Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Tom’s Guide.
It’s looking ever more likely that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be released later this year, with one claiming Nintendo may unveil the console as soon as March. Regardless of when the console actually releases, it sounds like Nintendo has big plans to try and keep up with demand — by manufacturing at least 10 million Switch 2 consoles.
As Bloomberg reporter Takashi Mochizuki reported on Twitter/X, display shipment data suggests Nintendo is set to make over 10 million Switch 2 consoles in the next fiscal year — which begins in April. Mochizuki notes that this should make the Switch 2 a lot easier to get hold of when it does release. Especially compared to the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Chip shortages and increased demand meant that Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen consoles were extremely hard to find in the months after launch. In fact the situation with the PS5 was so severe that the console’s supply chain issues weren’t fully resolved until last October — though consoles had become noticeably easier to locate since late 2022.
Nintendo doesn’t have a particularly good history when it comes to supply and demand. The Switch was infamously hard to come back during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the past, there have been issues with the supply of other products like amiibo figures and the Nintendo Wii.
Needless to say, some people have been dreading the launch of the Switch 2, because there’s a very good chance it will be impossible to get hold of. Especially if scalpers end up buying all the stock and selling it for an outrageous markup. Because they are absolutely shameless cretins that’ll do anything for a quick buck, and complain that people are saying mean things about them.
Hopefully, by flooding the market with millions of Switch 2 consoles, Nintendo will be able to keep up with everything. That would mean anyone who wants a Switch 2 can get one, and scalpers will be left out of pocket as a result.
The Nintendo Switch sold 13.2 million units in its first year, and a similar sort of demand could still make it quite hard to come by. But considering the console is rumored to be disappointingly underpowered, and sporting an LCD display instead of OLED, it may curb demand among the more serious gamers out there. I’m not saying it’ll be another Wii U, but the ill-fated console does show that success isn’t guaranteed the second time around.
But honestly, we won’t know what the situation is like until the console is released — whenever that might be. At the very least it looks as though Nintendo is doing the right thing, and going full-steam ahead with production in anticipation of higher demand.
About the Author
Tom Pritchard is Tom’s Guide’s UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It’s a long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.
