The Nintendo Switch finally hit the market today, at least for the lucky gamers that either snagged a preorder months ago or waited in line for a handful of units at select retailers. Nintendo's new console is a new idea in the world of video games: it's a portable console some of the time, with dual analog controls on the sides of a tablet device to allow gamers to play titles like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the go. But it can also be loaded into a dock and beamed to a television for a more traditional living room experience. Hence, "Switch."

Sellouts are pretty standard for new console launches, but Nintendo still has cause to celebrate. The Switch is earning praise for execution on its basic premise, even if some features are missing at launch. On top of that, Breath of the Wild has quickly become one of the best reviewed games of all time, breaking the tradition of lackluster software at launch in tremendous style. Nintendo's greatest strength as always been its hallowed IP and obsessive development, both of which are on full display here. Those reviews are likely to push more and more gamers to the Switch, even if the game is also available on Wii U.

After that, we ask ourselves: how long will it stay sold out? Memories of the Wii offer a cautionary tale: the thing was basically impossible to find for months due to a combination of unprecedented demand and limited stock. Nintendo has a reputation for being somewhat restrained in its manufacturing, so we could see a repeat here. The thing to watch for will be how quickly new stock moves out of stores, indicating how well the fanbase is able to keep this initial burst of excitement moving. It will likely be very quick until the core is satisfied, and then we'll have to see if the machine gained enough momentum in that phase to start bringing in new customers.

So if you're looking for a machine, keep an eye out for stock updates here and elsewhere. It's likely to be a trickle for a few months out, but a little persistence and luck can usually offer hardware to those who seek it. At the very least, we hope that stock can stabilize before the fall, when video games traditionally do the bulk of their business in both hardware and software.

Posted: Mar 03, 2017 5:14 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2017/03/03/nintendo-switch-sells-out-all-over-the-world/#37bcf78f4a63