The official launch, with a $499.99 starting price, took place on Thursday. U.S. stores such as GameStop and Best Buy hosted midnight openings for fans.
Nintendo Switch 2 launched worldwide on Thursday with a $499.99 starting price. Fans in NYC camped for up to two months to secure the new console. Some customers reported damaged units due to GameStop’s poor packaging.
According to CNBC, Nintendo expects to sell 15 million consoles by the end of the year and aims to reach 100 million units sold by 2030. Considering the pre-orders and the 2.2 million applications for the Nintendo lottery in Japan, more shortages are expected. Multiple fans in New York City waited in line for up to two months, camping in tents and taking shifts with friends and family to protect their spots, and be among the first ones to buy the device. Target customers reached the pre-order limits within just 2 hours, and several stores ran out of stock within minutes. However, not all customers in the U.S. were happy with the product. Multiple players reported on social media that their devices, purchased at GameStop, were damaged as the boxes were stapled and handled poorly. “GameStop stapled the receipt for me and my friends Switch 2s to the box, FML,” wrote one user on X. “Genuinely insane now I’m gonna have to wait 3 months for the restock. And yes we were there for the midnight release, so I bet everyone in this line is gonna have this same issue.” Users shared photos and proof of the issue. According to NBC News, GameStop stated it was investigating the matter. A few affected customers were contacted by the company and offered replacements for their damaged consoles. Despite the high prices and uncertainty due to the U.S. government’s import tariffs, players all over the world showed up at the stores and shared their excitement to get the highly anticipated device.
