Feature: Just How Hard Is It To Buy A Nintendo Switch In Japan?

I'd imagine it all depends on where you try to buy a Switch.

Japan has much lower crime than many other countries but I feel like walking around with a switch in hand might be taking your life into your own hands over there right now. I hope Nintendo can meet stock demands soon.

So glad I pre-ordered.

Wow, that is an enormous wasted opportunity by Nintendo. I expected them to drop a whole load of Switches on Splatoon 2 release in Japan.

Not easy to stay fresh in Japan...

I find it strange seeing people queue up for a chance to buy a switch when every game store and large supermarket near me has so many in stock!
Maybe Nintendo should reevaluate how many switch consoles they are sending to different places..

I have a relative that lives in Japan that got me a Switch because Switches weren't available were I live (now there are and they cost $600 because stuff is expensive here). He said that when he ordered it there were only 3 left, 2 Greys and 1 Neon Red/Blue. I got the Neon Red/Blue obviously.

I'm in German, i can see a few splatoon bundle around.... and lots of amiboo

Was at Best Buy today and they had 10 displayed with plenty of Splatoon merchandise. Not sure if that was all they had but it was nice to see.

On the one hand I'm happy for Nintendo that their latest console is selling incredibly well, but on the other hand I'm infuriated that they can't seem to understand how to mass produce anything that sells well. Come on; get it together.

Just got mine yesterday! Southern California

I live in Kobe and I haven't found a Switch since release..

Very cool article!

@Spoony_Tech 10 Switch? The normal Switch or did the US get that Splatoon 2 bundle? My wife was supposed to go to the store today and pick me up Cloud, not sure if she ever made it.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder how many copies of S2 Nintendo could have sold in Japan, and elsewhere, today if they had released it on the Wii U? Wii U got Zelda, why not S2? Would at least give all of those people a chance to play it who can't get a Switch, still seems like a lot of those.

Oh, and before all the name calling begins, PS3 and X360 got plenty of the same games as PS4 and X1 as dual releases. People bought Switch for Zelda even though it's on Wii U, did Zelda on Wii U kill Switch sales? I doubt S2 on Wii U would have hurt Switch sales, but ti would have made them more money, sequel looks mostly the same.

Mario is the Switch seller, that had to be a Switch exclusive, it's Mario. And ARMS. ARMS needs to be only on Switch, but this looks like it could run on Wii U.

Put another way, S2 is an online game, there are probably several million people in Japan alone who want to play this but won't be abel to b/c of lack of stock. All of those players know they will be at a disadvantage online whenever they get the game w/ all of the new weapons. Doesn't seem fair. Seems like a game that should have released next summer when the online install base was there. Wii U currently has a 3-1 install base advantage. Sell it on Wii U this summer, S2 Deluxe on Switch next summer. Or S3. Lots of games are annual.

Good luck everyone, looks like you're going to need it.

My splatoon 2 bundle switch has came today from Amazon and I'm excited and gutted cos the console is here yey but the gorgeous box is damaged been stabbed narrowly missing a joycon!😁😔😡

I wouldn't queue up like that for a kidney, let alone a game system.

It's absolutely awful over there, isn't it? Granted, I've yet to see a Switch in a store myself. But a friend of mine got one, so I think the issue isn't as bad as in Japan (fortunately).

@rjejr True, but Sony didn't release any games for the PS3 anymore when they released the PS4. Same applies here.

@GrailUK i agree on some of those products but if you'd done your research you'd know that meeting demand for Switch's right now is difficult because there's an industry wide shortage of components, and with Apple and lots of other big name hardware manufacturers also after those parts, Nintendo isn't able to secure enough for Switch at present.

What do you expect them to do, conjure the components out of thin air?

My household in North Dakota, USA has 3 switches, 2 neon and 1 grey. 1 from gamestop and 2 from target. We're set for now, lol.

@rjejr my guess besides them wanting it Switch exclusive to make people buy a switch would be that Splatoon 2 runs 1080p at 60 fps with higher graphics than splatoon 1. They of course could've made a port for wii u with toned down graphics but chose not to, to encourage more Switch sales.

Are they really that intimated by meeting demand after the failure of Wii U. C'mon, Nintendo...

