Tokyo (AFP) – Gamers finally got their hands on Nintendo’s new Switch 2 on Thursday, the console that could score record early sales for the Japanese “Super Mario” creator. The device, which features a bigger screen and more processing power, is an upgrade to the Switch that became a global phenomenon with hit games such as “Animal Crossing”. The original Switch has sold 152 million units since its 2017 release, making it the third-best-selling console ever.
Consoles were still on the shelves at a central Paris electronics store by early afternoon Thursday, defying concerns of stock running out. “I’m not surprised, people planned ahead with pre-orders,” said Benoit Martins, 29, a construction project manager. He said he had been waiting “for months” to pick up his own new console — but did not turn out at midnight to secure it at the moment of release, as several dozen French fans had. In Tokyo, there had been no Switch 2’s available without preorders when stores opened Thursday morning.
Lei Wang, 24, a recent graduate from China, said he had been “shocked” to win a preorder lottery as he queued to collect his device. “It’s basically just me who got picked…so I don’t really want to say anything” to less lucky friends, he said with a laugh. Shinichi Sekiguchi, 31, said he was so excited he forgot to bring his phone, while 33-year-old Kuro said she had taken a day off work to use her new console. “The improved graphics and the ability to play with a larger group — I think that’s a big deal,” she said.
Serkan Toto from Tokyo consultancy Kantan Games said he “would not be surprised to see Switch 2 breaking sales records in the next weeks and months”. Nintendo’s online store had 2.2 million pre-order applications for the Switch 2 in Japan — an “insane number the industry has never seen before”, Toto told AFP.
The Switch 2 has eight times the memory of the first Switch and its controllers, which attach with magnets, can also be used like a desktop computer mouse. New functions allowing users to chat as they play online and temporarily share games with friends could also be a big draw for young audiences used to watching game streamers. However, Nintendo has its work cut out to match the overall success of the original. Challenges include uncertainty over US trade tariffs and whether it can convince enough people to pay the high price for its new device.
The Switch 2 costs $449.99 in the United States, more than the original’s launch price of $299.99. Both are hybrid consoles that can connect to a TV or be played on the go. New Switch 2 games such as “Donkey Kong Bananza” and “Mario Kart World” — which allows players to go exploring off-grid — are also more expensive than existing titles. “After playing it, I think it’s worth the price,” Steven Paterno, a 24-year-old aspiring filmmaker, told AFP at a Nintendo launch event in New York City. He had been waiting outside the Rockefeller Center’s Nintendo store for a month and a half, part of a group of around 20 die-hard fans desperate to be first in line. “I loved the original Switch, but I had to admit the Switch 2 really tops it,” Paterno said.
Retailers in the United States, Europe and other major markets are gearing up for a rush of excited fans, with some stores opening at midnight to welcome them. “I’m very excited to pick it up at midnight,” 22-year-old graduate Angel Caceres said at the New York launch event. “I’m going to be very tired after that.” Supply pressures have forced some retailers to cancel orders, with Britain’s Game saying it is “working hard to reinstate as many affected pre-orders as possible”.
Nintendo forecasts it will ship 15 million Switch 2 consoles in the current financial year, roughly equal to the original console in the same period after its release. The Switch 2 “is priced relatively high” compared with its predecessor, the company’s president Shuntaro Furukawa said at a financial results briefing in May. So it “will not be easy” to keep initial momentum going, he warned. While Nintendo is diversifying into theme parks and hit movies, around 90 percent of its revenue still comes from the Switch business, analysts say.
© 2024 AFP
