I have a feeling that the Switch 2 frenzy has died a quick death

Hellraizah

Hellraizah

Member
Might just be my feeling, but... with the amount of Switch 2 consoles that I see in stores week over week, my feeling is that the excitation has died down.

I hear nobody talking about it anymore and I don't see anyone even looking at the console in stores I go to regularly.

I made a prediction before it came out that it would sell like crazy at first because Nintendo fans would grab it like crazy, and then the interest would dwindle really fast after that.

I understand that Nintendo made and delivered much more units than other consoles before, but I was working retail when the Wii came out and I'm pretty sure it would have been sold out every day, even with 5x the units on shelves. The hype was insane and the console was sold out for 2 years in my city.

I've never seen the Switch 2 sold out up to now. Even on the day of release, it was very easy to grab one anywhere. There was multiple units at Costco, Best Buy, etc.

Anybody working retail at the moment with info about Switch 2 sales? Am I crazy?
 
You are reading it wrong, this is not like ps2 -> ps3 -> ps4 generation cycle anymore, this is more like iphoen 10 -> iphone 11 -> etc.

Game catalogues are the main thing now, all console manufacturers are now focusing on that, new hardware is just a way to play that catalogue better.
 
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Hellraizah said:
Might just be my feeling, but... with the amount of Switch 2 consoles that I see in stores week over week, my feeling is that the excitation has died down.

I hear nobody talking about it anymore and I don't see anyone even looking at the console in stores I go to regularly.

I made a prediction before it came out that it would sell like crazy at first because Nintendo fans would grab it like crazy, and then the interest would dwindle really fast after that.

I understand that Nintendo made and delivered much more units than other consoles before, but I was working retail when the Wii came out and I'm pretty sure it would have been sold out every day, even with 5x the units on shelves. The hype was insane and the console was sold out for 2 years in my city.

I've never seen the Switch 2 sold out up to now. Even on the day of release, it was very easy to grab one anywhere. There was multiple units at Costco, Best Buy, etc.

Anybody working retail at the moment with info about Switch 2 sales? Am I crazy?
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Yes it's pure feelings, no facts or figures involved. I would suggest we wait until November and Nintendo update us with the worldwide figure. Even better wait until after the holiday season. Nintendo have updated their Switch production to 25 million units.
 
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Hellraizah said:
Might just be my feeling, but... with the amount of Switch 2 consoles that I see in stores week over week, my feeling is that the excitation has died down.

I hear nobody talking about it anymore and I don't see anyone even looking at the console in stores I go to regularly.

I made a prediction before it came out that it would sell like crazy at first because Nintendo fans would grab it like crazy, and then the interest would dwindle really fast after that.

I understand that Nintendo made and delivered much more units than other consoles before, but I was working retail when the Wii came out and I'm pretty sure it would have been sold out every day, even with 5x the units on shelves. The hype was insane and the console was sold out for 2 years in my city.

I've never seen the Switch 2 sold out up to now. Even on the day of release, it was very easy to grab one anywhere. There was multiple units at Costco, Best Buy, etc.

Anybody working retail at the moment with info about Switch 2 sales? Am I crazy?
Click to expand...

They actually had preparations for ample supply. There were other factors, such as lack of real "need to have this system" Day 1 products and several games were or are high-priced remasters of Switch 1 games.

There's also the economy--it's really not that easy for a LOT of people to pay the $400+ entry and that goes for all the consoles right now. Cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years.
 
Hellraizah said:
Might just be my feeling, but... with the amount of Switch 2 consoles that I see in stores week over week, my feeling is that the excitation has died down.

I hear nobody talking about it anymore and I don't see anyone even looking at the console in stores I go to regularly.

I made a prediction before it came out that it would sell like crazy at first because Nintendo fans would grab it like crazy, and then the interest would dwindle really fast after that.

I understand that Nintendo made and delivered much more units than other consoles before, but I was working retail when the Wii came out and I'm pretty sure it would have been sold out every day, even with 5x the units on shelves. The hype was insane and the console was sold out for 2 years in my city.

I've never seen the Switch 2 sold out up to now. Even on the day of release, it was very easy to grab one anywhere. There was multiple units at Costco, Best Buy, etc.

Anybody working retail at the moment with info about Switch 2 sales? Am I crazy?
Click to expand...

You're not crazy.

I think it depends where you are in the world.

In the UK, the console has been easily obtainable since launch and still is.

However, as you pointed out, this could just be that Nintendo have provided a lot of units to exceed demand.

Nintendo are expecting record sales and have upped production, so it appears to be very popular.

www.eurogamer.net

Nintendo reportedly increasing Switch 2 production as it expects record-breaking first year sales exceeding its own estimates

Nintendo has reportedly requested hardware suppliers produce 25m Switch 2 consoles by the end of March 2026.
www.eurogamer.net www.eurogamer.net
 
It's odd. It has record breaking sales so far, but does kinda feel like a Wii to WiiU situation where a lot of people will just hold on to their Switch 1, which will still play most of the games for years to come.
 
