did my order middle of working (shhhh!) so I forgot accessories. But made another order for those.

@Finntendo Yeah definitely. Very sad to see such complacency from Bergsala

Home delivery preorders are back in stock for Smyths

Edit: nevermind, went out of stock moments later!

I didnt get an invite. (Netherlands)

I wonder why I didn't get an invite for the Nintendo store. I've done everything they said would get you an invite. Maybe they are only doing a certain amount a day?

Never got any invite even though I registered for them.

@Sheepscar Thanks for your advice earlier. My ordering with Nintendo didn't seem to go as smooth as others! I did get one in the end, but only after queuing twice. I also received about 6 access codes about 4 hours after ordering, so who knows what happened.

Was still better than my Xenoblade 3 collectors edition experience though ...

I already preordered. Yes, I am a very lucky person.

Unfortunately, it sounds like Canada's preorders are delayed just like the US.

I will probably try to order through Nintendo Directly. I am not really in a rush to get the system, but If I get that email. It will happen. I will wait on accessories if I can use my old controllers. I don't need much lol. The memory will wait for sure. Give it a year or 2 and they will be cheaper lol.

I'm feeling increasingly grateful I was able to do an in store pre order at Smyths last Thursday! The store I went to has sold out its allocation for day one launch.

@jfp Yep, I just received an e-mail from them - finally! Worth checking your inboxes if you hadn't had one previously, as the offer is only valid for the day that you receive the e-mail. I imagine they will send out fresh invites every day this week based on how many people take up the offer each day!

I already have a pre-order with Argos because I had a gift card I wanted to use, so I'm going to skip this one (and hope that I don't end up regretting that if Argos cancel on me...) That does mean that at least one other person should get an invite tomorrow, though

Invitation from Nintendo arrived by mail just as I landed at Reykjavik airport. Bit of a mad scramble to get through the virtual queue (was quite easy in the end) while I was still on the tarmac and had some 5G.

There's a 90 day pause on the tariffs (until about 2 weeks before Donkey Kong Bananza releases), so hopefully Nintendo can ship out a bunch before then so as not to have to raise the price for North America.

Already pre-ordered mine, though the price in Norway is horrendous, hoping for a price decrease by then or I might have to reconsider. ***** Bergsala.

@kevmauldin That’s what I’m hoping too! Though I’m surprised that Nintendo Life hasn’t made an article about the tariff pause considering there’s already multiple about the tariffs themselves.

@Wellhiddenmatt well after a couple of days I got the email. I am now poor but happy.

Pro controller available on Amazon UK now for anyone in need.

To me the accessories will come after I recover from buying Switch 2. If my stars are aligned correctly.

Any word on different options for the case? I had more of a pouch style case for my switch to slide in and out of and I think I'd prefer that to the other option.

My life and work currently puts me in Cambodia (great place, come) and it's unlikely that the Switch 2 will be out here until July or August so my wallet gets a reprieve and I get to see how well the opening selection performs.

Is there any benefit to ordering direct from Nintendo? I have received one of the coveted invites, but I already managed to nab an order with Very (after a friend recommended the Hotstock app). Is there any benefit to changing to Nintendo direct? I’m not really sure which retailer is more reliable for successfully fulfilling preorder deliveries.

@Cakefish It's less likely your order will be cancelled since Nintendo won't take more orders than they have units for. Other retailers aren't guaranteed to actually receive all the systems they expect to receive, and the later you got your preorder in the more likely it is that a given retailer will cancel it.

@Cakefish Depends what country you are based in really. The UK and US along with Japan has significant stockpiles already in their countries with respective retailers able to bid for allocations based on guaranteed pre orders (hence pre orders happening in waves). The Nintendo store stock comes from that same stock pile. The good news is for these particular countries is that units are only allocated on a pre order basis due to demand. In the UK as an example the first shipment allocation was around 200,000 in January from China (no high tariffs). UK retailers can provide pre orders for the allocations they are given. Currys got 15,000 while Argos and Amazon got around 25,000. Smyth's got 20,000 and I think Game for 15,000. Other retailers got smaller amounts. Once the allocations sell out they can request more.

@darylb24 @kevmauldin looks like Nintendo UK are out of stock now, so I'm keeping my Very order active!

Now only if NA can our Preorders.

