Latest news with #SamNussey
Mint
05-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Gamers line up for Nintendo Switch 2 launch with global shortfall expected
By Sam Nussey and Tom Bateman TOKYO (Reuters) -Gaming fans queued up for the launch of Nintendo's Switch 2 on Thursday, which is widely expected to be in short supply globally amid pent-up demand for the more powerful next-generation gaming device. "The level of demand seems to be sky-high," said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy. In the Ikebukuro shopping district of Tokyo, dozens of successful applicants to a sales lottery by electronics retailer Bic Camera lined up before the store opened to collect their devices. "I feel like I'm going to cry," Yumi Ohi, a 30 year-old delivery contractor, told Reuters. Ohi had missed out in other lotteries and had come from Saitama prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo, to receive her Switch 2. Nintendo has sold 152 million Switch home-portable devices since launching in 2017. It became a games juggernaut with titles including two "The Legend of Zelda" titles and COVID-19 pandemic breakout hit "Animal Crossing: New Horizons". The Switch 2 bears many similarities with its predecessor but offers a larger screen and improved graphics and debuts with titles including "Mario Kart World". "The much larger audience of Switch users should translate to stronger adoption in the opening part of its lifecycle," said Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis. "Nintendo is better prepared this time around" to deal with the high demand, he said. The launch of the $499.99 Switch 2 is a test of Nintendo's supply chain management during U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Nintendo last month forecast sales of 15 million Switch 2 units during the current financial year, as well as 4.5 million Switch units. President Shuntaro Furukawa said Nintendo will strengthen production capacity to respond to strong demand and focus on sales promotion in an effort to exceed the forecast. "Given it's a special occasion, I wanted to buy (the Switch 2) right away on its release date," said Shinichi Sekiguchi, a hotel receptionist in his thirties. Nintendo said it received 2.2 million applications for its Switch 2 sales lottery on its My Nintendo Store in Japan. Pre-orders at Target sold out in less than two hours. "You are looking at weeks or months until you can walk into a store and buy a Switch 2," said Toto of Kantan Games. Investor expectations for the new device are similarly lofty. Nintendo's shares are trading near highs and have gained almost 30% this year. Concerns include whether momentum for the Switch 2 will be sustained after hardcore gamers have upgraded. "The volume of first-party games on offer at launch isn't as strong as it could be, so some more casual users may wait and see how the games available build over the next one to two years before making the leap," said Ampere's Harding-Rolls. Ampere forecasts Switch 2 sales to exceed 100 million units in 2030. "Mario Kart World" has a U.S. sticker price of $79.99, generating debate over the price of games. Nintendo is also attracting third-party titles to the system. "I've been around since the era of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and games from (that period) were expensive too so I think it's somewhat within the acceptable range," said Akitomo Takahashi, a salesman in his forties. Takahashi said he was keen to play action role-playing game "Elden Ring" on his Switch 2. (Reporting by Sam Nussey and Tom Bateman; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nintendo Switch 2 launches globally with shortages expected amid pent-up demand
By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) -Nintendo's Switch 2 launched on Thursday and is widely expected to be in short supply globally amid pent-up demand for the more powerful next-generation gaming device. "The level of demand seems to be sky-high," said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy. The Switch launched in 2017 and followed the underperforming Wii U. The home-portable device became a juggernaut with games including two "The Legend of Zelda" titles and COVID-19 pandemic breakout hit "Animal Crossing: New Horizons". The Switch 2 bears many similarities with its predecessor but offers a larger screen and improved graphics and debuts with titles including "Mario Kart World". "The much larger audience of Switch users should translate to stronger adoption in the opening part of its lifecycle," said Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis. "Nintendo is better prepared this time around" to deal with the high demand, he said. The launch of the $499.99 Switch 2 is a test of Nintendo's supply chain management during U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Nintendo last month forecast sales of 15 million Switch 2 units during the current financial year. President Shuntaro Furukawa said Nintendo will strengthen production capacity to respond to strong demand and focus on sales promotion in an effort to exceed the forecast. The company, which is known for conservative forecasts, also expects to sell 4.5 million Switch units. Nintendo said it received 2.2 million applications for its Switch 2 sales lottery on its My Nintendo Store in Japan. Pre-orders at Target sold out in less than two hours. "You are looking at weeks or months until you can walk into a store and buy a Switch 2," said Toto of Kantan Games. Investor expectations for the new device are similarly lofty. Nintendo's shares are trading near highs and have gained almost 30% this year. Concerns include whether momentum for the Switch 2 will be sustained after hardcore gamers have upgraded. "The volume of first-party games on offer at launch isn't as strong as it could be, so some more casual users may wait and see how the games available build over the next one to two years before making the leap," said Ampere's Harding-Rolls. Ampere forecasts Switch 2 sales to exceed 100 million units in 2030. Nintendo has sold 152 million Switch units in total. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nintendo Switch 2 launches globally with shortages expected amid pent-up demand
