Missed Out On Nintendo Switch 2? Here’s What To Do Next

For anyone around the world trying to place a pre-order for the Nintendo Switch 2 ($449 retail),  last night (Wednesday, April 23rd) was a highly stressful experience.

I witnessed the drama at a friend's house. The date April 23rd has been on the calendar for weeks. For gamers, this was like Super Bowl Sunday. And you didn’t even get your hands on the hottest console, which will be available on June 4th at 9 pm (Pacific Time) if you reserved one during last night’s presale.

How many computers and smartphones were used for the presale?

I counted a laptop and a smartphone, both of which were logged in to the retail outlets providing the Switch 2 presale: Target, Walmart, and Best Buy.

GameStop provided their online presale this morning.

‘Hey, bud. Could you please refrain from looking at your phone, or better yet, turn your phone to airplane mode? We need every bit of WiFi to make this happen.’ - My friend (whom we’ll call Dave for this article)

A YouTuber providing live commentary was giving his play-by-play analysis of the mayhem. It was like watching Al Michaels giving NFL pregame commentary.

Nintendo Switch 2 online pre-orders sold out almost immediately

My buddy's family was trying to just pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 console. Which didn’t exactly happen.

UPDATE: (It's 3:30 pm Thursday, April 24th) My buddy called and said he went by the East Wenatchee Game Stop and PURCHASED ANOTHER SWITCH 2 PRESALE)

Good News and Bad News

The good news: 

It happened—shouts of joy. More than an hour of waiting on various online websites yielded results. They were able to reserve a console.

The bad news:

“Congrats! Give me the details, like who did you get one from?”

“Well. We got it from Walmart, and all they had left was a Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle. For $499…I’m kinda bummed because we only wanted the console. We already have Mario Kart.”

Buying the bundle is great news!

I went home to get some sleep, not long after they snagged the pre-order. Today, I read up and realized that preordering the Switch 2 console and the Mario Kart World bundle will save them some money. The new standalone Mario Kart World bundle will retail for $80. The added bundle is an extra $50, for a decent savings of $30. 

Additionally, the new Mario Kart World is a revamped and enhanced version of Mario Kart. New tracks, new characters, and new ways to “grind on the rails.” You’re going to want this latest version.

What if you didn’t reserve a Switch 2 last night?

Those who didn’t get a presale order for the June release know that you are not alone. The five major retailers reported that pre-orders sold out in minutes after everything went live. 

According to 9 Meters, a few restocks occurred after the initial pre-orders sold out. 

‘Limited restocks did occur, but they often sold out in seconds. Retailers rarely gave advance notice, leading to frustration for those still hoping to preorder.’ -9 Meters

What’s next?

The tech website went on to say that if you secured a pre-order, you are not guaranteed to receive a delivery on June 5th. The demand was over the top. Meeting the demand will be a challenge for Nintendo.

If you weren’t successful in getting a pre-order

• Sign up for restock notifications through the major retailers
• Register for direct purchase options through Nintendo’s official channels. 
• Be on the alert for bundle listings - retailers sometimes restock game or accessory bundles separately from the base unit. 
• This is very important: Be very aware of scalper pricing. You might feel justified in paying double or triple the price of a resale console, but you might regret it later when Nintendo ramps up its supply.