I wonder how long it will take for me to get a Switch 2. No news about when pre-orders will start here and we still have no clue how many units will be available after launch date either. =/

It's beginning to look like the Nintendo Online Preorder of May 8 if that is what it is will be when other PreOrders will be happening. Not sure if this is good or bad....

Happy 400th comment!

Edit: well, it was until 2 comments got deleted...

I don't think I'll get it at launch, but it would be nice to know when pre-orders start in North America. Thankfully, it seems like the tariffs won't affect electronics, so Nintendo might not even need to raise the price here, but time will tell.

@Jester676 If they don't announce the preorder date within the next week, I expect that to be the case.

@kevmauldin Yeah, I know at the rate were going with Nintendo it's look like May 8 a month before release of Switch 2. I think because of the stop from Nintendo they have to work with all retailer and shippers to get everything on track.

For those in Northern Ireland, Smyths has finally "restocked" all shops here for click and collect. Still in stock in all of them.

Sadly, no North American preorder update during the MKWorld direct.

Great! Now we just need to know what time on the 24th. Will it be midnight or like 9am?

For folks in NA, Gamestop starts online preorders at 11am EST, Target Starts at Midnight. I'm not sure for other retailers.

So from what I can gather...

*GameStop:
April 24th as doors open (in-person only)
April 24th 11 AM ET (online)

*Best Buy:
April 24th at seemingly no time stated yet (online)

*Target & Walmart:
April 24th Midnight/12 AM ET (online)

thank god for some of the comments since Nintendo Life couldn't bother to update this for the US. Thank you to those who gave out the updated info.

@LavaTwilight interesting that they'd send an invite if they were sold out, how soon after you got the invite email did you try to preorder? I don't know if Europe gets the same 72 hour window as it says US and Canada gets, but if that's the case maybe you tried too late. If they really did sell all of the allotted preorders I doubt they will restock until the system releases. That said, it's worth trying again, you might have luck later.

that's the one benefit for those of us in NA having to wait until may to preorder from Nintendo, gives a back up plan if we can't get it from a retailer.

But I thought nobody wanted to buy a Switch 2 because the console and games were too expensive.

Still waiting for my invitation to come. XP

Best Buy has finally confirmed they will be starting preorders at Midnight on the east coast.

Hope I can get a Best Buy preorder in. I have enough store credit to cover a very large portion of the cost of the system if it’s from there.

The Switch 2 is still available in German shops. Only the Mario Kart bundles seem to be sold out so far. I wonder if it was like that, when the Switch released. All I remember is, that Amazon was always sold out, just a few minutes or hours after I got a pre-order in of the original Switch.

@killercerial Nintendo consoles will always sell well at launch/for a short while after launch…even Wii U sold decently out of the gate. It’s the months that follow that will give us a sign of how things are going to go, but yeah I don’t think this is going to fail. The system itself isn’t extortionately priced all things considered and I think people will generally accept $70 as the new standard just as everybody has on other platforms.

@larryisaman,

Totally get that. But this is a million miles from the Wii to Wii U situation. The Switch brand is very powerful at the moment. The Switch 2 will simply continue in the same vein. Of course time will tell...

@killercerial I think it will too, probably not to the same level of success as Switch 1 but outside of controversial pricing they’re doing everything right. Capable hardware that isn’t confusing, good name, strong first party lineup and third parties are on board with solid releases already.

I think their biggest challenge will be getting families to buy multiple consoles as many did with Switch 1. It is expensive and the inevitable lite model will likely still be a lot of money for most people. Honestly I think an entry level TV only Switch 2 within the first few years would be a great move and a great option for families, especially with game sharing working with Switch 1.

@killercerial but they are well more prepared than they have been for past console releases, they've already shipped millions more switch2 than they did for the launch of the switch1 and they've still got over a month to make and ship more.

@kevmauldin,

Totally agree. I have always stated the Switch 2 will have a very similar success to the original. This will be the best selling console launch ever. No question in my mind.

Eh. Console seems good, only games I really want though are DKB and MP4, MKW is good for multiplayer, but nothing else. I’m only trying to get one at launch to avoid future price increases.

Thanks for the well wishes. With about 30 minutes to go I've been reading that the Walmart website is wack and Best Buy isn't too far behind. I do not expect things to go well for most people trying to preorder tonight. 🤪

Nothin but 'coming soon' on Best Buy so far. I wish you all better luck!