By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) -Nintendo's Switch 2 launched on Thursday and is widely expected to be in short supply globally amid pent-up demand for the more powerful next-generation gaming device. "The level of demand seems to be sky-high," said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy. The Switch launched in 2017 and followed the underperforming Wii U. The home-portable device became a juggernaut with games including two "The Legend of Zelda" titles and COVID-19 pandemic breakout hit "Animal Crossing: New Horizons". The Switch 2 bears many similarities with its predecessor but offers a larger screen and improved graphics and debuts with titles including "Mario Kart World". "The much larger audience of Switch users should translate to stronger adoption in the opening part of its lifecycle," said Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis. "Nintendo is better prepared this time around" to deal with the high demand, he said. The launch of the $499.99 Switch 2 is a test of Nintendo's supply chain management during U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Nintendo last month forecast sales of 15 million Switch 2 units during the current financial year. President Shuntaro Furukawa said Nintendo will strengthen production capacity to respond to strong demand and focus on sales promotion in an effort to exceed the forecast. The company, which is known for conservative forecasts, also expects to sell 4.5 million Switch units. Nintendo said it received 2.2 million applications for its Switch 2 sales lottery on its My Nintendo Store in Japan. Pre-orders at Target sold out in less than two hours. "You are looking at weeks or months until you can walk into a store and buy a Switch 2," said Toto of Kantan Games. Investor expectations for the new device are similarly lofty. Nintendo's shares are trading near highs and have gained almost 30% this year. Concerns include whether momentum for the Switch 2 will be sustained after hardcore gamers have upgraded. "The volume of first-party games on offer at launch isn't as strong as it could be, so some more casual users may wait and see how the games available build over the next one to two years before making the leap," said Ampere's Harding-Rolls. Ampere forecasts Switch 2 sales to exceed 100 million units in 2030. Nintendo has sold 152 million Switch units in total. 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sony says financial arm spin-off will secure fundraising capabilities
By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) -Sony's CEO said on Thursday the spin-off of the financial services arm will secure that business its own fundraising capabilities. "It is significant that, through the spin-off, Sony (Financial Group) will secure its own fundraising capabilities while continuing to use the Sony brand and collaborate with Sony Group," Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki said at an investor day. Sony plans to distribute just over 80% of its shares to Sony Financial Group, which includes banking and insurance, to shareholders through dividends in kind. It is the first partial spin-off by a company in Japan with a direct listing - the first in Japan in more than two decades - set for September 29. The business plans to repurchase shares totaling some 100 billion yen through to March 2027. Its origins date back to the late 1970s, when Sony co-founder Akio Morita moved to set up a life insurance business selling to consumers. In more recent years Sony sold off struggling hardware operations and focused on entertainment such as the PlayStation games business. More than 60% of the conglomerate's profit came from its entertainment businesses last year. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nintendo sees FY profit rising 13%, Switch 2 unit sales of 15 million
TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo on Thursday forecast operating profit would rise 13% to 320 billion yen ($2.22 billion) in the year ending March. The Kyoto-based gaming company said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 units in the financial year. For the year ended March, Nintendo reported operating profit fell 46.6% to 282.5 billion yen. Nintendo is preparing to launch the Switch 2 on June 5. The games console will succeed the Switch, which has sold more than 150 million units since its 2017 launch and transformed Nintendo's fortunes after the Wii U flopped. The launch will test Nintendo's ability to manage its supply chain as it works to minimise disruption from a trade war between the United States and China. Nintendo paused the start of U.S. pre-orders as it considered the impact of increasing U.S. tariffs. It later said it would maintain pricing at $449.99. Lottery applications in Japan indicate robust demand for the more powerful gaming device, which offers a bigger screen and better graphics than its predecessor. Xbox maker Microsoft and PlayStation maker Sony have both hiked console prices in recent weeks. ($1 = 144.1900 yen) (Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