The Switch has been successful with many casual gamers and with parents who are buying consoles for their children. Nintendo has not yet made a compelling reason to those gamers to buy into Switch 2, IMO.

My friends who are not gamers, but have Switches in their homes, have yet decided to buy one. They do not see the need to get one. I have heard them complain about some of the Switch 2 only games or expansions (like in Kirby) because they do not see the differences in the games or understand why these changes cannot also be on the original Switch.

I personally feel this is going to change over time, as more and more Switch 2 only software is released and as the old Switches, especially the JoyCons, start to need to be replaced. The Switch 2 only games is going to take a while to build up though. It is going to be a slow burn for Switch 2.

With the OG Switch, so many years passed since Wii, and Wii U was a confusing mess for many of the casuals that it was dead. So there was a gap that was immediately known when the OG Switch came out. Gap is not as big this time.
 
You sure? The console is selling more than even Nintendo anticipated and it's projected to sell around 20M in its first year... Did any other console did something like this in its first year?
 
It is true that my town has been packed with Switch 2's in every store since the beginning of September. I'm sure demand will increase once Black Friday hits, but are they just making an absolute ton of these things or has the demand really slowed?

I ended up buying one once the new Fire Emblem was announced and rumors of a price increase due to tariffs happened. It feels like a great upgrade from my launch day Switch and I like it a lot.
 
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Nintendo simply manufactured enough consoles so people wouldn't have to fight over it or rely on scalpers. And you can bet it's going to be among the top selling hardware during the upcoming holiday seaon.

I'd even say there's less incentive to pick it up now if you haven't already - it may get some cool bundles for Black Friday or Christmas/New Year's.
 
Homer Simpson Dreaming GIF
 
I know the bills are still due. :(
Switch 2
Mario Galaxy 1 and 2
Donkey Kong Bonanza
Kirby forgotten lands.
Welcome tour (yea I bought it)
A carrying case

Damn this is and expensive toy.

edit-$771.25 That needs to be payed off before middle of next month. Wish me luck.
 
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xrnzaaas said:
Nintendo simply manufactured enough consoles so people wouldn't have to fight over it or rely on scalpers. And you can bet it's going to be among the top selling hardware during the upcoming holiday seaon.

I'd even say there's less incentive to pick it up now if you haven't already - it may get some cool bundles for Black Friday or Christmas/New Year's.
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Exactly this. I recall them even saying this before launch.

Yep…even Variety covered it:

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https://variety.com/2025/gaming/news/nintendo-switch-2-launch-console-shortages-1236362064/
 
Prices for games are too high. System price is reasonable.

For me, I will never buy a 3rd party game on it ever again. Every single one I got on Switch 1 eventually got ported. Still worth it for Nintendo 1st party, so I got it. DK was great. Prime 4 looks less great, but I'm sure will still be good.

When they have more 1st party stuff, excitement will pick up but if they try this $80 business they'll regret it.
 
Sales are the only thing that matter, there could just be many units on shelves because Nintendo actually provided enough inventory.

I think online discussion about the Switch 2 is just suffering from the same effect as the Ps5/SX in that, as a console release, it's just inherently unexciting. It's basically just a stronger switch, with almost the same interface and features. And outside of a few launch/launch windows exclusives, many of the big games for the remainder of the year are also coming to Switch 1 (Pokemon ZA, Metroid, Mario Galaxy 2 remaster, etc)
 
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Hellraizah said:
Might just be my feeling,
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It is

Hellraizah said:
I made a prediction before it came out that it would sell like crazy at first because Nintendo fans would grab it like crazy, and then the interest would dwindle really fast after that.
Click to expand...
Isn't that true for pretty much all products ?
Hellraizah said:
I understand that Nintendo made and delivered much more units than other consoles before, but I was working retail when the Wii came out and I'm pretty sure it would have been sold out every day, even with 5x the units on shelves. The hype was insane and the console was sold out for 2 years in my city.
Click to expand...
You understand it's not like the supply constraint issue the Wii had, and then compare the two regardless ?


Hellraizah said:
I've never seen the Switch 2 sold out up to now. Even on the day of release, it was very easy to grab one anywhere. There was multiple units at Costco, Best Buy, etc.

Anybody working retail at the moment with info about Switch 2 sales? Am I crazy?
Click to expand...
We have direct info from Nintendo and NPD and it is selling faster than previous console, I don't know if this kind of data help
 
People should not forgive Nintendo for Game Key Card. Proper physical games in Switch and Playstation are the console version of GOG for PC, a DRM free ownership of a game. And Nintendo added DRM to physical releases.
 
The conversation surrounding Nintendo and the Switch 2 has been nothing short of fascinating these past few months. We have actual data showing the system is a huge hit and yet you still have people going "my aching bones tell me this is akshually a bomb". How peculiar.
 
I agree but we are still in that period where people will still point to launch sales.

