Getting hold of a Switch still isn't as easy as we'd like, with retailers all over the world selling out almost as soon as new stock arrives.
Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has already stopped short of assuring fans that there will be enough Switch systems in the marketplace to satisfy demand this holiday season, and speaking to The Financial Times, he adopted a similar stance:
I’m going to make millions of these units to flow into the marketplace. But what I don't know is what the demand is going to be. And there is a potential that demand is going to outstrip supply.
Reggie was also asked about component bottlenecks, which have been cited as one key problem impacting Switch production in the past. It has been hinted in Japan that the company which makes the vibrating "HD Rumble" motors used in the Joy-Con controllers is one possible cause, although it is suspected that even parts made by Nintendo could be in short supply.
When quizzed by The Financial Times, Reggie refused to single out any particular supplier:
There is not one choke point, there are multiple choke points. I won't go into any more detail but it's not just one component.
Hopefully as the Switch matures such supply issues will become less of an issue, but Reggie's admission that there multiple component shortages goes some way to explaining why these systems are so hard to acquire.
[source ft.com]
Comments 54
I'll choke you Reggie!
I'm sure that their estimate is always low as a marketing strategy and also to avoid any risk and that this is just an excuse.
Kind of worrisome. I just hope anyone who wants a Switch can get one before Christmas!
@PtM I have a pre-order but it was hard to get and it's not from the Nintendo store or Amazon so I'm not sure that I will be able to get one, unfortunately. Not cool.
EDIT: I mean the SNES Classic, have both threads open on my phone.
Incompetence masquerading as popularity.
@BlueOcean UK Amazon store has Switches available regularly. I would suggest checking that. Pre orders are not needed anymore.
@Shellcore True. I've been telling that to people for some time and providing the links. It's just certain parts of the States and Japan that have a few problems with supply. Japan is largely sorted, people in urban areas should try venturing outside the city walls instead of queuing up and feeding the craze. I think Nintendo love seeing those photo's, it makes people want it more.
@Shellcore I just checked and it is currently unavailable. The last time I got an email I checked and it was also currently unavailable.
EDIT: Sorry I mean the SNES classic, I had both threads open on my phone. LOL
If the 'multiple-choke-point' problem didn't seem to affect every single Nintendo product, this would almost, but not quite, make me feel something.
@BlueOcean just checked Amazon.co.uk have them in stock so does game and Argos and smyths and . . .
@BlueOcean That is just unlikely. A gaming console needs to sell as fast as possible to get an as large as possible install base asap.
What I would like to ask though is: Why is it for some people so hard to believe an simple and plausible explanation from a company like that? I mean sure, don't blindly trust a company that just wants your money, but that doesn't mean everything they are saying is automatically a lie either.
@MariOnline Sorry, I am on my phone I had the other thread which talks about the SNES Classic lack of stock and I posted on the wrong thread. I want the SNES Classic.
@BlueOcean oh ok. There's no chance for that. I got lucky with argos
@Kirgo I think it's because of what @Scott_PdP said and also because high-end mobile phones and other devices use much rarer components than the Switch. At the end of the day if they sold 4.7 millions by the end of June, how many Switchs were they ready to sale? 4.7 millions worldwide?
Seems to be plenty of stock in Australia, maybe people over here just don't like the big N 😕
@MariOnline I'm happy for you but I'm sad for me. Nintendo said that SNES Classic is a limited production. I hate that.
People get angry at Nintendo like no other company I have ever seen. If Sony or Microsoft had a comparable problem, most people would be quick to their defense, but not Nintendo, oh no, HOW DARE they have any shortages, and it's 100% their fault always. No matter the reason.
I understand being upset that you cannot get one. I would be upset too. But the fact is, that if Nintendo is constantly selling out of their product, a product they claim they are not selling at a loss, then they are making profits and as a company doing well.
Nintendo probably doesn't want to name specific suppliers because they don't want to anger those companies and make the situation worse.
For all we know, that left Joy-con issue a few people had early on was a result of some 3rd party component from a supplier that Nintendo pissed off.
This is always a risk, in all businesses, when you have to buy specialty components.
