The Nintendo Switch 2 has been the topic of much controversy since the Switch 2 Direct at the beginning of April. During this time, Nintendo unveiled that the console would cost a staggering $450 or $500 if you wished to purchase the Mario Kart World bundle. That puts it on par with the price of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. This prompted many to bombard Nintendo with comments saying, “Drop the price,” on many of the livestreams and directs since then. Despite the negativity, the Nintendo Switch 2 might be the biggest console launch in gaming history, according to analysts.
Analyst states Nintendo could sell upwards of 6 million consoles
Nintendo has seen overwhelming demand for the Nintendo Switch 2 despite the negative backlash from many around the world. Particularly, this demand has been most prevalent in Japan, where the upcoming handheld system is notably cheaper than in the rest of the world. For comparison, a Japanese-only Switch 2 system costs around 49,980 Yen or $350. This is nearly a quarter cheaper than it is in every other region.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa posted a statement on X recently saying, “We received an extremely large number of applications, approximately 2.2 million people in Japan alone. However, this number far exceeds our expectations, and far exceeds the number of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles that can be delivered from the My Nintendo Store on June 5th. Therefore, unfortunately, we expect that a significant number of customers will not be selected.”
Pelham Smithers of the Japan-focused equity research house Pelham Smithers Associates stated via Bloomberg, “As Japan accounts for a third of the global Switch installation base, it implies 6.6 million pre-orders globally.” The number of pre-orders globally has not been stated, but Switch 2 console pre-orders were crashing various retail websites at midnight on April 24, 2025 – the day pre-orders started in the US. As usual, some of these purchases belonged to scalpers.
Bloomberg also stated, “Analysts had earlier forecast that Nintendo will be able to produce 6 million to 8 million consoles by the time the Switch 2 hits shelves.” If Nintendo is able to accomplish this, the Switch 2 release will be the biggest in console-gaming history, topping the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 for being the best console launch to date.
