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[Cerium]

After a period of moving around 47,000 units a week and still selling out everywhere in Japan, Nintendo Switch sales have recently shrunk to a paltry 26,000 units for the past few weeks. The low supply and high demand is creating a desperate situation for consumers. Today photographs were taken of people literally lining up around the block to enter a lottery for the mere chance to purchase a Switch.

This first location had a grand total of 37 units to sell.

https://twitter.com/tks_skmt3

People lining up outside Bic Camera today to get a lottery ticket for a chance to purchase a Nintendo Switch; of which the store had 10 greys and 27 Neons.

And it's not an isolated incident.

More lines at two different locations:

With reports of supply chain constraints for the various parts that go into the Switch, it's unclear when or how things might improve. Splatoon 2 launches next month, with Monster Hunter XX following after that, so one would hope that Nintendo will be prepared to flood the domestic market soon. It's clear that they weren't prepared for this level of early demand, and it's unclear if there's anything they can do at this point to satisfy it.

 

[shira]

Switch X Yeezy

 

[ArchedThunder]

People lining up to buy a console a few months after it released.
Got dayum.

 

[jackal27]

Still not sure if Nintendo does this on purpose to drive up demand or not, but man it sucks either way.

 

[wwm0nkey]

Very happy for the Switch doing so well, but hopefully they can ramp up production big time

 

[Persona7]

Still not sure if Nintendo does this on purpose to drive up demand or not, but man it sucks either way.

Seems they are getting scraps leftover from Apple and other higher priority manufacturers allotments.

 

[Zedark]

There were also some thoughts/reports that the number of units available was larger, do I wouldn't day supply is actively shrinking.

 

[Chinbo37]

Still not sure if Nintendo does this on purpose to drive up demand or not, but man it sucks either way.

Ya I'm not sure either but I love to read the debates about it on GAF.

So is it intentional or not? I find it hard to belive that a world wide company with tons of experience cannot manage it's supply chain properly so I lean on the side of intentional

 

[SinCityAssassin]

Still not sure if Nintendo does this on purpose to drive up demand or not, but man it sucks either way.

Ya I'm not sure either but I love to read the debates about it on GAF.

So is it intentional or not? I find it hard to belive that a world wide company with tons of experience cannot manage it's supply chain properly so I lean on the side of intentional

We've already had a reputable news article about legitimate component shortages with Nintendo competing with mobile companies for parts. It's not a conscious decision to have these shortages. it's not a matter of managing its supply chain and more getting the parts to even make the consoles.

 

[kitchenmotors]

Ya I'm not sure either but I love to read the debates about it on GAF.

So is it intentional or not? I find it hard to belive that a world wide company with tons of experience cannot manage it's supply chain properly so I lean on the side of intentional

It's not intentional.

There is a shortage of parts and Nintendo can only make so many. Why would they hold back supply when they could be selling 2 or 3 times what they're selling now?

It makes no sense and people who claim otherwise don't come across as having common sense to me, tbqh.

 

[Zedark]

Ya I'm not sure either but I love to read the debates about it on GAF.

So is it intentional or not? I find it hard to belive that a world wide company with tons of experience cannot manage it's supply chain properly so I lean on the side of intentional

There have been plenty of explanation for this shortages: Nintendo was bound to be conservative after the Wii U, and ramping up production is very difficult because of competition for parts with Apple and other big companies. And besides that, Nintendo stands much more to gain from creating a big install base than by creating extra hype around a product that is already in big demand.

 

[Zee_truly evil]

This sucks but it somehow makes me nostalgic seeing lines of this extent again .

 

[MoonFrog]

Hope they solve their stock issues while there's still this much interest.

 

[Neiteio]

Part of me wonders if Nintendo will space out their games more since supply is so limited that more games would just mean increased demand that can't be met anyways.

Like say Pokemon Stars or Smash Bros are pretty much done and ready to ship. Would it make sense to announce them now and release them in the fiscal year if Nintendo won't have enough systems to sell to the people interested in those games?

Monster Hunter XX and Splatoon 2 are already going to destroy Japan...

Then again, increasing demand despite limited supply helps ensure that new systems sell when they arrive, and creates the same effect as artificial scarcity, minus the artificial part.

 

[Persona7]

Hope they solve their stock issues while there's still this much interest.

Not going to happen when they have to compete with other manufacturers who require similar parts.

 

[WhyMe6]

I am in Shinjuku for the weekend and there's no Switches anywhere. The sole preowned one I saw was at the ridiculous price of 41950 yen. I even lined up for a lottery this morning at Shinjuku (nowhere near as long as the OP line) and didn't get it, but they only had 5 consoles in stock for winners, which was shocking.

