Is Nintendo playing chicken with Switch 2 consumers in the U.S.? Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa just revealed that the company received 2.2 million applications to preorder the Nintendo Switch 2, and it cannot by any means fulfill that many orders.
“This number far exceeds our expectations, and far exceeds the number of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles that can be delivered from the My Nintendo Store on June 5,” Furukawa wrote on X via Nintendo’s official Japanese account.
Nintendo didn’t reveal how many Switch 2 units it does have prepared for release, which leads me to expect a bit of a bloodbath when pre-orders open in the U.S. on Thursday.
For context, the original Switch sold 2.74 million units in its first few weeks… worldwide. Meanwhile, its first month in Japan saw 360,000 sales.
So what the heck does that mean for U.S. consumers who are jumping to pre-order on April 24? Let’s get into it.
Bleak shortages for the Nintendo Switch 2
When we’re talking life-to-date, the Nintendo Switch hardware family sold 36.82 million units in Japan and 57.83 million in the Americas. That’s a 57% difference, so in theory, the U.S. could see 3.45 million applications overall.
However, there is a major price difference as well. The Japanese-only version of the Nintendo Switch 2 costs roughly $350, which crushes the U.S. price point of $450. It’s likely that we won’t see as many U.S. sales this time around. But is that really going to make a difference?
Because of Japanese pre-orders alone, the U.S. is all but guaranteed to run into shortages. Even if U.S. consumers don’t go as wild for the Switch 2, there are enough people to at least match Japan’s demand.
Honestly, this is a pretty shocking turn of events. And I say that because not only is the Switch 2 pricier than I think it should be, the Nintendo Switch 2 might have a Zelda problem — aka Mario Kart ain’t cutting it, not for me at least.
A distinctly Zelda-shaped hole in the Switch 2's line-up doesn't seem to have phased Japanese gamers, though. Reflected by a jump from the Switch's 360K units in its first month to the Switch 2's 2.2 million preorders — a potential 600% increase in sales. However, we’re not likely to see that play out, because Nintendo literally does not have the units to meet demands.
Ironically, Nintendo's statement about its high demand and low supply may actually increase the demand for Switch 2. Everyone loves jumping on a hype train, scalpers and resellers included, which could make getting a Nintendo Switch 2 that much more difficult.
If I could translate Nintendo's statement for anyone still in doubt, I’d phrase it as so: This isn't a pre-order, this is your only chance to order — at least for some time.
Despite that, I would urge folks to wait before jumping to purchase the Nintendo Switch 2. Sure, you might not be able to anyway, but if it’s anything like the original Switch, we may see console variations and even low-key refreshes (like the battery life or OLED updates) jumping out sooner than later.
But, if you’re still keen, you can preorder the Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. starting tomorrow, for a meaty $450 ($500 if you’re racing to get Mario Kart).
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