Latest news with #PiersHarding-Rolls
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Nintendo Switch 2 launches with high demand and long queues in Tokyo
Gaming fans flocked to stores for the global launch of Nintendo's new Switch 2 console, with demand running high for the upgraded device. In Tokyo's Ikebukuro shopping district, dozens of lucky lottery winners queued outside electronics retailer Bic Camera to collect their pre-ordered consoles. 'I feel like I'm going to cry,' said Yumi Ohi, a 30-year-old delivery contractor who traveled from nearby Saitama Prefecture after missing out on previous sales lotteries. The Switch 2 retains the hybrid design of its predecessor but includes a larger screen and improved graphics. Nintendo is launching the console with titles like 'Mario Kart World' and expects strong early adoption due to the established base of Switch users. 'The much larger audience of Switch users should translate to stronger adoption in the opening part of its lifecycle,' said Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis. Since launching the original in 2017, Nintendo has sold over 152 million Switch consoles globally. That momentum, driven by hits such as 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' and two 'Legend of Zelda' titles, has created high expectations for the Switch 2. The company reported receiving 2.2 million applications for its sales lottery in Japan and saw U.S. retailer Target sell out pre-orders in under two hours. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed plans to strengthen production capacity and exceed the sales forecast of 15 million units this fiscal year. Analysts project lifetime Switch 2 sales could top 100 million by 2030. Despite some concerns over the limited number of first-party launch titles, fan excitement remains high. 'Given it's a special occasion, I wanted to buy the Switch 2 right away,' said Shinichi Sekiguchi, a hotel receptionist in his thirties.
New Paper
2 days ago
- Business
- New Paper
Nintendo Switch 2 launches globally with shortages expected amid pent-up demand
Nintendo's Switch 2 launched on June 5 and is widely expected to be in short supply globally amid pent-up demand for the more powerful next-generation gaming device. "The level of demand seems to be sky-high," said Mr Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy. The Switch launched in 2017 and followed the underperforming Wii U. The home-portable device became a juggernaut with games including two The Legend Of Zelda titles and Covid-19 pandemic breakout hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The Switch 2 bears many similarities with its predecessor but offers a larger screen and improved graphics and debuts with titles including Mario Kart World. "The much larger audience of Switch users should translate to stronger adoption in the opening part of its life-cycle," said Mr Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis. "Nintendo is better prepared this time around" to deal with the high demand, he said. The launch of the US$499.99 (S$643) Switch 2 is a test of Nintendo's supply chain management during United States President Donald Trump's trade war. Nintendo in May forecast sales of 15 million Switch 2 units during the current financial year. President Shuntaro Furukawa said Nintendo will strengthen production capacity to respond to strong demand and focus on sales promotion in an effort to exceed the forecast. The company, which is known for conservative forecasts, also expects to sell 4.5 million Switch units. A staff member at an electronics store in Tokyo holds a megaphone on June 5, the day Nintendo starts selling the Nintendo Switch 2 game console globally. PHOTO: REUTERS Nintendo said it received 2.2 million applications for its Switch 2 sales lottery on its official site My Nintendo Store in Japan. Pre-orders at Target sold out in less than two hours. "You are looking at weeks or months until you can walk into a store and buy a Switch 2," said Mr Toto of Kantan Games. Investor expectations for the new device are similarly lofty. Nintendo's shares are trading near highs and have gained almost 30 per cent in 2025. Concerns include whether momentum for the Switch 2 will be sustained after hardcore gamers have upgraded. "The volume of first-party games on offer at launch isn't as strong as it could be, so some more casual users may wait and see how the games available build over the next one to two years before making the leap," said Ampere's Mr Harding-Rolls. Ampere forecasts Switch 2 sales to exceed 100 million units in 2030. Nintendo has sold 152 million Switch units in total.
