Coronavirus is shutting down more doors than a boyfriend in the comments of his girl’s Instagram page as Nintendo suspends domestic shipments of its Switch gaming consoles.
Word broke this week that Japan’s Nintendo will be ceasing production due to the virus ravaging various regions. This comes while Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, declared a state of emergency alongside a record stimulus package plan to help the world’s third-biggest economy through the sickness.
A rep for the company commented that they are working on the U.S shortages next. “Nintendo Switch hardware is selling out at various retail locations in the U.S, but more systems are on the way. We apologize for any inconvenience,” the Nintendo rep said.
Switch stock is so scarce that Japenese retailer Yamada Denki, held a lottery for customers to buy Ring Fit Adventure and the console. There were 900 copies of Ring Fit and 100 Switch units available. 200,000 people entered and crashed the store’s system.
To protect workers and customers, major retailers such as Walmart and Target have sectioned off their non-essential items. This means things like video games are walled off as details of bored people driving to browse isles during the pandemic pop up.
Nintendo Switch The Price Tag
The company announced back in February that Switch consoles and accessories would experience delays. Nintendo reportedly outsources the production of its console to China and Vietnam plants.
There are also reports of a significant increase in people playing video games since COVID-19 hit. This lull of trying to fill the boredom correlates with the rise and demand of Switch products. The makers of “ball-in-a-cup” must be going wild right now as the public’s options are limited.
A scarcity in Switch consoles at retail stores has led eBay sellers to slide in with marked-up prices. The revised Switch goes for $300, while the Switch Lite is typically $250. These resellers are charging anywhere from $100-$200 above retail for those foaming at the mouth to play Animal Crossing.
People can still order Switch and other non-essential products online at retailers as they restock items. Nintendo’s production of their console may have slowed, but now you have more read these articles. We’ll keep you updated on any more developments.
Do you care about the shortages? What are you passing the time at home with? Consider yourself essential? Leave a comment!
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