So jealous of poster below me, the three Don Quixote I went to were sold out

 

[Raysoul]

Lucky for me, I snagged one at Don Quijote without any lottery.

 

[Hasemo]

And yet it's still easier to get than PSVR here, ever now...

 

[Jim_Cacher]

Sometimes I am glad that Nintendo is not a hot brand at my place, so people here can walk into any stores to find one. I have just helped my friend got her Switch.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

Sometimes I am glad that Nintendo is not a hot brand at my place, so people here can walk into any stores to find one. I have just helped my friend got her Switch.

You can make a business selling these to japan.

 

[ArchedThunder]

Part of me wonders if Nintendo will space out their games more since supply is so limited that more games would just mean increased demand that can't be met anyways.

Like say Pokemon Stars or Smash Bros are pretty much done and ready to ship. Would it make sense to announce them now and release them in the fiscal year if Nintendo won't have enough systems to sell to the people interested in those games?

Monster Hunter XX and Splatoon 2 are already going to destroy Japan...

Then again, increasing demand despite limited supply helps ensure that new systems sell when they arrive, and creates the same effect as artificial scarcity, minus the artificial part.

Games are selling well, there is no reason to hold back their releases.

 

[Dr. Black Jack]

People lining up to buy a console a few months after it released.
Got dayum.

The first year of Wii was like this. Restocks would be sold out in seconds and there were waiting lists/early morning lines.

 

[GasProblem]

The thrill of the hunt. I remember it with my Wii, had to lineup at 5:30 am to get one. To be honest, it does make it feel more special when you finally get your hands on one.

In the Netherlands there are waiting lists. On holiday im France atm, went into a Hypermarche, and tada, three Switches just sitting there.

 

[Shengar]

Not going to happen when they have to compete with other manufacturers who require similar parts.

This is new to me and it makes conspiracy theory that says Nintendo doing this internationally is even more nonsensical.

 

[kubus]

A few weeks ago I walked into an Ito-Yokado and found not only brand new Neon Switches, but also a Mini Famicom in stock. I wondered if they were still there at the end of the day...

I also remember lining up from 7 AM in front of a Geo store in January to pre-order the Switch at 10 AM when the store opened, and feeling pretty bad when in the end only 5 people showed up and there wasn't any need to show up so early... :/. It was so freaking cold.

Felt even worse when I cancelled that pre-order later on because I managed to order one from Amazon, lol.

I guess I've been pretty lucky with Switches so far in Japan, wish I could share some of it with people who are actually looking for one . Lottery sounds insane to me.

Well I guess with Dragon Quest + Splatoon + Monster Hunter coming up, it's only gonna get worse. Godspeed to those still on the lookout for an unit .

 

[watershed]

Nintendo needs to get more stock on store shelves. ARMS and Splatoon 2 will suffer if people can't find Switches.

 

[Fraxin]

And yet it's still easier to get than PSVR here, ever now...

How's the demand for PSVR BTW?

Are people in Japan so into it?

 

[pitt_norton]

Wow, I'm thankful I was able to procure a launch unit from Bic Camera online... that was a battle for the ages haha

 

[neohwa]

Considering this is supposed to replace both the Wii U and 3DS, I don't see anything impressive about this. Remember the NES classic that they purposely undershipped?

Switch is still tracking behind the Wii U, so too early to say that it will be more successful than that.

Nintendo only has 1 hardware to produce now instead of two, so what's wrong with them? Supply shouldn't be an issue at all. Look how many different hardware Sony and MS are producing. Take notes Nintendo.

 

[Renekton]

Are the local Yakuza scalping it?

 

[Persona7]

This is new to me and it makes conspiracy theory that says Nintendo doing this internationally is even more nonsensical.

Here is the source : https://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-battles-apple-for-parts-as-switch-demand-rises-1496136603

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Still not sure if Nintendo does this on purpose to drive up demand or not, but man it sucks either way.

People see the game industry a lot like they see pro wrestling, I think.

 

[ggx2ac]

Here is the source : https://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-battles-apple-for-parts-as-switch-demand-rises-1496136603

He wouldn't be able to read the article if he's not subscribed. The OP linked the thread for it:

With reports of supply chain constraints for the various parts that go into the Switch, it's unclear when or how things might improve.

 

[Jon Carter]

Considering this is supposed to replace both the Wii U and 3DS, I don't see anything impressive about this. Remember the NES classic that they purposely undershipped?

Switch is still tracking behind the Wii U, so too early to say that it will be more successful than that.

