Nintendo Switch – not doomed after all?

Two of the biggest game retailers are already out of stock of Nintendo’s new console, as GameStop game pre-orders hit 1.2 million.

Video game fans are famous for saying one thing and doing the opposite, as any publisher that’s been threatened by a boycott will tell you. And while the Nintendo Switch has been roundly criticised for last week’s software reveal, the console itself is already in high demand.

The Switch will be released on March 3 for £279.99 in the UK, but Amazon.co.uk (and Amazon.com) has already stopped taking new pre-orders.

According to Amazon they’ve already sold through their entire allocation, with a statement indicating that ‘orders will be fulfilled in the order they are placed as soon as we receive further stock.’




There’s no indication of how many console Amazon actually had, but US giant GameStop was allocated half a million. And they’ve all gone too.

Not only that but GameStop has recorded an impressive 1.2 million pre-orders for Switch games.

GameStop now has a quarter of a million people on a waiting list, queuing for the opportunity to pre-order the console when a second wave of stock comes in.

Other US retailers such as Best Buy and Walmart have also run out of stock, with no indication of when they’ll get more in. [Update: Walmart has contacted us to say you can still pre-order in-store, just not online.]

In terms of UK retailers, GAME is still offering pre-orders for both the standard and neon-coloured Switch consoles – as well as a larger variety of games than Amazon. But if you read the fine print they’re not guaranteeing they’ll have stock on day one.

Nintendo has promised 2 million Switch consoles will be available worldwide in its first month (which is a lot for a non-Christmas launch) and that more will be available soon after.

What this means for the future of the Switch is impossible to say, since even the Wii U was sold out at launch; although not at this early stage.

At the very least though it suggests that just walking into a shop and picking up a Switch on day one is going to be very difficult if you didn’t already pre-order.

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