I got my pre-order for the Mario Kart World Bundle through Target!

Heck yeah!!!!

Best Buy is broken...

Target won't allow in store pickup. Shipping only with delivery a few days after launch.

Hearing some people have had their Target orders canceled already.

@rjejr,

Good luck I hope you get one. Hopefully Nintendo have produced enough to stop the scalpers grabbing them all. I would suggest the base console would be a good bet as many will be trying to grab those Mario kart world bundles.

@GamingFan4Lyf,

Awesome. I ordered in the U.K on the day of the Switch 2 direct. Curry's electricals did a low key pre-order system where you did it in store and paid up front. I ordered one for me and my sister. We both got base consoles, Mario Kart World @£70, and Switch 2 pro controllers.

I can hear Target's servers creaking under the load. It's in the cart, I'm at checkout, just can't place the order due to "service unavailable" errors.

Did anyone in the U.S. manage to get a preorder through? They were all gone like, the millisecond after midnight with the exception of Walmart who has me "in line" for an indeterminate amount of time (who knows if there's even any stock left or they're just jerking me around with this). I think scalper bots snapped up all of the online stock, might have to go into my Gamestop tomorrow. Luckily it's in a rural area and I don't think there's a line forming yet, but this has not gone well so far.

Ah hah, finally went through! BTW Target's lied about availability until I was signed in, said they were sold out but they weren't.

Holy crap I got a switch 2. I never in a million years figured I’d press ok in time after the ps5 debacle. But holy crap I got Mario kart world bundle. YES! YES! YES!

Best Buy still "Coming Soon"...

@Bolt_Strike Through pure brute force and cussedness, I was somehow able to squeeze a single order for the MKW bundle in on Target!

It says delivery between June 6-11th, but that’s better than the utter failure Best Buy and GameStop were for me tonight!

I just wanna preorder the damned thing Target…

Walmart handled it like a champ.

I was put in line for Walmart before midnight. It said about a half-hour. During that time, I was trying to check out at Target. No such luck. With about 15 minutes left at Walmart, they put me live and gave me my 10-minute window. That was super smooth. I bought that in a few seconds (with my credit card already saved), and it was cheaper, and they say I'll have it delivered the morning of June 5 FOR FREE.

I'd go Walmart, if they still have 'em.

@Bolt_Strike I was on three different sites. Two of them (Best Buy and Target) borked on me but I did the line thing with Walmart and was able to secure a preorder.

@Metal_Slugger ABSOLUTELY THIS! I’m actually impressed with how Walmart handled it.

Been trying since everything went live. Still no luck. Walmart has me in line and Target keeps telling me something went wrong and won’t confirm my order

Target let me add it to the cart but only on my phone and trying to pay isn't working. I assume it is gone, but I kept trying for a bit. I switched to my phone too late I think.

Best buy never said anything other than "coming soon"

Walmart says I am "in line" but I think that is BS

If I can't get this to go through in the next 5 minutes at target I am just going to call it a loss and hope for an invite from Nintendo in a couple weeks

@derickw69 I'd wait for Walmart. But do check back, because they may bump you up before that wait time actually ends. And then you only have 10 minutes to buy.

Hopefully no one would wait in line to only be told it's gone. I'm not sure about that. But it absolutely worked for me after about 20 minutes of waiting.

@derickw69 If you keep trying with Target, it might work. I had to try to progress it at least 15 times before it all finally went through.

Yeah I think they're gone now. Walmart kicked me out of line now and I never got a chance to order (and attempting to reorder sends me in an endless loop), and Target lets you get to checkout and says "Something went wrong". Gamestop and Best Buy just said "Coming soon" even a millisecond after refreshing the page. Going to have to try my luck with Gamestop in store tomorrow. If I can't get that, I'm screwed.

@whitemage I could not get Target to work. I must have tried twice that many times, at least. But then, Walmart said I was ready to buy. And it was very quick and painless.

@AussieMcBucket been in line with Walmart since about 10 minutes after preorders went live. It is currently 11:30 pm where I live and I need to be up at 5 am for work. If it doesn’t come through in the next ten minutes I may just have to hope that Nintendo sees me worthy to give me an invite.