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Nintendo Switch 2 launches globally with shortages expected amid pent-up demand
Nintendo's Switch 2 launched on Thursday and is widely expected to be in short supply globally amid pent-up demand for the more powerful next-generation gaming device. "The level of demand seems to be sky-high," said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy. The Switch launched in 2017 and followed the underperforming Wii U. The home-portable device became a juggernaut with games including two "The Legend of Zelda" titles and the Covid-19 pandemic breakout hit "Animal Crossing: New Horizons". The Switch 2 bears many similarities with its predecessor but offers a larger screen and improved graphics, and debuts with titles including "Mario Kart World". "The much larger audience of Switch users should translate to stronger adoption in the opening part of its lifecycle," said Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis. "Nintendo is better prepared this time around" to deal with the high demand, he said. The launch of the $499.99 Switch 2 is a test of Nintendo's supply chain management during U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Nintendo last month forecast sales of 15 million Switch 2 units during the current financial year. President Shuntaro Furukawa said Nintendo will strengthen production capacity to respond to strong demand and focus on sales promotion in an effort to exceed the forecast. The company, which is known for conservative forecasts, also expects to sell 4.5 million Switch units. Nintendo said it received 2.2 million applications for its Switch 2 sales lottery on its My Nintendo Store in Japan. Pre-orders at Target sold out in less than two hours. "You are looking at weeks or months until you can walk into a store and buy a Switch 2," said Toto of Kantan Games. Investor expectations for the new device are similarly lofty. Nintendo's shares are trading near highs and have gained almost 30% this year. Concerns include whether momentum for the Switch 2 will be sustained after hardcore gamers have upgraded. "The volume of first-party games on offer at launch isn't as strong as it could be, so some more casual users may wait and see how the games available build over the next one to two years before making the leap," said Ampere's Harding-Rolls. Ampere forecasts Switch 2 sales to exceed 100 million units in 2030. Nintendo has sold 152 million Switch units in total.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Nintendo Switch 2 launches globally with shortages expected amid pent-up demand
Customers line up to get their hands on the Nintendo Switch 2 gaming device at an electronics store in Tokyo on June 5. PHOTO: REUTERS TOKYO - Nintendo's Switch 2 launched on June 5 and is widely expected to be in short supply globally amid pent-up demand for the more powerful next-generation gaming device. 'The level of demand seems to be sky-high,' said Mr Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy. The Switch launched in 2017 and followed the underperforming Wii U. The home-portable device became a juggernaut with games including two The Legend of Zelda titles and Covid-19 pandemic breakout hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The Switch 2 bears many similarities with its predecessor but offers a larger screen and improved graphics and debuts with titles including 'Mario Kart World'. 'The much larger audience of Switch users should translate to stronger adoption in the opening part of its lifecycle,' said Mr Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis. 'Nintendo is better prepared this time around' to deal with the high demand, he said. The launch of the US$499.99 (S$643) Switch 2 is a test of Nintendo's supply chain management during US President Donald Trump's trade war. Nintendo in May forecast sales of 15 million Switch 2 units during the current financial year. President Shuntaro Furukawa said Nintendo will strengthen production capacity to respond to strong demand and focus on sales promotion in an effort to exceed the forecast. The company, which is known for conservative forecasts, also expects to sell 4.5 million Switch units. A staff member holds a megaphone on the day Nintendo starts selling the Nintendo Switch 2 game console globally, at an electronics store in Tokyo on June 5. PHOTO: REUTERS Nintendo said it received 2.2 million applications for its Switch 2 sales lottery on its My Nintendo Store in Japan. Pre-orders at Target sold out in less than two hours. 'You are looking at weeks or months until you can walk into a store and buy a Switch 2,' said Mr Toto of Kantan Games. Investor expectations for the new device are similarly lofty. Nintendo's shares are trading near highs and have gained almost 30 per cent in 2025. Concerns include whether momentum for the Switch 2 will be sustained after hardcore gamers have upgraded. 'The volume of first-party games on offer at launch isn't as strong as it could be, so some more casual users may wait and see how the games available build over the next one to two years before making the leap,' said Ampere's Harding-Rolls. Ampere forecasts Switch 2 sales to exceed 100 million units in 2030. Nintendo has sold 152 million Switch units in total. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PS5 price jumps £40 as Sony cites 'challenging' market conditions
Sony has raised the price of its PlayStation 5 consoles worldwide, citing "challenging" market conditions. The price of the digital edition of the PS5 console in the UK has increased by £40 to £429.99. Its cost for European customers has risen by approximately €50 to €499.99. The company pointed to high inflation and "fluctuating exchange rates" in a blog post explaining its decision. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) executive Isabelle Tomatis said PS5 prices in Australia and New Zealand would also rise - including for physical versions that have a disc drive. She blamed "high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates" for the decision to increase the console's recommended retail price. The company said the price of the physical edition of the console would not change in the UK. But it has reduced the cost of its disc drives - which are required for those with digital consoles who want to play physical media - from £99.99 to £69.99 in the UK. Piers Harding-Rolls, research director at Ampere Analysis, said the disc-free version of the PS5 had formed a larger share of Sony's total sales over the last 18 months. He said this new price adjustment had brought "the digital edition more into alignment with the standard version". While President Donald Trump has revealed a tariff exemption for some electronics, video game consoles are not thought to be among them. Christopher Dring, who writes about the gaming industry in The Game Business newsletter, said while Sony did not directly mention tariffs in its decision, their "knock-on effect" could have an impact on pricing worldwide. "The US is the biggest market for video game consoles, and rather than simply increase prices there, it's possible the likes of PlayStation could increase pricing globally in an effort to protect, as best they can, the US market," he told the BBC. "Ultimately, the era when game consoles went down in price over time is certainly over." The price increase comes as Nintendo's launch of its rival Switch 2 console was marred by the impact of US tariffs on markets worldwide. It said it would suspend US pre-orders for the device so it could "assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions". And Mr Harding-Rolls said he felt Sony may have been given "the green light to increase pricing" due to the Switch 2's £395 price tag. "At its current pricing, the digital version would be cheaper than the Switch 2, leaving Sony with some breathing space to increase its pricing, while remaining competitive across the console hardware market," he said. This is the second time Sony has increased the RRP for its latest console. Its initial £360 price tag for the disc drive-free digital edition was seen as a low price at the time, as Sony sought to match its price to that of the Xbox Series X. But it rose the price by £30 in 2022 - meaning with the latest price increase, the digital edition of the PS5 has increased by roughly £70 since it first went on sale. Will £75 be the new normal for video games after Switch 2's Mario Kart? I played the £75 Mario Kart World on Switch 2 - was it worth it? Sign in to access your portfolio
