Nintendo Switch 2 delay could help deter scalpers

[Shawn Knight]

The big picture: Nintendo was originally expected to launch the successor to its Switch handheld later this year, perhaps as the crown jewel of the 2024 holiday season. That's no longer the plan, however, as multiple reports now claim the launch window has slipped into the first quarter of 2025. But, why?

Missing out on the lucrative holiday season isn't idea, but there are some valid arguments as to why Nintendo would elect to do so. Delaying launch would give developers additional time to complete launch titles, but history has shown that this alone is not enough to deter Nintendo from launching new hardware (the Nintendo 64 landed in the US with just two games).

According to a new report from Nikkei, there is another – perhaps even more important – reason to hold back launch. Doing so would give Nintendo more time to stockpile consoles for launch and, with any luck, deter scalpers from buying up inventory and reselling it at a hefty premium.

The Switch 2 (or whatever Nintendo ends up calling it) has some pretty big shoes to fill. The hybrid Switch launched in March 2017 at a time when Sony and Microsoft were dominating with traditional home consoles, and on the heels of the disappointing Wii U. Despite the odds, the Switch proved wildly popular and has demonstrated incredible staying power. As of December 31, 2023, total Switch console sales sat at 139.36 million.

Hardware scalpers took advantage of a perfect storm in recent years to seriously disrupt new console and video card distribution. Using bots to buy up already limited inventory, scalpers could then control the market and charge exorbitant prices when reselling their hauls.

With Covid-era supply chain issues and bans on in-store sales a thing of the past, one would hope that hardware scalping is now a distant memory. Nintendo could be the first to test this theory, and it will be a victory for gamers if they are successful.

Image credit: Aleks Dorohovich, Aishah Lenore

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https://www.techspot.com/news/102030-nintendo-switch-2-delay-could-help-deter-scalpers.html

 

[Kotters]

The T239 isn't exactly a new SoC anymore, and it's only getting older.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

The T239 isn't exactly a new SoC anymore, and it's only getting older.

It’s far more powerful than what is currently in the switch. It rivals the ps4 pro in power hypothetically.

 

[Kotters]

It’s far more powerful than what is currently in the switch. It rivals the ps4 pro in power hypothetically.

I know.

 

[justtocomment]

Missing out on the lucrative holiday season isn't idea, but there are some valid arguments as to why Nintendo would elect to do so.

It isn't ideal either.

 

[yRaz]

I ended up getting my switch because the game stop guy knew me. He allowed me to buy a console and he would hold one in reserve for me when they got restocked. Ended up taking nearly 3 months to get it but I got it. Luckily, at the time I was completely enthralled with ESO so the wait wasn't that bad, but I lost nearly a month of my life to BOTW and ended up having friends over all the time to play MarioKart and SmashBros during lockdown.

I got so much free booze because of that thing during lockdown that it more than paid for itself.

 

[EdmondRC]

I think Nintendo is going to face two problems with Switch 2 and one of them is ironically that Switch did so well. Wii U's failure in some ways built the Switch's early success, BOTW, MK8, DKC-TF, SB, PK3 and more Switch games are direct nearly direct ports of Wii U games that nobody played because the Wii U's poor sales. That early library was the Switch's bread and butter for years and even now some of the most popular games on the system are still Wii U ports.

The second is that unless Nintendo has something up its sleeve that doesn't come off as a gimmick, Switch 2 will not be unique as the Switch was. With several handheld gaming PCs and seemingly many more on the way, the Switch 2 will not even be the most powerful hardware in the space when it releases. The wow factor won't be there.

This leaves Nintendo with its one advantage, exclusive Nintendo titles. Granted Nintendo has some of the most iconic and beloved IPs in the world, but that did not save Wii U or GameCube. Nintendo will have to prove that it can support Switch 2 with a steady stream of games and not Switch ports, If not, Switch 2's year 2 sales could take a nose dive.