The Nintendo Switch has been a revelation in gaming. While the concept of a portable device that can be used on the TV as well isn’t something that is terribly new, Nintendo’s usage of it has transformed the company from a behind-the-times family affair to potentially stepping into the newest generation of gaming. The Switch itself runs fairly old graphics and hardware, but the updated version has already inked deals with major game manufacturers like Activision to bring modern and graphically advanced games like Call of Duty to the system in the future.
But loyal gamers will remember what happened when Nintendo tried to release a console it didn’t have the stock to release. Aside from allegations and charges of intentionally driving up the value by limiting stock — something Nintendo Amiibos have faced accusations of, as well — Nintendo also got worked over by scalpers and retailers who were all too happy to sell the Wii or the Switch for absurdly marked up prices on the secondary market. Nintendo got theirs, of course, but they also lost a ton of money to resellers. They’ve decided to avoid that this time around with the Switch 2.
The latest news going around the gaming world is that Nintendo has delayed the release of the Switch 2 until 2025 to allow them time to build up enough stock that they can offer the console at retail price to everyone who will want it without having to worry about losing money to the secondary market. Kotaku cited Japanese outlet Nikkei reporting the delay was due to scalpers and the need to have enough stock. You won’t hear a complaint from this guy about the delay.
For those who may be uninitiated, getting ahold of a Wii or a Switch was downright impossible unless you had managed to secure a pre-order or happened to find one. I remember standing outside Best Buy at 4am because they had an order of Wii’s coming in. The girl I was hooking up with at the time wanted to buy it for me and so we got up and went down to Best Buy at the most ungodly hour I’ve ever gone, but I came home with a Wii. The Switch was just as bad, but my wife and I managed to secure one at the same store, using the same tactics as myself and the previous girl.
Reselling and scalping have made buying gaming systems the world’s biggest pain in the ass. While I managed to secure my PS5 on launch day, I remember seeing tons of people lined up trying to get a PS5. In fact, standing here in line, the guy literally asks us how many people are there for the PS5. He then counts to four with my wife and I being No. 3. He tells us that anyone after No. 4 is going to be really disappointed with him. That was the extent of their supply. Me going down there on a lark hoping they would be accepting pre-orders ended up being the reason I got a PS5 at all.
Nintendo is doing the right thing here and I want to compliment them for doing it. This will make sure more people have access to their system and that we can all enjoy their tremendous offerings without having to pay even more just to obtain one. Scalping has been the bane of video game collecting for about the last decade and it’s gotten to the point where people were laughing at scalpers who couldn’t sell their PS5’s after Sony turned up production following COVID. Everyone is fine with people making their bag, but not at the expense of other people.