@AussieMcBucketAt Walmart I see "This item is likely to sell out, but you can stay in line and we'll let you know if any are available when it's your turn." and "Hold my spot and Keep Shopping" That sounds different than what it said for you when you got in the line for real (you mentioned an estimated time).

I am just going to bed and hoping for a nintendo invite. Staying up was a waste.

In line at Best Buy.

Instantly sold out on all 3 sites. I got a target order through and they cancelled! Got another one and the bank declined the duplicate transaction. R.I.P.

@AussieMcBucket Nice, high five! I must've gotten lucky with Target.

@jon128 Yeah, this is the only message I've been getting from Walmart, I've been "in line" for a while and still not getting anywhere.

Oh yeah, Best Buy finally got their act together, everyone go go go!

in line at best buy for 10 plus mins

Best Buy just let me in line so that I can't go to sleep.

Target App was clutch, confirmation email, 30 min later, no cancellation email. I think I'm good.

Walmart handled it like a champ!

It made me wait in line just before midnight. I waited. Then I bought one. I didn't rush it at all.

It's officially sold out at Target, don't bother with that.

Aaaand sold out. And they say capitalism isn’t a joke of a system.

Walmart came through for me--finally got a Mario Kart bundle and a Pro Controller 2 for June 5 delivery. Going to see if I can stay awake a little longer and get an order in for my son too--still in line at Best Buy.

Had one in my cart with Target, but they charge your card and reverse the charge with each checkout attempt. So, of course, my debit card is flagged for fraud. On hold with my bank for 40 minutes and they finally pick up and tell me their systems are down ("looks like everyone is trying to make the same purchase") and they won't be able to lift the restriction on my account until 2 hours from now. Now the Switch in my Target cart is gone and my bank account is locked until tomorrow for fraud. Such a great experience.

I give up, not going to stay up all night for this. Nintendo said there will be plenty in stock for launch, yeah right.

@tobsesta99 As much as I despise capitalism, there'd be no getting around this in any economic system.

Had one on my cart at Walmart. Tried to place the order with the clock ticking and had to do the "hold button to verify". Verified, got the checkmark, and then 3 loading dots while the countdown went to 00:00. If it weren't 1am I would be punching my desk in half right now.

Before getting in bed, I refreshed Best Buy one last time and got "in line" but I am pretty sure I am too late there as well... I probably got "in line" at 12:45 It would be nice if they would not let you be "in line" if they know there are way more people queued up than they have stock.

@ThisisJosh Had the same Target experience. In line on BestBuy but I got in so late I doubt anything will come up; and if it does, now I don't know if my card will work. Probably off to bed and try with Gamestop tomorrow.

Anyone else in Canada wanna have a "refresh the page 50 times" party til 2am?

@derickw69 Good luck to you. Maybe check back again later.

@jon128 Yeah, that does sound different. Ugh. I wish you good luck.

@whitemage Nice! I'm glad it worked for you then. High five!

I am giving up again and going to bed for real this time.

@J_C Sorry to hear, friend. If you have BofA or Capital One, your card won't work. You'll have to call tomorrow to unlock it. They're both overloaded right now with "fraudulent" Target charges for around $500 so they've just shut everything down for the next few hours.

waiting in line for both version at best buy still but decided to try walmart and randomly got one without mario kart but wish everyone good luck!

@adventurousshark nice! I just tried that and was able to add to cart and place order but then it said out of stock before completing. I hope your order stays good!

My brother got a confirmation email via Walmart. I'm not sure if that's gonna turn into an actual Switch 2, but it's something.
All the cancellations people suffered through with PS5 leave me feeling a little deflated.
So does the 33 minutes waiting for Best Buy's line, but that's neither here nor there (it's definitely here).

Anyone have luck w/ Best Buy after sitting in line for 20+ minutes? Or should I just go to bed?

@speed_loafer I've seen people have orders go through with BB.
Not me, but friends of friends.

Best Buy had me in line for the Mario Kart bundle and then refreshed the page and instantly letme back in line lol

My bank asked me to confirm my purchase in app. I said yes, but it still declined. THANK GOODNESS I financed a TV at Best Buy in the past year and had that Best Buy card on file. Phew. Best Buy worked for me after 30+ minutes.

Walmart line finally let me through an hour later. I go to check out and it says there's none available. Still see the "10 minutes to check out" counting down. Guess it's back of the line!