Three major retailers – GAME, Amazon and the Nintendo Official UK Store – all currently list the Nintendo Switch as out of stock.
Got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas? Bully for you. Anyone looking to cash in on vouchers or spend some festive money on the console is going to have to wait, as the Switch has mysteriously disappeared from most online spaces.
Nintendo Life reported on the issue last week, noting that GAME, Amazon and the Nintendo store were all completely out of console-only packages. Speaking with Trusted Reviews, GAME confirmed that “there’s a market wide shortage at the moment.”
Related: These are the best games on the Switch right now
At present, the retailers still don’t have the consoles back in stock. Anyone who wants to get their hands on the Switch will have to pre-order for 24 January, which is when the gadget is due to be dispatched.
It’s not clear why Switch stock is at an all time low in the UK at the moment, but after this story was originally reported the pre-order button miraculously sprang back onto the retailers’ web pages.
Some have linked the sudden dip in stock with the arrival of the new Pokémon games, Sword and Shield. These games were hugely popular, selling 6 million copies worldwide, which could have prompted a new wave of sales as gamers scrambled to get a console.
Related: All the latest news on Breath of the Wild 2
Add that into a swell of Christmas orders and you can see how the appetite for the Switch may have outstripped production in the UK.
It’s also possible that the Switch Lite’s arrival has put a dent in the production numbers, either because it reduced Nintendo’s production capacity or because the team thought it better to focus on the newer consoles for Christmas.
Anyone who still hasn’t managed to grab one of the consoles will just have to be patient. The good news? It should at least be back in stock before Breath of the Wild 2.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