Also interesting is that 1/3 of Switch 2 sales I believe are in Japan. That's a lot relatively speaking. I have no doubt this console will do well there but Japan itself isn't going to carry this imo.
 
Nintendo Derangement Syndrome has reached fever pitch with the Switch 2. Never seen so many stupid motherfuckers coming out of the woodwork wishing the system to fail.
 
Bernkastel said:
People should not forgive Nintendo for Game Key Card. Proper physical games in Switch and Playstation are the console version of GOG for PC, a DRM free ownership of a game. And Nintendo added DRM to physical releases.
Click to expand...
People are over the GKCs like they got over most physical media being the same these days, including most Blu Ray disc games. And when they are tired of them, it's time to welcome the all-digital future some of you guys are raging for.
 
There are several things holding it back:

1. Absolutely bizarre approach to third parties where many of them don't even have Dev kits yet.

2. The graphical leap between the Wii u, switch, and the switch 2 is simply not that impressive.

3. It lacks a real headliner game. A Zelda or a Mario game would do wonders. Something that is a departure or return to what they've done in the past. The breath of the wild games and the more recent last handful of Pokemon games all seem to be using the breath of the wild engine. This means they lack distinct visual character. Even to some extent donkey Kong but that game does look different in a lot of ways.

4. A new IP with getting excited about or an exciting return of an old IP like Animal Crossing, Earthbound, or f-zero.
 
Was there ever sales frenzy about the original Switch? It was always available on store shelves, and yet when the yearly sales reporting comes around, another 20 million sold.
 
soulbait said:
The Switch has been successful with many casual gamers and with parents who are buying consoles for their children. Nintendo has not yet made a compelling reason to those gamers to buy into Switch 2, IMO.

My friends who are not gamers, but have Switches in their homes, have yet decided to buy one. They do not see the need to get one. I have heard them complain about some of the Switch 2 only games or expansions (like in Kirby) because they do not see the differences in the games or understand why these changes cannot also be on the original Switch.

I personally feel this is going to change over time, as more and more Switch 2 only software is released and as the old Switches, especially the JoyCons, start to need to be replaced. The Switch 2 only games is going to take a while to build up though. It is going to be a slow burn for Switch 2.

With the OG Switch, so many years passed since Wii, and Wii U was a confusing mess for many of the casuals that it was dead. So there was a gap that was immediately known when the OG Switch came out. Gap is not as big this time.
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Agreed.

My nephews have an OG Switch, but with Mario Galaxy and Pokémon Z-A releasing on that console, my sister doesn't see the need to upgrade yet.

However, that will probably change next year with Pokémon gen 11 and hopefully a new 3D Mario game getting released.
 
"Monthly hardware spending increased by 32% when compared to a year ago, to $312M. Nintendo Switch 2 sales were able to offset double-digit percentage declines across each of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Switch."

Thick Thighs Save Lives

Sales-Age  Thread 'Circana August 2025: #1 NBA, #2 Madden, #3 Mafia, #4 MGS Delta, #6 Gears Reload ; Switch 2 LTD ~2.4M (~320K in August), PS5 #2 Units + Rev'

State of the market

NBA 2K26, Mobile, and Nintendo Switch 2 drove 11% spending growth in August when compared to a year ago, helping lift total projected spending across video game hardware, content and accessories to $4.7B. The release of NBA 2K26 in the August tracking month (as compared to September a year ago), a 6% increase in mobile video game spending, and the continued strong Nintendo Switch 2 launch fueled August growth.

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Aldric said:
The conversation surrounding Nintendo and the Switch 2 has been nothing short of fascinating these past few months. We have actual data showing the system is a huge hit and yet you still have people going "my aching bones tell me this is akshually a bomb". How peculiar.
Click to expand...

GAF is in general very anti-Nintendo, it's a lot of people projecting what they hope / want to happen and then assigning anecdotal evidence and 'feelings' to try and come to a conclusion while ignoring actual hard facts.
 
ShadyAcshuns said:
People are over the GKCs like they got over most physical media being the same these days, including most Blu Ray disc games. And when they are tired of them, it's time to welcome the all-digital future some of you guys are raging for.
Click to expand...
Sony first party, many single player games and Rockstar games in PS5 are playable without any patch from the disc. Like GTA V literally released for PS5 in a BD100 disc. In PC I try to buy games from GOG. And in Switch 2 we have Game Key Cards. Physical Games are not supposed to have DRM.
 
The bright side of having a chip older than the Mega Drive is that you can produce fuck tons of units in advance. This is the first time a Nintendo hasn't been sold out in the US since, when? The Game Cube?
 
touchfuzzy said:
GAF is in general very anti-Nintendo, it's a lot of people projecting what they hope / want to happen and then assigning anecdotal evidence and 'feelings' to try and come to a conclusion while ignoring actual hard facts.
Click to expand...
I've said, in the past, that once they toppled Xbox and their fans, the PS/PC crew would attack Nintendo until this whole community is nothing but them left here to sing in harmony, or something.
 
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