Eager customers lined up outside electronics stores in Tokyo hours in advance to collect their preordered Nintendo Switch 2 video game consoles.
The much anticipated Switch 2, being released around the world Thursday, is an upgrade to its eight-year-old predecessor with new social features meant to draw players into online gaming. Nintendo is counting on the Switch 2 to boost sagging sales.
In the U.S., a chaotic preorder process in April left some fans frustrated after the consoles quickly sold out.
In Japan, the new consoles were sold through a competitive lottery system that Nintendo said got about 2.2 million applications.
Outside the official draw, some retailers offered their own lotteries to preorder the devices.
Koji Takahashi was among those who missed out on the official draw but he was selected in the second round of a lottery held by a major electronics retailer in Japan.
He was first in line waiting outside the store, arriving four hours ahead of its opening. He hoped to secure a limited supply of Nintendo accessories to buy along with his preordered Switch 2.
“I feel very sorry for those who weren’t successful in the lottery. But I also had tough time getting this far, so I hope they forgive me!” Takahashi said.
The new console comes with a larger and higher resolution screen than its predecessor, with improved processing power, offering smoother and more vivid graphics.
Nintendo has said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles for the fiscal year through March 2026.
The company has promised to roll out attractive software for the Switch 2 later this year, including “The Legend of Zelda” games, a Pokemon title and a Kirby game, as well as offerings from outside software companies.
Nintendo is capitalizing on the launch with the opening of a store in San Francisco and the Super Nintendo World amusement facility in Orlando, Florida, both set for this month.
The Switch 2’s rollout arrives at an uncertain time for much of the gaming industry due to new tariffs implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In the U.S., the Switch 2’s baseline launch price is $449.99—significantly higher than the original Switch’s $299 price tag.
U.S. preorders for the Switch 2 were delayed for several weeks so the company could assess the potential impact of tariffs.
—Ayaka McGill, Associated Press
Jelentkezéshez jelentkezzen be
EGYÉB POSTS Ebben a csoportban
Artificial intelligence company Anthropic said on Tuesday it is now valued at $183 bill
Legal sports betting is still not offered in California or Texas, the country’s two most populous states—and in Florida, the third most-populous, it’s largely controlled by the Seminole Tribe. But
For more than a decade, social platforms have faced criticism for embedding algorithms that fuel compulsive behaviors, encourage doomscrolling, and measure success by time spent glued to screens.
A new startup called Ridley wants to make it cheaper to sell a home by challenging the traditional real estate commission model.
Founder and CEO
For all the many features it’s been lobbing into the world lately, Trello hasn’t given its most dedicated fans the one thing many of them crave most—and that’s a ticket back in t
Over the past three years, I’ve changed email providers three times without ever changing email addresses.
That’s because my address is entirely under my control. Instead of relying on a
