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Japan Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Fans around world queue up in long lines for highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 launch
A customer receives the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game console at a Target store on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) By AYAKA McGILL Throngs of gamers stood in long lines outside of stores hours before they opened Thursday from Tokyo to New York City in hopes of snaring a long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 video game console. Enthusiasts have been clamoring for an upgrade to Nintendo's eight-year-old predecessor for years. Nintendo, which is counting on the Switch 2 to boost sagging sales, has added new social features meant to lure players into online gaming. The much anticipated Switch 2, being released around the world Thursday, is an upgrade to its eight-year-old predecessor with new social features meant to draw players into online gaming. Nintendo is counting on the Switch 2 to boost sagging sales. In the U.S., a chaotic pre-order process in April left some fans frustrated after the consoles quickly sold out. People lined up early Thursday at stores in hopes of buying one. 'I'm just rolling the dice here,' said Edgar Huo, who was in a line of about 25 outside of a Target in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Many of those waiting for the store to open had ordered online, but a few like Huo hoped for a chance at purchasing any extra inventory the store had. 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. Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser told CBS Morning Plus today that the company is aware of the demand for its newest system and is working to get units into the hands of customers. 'We have a steady supply of manufacturing that will be coming in, and we believe we'll be able to meet that demand all the way through the summer, through Father's Day and then on into the holiday period also,' Bowser 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. Central to its updated system is a new 'C' button on its controller, which will launch a 'GameChat' feature that requires a subscription to Nintendo's Switch online service. It allows players to 'communicate with friends and family while playing a game,' and lets them share their game screen with others. A built-in microphone will also allow chatting with other gamers. Nintendo has said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles for the fiscal year through March 2026. The company also rolled out new Switch 2 editions for two of its popular 'Legend of Zelda' games. A Pokemon title and a Kirby game are also coming, as well as offerings from outside video game publishers. 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. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
29-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Ishiba warns against tension over tariffs and vows to expand Asia-Pacific trade group
By AYAKA McGILL and MARI YAMAGUCHI Japanese Prime Minsiter Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday showed his determination to defend rules-based free and multilateral trade systems and take a leadership role to expand the Asia-Pacific trade group at a time of deepening tensions and divisions over U.S. tariffs and trade wars. 'High tariffs will not bring economic prosperity," Ishiba told a global forum in Tokyo. "A prosperity built on sacrifices by someone or another country will not make a strong economy." Japan seeks to work with the U.S. on investment, job creation and manufacturing high quality products for the prosperity of America and the rest of the world, he said. His comment comes as Japan's chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa travels to Washington, D.C., for a fourth round of talks attempting to convince the U.S. to drop all recent tariff measures. So far Japan has not been successful in gaining U.S. concessions and is reportedly considering purchases of more U.S. farm products and defense equipment as bargaining chips. Akazawa told reporters that defense equipment purchases could 'come into view' during the talks because Japan's purhases of defense equipment would contriubute to the U.S. trade surplus, though Japanese security policy is not subject to "a deal' with another country. Ishiba also called on other countries in Asia, a global hub of growth, to show 'the importance of rules-based, free and fair economic order," and said the way to demonstrate it is the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP. Ishiba pledged Japan will work toward further expanding and upgrading the framework, which not only contributes to the economy but also to peace and prosperity. The 12-nation CPTPP includes Japan, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The U.S. is not a member. While Tokyo is strengthening economic ties with Southeast Asia and Europe, Japan still considers the United States as its lynchpin of security policies and is not walking away from their alliance. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