Nintendo only has 1 hardware to produce now instead of two, so what's wrong with them? Supply shouldn't be an issue at all. Look how many different hardware Sony and MS are producing. Take notes Nintendo.

The Switch is not tracking behind the Wii U.

 

[Hasemo]

How's the demand for PSVR BTW?

Are people in Japan so into it?

It's hard to tell because only ways to get it so far have been lotteries or online preorders gone in seconds because of scalper bots. I think many people are interested, but with this thing being impossible to get (and not being sold at all in most smaller stores), it's hard to gauge interest.

 

[Cerium]

Considering this is supposed to replace both the Wii U and 3DS, I don't see anything impressive about this. Remember the NES classic that they purposely undershipped?

Switch is still tracking behind the Wii U, so too early to say that it will be more successful than that.

Nintendo only has 1 hardware to produce now instead of two, so what's wrong with them? Supply shouldn't be an issue at all. Look how many different hardware Sony and MS are producing. Take notes Nintendo.

Almost nothing in this post is true.

 

[veloxStrix]

So is it intentional or not? I find it hard to belive that a world wide company with tons of experience cannot manage it's supply chain properly so I lean on the side of intentional

You will be hearing about more companies than Nintendo as years go buy. Material demand increases year-over-year as far as higher-end technology goes. We're lucky the Lithium crisis hasn't panned out the way economists were predicting a few years back. Yet, at least.

Hopefully we haven't forgotten about nVidia's issues last year either. Or the Amazon Echo, Google Pixel, and Apple's AirPods or whatever their wireless headphones were. And these are the people at the top of the supply chain.

 

[JeffZero]

Considering this is supposed to replace both the Wii U and 3DS, I don't see anything impressive about this. Remember the NES classic that they purposely undershipped?

Switch is still tracking behind the Wii U, so too early to say that it will be more successful than that.

Nintendo only has 1 hardware to produce now instead of two, so what's wrong with them? Supply shouldn't be an issue at all. Look how many different hardware Sony and MS are producing. Take notes Nintendo.

There are some big errors here.

 

[Shengar]

Here is the source : https://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-battles-apple-for-parts-as-switch-demand-rises-1496136603

Since the article paywalled, which parts that they have to fought over for?

 

[Atheerios]

It's all Apple's fault.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Considering this is supposed to replace both the Wii U and 3DS, I don't see anything impressive about this. Remember the NES classic that they purposely undershipped?

Switch is still tracking behind the Wii U, so too early to say that it will be more successful than that.

Nintendo only has 1 hardware to produce now instead of two, so what's wrong with them? Supply shouldn't be an issue at all. Look how many different hardware Sony and MS are producing. Take notes Nintendo.

I don't actually get the purpose of making up lies. Is it that you assume no one will check, or can you not tell the difference

 

[ggx2ac]

Since the article paywalled, which parts that they have to fought over for?

The thread for it was highlighted in the OP, click the link in the quote:

With reports of supply chain constraints for the various parts that go into the Switch, it's unclear when or how things might improve.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

Take notes Nintendo.

Ah, a polygon writer.

 

[TransTrender]

The thirst is real.
Looks like Nintendo has a real winner

 

[Outtrigger888]

Nintendo does it again, I love when they are counted out and always figure out a way to prove people wrong. Video games wouldn't feel right without Nintendo. Zelda and Mario in the same year. They're not fuckin around.

They launched in March and this console is gonna be hard as shit to find come holiday with Mario odyssey launching.

 

[Herbspiceguy]

No public company would even contemplate "intentional" shortages.

 

[Zedark]

Considering this is supposed to replace both the Wii U and 3DS, I don't see anything impressive about this. Remember the NES classic that they purposely undershipped?

Switch is still tracking behind the Wii U, so too early to say that it will be more successful than that.

Nintendo only has 1 hardware to produce now instead of two, so what's wrong with them? Supply shouldn't be an issue at all. Look how many different hardware Sony and MS are producing. Take notes Nintendo.

I'm going to guess this is a meme, since it contains such obvious falsehoods.

 

[c1d]

Meanwhile in Australia - it's possible to walk into a store almost anywhere and pick one up off a shelf

 

[Darko]

Considering this is supposed to replace both the Wii U and 3DS, I don't see anything impressive about this. Remember the NES classic that they purposely undershipped?

Switch is still tracking behind the Wii U, so too early to say that it will be more successful than that.

Nintendo only has 1 hardware to produce now instead of two, so what's wrong with them? Supply shouldn't be an issue at all. Look how many different hardware Sony and MS are producing. Take notes Nintendo.

Do you just make up shit as you go or...

 

[AgentOtaku]

Man, this is crazy (o__O)