Nintendo drops the Switch 2, chaos ensues

Nintendo started flipping Switches, and the lights went dark quick. The company’s latest video game console sold out worldwide within hours of its debut yesterday morning, in what analysts are calling “the biggest console launch of all time.”

• The Switch 2 retails for ~$450, with a single exclusive game not found on any other console—Mario Kart World—sold separately for ~$80.
• Next-gen ports of older games, including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Cyberpunk 2077, are available for purchase as well, while the Switch 2 is also backwards compatible with original Switch games.

The console is kind of a big deal for Nintendo. The Japanese gaming giant faced an uncertain future prior to the original Switch, largely due to lackluster sales of its previous console, the WiiU. But following its release, the Switch ended up becoming the third best-selling console of all time, with 152+ million units sold globally, helping Nintendo increase its stock price by ~5x since early 2017.

Looking ahead…The Switch 2 is projected to remain in short supply for the next several weeks or months due to high demand. Nintendo officially expects to sell 15 million units in its fiscal year ending March 2026, though many analysts say the estimate is conservative.