Irish gamers gear up for midweek midnight launch of Nintendo Switch 2
The most anticipated gaming event in years takes place in Ireland this week with special midnight launches for the hugely anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, with the Japanese gaming giant predicting 15m sales of the device worldwide and software sales of 45m.
Nintendo's first version of the Switch is believed to be the most popular gaming unit in Ireland, and globally revived the fortunes of the Japanese gaming giant, which has sold more than 150m units since its 2017 launch.
There will be a flashback to the heyday of late night queues for computer game releases as branches of Smyths stores will open at midnight on Thursday for pre-order collection and limited sales of the Switch 2. Indeed the Dublin Swords branch is holding a pre-opening party from 11pm on Wednesday, one of a select number in UK and Ireland, with other stores opening an hour later.
Last month, Nintendo said it expects to sell 15m Switch 2 units and for operating profit to rise 13% to 320bn yen (€1.96bn) in the year ending March. Many analysts believe this sales figure could be significantly higher, with sales of 20m units and higher predicted. "Nintendo clearly wants to play it safe and chose what is a cautious but probably reasonable forecast," said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy.
The consoles have been on sale on pre-order for the past month, with the basic Switch 2 console pack starting at around €469, and the Mario Kart World pack costing €35 to €40 more. The Switch 2 will be 'backwards compatible' for most games, meaning original Switch games can be played on the new device. It has a larger screen than its predecessor and allows for online gaming and chat with other players.
The Switch 2 launch will also test the Japanese company's ability to manage supply chains to minimise disruption from US president Donald Trump's trade war.
Nintendo has opened stores and its characters feature in theme parks and film but it remains dependent on the console business. For the year ended March, operating profit fell 46.6% to 282.5bn yen (€1.73bn).
Nintendo expects to sell 4.5m units of the original Switch this year and 105m software units for that system.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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