@Folkloner Yep, that's pretty much it. Plus, it made business sense for Nintendo to be conservative with Switch manufacturing; it's obviously a big hit, but that fact was nowhere near a known quantity before release.

I hope they can ramp up production on year 2. It's so great to see a Nintendo console do so well and be part of the conversation again, but a bit disheartening to think just how many copies they could be selling weekly were it not for the component shortage.

I feel if this continues, I won't be able to buy one this holiday, since I'm pretty sure the stock shortage will continue :<

Wal mart here in Temecula Ca had 7 yesterday. Some guy tried to buy all of them.

@Hikingguy re: "why not just import?": because regular people, a. don't know it's an option, b. if they do, they have to jump through myriad hoops to purchase one (address, cc, etc.), or c. the cost differential is too great depending on exchange rates.

Nintendo and Scalpers strike again.

@rjejr that would be great but sadly will never happen. I love splatoon but the experience was better for me with the gamepad. Played the splatfest demo and still not feeling it. 2 on Wii u would've been instant buy tho

Way to go dedicated grandpa!

That's crazy, Switches are fairly plentiful here in Nova Scotia; I see them everywhere. Of course, the population of the Tokyo metro area is greater than the entire country of Canada's.

Santa's gonna need another sack this year.....

I just came back from my local store ( Germany ) and we currently have about 5 Splatoon bundles , 4 grey Joycon bundles and 2 neon Joycon bundles in stock. We also had plenty of Amiibo for Splatoon 2 there and about 15 copies of the game. You could say that its not really difficult to stay fresh here.

@rjejr Just the regular gray at that. But it was nice to see the display set up. Check my Twitter for a pic.

I haven't seen a Switch in stores since release, and my wife and I have looked...

@MegaTen True. I didn't even know it was possible to line up that politely for the chance to buy something. Had that been Black Friday in the US there would have been like 10 deaths and 20 cars towed.

I got one today finally. Best Buy restocked today. Got there 5 minutes after opened and I was third person to buy one.

WOW

Well this makes me feel really lucky to have two Switches in my house.

Imagine how many consoles they could have shifted if they had them.

@thesilverbrick They cant ramp up production becuase there competing for parts with apple, you know the mega company who makes 2 phones a year.

The situation is the same in Osaka, yesterday I gave up and bought a PS4.

Oh nice. Fun article. More stuff from Japan like this would be most welcome!

I guess the shortages are only related to japan.
Splatoon 2 will be a huge system seller.
I hope everyone has fun with the game.

@Sloda What was their excuse for shortages of the NES Classic Edition? What about the utter lack of amiibo a couple years ago? This pattern is not simply an issue of sourcing parts or isolated to just the Switch. Nintendo has a terrible track record of underproducing things that are popular.

I live in West Virginia and unless you get on a list for a Switch you are not gonna get one anytime soon , I ask a worker at one of the local Game stops the size of the waiting list and he said that the list there was a little over 700 , the same applies to Wal-Mart, Toysrus, Best Buy and Target here all have huge waiting list .You would think this was the only gaming system out there at the moment. LoL.

I'm not buying a Switch atm. I'm waiting for the right moment. No haste from my side. I want a pricecut and see more A++ titles of course. Just too few now to even get bothered and I've seen new updates and DLC addons and it will continue. Eventually we will get the full version on physical release so I can't be bothered.

And not to forget we've seen Xbox coming with their X version and PS4 came with Pro. I can see Nintendo doing the same by adding 2gb extra to ram to have more possibilities with their system and maybe higher specs. They did it with 3DS as well so why wouldn't they do it with Switch console. So i will be waiting and patient

What's interesting is the Switches available on taobao (China's ebay/amazon market) are Hong Kong versions, which are just Japanese versions with a sticker on the box and these seem to be in no short supply. Looking at the prices in the photos here, the price is basically the same too.

I went to three stores searching for a Splatoon 2 Pro Controller today with no luck. The odd thing was that at my last stop there was an actual single Switch system just waiting to get purchased

I think at this point it's undeniable Switch is doing well in Japan and fairly well in US. Although PS4 outsold Switch in June, apparently the latter drove up hardware sales in terms of revenue. That indicates Switch is still selling and expanding the market. On a related note, I've seen Switch once in stores around my area after launch. Haven't seen one since.