@BlueOcean I know how you feel. My mates some of them missed out hoping still to get one. I can't see them having more stock available tho sadly
@MariOnline Thanks, mate.
How many times, Nintendo wouldn't be doing this on purpose. If they could have sold a million more believe me they would have.
Due to component shortages, Nintendo now outsource the vibrating motor from a dildo company.
Sure there are bottleneck problems, but I'd argue some of it is just a cover up at this point. NO I'm not a conspiracy theory whacko, but it makes sense. It is a known about the NAND memory and Apple being in the way, but they're saying there's a few issues. Maybe?
I think the problem is the obvious answer, withholding stock. Perhaps for every 10 systems shipped to the states, maybe 1/2 of them are going to stores. They want and NEED millions of them ready for much of the world that have a Christmas shopping season. How do you do this with bottlenecks? Make it look worse than it is, then ship out pallets of the damn things come November and keep them coming. I would not be surprised if they started showing up much more in mass along side or chasing right after Mario. It's their first holiday season which is weird as consoles usually release closer to then, so they want to be sure they're not embarrassed and with many pissed off consumers being scalper fodder or left without.
I'm finally seeing Switches in the wild here in New England. Granted, most of the stores are sold out still, but I'd say there's a one-in-five chance a big box store around here has at least one Switch on the shelf. Not ideal, but certainly better.
Saw 7 Switches in stores over the last two weekends here in North Carolina. It's getting easier.....
Things are improving in the UK though no doubt it'll sell out again towards Christmas.
Nintendo are like the boy who cried wolf though. This happens so often it's hard to believe them. As a company they despise having money tied up in inventory which is noble enough, but leaves them open to this kind of thing.
@BensonUii thanks for that. There still hope. I'll pass this on. Thanks again 👍🏻
@BensonUii Thanks, I tried but it says that Amazon Italy doesn't ship to other countries.
The Switch is doing a lot better than expected, so supply issues are hardly surprising. However, Nintendo really needs to get on top of this problem and resolve these issues.
@Kez_muffin Australians aren't big gamers when you think about it
Guess that rules out me getting a Switch anytime this year if that supply problem persists into the holiday season. Camped out with a pack of scalpers way back to get a Wii, and no matter how good Mario Odyssey is, am never doing that again.
I was lucky yesterday I put a switch on layaway. Surprisingly they had about seven or eight more in stock. I figured act now if I want one this holiday season.
Such a shame that Apple is in the way for some of the issues with the parts, I hope Nintendo is going to find a solution for it..who knows lol
But but but people here and over the internet says the Switch shortages are on purpose.
Walmart - US - has had them available since yesterday. OK it's a $380 bundle w/ a game and a case so it's not a very good bundle, but it's been available since yesterday and I'd rather buy from Walmart than a scalper on eBay. If people really wanted a Switch they would pay it.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nintendo-Switch-Hardware-with-Splatoon-2-Neon-Green-Neon-Pink-Joy-Cons-Nintendo-Switch/394092847
Not saying it isn't difficult to come by, and it will be even more difficult this holiday once SMO ships and everybody like me who's been holding out wants one, but it's not as bad as Wii was. Wii was almost impossible to find for 2 full years here in New York.
EDIT: Maybe if Nintendo Life had a deal going with Walmart like they do with Amazon people would know about these things.
@BensonUii Okay, I will. Thanks.
@Heavyarms55 Signal boosting this post.
There is a shortage in LCD screens, HD rumble motors, and NAND flash memory.
@Bliquid I haven't, I've gone out searching for one where I live 7 or 8 times.
Well at least they are trying. This happens sometimes. All you can do is be patient and keep an eye out (lol!) for stock.
Easy to find in Europe. For work in the UK and they were easy to get. Cousin in Spain also said he can get it on Amazon at retail regularly.
Here's an other article speaking of the various parts shortages affecting all manufacturers. I'm not sure why so many of you continue to believe Nintendo, and in turn Apple, is lying about this situation.
