Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders surge as tariff price hike fears loom
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US pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 kicked off shortly after the clock struck midnight on Thursday. But chaos soon ensued due to high demand.
Scores of consumers hoping to be among the first to own Nintendo's latest gaming console- set to officially launch 5 June- jumped online to try and snag a pre-order. While some lucky buyers found success, many others ran into frustrating delays or saw listings quickly sell out at some participating retailers.
Anxious shoppers took to social media to share long wait times, screenshots of error messages and carts that suddenly went empty amid a flurry of transaction requests- or, in some cases, apparent confirmation emails that were soon followed by notices about orders being cancelled.
Nintendo acknowledged the 'very high demand' in an update about those interested in purchasing the Switch 2 from its own My Nintendo Store. The company said it would be 'working diligently to fulfil orders,' but noted that delivery by 5 June was not guaranteed. The company urged those who want to increase their chances of getting the console at the launch date to visit a participating retailer.
'The excitement around this online pre-order was incredible,' Walmart, one of the retailers also offering Switch 2 pre-orders, said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press. Walmart launched its early listings at 6 am CEST and confirmed that they 'sold out quickly due to high demand.'
Customers will have another chance to buy the consoles on 5 June- when pre-orders are also set to be delivered by, the company added.
Switch 2 pre-orders sold out within minutes at several retailers
Best Buy and Target rolled out their pre-orders overnight, but soon showed listings as 'out of stock' or 'currently unavailable' early Thursday. Hours later, GameStop got in on the action- launching both in-person pre-orders when its stores opened and an online offering that went live at 5 pm CEST. Still, those listings appeared to be unavailable within minutes and some customers reported confirmation delays.
'We're seeing overwhelming demand for Switch 2, which is causing some site issues,' GameStop Help wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, shortly after 5:30 pm CEST. The company later shared that its pre-orders had sold out online, although it would 'continue to squash bot and duplicate orders to reopen inventory.'
GameStop confirmed that its in-store pre-orders, however, were still available by Thursday afternoon.
It wasn't immediately clear what total capacity each retailer had for Switch 2 pre-orders. Nintendo, GameStop, Target and Best Buy did not immediately respond to requests for further comment Thursday.
Could demand for Nintendo's Switch 2 be impacted by tariffs?
The sizeable (and speedy) demand for Nintendo's Switch 2 isn't surprising. The new gaming console has been marketed as bigger and better than its predecessor of eight years past. This includes highly-anticipated features such as an interactive chat, larger screen and new games.
Still, the Switch 2's rollout arrives at an uncertain time for much of the industry due to new tariffs implemented by US President Donald Trump and responding retaliation from targeted countries, notably China. Economists have warned that the steeper levies will result in higher prices on a range of consumer goods relying on global supply chains today, including electronics.
The Switch 2's baseline launch price is $449.99 (€396.6)- significantly higher than the original Switch's $299 (€263.5) price tag. While new bells and whistles may account for a sizeable portion of that hike, experts have previously noted that the new import taxes are also a contributor.
US pre-orders for the Switch 2 were already delayed earlier this month- ahead of Trump's steepest levies, most of which have now been postponed, going into effect.
Pre-orders were originally slated to go live on 9 April, an update from Nintendo shared by GameStop notes, but were pushed back to 'assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.'
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Nintendo later confirmed that some Switch 2 accessories would see price adjustments -but maintained that its previously-announced baseline price for the console would remain the same.
Super Mario creator Nintendo Co. is banking on the Switch 2 to revive demand for its gaming consoles, with its older predecessor recently losing momentum. In February, the Kyoto, Japan-based company said it expected to sell 11 million Switch consoles for its full fiscal year ending in March, lower than its initial projection of 12.5 million.
Nintendo reported profit of 237 billion yen (€1.5bn) for the first nine months of its latest fiscal year, down 42% from the same period the year prior.
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