Gamers on Thursday finally got their hands on Nintendo’s new Switch 2 console, a release that could lead to record early sales for the Japanese “Super Mario” creator. Featuring a larger screen and enhanced processing power, the device represents a significant upgrade to the original Switch, which became a global sensation with hit titles like “Animal Crossing.”
The original Switch has sold an impressive 152 million units since its 2017 release, making it the third best-selling console of all time. At a Tokyo electronics store on Thursday morning, dedicated Nintendo fans—including 24-year-old Lei Wang, a recent graduate from China—queued eagerly to collect their highly anticipated devices. Wang expressed his “shock” at winning a pre-order lottery, noting that none of his friends had been selected. “It’s basically just me who got picked… so I don’t really want to say anything” to them, he laughed.
Shinichi Sekiguchi, 31, was so excited that he admitted forgetting his phone, while 33-year-old Kuro shared that she had taken a day off work specifically to play with her new device. “The improved graphics and the ability to play with a larger group—I think that’s a big deal,” she commented.
Serkan Toto from Tokyo consultancy Kantan Games predicted, “I would not be surprised to see Switch 2 breaking sales records in the next weeks and months.” In Japan, Nintendo’s online store received a staggering 2.2 million pre-order applications for the Switch 2—an “insane number the industry has never seen before,” Toto told AFP.
Worth the Price?
The Switch 2 boasts eight times the memory of its predecessor, and its controllers, which attach magnetically, can also function as a desktop computer mouse.
A Super Mario character is pictured at a Nintendo display ahead of the launch of the company’s Switch 2 console, an electronics store in the city of Nagoya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, on June 2, 2025. — AFP
New functionalities, such as in-game chat for online play and the ability to temporarily share games with friends, are expected to be a major draw for younger audiences accustomed to watching game streamers.
However, Nintendo faces the challenge of matching the overall phenomenal success of the original Switch. Obstacles include ongoing uncertainty over US trade tariffs and the crucial question of whether it can convince enough consumers to pay the higher price for its new device. The Switch 2 is priced at $449.99 in the United States, a considerable increase from the original’s launch price of $299.99. Both are hybrid consoles capable of connecting to a TV or being used for portable gaming.
New Switch 2 games, such as “Donkey Kong Bananza” and “Mario Kart World”—which allow players to explore off-grid environments—are also more expensive than existing titles. “After playing it, I think it’s worth the price,” 24-year-old aspiring filmmaker Steven Paterno told AFP at a Nintendo launch event in New York City. “I loved the original Switch, but I had to admit the Switch 2 really tops it.”
Cancelled Pre-orders
Retailers in the United States, Europe, and other major markets are bracing for a surge of eager fans, with some stores opening at midnight to accommodate them.
Customers line up outside of a Best Buy store waiting for the midnight opening to purchase Nintendo’s Switch 2 console on June 05, 2025 in Pembroke Pines, Florida, US. — AFP
“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 already forced some retailers to cancel orders, with Britain’s Game stating it is “working hard to reinstate as many affected pre-orders as possible.”
Nintendo forecasts that it will ship 15 million Switch 2 consoles in the current financial year, a figure roughly equivalent to the original console’s sales in the same period after its initial release. The Switch 2 “is priced relatively high” compared to its predecessor, acknowledged Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa at a financial results briefing in May. Therefore, he cautioned, maintaining initial momentum “will not be easy.”
While Nintendo is actively diversifying into theme parks and successful movies, analysts note that approximately 90% of its revenue continues to be generated from the Switch business.
