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In
the U.S., a chaotic pre-order process in April left some fans
frustrated after the consoles quickly sold out.
In Japan, the new consoles were sold through a competitive
lottery system that Nintendo said got about 2.2 million
applications.
Outside the official draw, some retailers offered their own
lotteries to pre-order the devices.
Koji Takahashi was among those who missed out on the official
draw but he was selected in the second round of a lottery held
by a major electronics retailer in Japan.
He was first in line waiting outside the store, arriving four
hours ahead of its opening. He hoped to secure a limited supply
of Nintendo accessories to buy along with his pre-ordered Switch
2.
“I feel very sorry for those who weren’t successful in the
lottery. But I also had tough time getting this far, so I hope
they forgive me!” Takahashi said.
The new console comes with a larger and higher resolution screen
than its predecessor, with improved processing power, offering
smoother and more vivid graphics.
Nintendo has said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2
consoles for the fiscal year through March 2026.
The company has promised to roll out attractive software for the
Switch 2 later this year, including “The Legend of Zelda” games,
a Pokemon title and a Kirby game, as well as offerings from
outside software companies.
Nintendo is capitalizing on the launch with the opening of a
store in San Francisco and the Super Nintendo World amusement
facility in Orlando, Florida, both set for this month.
The Switch 2’s rollout arrives at an uncertain time for much of
the gaming industry due to new tariffs implemented by U.S.
President Donald Trump.
In the U.S., the Switch 2’s baseline launch price is $449.99 —
significantly higher than the original Switch’s $299 price tag.
U.S. preorders for the Switch 2 were delayed for several weeks
so the company could assess the potential impact of tariffs.
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