Nintendo will share more information on the upcoming Nintendo Switch later today, but the first piece of official news has already been disclosed. A “limited quantity” of preorders for the new console will be available at the Nintendo World NY location this Friday at 9 a.m. Eastern, tweeted the New York-based Nintendo store.
Nintendo Switch up for pre-order
It is reasonable to assume that the Nintendo Switch will be extremely difficult to purchase for some time, given the recent supply problems with the NES Classic and the huge anticipation for the Switch. Hence, you might want to start queuing up now if you are looking to be one of the first to get the newest console.
A limited quantity of pre-orders for the #NintendoSwitch will begin on 1/13 at 9AM while supplies last at #NintendoNYC.
— Nintendo NY (@NintendoNYC) January 11, 2017
Considering that these are not sales of the actual Nintendo Switch and just the pre-orders, it is not clear what “supplies” the gaming company is referencing in its tweet. But it can be assumed that the gaming company has allotted a certain number of consoles for the NYC store, notes The Verge. As of now, there is no information on when Switch pre-orders will be available in other regions,
The Japanese company is not a stranger to the complex system of supply and demand, notes Engadget. The company was accused of creating false shortages of the Wii for several years after the console debuted in 2006. In addition, the gaming giant rolled out its NES Classic Edition this past holiday season with a lot of hype; however, the online outlets sold out in seconds, whereas the brick and mortar stores across the U.S. received relatively small shipments.
More information in the coming days
On Thursday, the gaming company is hosting a big live-streamed event for the Switch in Japan at 11 p.m. Eastern. We expect more information about the latest console from the live-streamed event, including the potential compatibility of the console with Nintendo’s current hardware, the console’s launch titles, pricing and release date.
Nintendo fans are lucky if they are in New York this weekend. There will be preview events for fans starting January 13 in NYC to check out the Switch for the first time. The event on Jan. 14 is invite-only, while the Friday event is only for the media, but the event on Jan. 15 is open to the public. The console will travel the rest of the continent from January through March.