Apple’s iPhone 8 Could Be Harder to Find Than a Nintendo Switch
http://time.com/4932130/iphone-8-release-date-delay/
I just picked one up this past weekend, though I did have to drive for an hour and a half to find one. It can be done, you just can't be afraid of long drives, I enjoyed the drive actually since the weather was absolutely beautiful that day, and I got a shiny new Switch to boot!
@Heavyarms55 People would be less 'on the trigger' to jump on Nintendo's case if when these type of issues arise (which have been happening with Nintendo's products long before the Switch or Amiibo), it wasn't on such a regular basis and the same couple excuses weren't being recycled, maybe with some different wording by their PR guy.
It's kind of hard to take it as a truth that Nintendo is having a legitimate supply issue or that they genuinely didn't foresee a demand for something when it happens as regularly as it does for them...Or are the staff involved in those departments simply just that incompetent?
There's been various excuses with the Switch so far, Amiibo had their many """"unintended"""" issues with supply (including another 'supply choke'), they totally didn't foresee the demand for the NES classic...Just like they totally won't see the demand for the SNES classic (maybe that will get a 'supply choke' too. Who knows). Hell, even the Wii U was a nightmare to get hold of and it was a failure that people didn't even want.
The Wii is probably the last time that "we didn't foresee the demand" wasn't a bag of lies.
Yea, people probably will jump to the defence of Sony or Microsoft, but they also don't fail to deliver their products into the hands of the customers who want them on such a regular basis.
@Kez_muffin I'm in Australia and would love a Switch. I can't afford it, though. It's way out of my price range as it is.
He's admitting they are doing it on purpose. THis is no different than when your parent say, "Do do that!" You ask, "Why?" And they respond, "Because I said so." If they had to give details, they would have to admit it's their own doing.
@Tao Oh come on, when Amiibo was announced people laughed it off as a toy that would only be popular among die hard fans. And coming off the massive failure of the Wii U, Nintendo was fully correct in expecting a lower demand.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Sorry, but you're so wrong here. You can't find a Switch anywhere. It doesn't matter if it's a big city's super mall or a small town local shop.
I don't live in a big city and ALL the local shops around here are out of stock.
Of all my friends, I'm the only one who's got a Switch because they just can't find one.
So, no, Japan's situation is NOT sorted and people leaving the city for small local shops is not going to get them any more closer to get a Switch than waiting at one of these long lines.
I don't know where you get your information from, but it's wildly inaccurate.
Let's also remember that even Apple is going to find hard keep a good production stream for the iPhone 8 (or whatever it's called) since NAND Flash and LCD shortages are affecting the whole tech industry and Apple is one (maybe the biggest) culprit of mass buying components and thus leaving the rest (Nintendo included) with problems to assemble their own products.
So I just don't get all that nonsensical comments that this is all intentional.
I guess Nintendo (and specially its shareholders) really prefer negative press instead of selling Switches... (please, kindly note the sarcasm here)
@BlueOcean Mobile phone manufactures are much bigger clients than Nintendo. If you have a limited supply of components, which clients will you sell most of them to? Big clients or small clients?
Damn, glad I was able to get my hands on one when I did. The Walmart near me was sellinging the splatoon 2 bundle in stock. They only had a few, and despite it not really being a money saving one, I bought one. Glad I did. ^^
@SLIGEACH_EIRE the guy just annoys me...always did
@NinNin The future iPhone problems are just speculative.
What I mean is that you have to be prepared to meet demand and Nintendo never does that. If this had happened to Nintendo once, okay, but it has happened since Nintendo DS which was impossible to buy in December. Do you believe that they suffered from components shortage every time that they have failed to meet demand?
@BlueOcean I agree with you that it seems Nintendo was unprepared. However, I don't believe that Nintendo does this on purpose like some people have been suggesting. I believe Nintendo just plays safe. If demand outstrips supply, they can simply produce more. If the opposite is true, however, that can be a serious issue.
@NinNin You have a point but in that case Nintendo is being too conservative, which is part of my reasoning. Nintendo DS failed to meet demand for months. This can be forgiven because nobody expected its success, but after that the same thing happened with Wii for months, with NES Classic for the whole period and the SNES Classic pre-orders sold out in 10 minutes. Most importantly, none of these consoles have sold more than Nintendo DS.
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