Nintendo debuts Switch 2 to strong demand, resale concerns emerge
OSAKA: Nintendo Co. on Thursday released the Switch 2, its first new gaming console in over eight years, with strong pre-order demand fuelling optimism that the device will bolster the company's fortunes, but concerns remain that reselling may distort the set price.
According to Kyodo News Agency, the Kyoto-based gaming giant expects to sell 15 million units of the device globally in the current business year through March.
Nintendo said in April it attracted larger-than-expected pre-order interest, with some 2.2 million people in Japan applying for a lottery in hopes of securing one at release.
The successor to the original Switch, released in March 2017, is priced at 49,980 yen (US$350) for the Japan-only version. The multi-language version of the device is available for 69,980 yen.
The new console includes features such as screen sharing and voice chat via a built-in microphone. It also features a larger screen with roughly twice the pixel count of the original Switch and supports 4K output on televisions.
Along with the console, the company released the Mario Kart World game, its latest instalment of the popular racing series.
In Tokyo, dozens of people who won the lottery lined up in the morning before the opening of an electronics store in the Ikebukuro area.
"It's great that players can see each other while playing. I can't wait to go home and play," said Koji Takahashi from Saitama Prefecture, who was first in line after arriving before 6 am.
Satoshi Ayame was unsuccessful in the lottery but went to the store's release event to get hands-on experience with the long-awaited console. "I took a half-day off because I wanted to try this so badly," the 39-year-old said.
Online stores and auction platforms have tightened measures against resellers, with some banning the sale of the Switch 2. But by midday Thursday, multiple listings had already appeared on Japanese e-commerce site Mercari, priced well above the official retail level.
Many of the units on Mercari were listed for between 70,000 yen and 90,000 yen, with one reaching a staggering 800,000 yen. The unusually high prices have drawn public attention and prompted renewed debate over resale practices in Japan's digital marketplaces.
Ken Naganuma, a professor at Doshisha University and an expert in e-commerce, said implementing uniform rules is difficult as reselling is not illegal, but added that it is "rational" for companies to act to protect their brand value as resale becomes a "social issue."
Reflecting the solid interest in the Switch 2, Nintendo said in May that it expects the company's sales for fiscal 2025 to jump 63.1 per cent from the previous year to 1.9 trillion yen. President Shuntaro Furukawa said it will increase production of the new device in response to the strong demand.
The Switch has been one of Nintendo's best-performing consoles, with more than 150 million units sold. However, it has seen declining sales in recent years as the hardware aged after peaking at 28.8 million units in fiscal 2020.
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