Prepare for a battle if you’re hoping to buy any new game consoles this holiday season. Both Sony and Microsoft are reportedly taking extraordinary steps to get PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles to players, but both will still likely be in short supply, and now it seems the system consumers have been able to reliably get – the Nintendo Switch – may be stricken with shortages of its own.
According to a new report in Nikkei Asia, ongoing semiconductor shortages have forced Nintendo to slash their Switch production schedule by 20 percent. Originally, Nintendo had planned to ship 30 million Switches during this fiscal year (which ends March 31, 2022) and later had to cut that number to around 26 million. Now they’ve reportedly dialed back their plans again, to only 24 million units. By comparison, Nintendo sold nearly 29 million Switches during the previous fiscal year, so we’re now in a situation where sales have been down year-on-year for several consecutive months. Nintendo confirmed they are being affected by component shortages, but would only say they’re “assessing their impact on our production.”
These shortages come at an inopportune time for Nintendo, as they just launched the Switch OLED, which is likely to be difficult to find for the rest of the year. That’s unfortunate, as Wccftech’s Rosh Kelly was quite taken with the new system…
The Switch OLED model is the best version to experience the console’s games if you’ve been holding out getting a Switch until now. It’s a fantastic screen that improves everything Nintendo wants to do with art direction and style. Its new stand and metallic feel make it feel valuable. But if you already own a Switch, it’s up to you whether replaying the games you own on a better screen is worth it.
I’m sure the Switch won’t be as hard to find as the PS5 or Xbox Series X this holiday season, but given this report, don’t just assume you’ll be able to stroll into a store and get one. All bets are off this year.