Sooooooo glad I preordered very early.

And yet there's about 5 Switches just laying around at my local Target Country in a very small town in Australia. Madness!

These shortages are going to stay here for a long time. Nintendo is increasing production but is not just like pushing a button. It takes time and effort and in top of that you need to be able to purchase the components needed, and things like LCD screens and flash memory chips are in such short supply that companies are literally fighting for them. Apple is over stocking them and even then they are rumored to be late on the this year's new iPhone.
Nintendo didn't predict such a demand and then they got hit by components shortages.

So glad I preordered mine. The local GameStop in my area actually had the most in stock since launch day. The past few months the only way to get a Switch is shelling out upwards of $150 over the asking price online as physical retailers sell as soon as they replenish stock. Glad to see they are catching up in America at least.

The more I read about this, the more lucky I feel owning one... I've defend Nintendo for a few months now, largely because I felt they would have been able to get the situation resolved, but apparently that's simply not the case. If stores in TOKYO are only getting a few units then most other places are probably only getting handfuls.

I think it's time for Nintendo to start really pushing their supplier to get their game on. Nintendo makes awesome products, but a lot of people are getting fed up with their business side of things.

@Pimmen Love the Fat Cat avatar.

This article was a fun glimpse!

@thesilverbrick I remember being in-store, waiting in line, while that amiibo meltdown happened and nobody could do a thing about it. Painful.

6 Splatoon Pro controllers were on display for sale at the local MediaMarkt here in Spain - I bought 2 on Thursday - None left this morning. . . . . although there are quite a few normal Pro controllers available on the shelf. . . Game in the Shopping centre next door even had Bokoblin amiibos! for sale. The article mentions that SWITCH will re-stock over the weekend in Japan with a large quantity - I hope more people can join the SWITCH eco-system today!

I've seen loads in Tokyo.

I waltzed into a Big W (think K-Mart or Target) in Melbourne, Australia, and bought one on launch day. It was only on impulse from the night before because of the great Zelda reviews and Big W had it and the system at a combined $30 off. The pro controller was also $15 less than the $100 RRP. I'm glad I did!

My Switch broke after 45mins!

Well this was very short live fun. I played for 45 mins and when I came to turn it on the screen was blank but the joy cons still work but not the screen. I tried everything the internet had said to fix it but nothing. I'm so piss off with Nintendo now.

Meanwhile in Australia, opposite situation... Got mine in South Australia on launch day. There have been systems in several local stores in my capital city and my local shopping centre ever since launch too. Speaking to paople around lots of young people dont even know what a Nintendo Switch is. They aren't selling out here any time soon unless they do a massive media campaign, because not many people know it exists. Check out girl must have been 16 at my grocery store asked what i was doing this weekend, playing Splat 2 with my kids on nintendo switch. Oh that's nice you play old games with your kids... >.< no love its a NEW Nintendo system... oh really they still make stuff?

@InternetBowser very important. Some people just don't care!🙄

There's no shortage for Switches here in Sweden at least. Finding one here is no problem at all!

@thesilverbrick Too many different amiibo at once. NES Classic probably wasn't a production priority due to the upcoming Switch, and Switch has components that also need to be produced.

I walked into my local gamestop (Kansas City, MO) yesterday to pick up my copy of Splatoon 2 and there was a sign on the door that read "Nintendo Switch in stock." I was curious, so I asked the associate about it. Her response was "Yes, we have a lot, unfortunately." I was taken aback by two things - one, she informed me there were a lot of stock, but second, that she said "unfortunately." What did she even mean by that?

Side note: Never got to play Splatoon on the Wii U and am thoroughly enjoying part 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt4KG9ib8S4

Being an "older " gamer I have seen the same poo for years from Nintendo. The link above shows 20/20 new's clips from the 80's and talks about shortage issues from nintendo. See video at or around 6 mins'

I'm very surprised you can buy the Splatoon 2 edition from the Nintendo UK store, I thought they would be sold out!!

Also some Sainsburys store sells the Switch. My local one does and often have stock.

HOLY COW. Still can't believe I walked in to Toys'R'Us and got mine on launch day.

