Nintendo Switch 2: Will the shortage hit the console?

The Nintendo Switch 2 was officially announced on January 16th. Nintendo was kind enough to reveal its design to us with unexpected precision. The console will be the subject of a more extensive presentation set for April 2nd, and in the meantime, players can only speculate on the terms of its release and the games that will accompany it.

While the news we are most looking forward to is mostly good news, there is still a shadow hanging over the Nintendo Switch 2: that of the shortage. The same one that hit the PS5, the Xbox Series but also the very first Switch in 2017. Are the conditions in place for all players to be able to have their copy of the Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day if they wish?

Mistakes of the past

Over the past 8 years, we imagine that Nintendo has learned from the difficulties encountered during the launch of the Nintendo Switch. There is little chance that the company will repeat the same mistakes and let a shortage occur due to scalpers or a lack of chips.

Shuntaro Furukawa, Nintendo's president, assured that the current supply chain is robust enough to meet expected demand. But how high will it be? That's an answer we don't have right now. Nintendo plans to produce enough consoles to sell 20 million units in a year, which is considered a reassuring volume for its immediate availability.

It's worth noting that the first Switch recorded just under 5 million sales by the end of June 2017, just 4 months after the console's release. If Nintendo's hardware forecasts are correct, inventory should be able to withstand the shock of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch.

The equivalent of Switch Pro sales

It should also be taken into account that the manufacturer's next console is not a revolution unlike the Switch 1, but it contains all the ingredients that made its predecessor a success. A large number of current Nintendo Switch players will be tempted by the next generation only once their device becomes obsolete or the need for an upgrade arises, which should not happen for several months - or even years.