@InternetBowser I've been given a discount by Amazon no stock left to exchange it

@thesilverbrick im not sure about those other products, but litterally google why there are switch shortages. They have to compete with apple for parts, its not there fualt this time. Come on just enter " nintendo switch parts shortage" on google. Its not hard

@UK-Nintendo Not sure if we would have purchased Spaltoon 2 day 1 but I did buy the squid amiibo, Target had exactly 1, and 1 Cloud and 1 Bayonetta, so I bought all 3. But we dont' have a Switch, and by the time we get 1 w/ Mario well S2 will be history. Though I'd still like to rent it for the 1 player mode.

@Alikan "to encourage more Switch sales."

B/c with millions of people wanting a Switch but only a few currently available anywhere they need to worry about Switch demand? You can only sell what you make, no amount of games can change them selling more than they make.

@Octane "but Sony didn't release any games for the PS3

Well that's true too, but w/ all the 3rd party support Sony gets they don't really have to. Sony is still supporting PS3 more than Nitneod is supporting Wii U, just look at the sale this weekend.

https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/flash-sale/cid=STORE-MSF77008-FLASHSALE17PS3G?emcid=pa-st-111690

@rjejr I didn't want to buy it. I really didn't. But I needed something for the switch

@rjejr not saying it's a sound business practice! 😂
If Nintendo truly cared about cash we would all have Nes minis and zelda amiibos instead of just lucky ones here and there.

@rjejr Yeah that's very true. Maybe not in terms of games, but those systems keep getting support years after they've been discontinued. Nintendo usually drops their system before the next one is even out.

@rjejr I'm quite sure Sony doesn't force other companies to put their games on sale.

I got mine and selled it already, its hard to stuck with a 2 AAA games console ( and I hate indies)... Maybe when Mario launches e some other heavy titles, i get another one ( and without queues)

I was just in fukuoka 2 weeks ago. No switch to be seen anywhere.

@AishiVeen did you try pressing the power button on the Switch, then holding it for 15 to 20 seconds?

@Zingo sure did that's what it's said online. I tried everything the net had said.

I'm so lucky I found one when in upstate New York 23 days after launch. I bet it is still out of stock now where I am (I am in a Boston suburb)

Perfect :3 Japanese players are too good at splatoon, keep them away :3

@AishiVeen I've had that happen, you can hold the power button for 30 seconds and the system should restart itself. The lady I spoke to at Nintendo said it could happen as a result of something wonky happening with an update or download in the background.

@Savlep99 I did the button thing and the first thing I did when I set up the Switch is to update it. I sent it back to Amazon.

I dont think id actually bother with the switch if i had to wait in line for hours for it. Fortunately i got mine relatively easy.

To me it seems that the switch are especially a massive hit in the US and Japan, while in Europe its more just selling good but not as massive as in those markets. Here in Norway its no problem getting one now.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and the GameStop near me has them in stock. I was lucky to get mine at a random Best Buy off the highway in May lol

Switch prints 💰

@Alikan "not saying it's a sound business practice!"

My apologies.

@Spoony_Tech "Just the regular gray at that"

So um yeah, finally got around to looking at your twitter pick, and half the Switch in that pic have red and blue joycon.

Those your kids? They look in awe. They must have wanted 1 of everything on that table. My kids are past the magical awe stage, they either want stuff or they don't. And the first Splatoon game wore us out. Zelda never ends though. I'm about a dozen hours in and my kid was watching me last night find something he's been looking for forever, the horse statue memory, the only 1 he was missing. I suppose that was pretty close to awe, at least excitement.

@rjejr Lol, took the pic but didn't really look at what I was taking a pic of.

Yes those are 2 of the 3....well 1 and a 1 1/3rd anyways.

I live in Fukuoka. It's been 5 months since the "official" nintendo switch release in Japan. I have seen exactly one shipment stock of 12 units in that time, in the entire prefecture. There are millions of people living in Fukuoka and millions of visitors every year. Nintendo, how about you cut the nonsense, enough with the artificial scarcity of your product already. We get it, your product is in high demand. Just get it out to the masses so we can just buy the merchandise and start actually playing the games. Why do you constantly anger your consumers?

@Skogur none in fukuoka either

@Park_Triolo none